The Yorkshire farm which is celebrating a century of milk production

The third-generation farmers Alan Sutcliffe and Sandra Evans are the last dairy farmers in the Upper Calder Valley.

The siblings took over running Pextenement Farm from their father and grandfather previously and are celebrating 100 years of producing milk.

Now, Mr Sutcliffe’s daughter, Hannah, makes it four generations of Sutcliffes at Pextenement.

A traditional dairy farm they turned organic in 2000 and then started making organic cheeses such as soft blue Devil’s Rock, a Monterey Jack and one similar to Brie.

Recently the family has sought to further diversify by developing holiday lettings.

The dairy farm has 100 Meuse Rhine Issel cattle and supplies organic milk to Organic Herd and cheese to local delis, cafes and farm shops.

NFU member and former branch chairman Mr Sutcliffe said: “We are really proud to have steered the farm into its centenary. Garnet, my grandad, started with maybe three cows and now we milk 60 – which is small-fry by today’s standards.

“It’s not easy running a small dairy herd in the Pennines. When I joined the business in the 1980s, there were around 20 dairy farms in the Upper Calder Valley, and slowly they’ve all given up.

“Going organic was the best thing we could have done. We’ve never been massively into fertiliser and routine anti-biotics, so it seemed the logical path to take. Our values closely align with Organic Herd’s ethos of ‘How we farm matters’, and I have served on their membership committee for the last five years.

“It’s a good way to care for the farm – after all, we might own the land for now, but it’s not really ours, we’re just caretakers for our little slice of time.”

Mr Sutcliffe works closely with land-based, science and engineering specialists Myerscough College, near Preston, to offer placements on the farm.

He says he is a firm believer in giving everyone an opportunity to learn about farming. Several young people have come through the farm and ended up at Harper Adams and other agricultural universities.

He said: “I’ve had lots of apprenticeships and student placements over the years, some people from farming backgrounds, but mostly they’ve come from a non-farming family, and it’s great to see them passionate about farming, and to watch their skills develop and confidence grow.

“We don’t know what’s coming next for us – but we hope our family will still be stewarding this little patch of Yorkshire in another hundred years’ time.”

NFU county adviser Jennifer Costello said: “It’s great the family farm business is still going strong and providing organic milk and cheese to the local community. I hope they have a great time celebrating this huge milestone and continue to farm in the Calder Valley.”