helping local dairy farmers discover new markets t: 01773 550832 e: info@dairywagon.co.uk

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Frequently Asked Questions

Questions

The dairy wagon- what is it?
Will the farms need special equipment?
Who has trained the Technician?
What area does the Dairy Wagon cover?
Is it for production or just training?
Why is it needed?
Will the products be for sale?
Why is the Peak District Dairy Wagon special?
Is it just for cows milk?

Answers

The dairy wagon- what is it?
The Peak District Dairy Wagon is a mobile dairy processing facility, where Peak District farmers and their families can learn dairy skills. It is owned by the Peak District Dairy Wagon Co Ltd. It has the equipment to make cheese, ice cream, butter, creams, yoghurts and other dairy products. The Dairy Wagon is driven by a technician who teaches the farmer how to make the products.
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Will the farms need special equipment?
The participating farms will each have a docking point- water, waste and (single phase) electricity. The farmer will provide storage and maturing facilities for their own products.
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Who has trained the Technician?
The technician is trained and supported by Reaseheath College.
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What area does the Dairy Wagon cover?
The area covered by the Peak District Rural Action Zone, that is The Peak District National Park, High Peak, Derbyshire Dales and parts of Staffordshire.
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Is it for production or just training?
The Dairy Wagon will train the farmers, they will be able to sell produce but some sort of production facility may be the next project.
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Why is it needed?
In 1933 the Milk Marketing Board was set up to buy all the milk in England and sell it on to retailers and manufacturers. This meant that farmers didn’t need to know how to make cheese or other dairy products anymore so those skills died out. In the 1990s the milk price dropped dramatically and farmers were urged to add value to their primary product and get closer to customers. Dairy farmers have to milk their cows twice every day as well as being on hand for calving and running the farm so they couldn’t just go to college to re-learn their lost skills. The Peak District Dairy Wagon solves this problem and travels to the farm so the farmer and the family can learn on site with their own milk.
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Will the products be for sale?
Yes, when the participants have reached a certain level of skill and as part of the training process for marketing and selling.
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Why is the Peak District Dairy Wagon special?
It is unique, there is almost nothing like it in the world. In Sweden there are porta-cabin dairies that are left on farms for 3 months to 2 years, in New York State, USA there is a cheese mobile, developed in 2003.
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Is it just for cows milk?
No, it is for any milk, one member milks her sheep and wants to make sheep yoghurt and ice-cream. It could be for buffalo milk too.
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