East Yorkshire livetstock farmers Mark and Andrew Roper who diversified with mobile mills enterprise

“When we came back to the UK we were looking to diversify and bought a local mobile mill and mix business which has gone from strength to strength. We started off with one mill, bought a bigger one and currently run three mills.

Andrew and Mark have developed a strong reputation and have around 50 regular farmer customers within a two-hour radius of Driffield, from just south of Lincoln to Northallerton and across to West Yorkshire.

“We look after dairy, sheep and beef farmers,” says Mark. “They decide what mix they want, whether straight rolling or want it mixed in with other things. We get a lot of work through farmers talking to other farmers. We turn around volume quickly and efficiently, generally weekly, fortnightly of three-weekly.

“We use locally manufactured Superior Mobile Mills from Fridaythorpe. We’ve a Superior 22 and two Superior 16s, and another Superior 22 on order. Like any machinery, you have to keep up with the times.

Mark and Andrew also provide agricultural contracting services including spring and autumn work for potato producers that encompasses destoning, leading potatoes, seed and fertiliser work.

“It’s another income stream alongside the farm which is a mix of arable crops and cattle. You’ve always to be thinking about the next generation, what you can do different or do better, how you can improve and expand.

Mark has been among the tens of thousands of farmers around the UK demonstrating against Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget announcement regarding Inheritance Tax changes.

“Any farmer will tell you we are asset rich and cash poor. Talk of a £1m threshold before taxation applies doesn’t get most working farms even kitted up with machinery. We have a great deal invested in machinery before even starting to look at including livestock, land and buildings which we need to have to make a living.

“The government has got it very wrong. This is going to affect the farming community massively. That’s why the protests are as strong as they are and, if they’re not going to start listening, then things are going to have to be taken further to make sure they do.

“I’ve been at the protests in York, at the Humber Bridge and in Beverley. We’ve all got to stand together. My wife was down in London last week. We have to do this for the next generation.

“We’ve not worked out exactly what it will cost us because we are determined to make sure the government reverses its proposals, and because we don’t want to scare ourselves. What we know is that there’ll be a massive problem that will cause everyone to reconsider what they do.

“What is clear is the government have got their heads buried in the sand. Personally, I think they realise they’ve made a mistake, but don’t want to admit it.

For now, Mark and Andrew are carrying on their farming, mobile mill and mixing and agricultural contracting businesses – and Mark says it’s going reasonably well.

“Andrew and I work together, but he pretty much runs the mobile mill and mix side of the business and we have an employee who is involved across all of what we do and another member of the team comes in for seasonal work, to help with the contracting.

“Our arable land, across around 300 acres, is mainly lowland Grades 2 and 3, grows winter wheat, winter and spring barley, stubble turnip seed and grass seed. This year we have around 180 acres of winter wheat which is mainly down to the Crusoe variety.

Mark says that establishment of crops in the autumn of both the past two years has not been too bad, but that his main concern has been over the part the Environment Agency has played, which he voiced his concerns with others on BBC Radio Humberside.

“We lost 40 acres due to flooding from the River Hull, which was down to the river not being dredged effectively. It’s a real concern for the future because nothing different appears to have been done since it last happened.

Fortunately, the acreage that was harvested last year came to a respectable 3.5 tonnes per acre, with wheat going to Bradshaws mill in Driffield.

Mark’s other cropping for this year includes winter barley varieties Caravelle and Capitol on just shy of 50 acres and he’ll be establishing spring barley variety Laureate across 16 acres soon. All of the barley is grown for the Ropers’ cattle.

“We also have 40 acres of stubble turnip seed which we combine and take right through to seed, and 32 acres of grass seed, taken through to combining. The reason we’ve done it is that it’s something different and is a good break crop – and we grew good stubble turnips for grazing, so we thought why not grow them for combining. We managed to get a contract for it and it’s working well.

Mark says the cattle enterprise is developing and that they have recently started selling their own beef direct, in addition to their regular sales.

“We have 35 suckler cows and followers plus others we’ll buy and usually we have about 100 head. Our sucklers are normally Limousin on Limousin, and as a result we now have a few pure Limousins, as well as Dairy-crossed-Limousins, Blue-crossed-Limousins and Charolais and calving is mid-February to the end of April. We’re always looking to improve the sucklers to get better shape and better growth which gives you more return at the other end.

“We take everything born on the farm right through to finishing at between 16-18 months and usually sell at Selby livestock market. We started selling some beef direct from the farm last summer. We use Mounfield butchers in Bubwith and sell mainly to family and friends.

Mark says that the farm is in some simple SFI schemes such as utilising field corners, boundaries and herbal leys, but not in anything like a major way.

“We want to farm, first and foremost, and still have the farm here for the next generation, even though ‘Rachel from the Office’ is making that even harder.

Mark’s wife is Nicola who’s from West Yorkshire and they have three children aged between 12 to 4 years old. Andrew is with a partner and has a 20-year old and a 17-year old.

Mark and Andrew are committed to farming and the rural community. Their passions include competing in truck and tractor pulling; and Mark and Nicola and her sister Carly organise the Wolds Festive Illuminated Truck and tractor Run that raised £12,000 for charity last Christmas.