Anna Bowen Topic

Anna Bowen

I grew up on a dairy farm in Carmarthenshire where my brother and father breed pedigree Holsteins, I now live in Ceredigion where my partner and I contract farm a herd of 300 spring block calving dairy cows. Outside of the farm I work full time as a farm business consultant for The Andersons Centre and part time as a farm consultant, freelance writer, and private tutor. I enjoy travelling, reading, drawing, and retraining my ex racehorse Woody.

Study Overview

Through the Nuffield project I hope to gain a better understanding of where the UK sits globally in terms of dairy calf welfare, and what can be done to improve it. I will look at options for dairy bull calves such as integration into the red meat chain, and best practices for sexed semen use. I will also look at the challenges and opportunities of calf at foot rearing, and whether this can work in a conventional dairy farm on a standard milk contract. I will visit other industries that have managed ethical considerations and “wastage” e.g. horse racing. I hope that my scholarship will positively influence my farming career as well as that of others.

Scholar Video