Farm of the Week: Rob's farm return builds on his dad's legacy

Rob studied land based technology and engineering at Bishop Burton College in a bid to add another string to his bow having worked on the family farm at Langthorpe, near Boroughbridge since he was 13.

He had mapped out an early career in farm machinery that had already incorporated time with Spray-Trac Systems in Marton-cum-Grafton and he had moved on to Amazone in Doncaster when his father Chris was diagnosed with cancer four years ago, passing away at 48 years of age in 2014.

Rob is matter-of-fact about what needed to happen.

“It was always my intention to come back maybe in 10 or 15 years but I then had a responsibility to keep the farm going. We couldn’t just shut things down for however many months. I had to make sure we kept up with everything and also, as basic as it sounds, keep a roof over our heads.

“We are a tenanted farm to Newby Hall and they have been very good over the change of tenancy to me.”

Cottage Farm runs to around 320 acres of which 200 is tenanted. It is predominantly an arable farming operation with sheep bought in during the late autumn, fattened and sold in spring.

Rob’s studies, his work in the farm machinery sector and his dad’s experiences have all combined to give him a firm base from which to start even though he’s still just 26-years-old.

“With crops there’s always a desire to achieve more. There’s only so much land in the world and an ever-growing population to feed. My feeling is that if you farm the land correctly using the right inputs then more can be grown.

“In today’s terms 320 acres is a small farm so if we can increase what we do with it that’s what we should do. I spend a lot of time researching best practices whether that is attending trade shows such as YAMS and LAMMA or the more technical shows and crop demonstrations.

“These first couple of years since taking over from dad I’ve been learning how to grow a good crop of wheat on our Grade 2 land. We did well on yield last year as everyone seemed to and our wheat and barley came in at an average of 4.5 tonnes per acre.

“What I now want to concentrate on is looking at grain quality. We’ve been growing feed wheat but I’d like to grow milling wheat.”

Winter wheat varieties Revelation and Leeds are being grown this year across half Rob’s acreage and he also has some spring wheat. Winter barley varieties are Tower and Cassia; with a break crop of either oilseed rape, beans or fodder beet making up a four course rotation of two wheats, barley and break crop.

Rob keeps a keen eye on costs and delivered nearly all the grain he had stored on farm last year straight in to Ripon Select Foods himself using a tractor and trailer.

Rob has future expansion of the farm or the farming business in mind in order to maximise machinery usage but knows that doesn’t come about easily.

“One of the biggest concerns I see is that many farmers have got all this shiny tackle parked outside and there’s a need to justify it over more acres through perhaps taking on more land, or contract farming for others or teaming up with a neighbour to spread costs but it doesn’t look to me like there is much teamwork in British farming.

“If there’s an opportunity to take on more land either to purchase or rent then it has to be seriously considered. The problem though is that you’re competing with everyone else and many more are no doubt thinking similarly in trying to make the best future for ourselves. We’re all fighting for the same thing.”

Until 2010 Cottage Farm had 100 head of fattening cattle and it’s an area Rob is keen to get back into when the time is right. In the meantime his one livestock operation on the farm is sheep.

“We buy in 600 Texel X and some Mule stores out of Hexham Mart in the autumn and keep them through to February/March feeding them on stubble turnips. They go to Dawn Meats in Bridlington mainly but we also sold at Thirsk Mart this year and trade was pretty good at both.”

The farm has been in Rob’s family for four generations having started when his great grandfather arrived at Cottage Farm in 1920. Rob’s mum Anne now lives in Boroughbridge. He and fiancée Louise Gosney are to be married next June. They have another impending event coming up this month as both are involved with the Aldborough & Boroughbridge Show at the airfield at RAF Dishforth on Sunday, July 24.

“Louise shows her native Dales ponies and has also now taken on the role of attracting sponsorship to the show. I’m on the committee as my dad was but I’m more like just one of the many guys who gets involved in the set-up and breakdown of what is needed for the show beforehand and afterwards than anything else.”

Dave Wass is vice chairman and director of the show. He worked for local farms before setting up mobile tyre fitting service D2 Tyres. He tells of a new part of the show this year that he hopes will appeal to many farmers.

“We’re aiming for the biggest possible show of Land Rover Defenders. They’ve stopped being made now and we thought it would be a great idea to show how much this vehicle has meant to the rural world as a workhorse. We’re hoping that what we start this year will lead to a Guinness Book of World Records attempt next year to have the most Land Rover Defenders in one place at one time.”

Dave paid tribute to Rob’s late father and Rob’s work since coming back home to take on the farm.

“Rob has given up a lot. His dad Chris was a very well-respected and well-liked farmer and show committee man. Rob and Louise are also making a great contribution to the show too.”