Ross’s father bought the farm in 1946 and he and his sister, Lee, took over in 1986, converting to organic production in 2001. Lee’s son, Callum, began to take over the dairy in 2017, which he now runs alongside a music-teaching business.
In order to streamline production they have reduced stock levels and have built a new 24-point parlour. The 180 cows are a mixture of Montbeliardes, Jerseys and some Holsteins. They increasingly use sexed semen, rearing heifers and selling any bull calves.
The bulk of their milk is sold through UK-wide co-op, OMSCO, but Ross also pasteurises a small amount, which is sold via vending machines in local shops. The milk is also supplied to a nearby hotel and restaurant. While the volume of local milk sales is small, it has helped connect the farm with the local community in a mutually beneficial way.
The family have created a number of walks round the farm, building on a community project to create walks around the foreshore. Torr Farm is a supporter of the hutting movement, and has provided six plots on the shore on which members of the local community have built huts as part of the Thousand Huts campaign.