Farm of the Week: Dairy sale is start of new era at the farm besides iconic peak

That is the reason why Stephen Brennand of Nutstile Farm near Ingleton is planning to sell his dairy herd of 60 Holstein Friesian cows and followers. He’s served his time. It’s a life cycle moment rather than a frustration with the sector and he’s not leaving the farm. He and wife Carol are considering their options.

“I’ve never missed a milking in eight years. That’s the last time we went on a holiday. Dairying is hard work, but I’ve never minded that and I’ve milked cows since I was a boy. The price is bad and I don’t think there’s a future for the small dairy farmer anymore but that’s not the reason I’m giving up with it. Mine is a lifestyle choice.

“I’ve been finding things a bit harder physically and even if the price had been sky high I’d said that when I got to 60, as I did recently, that I would wind down a bit and make more time for us, myself and Carol. We’ve always said to our children there’s more to life than farming and they’ve heeded our words. Now we’re about to do the same.”

Nutstile Farm is home to one of two milking herds left in the Ingleton parish. Twenty years ago there were between 15-20. It’s a similar story throughout the county and a recent report stated that the number of dairy farms in Yorkshire had fallen below 500. While Stephen’s reason for leaving dairying may not be tied to the disastrous milk price, he tells of recent changes in milk collection charges that haven’t helped.

“Arla, who we’re with, introduced penalties from January 1, for those farms that milk was collected from daily. I have our milk collected every day because I don’t have a big enough bulk tank. The penalty now brings down the price I receive for my milk and next year the plan is to increase that penalty further. It’s not good news for anyone like me who wouldn’t have been able to afford to put in a new tank.”

Farming has been in Stephen and Carol’s blood all their lives. In addition to their dairy herd they have 90 Texel X and Mule breeding ewes. Lambing took place in March and their first fat lambs go to Bentham Mart in May with the bulk gone by the end of July. Bull calves from the dairy herd also go to Bentham at three-weeks-old.

Stephen’s father Tom bought the farm that sits 600ft above sea level in 1955. He’d worked on farms in the area prior to purchasing Nutstile. It was initially 56 acres but now runs to 140 acres, all down to grass.

“I took over from dad about 23 years ago and it’s been business as usual since then. We haven’t changed much until now. I have a brother and sister but they were never involved with the farm whereas it was all I ever wanted.

“We’ve been fortunate in that we don’t have any bank borrowings and as it’s our own farm there’s no rent to pay. Carol and I have always done all the work ourselves so there’s also never been any labour to pay and that has kept our overheads at a minimum. Our most difficult time was during Foot and Mouth year in 2001. It didn’t come this far but like others we couldn’t sell any calves.”

Carol is a farmer’s daughter from Great Asby near Appleby in Westmorland. She was the youngest of eight children on what was also a dairy farm that was taken out as a contiguous cull in 2001.

With the wondrous sight of Ingleborough in the near distance the Brennands started with bed and breakfast accommodation 27 years ago and now have three letting rooms. It has proved a source of enjoyment particularly for Carol.

“I like to talk with our guests and it’s nice to hear how the other half live. Our visitors are predominantly more middle-aged and older people, lots of walkers and those who want to tour around. We’re happy for them to watch the milking if they want to, but generally we find most just want to come here to chill out and get away from everything.

“We’ve had some interesting visitors. We had an ambassador from some foreign country. He had flags on his car and two armed bodyguards. Another time we had a rabbi who must have been well respected as all the Jewish people flocked to see him here. The house was full and they all wanted to watch Stephen milking.”

Carol and Stephen are concerned for the village of Ingleton as it has suffered from a number of closures including its banks, butcher’s shop and post office.

“There are the waterfalls, the caves and Ingleborough itself but because there are less retail outlets there isn’t as much for tourists to look around. Our main season starts at Easter and runs through to the end of October when the clocks change. I do a three-night special that encourages occupancy.”

The milk cheque still makes up a significant proportion of the farm’s income even though their price has dropped by nearly a third. Stephen and Carol realise they need to replace this with another source of revenue.

“We’re considering increasing our breeding flock numbers and rearing heifers for neighbouring farmers. We’ve also not had our farm payment yet and we’re one of the few still waiting around here, that’s because we have grazing rights on Ingleborough. I have rights over 105 acres and ironically I’ve never used them but they are registered to the farm and anyone who has grazing rights seems to have been put to the bottom of the pile.”

While Stephen has a couple of interested parties who may buy his cows, and believes that he’s not as emotionally attached as some to his herd, he knows that when the day comes it may prove tough.

“It’s hard to say how I’ll feel when it actually happens, but one of the things we’re both looking forward to when we sell the dairy herd is going on a holiday. I’m not sure we will go to Murcia in Spain again though. That’s where we went eight years ago and it rained all the time. We could have stayed here for that – and kept milking.”