Portuguese 
In Faulkland, Somerset, a couple left dairy farming after testing lavender on part of their property. The herd of 70 cows was sold, flower cultivation advanced, and the old barn became home to distillation equipment used to transform flowers into commercially viable essential oil.
Lavender gradually replaced the herd of 70 Jersey and Guernsey cows on a family farm in Faulkland, in the Mendip area of Somerset, England. The couple running the farm sought a way to get more returns from their land than dairy farming could provide and found an alternative in flower cultivation.
The shift did not happen all at once. They actually maintained both dairy and lavender during a transition period, but the new endeavor progressively took over as the primary focus of the farm. The cows were eventually sold, and the structure once associated with livestock became dedicated to a completely different chain centered around flowers and essential oil.
Lavender farm replaced area previously used for 70 cows
The transformation drew attention, especially due to its contrast with the rural landscape of the region. A report by The Guardian, published on August 6, 2012, described rows of lavender occupying a five-acre area that, a few years prior, had been used for grazing 70 Jersey and Guernsey animals.
The property was located in the village of Faulkland, about six miles from Frome, on the way to Trowbridge. The lavender stood out in a region better known for its quarries, mines, and gray stone than for extensive fields of aromatic flowers.
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Couple sought an activity with higher yield than milk production
The decision was driven by economic factors. According to the report, the owners were seeking to get more from the land than dairy farming was currently delivering. The source did not provide the couple’s names or any revenue figures before or after the transition.
It was during this process that the farmers learned about a lavender farm in Cheshire. They visited the property and became interested in the model. The reference from another rural operation ended up serving as a starting point to test a completely different crop from what had sustained the farm until then.
Lavender and milk used to share space on the property
The transition occurred gradually. For some time, the couple maintained both dairy production and lavender cultivation, avoiding an immediate abandonment of the business they were already familiar with.
However, this coexistence did not last. The source reports that the lavender business quickly took the lead, prompting the owners to sell their cows. The property then focused its efforts on the cultivation and processing of flowers.
Sale of the cows marked the definitive turning point for the farm
The departure of the herd was the point where diversification ceased to be just a parallel experiment. The area that was previously associated with milk production began to sustain a different productive logic.
The contrast was direct: instead of transforming grass into milk through cows, the farm began to transform lavender flowers into essential oil through distillation. This comparison is made by the report itself when describing the new activity established in the former animal space.
Old barn now houses distillation equipment
The change also reached the property’s buildings. In the barn that once housed livestock, equipment was installed to transform harvested lavender into marketable products.
The report describes two large stainless steel drums, contrasting with a more rustic-looking harvesting machine. The flowers were placed inside the containers, while water below was heated to allow the distillation process.
Harvesting machine came from a village in Provence
Not all equipment used in the property’s new phase was modern. The machine employed in the harvesting of lavender came from a remote village in Provence, France.
Even after adaptations and modernizations to meet local needs, the equipment still retained a simple and rustic appearance, according to the description published by The Guardian.
Flowers began producing what previously came from the herd
After harvesting, the lavender proceeded to the distillation drums. The flowers were placed in the equipment, and the water below was heated, creating the process used to extract the essential oil.
The change summarized the entire transformation of the farm. The milk produced by the herd exited the scene, making way for the oil extracted from the flowers, while the same rural space continued to be used as a source of income, now based on another production chain.
Transformation was not presented as a quick enrichment
The report does not disclose the revenue from lavender production, the price of the essential oil, the annual quantity extracted, nor the timeframe needed to recoup the investment made for the change.
For this reason, it is not possible to assert from the source that lavender made the couple rich or generated a specific income increase. The account documents that the producers were seeking an activity that would provide a greater return on the land, tested the alternative, and ultimately left dairy farming when the new business became more significant.
Farm transitioned from milk and pasture to flowers and essential oil
The case of Faulkland illustrates a complete transformation of the productive function of a property: an area previously occupied by 70 cows has now been replaced by rows of lavender, while the cattle barn was adapted for processing the flowers.
The shift involved abandoning an established herd, betting on a different crop, and repurposing the rural infrastructure to produce essential oil. The outcome was not presented by the source as a universal formula, but as the specific choice of that couple in light of the economic conditions of their farm.
If you had a dairy farm and realized that another crop could provide a more economically interesting use of the land, would you sell the entire herd to switch activities or maintain both productions running side by side for longer? Share your thoughts in the comments.
