Farmer Focus: JH Dorrington & Son, Lincolnshire
The British Farming Awards 2025 Dairy Farmer of the Year, Zara Dorrington, is driving innovation across her family’s 2,000 acre mixed dairy and arable business in Lincolnshire, run alongside her father Ross and uncle Simon. The 340-cow dairy herd is milked 3 times a day and managed on a summer block-calving system, with cows grazing in spring before being housed as conditions dry. The Cattle Information Service has been providing a full monthly milk recording service and herd health testing since 2020, overseen by CIS Area Supervisor Phil Morgan.
The herd and its followers are fed a total mixed ration (TMR), a system the business has relied on for decades to maintain performance and milk quality. Producing an average of 10,700L litres at 4.9% fat and 3.4% protein, Zara says TMR is central to managing consistent intake across all stock groups. Home-grown grass and maize silage form the backbone of the ration, supplemented with wholecrop.
Operating in an area of Lincolnshire with few neighbouring dairy farms, the business runs its own forager for grass, to retain control over dry matter and energy, while maize and wholecrop harvesting is carried out by contractors. A wider rotation balances combinable, forage and root crops, supporting both milk production and long-term soil health.
Monthly milk recording is a key part of the Dorrington’s herd management. With their parlour being 26 years old, and while it has been invested in and improved over the years, they rely on the milk recording results to show how each cow is performing individually, beyond daily yield. As they are continually looking to drive fats and proteins, the individual cow results help to confirm breeding choices alongside genomic data.
All cows wear collars that assist with health detection, but knowing their individual SCC and fat/protein ratios provides an additional checkpoint to make sure nothing is overlooked. Being very focused on maintaining a high health status, testing for Johnes and other diseases helps towards their goal of being CHECS accredited.
In recent years, the farm has seen a series of investments aimed at improving efficiency, welfare and sustainability. A newly designed shed helps mitigate heat stress and improve cow comfort, while a move to three-times-a-day milking for much of the year has seen yields increase. Genomic testing has accelerated genetic progress, and infrastructure upgrades – including a slurry separator and extended pipeline – have improved nutrient use, cutting reliance on artificial fertiliser. Mastitis cases have fallen by 80%, reducing costs and improving welfare, while yields and milk solids continue to rise. Looking ahead, Zara is focused on building resilience to climate volatility through increased water and slurry storage, alongside further infrastructure investment to secure the farm’s long-term future.
-ends-