Farm of the Week: It's a busy time for the Pedley's near Kirkby Stephen

Exciting times have been the norm for one young farming couple during the past two years. Megan and David Pedley have started their own human flock with Jack, two, and Katy Elizabeth, who celebrated her first birthday last week and have realised a long held ambition of farming in their own right with a much larger flock at Rookby Scarth, Winton near Kirkby Stephen.
Megan and David Pedley with their children, Katy and Jack, on their farm at Winton near Kirkby Stephen.Megan and David Pedley with their children, Katy and Jack, on their farm at Winton near Kirkby Stephen.
Megan and David Pedley with their children, Katy and Jack, on their farm at Winton near Kirkby Stephen.

Children and a new place might well be enough for some but not Megan as she has also added to her roster the role of sheep secretary for tomorrow’s Moorcock Show.

Moorcock is one of the smaller shows in the Dales but particularly special for the Pedley family, with David’s parents Jim and Liz of Yore House near The Moorcock Inn and the rest of the family all heavily involved.

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“‘We’ve had Colin Luckett looking after everything as show secretary for the past two years, but before Colin it was my sister-in-law Alison. The show has grown and continues to grow each year since we took on other sheep breeds and changed the show day from Saturday to Sunday,” says Megan. “We’ve been getting record gates since we moved the day and hopefully we will do well again tomorrow, so long as the weather is right.

Some of David  Pedley's cattle.Some of David  Pedley's cattle.
Some of David Pedley's cattle.

“Colin has done a fabulous job bringing more trade stands and it was felt that we should now have a secretary specifically for the sheep to help with his workload.”

In common with Tan Hill and Muker the show had always been pretty much a Swaledale sheep affair, but Moorcock has gradually embraced other hill breeds and tomorrow’s show sees another breed debut.

“We’ve Herdwicks at the show for the first time this year. David’s ex-boss Frank Brennand of Chapel-le-Dale suggested the idea and we’ve attracted a fantastic number of exhibitors with thirteen bringing stock, that’s just over half of what we get for the Swaledale classes so it’s a great start. We have classes for Swaledales, Mules, Blue Faced Leicesters, Texels, Herdwicks and Rough Fells who joined us after Sedbergh Show folded.”

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While preparation for Moorcock Show now provides an additional task or three for Megan it holds no fear for the cheery young new mum who as well as being a fully-trained hairdresser, one-time employee of Country Harvest near Ingleton and member of Pennine YFC is used to balancing her time and skills no matter what comes along.

Megan Pedley and the children looking at some of their Swaledale sheep.Megan Pedley and the children looking at some of their Swaledale sheep.
Megan Pedley and the children looking at some of their Swaledale sheep.

Happy, smiling faces are Megan and David’s stock in trade at the moment, as well they might be given their new family members and an all-new farm start-up of nearly 500 acres at Winton, which also has fell rights. David realises just how fortunate they have been.

“It’s a dream come true. We had always wondered how we would get into having our own farm and it has been Megan’s Uncle Tom Robinson and her cousin Philip who have given us the opportunity as farm managers.

“They purchased Rookby Scarth and we get to farm here so long as we look after the herd of 200 Blue Grey, Whitebred Shorthorn and Galloway cattle.

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“I’d worked for dad at Yore House, studied at Newton Rigg College and had worked on other sheep farms in Hawes and for Frank (Brennand). I have two brothers Stephen and Martin who work with the family partnership, but I’ve had decent farming jobs and the hope of one day getting a farm of our own.

Some of David  Pedley's cattle.Some of David  Pedley's cattle.
Some of David Pedley's cattle.

“Everything has fallen luckily for us and now we’re here on a good hill farm that runs to 1,250ft and where our fell boundary joins Nine Standards Rigg (aka Hartley Fell). We can fatten lambs off these hills.”

Current stocking levels sees Megan and David with 400 breeding ewes of which around 100 are pure Swaledales, plus Swaledales crossed with the Blue Faced Leicesters to produce the North of England Mule, pedigree Texels producing Texel tups, Texel X and North Country Cheviots.

“We lamb mainly during March and April and sell at breeding sales and fat lamb markets. That’s what I’ve been brought up with all my life. The Mules are sold at Hawes livestock market and the fat lambs at Kirkby Stephen. Swaledales are sold at both markets.

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The pure Texel tups go to Kirkby Stephen with a few going to Bentham since we lived over that way when I worked for Frank and we have good contacts.”

Megan Pedley and the children looking at some of their Swaledale sheep.Megan Pedley and the children looking at some of their Swaledale sheep.
Megan Pedley and the children looking at some of their Swaledale sheep.

The farm’s native breed cattle add another dimension. While the Galloways, Whitebred Shorthorns and Blue Greys are not their own, they have their day-to-day welfare at heart and Megan handles all the paperwork.

Her parents, Pete and Kate Robinson live in nearby Waitby and had a dairy herd.

There’s no talk just yet of Megan starting up a cattle class at Moorcock Show and the couple are taking a break from showing their sheep as David will also be stewarding.

It’s too early to say whether Jack and Katy Elizabeth will want to farm themselves, , but it would be no surprise to see them competing in the young handlers at Moorcock one day.