Jersey Farm Has Waiting List to Help Herd Cows

When Zoe Marshall tried moving her dairy cows between fields with just family help, it was absolute chaos—cows jumping walls, escaping down roads, total mayhem. So the fifth-generation Jersey farmer had an unusual idea: ask the community to become human cow-herding barriers.

Two years later, Clairval Organic Dairy Farm has a volunteer waiting list. Between 20 and 30 people show up every couple of months to help move the herd through St Saviour, blocking roads and field entrances while cows trot down public streets.

Marshall admits this isn't standard farming practice anywhere. But without a cattle trailer or the budget to hire professional help, the volunteer method has become something much more special than a logistics workaround.

"They love it, and it's a bit of a guilty pleasure for them," Marshall says of the mostly adult volunteers who brave whatever weather hits to help. Sometimes she has to turn people away because too many show up.

The volunteers come from all walks of life. Ash and her corporate friends wanted "something different" on a Saturday morning. Teacher Michaela Byrne came once to feed baby cows and never stopped coming back. A local care home brought residents who were initially nervous about patting the animals but "really enjoyed it."

Marshall's family has farmed at Clairval since the late 1800s, maintaining a 100% original Jersey cattle population. She knows every cow by name and considers them family—a connection she's grateful to share with strangers-turned-friends.

Sunny's Take

There's something beautifully backwards about this whole operation. In an era when farms are increasingly automated and isolated from communities, Clairval is doing the opposite—inviting people into the messy, muddy, unpredictable reality of caring for animals. Volunteers don't just show up for Instagram photos. They deal with horrific weather, early mornings, and the genuine chaos of moving large animals who have their own opinions about where they want to go. And they're lining up for more.

One volunteer perfectly captured the spirit: "Traffic jams with cows is very Jersey." It's a reminder that community isn't built through screens or scheduled events—it's built by showing up, getting muddy, and helping your neighbors move some cows down the road.

The farm expects around 30 calves in the next year, which means more herding days ahead. Marshall's message to potential volunteers captures the simple joy at the heart of this tradition: "Get your children in a pair of welly boots, get them out there, it's just a bit of mud."