Farm Smart: Holly and Adam Atkinson: Balancing Farming and Family on an Organic Dairy Farm by the Coast

Holly and Adam Atkinson farm on an organic dairy farm in South Devon alongside their two sons, Abel and Casey, with the support of a dedicated three-person team. The farm specialises in organic milk production and follows strict farming standards built around sustainability, grazing, and efficient management.

Spanning around 1,000 acres, the farm is home to a 600-cow herd. The main breed is Kiwicross, a Jersey and Friesian cross, chosen to suit the farm’s spring block calving grazing system and make the most of fresh grass across the season.

An organic dairy system built around grass

Adam manages the home farm while also overseeing four additional dairies and several forage blocks for well-known farm businessman Geoff Sawyers of Carswell Farms. His route into dairying was shaped by his father, who worked as a herd manager on a number of dairy farms.

Holly came from a non-farming background but developed a love of farming early on. She gained experience on a wide range of local farms, including beef, sheep, dairy, and even water buffalo enterprises. After graduating from vet school in 2009 and working as a vet, she took a career break to become a mother and now plays an active role on the farm, especially in rearing dairy heifer calves.

One of the farm’s key performance indicators is achieving a milk-from-forage ratio of 80%, reflecting the business’s focus on maximising forage use and maintaining an efficient, sustainable system.

Continuous improvements on farm

In recent years, the farm has made a number of practical upgrades to improve efficiency. A new shedding and sort gate system has streamlined cow handling and made day-to-day operations smoother.

Holly and Adam also place real importance on team alignment. They involve staff in discussions around protocols and planning, helping everyone stay on the same page and work to consistent standards.

Holly has also become a trained Mental Health First Aider, underlining the family’s commitment to employee wellbeing alongside animal performance and farm efficiency.

Balancing farming with family life

Raising a young family while running a busy dairy business comes with its own challenges. Holly and Adam make a point of scheduling time away from the farm so they can spend quality time with their children.

Holly considers herself fortunate to be able to rear calves while having her children by her side. She is especially passionate about calf rearing, farm safety, and creating practical systems that allow children to be involved safely in farm life.

Using Instagram to share her farming journey

Holly began sharing farm life on Instagram at the end of 2019, initially to tell her story, promote dairy farming, and build connections within agriculture. During the pandemic, that presence grew quickly and became a way to connect with the outside world at a time when many people felt isolated.

Her page, Cups on Cows, now has more than 8,000 followers and has helped her connect with farmers across the UK and beyond.

Holly is passionate about using social media to challenge misconceptions around farming, create space for learning, and speak openly about mental health, especially within farming and the veterinary world.

Introducing Herdwatch to save time and improve operations

Holly and Adam first came across Herdwatch through social media. After trying it, they found the sign-up process simple and intuitive, with no training needed to get started.

Since then, Herdwatch has become a central part of how the farm manages medicines, treatments, calf registrations, movements, and inspections.

Faster calf registration and better records

One of the biggest day-to-day wins has been calf registration. Instead of waiting until the evening to deal with paperwork on a computer, the team can now register calves straight from a phone as soon as they are born.

Recording movements on and off the farm, along with deaths and other key events, has also become much more straightforward. That means more accurate records and less duplication of work.

Milk recording and farm mapping in one place

More recently, the Atkinsons have also started using Herdwatch for milk recording. Having milk data available directly on their phones makes it easier to monitor production and access important information quickly when needed.

The Farm Maps feature has also proved invaluable. Holly and Adam use it to map the farm, colour-code areas, send clear maps to contractors, and provide instructions around grazing plans and fencing.

Always inspection ready

Herdwatch also plays a big role in helping the farm stay prepared for inspections. Because records are kept up to date and can be printed as reports, the process is far smoother and less stressful than before.

The whole team finds the app easy to use, which makes communication better and helps ensure treatments and events are recorded as they happen.

For Holly and Adam, the biggest benefit is having all of their essential farm management tools in one place, improving both efficiency and teamwork across the business.

You can read more real farmer stories on our farm case studies page.