Andrew Harrison steps up at the start of agriculture's new era

February signals a regular changing of the guard among National Farmers' Union county chairmen. It's a time when those taking up their positions can find themselves thrust into a limelight they didn't necessarily court, but for some it can be the next step on the NFU ladder to high ranking national positions.
Andrew Harrison at Rayslack House near Setterington.Andrew Harrison at Rayslack House near Setterington.
Andrew Harrison at Rayslack House near Setterington.

Agriculture has changed markedly from the days when the likes of livestock farmers in the North York Moors could leave behind their farms for days on end to sit in meetings in London and the NFU’s headquarters, but the new York East county chairman Andrew Harrison of Rayslack Farm, between Settrington and West Lutton, appears to relish the opportunity to be a part of what could be a historic next two years for farming in the UK.

“Like most things the NFU is all about people and I’m looking forward to meeting even more. Communication is important and we must try all we can to get the voices of the membership heard by those that matter.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We’re in a very unusual period at the moment with the Brexit situation and it’s my view that all farmers should come together right now to get the best possible outcome for British agriculture. Quite a number of farmers are not members of the NFU and just at the moment with the potential negotiations for Brexit it is the voice of farming whether those outside of the organisation like it or not. The government is seeking out the NFU to discuss everything.

“The NFU needs to reach out to those who are not currently members and they in turn need to reach out to the NFU because I wouldn’t think they will be able to get very far on their own.”

Andrew was all set to vote for remain, in line with the NFU’s declaration prior to the Brexit vote but ended up shifting to out.

“I was pretty much 65/35 on remaining but then somebody in Brussels started getting excited about glyphosate. That tipped me over the edge. I’m not sure, as I suspect not many of us are, that we shall necessarily be any better outside of Europe but the nonsense that was being talked about glyphosate had little to do with science as far as I could see.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Arable cropping, cattle and pigs on bed and breakfast make up Andrew’s farming enterprise with wife Helen. The tenanted farm runs to 475 acres with 390 acres of arable cropping land split into blocks that vary in size from 60-77 acres. He also contract farms 300 acres for his neighbouring cousin of which 285 is arable.

“The arable side is what determines whether we have a good year making up the major income share dependent on yield and price. The livestock enables the arable to work better as we have managed to improve our soil indices with pig and cattle manure.

“The land is mainly 500-550ft and Grade 3 to Grade 4. It is good productive land if the season suits it, but if it is too dry in spring we suffer. The topsoil goes from sandy loam to fairly sticky clay loam with an element of flint in it that keeps the local tyre operator happy.”

Rayslack has developed a reputation as a seed-growing farm and this year sees nearly all of it down to seed barley, seed oats and seed wheat.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The two crops we always have are winter barley and winter oats and this year we’ve sown 140 acres of winter barley seed variety KWS Orwell, 60 acres of winter oats seed variety RAGT Lineout and 50 acres of winter wheat JB Diego. We will also have another 34 acres down to spring barley and for the first time we will be sowing spring oats for seed.

“It’s roughly a six-course rotation that goes around the farm in the blocks of land we have with a break crop, an oat crop and very often two crops of winter barley and two other crops, which would usually be wheat but we had a bit of a problem with the fungal disease Ergot last year for the first time I’ve ever known it happen. That’s why we’ve gone for more spring barley.

“We also usually have some oilseed rape but none this year. We don’t always have as much cropping down for seed. Last year we had 115 acres of wheat and none of it was seed. Whatever wheat we grow tends to be down to whether I can find a deal that makes it worthwhile.

“We have nine acres of feed barley with two to three acres of trial plots within that. I’m a member of High Mowthorpe Farmers Group, which is run by ADAS, and my trial plots are managed in conjunction with them.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Andrew prefers catch cropping for his greening requirements, fitting something different in between the regulars and had mustard and oats last time before spraying it off, ploughing it and sowing a second field of winter barley from October 1.

Cattle and pigs make up the rest of the operation. There are 40 cattle this year and batches of up to 2,000 weaners at a time.

“We buy cattle at about a year old in May, summer them in the grassy dale we have before bringing them in. They will be away soon.

“I like Charolais and Simmentals but the best performance I’ve had was from two Black Limousin X Holstein Friesians. We buy at the livestock markets and sell deadweight. I aim for as high a weight as we can.

“The pigs are for Packington Pork in Burton on Trent and come to us at 7kg. We take them to 35-40kg.”

Related topics: