Meet the son who became the third generation to farm on the Wentworth Fitzwilliam Estate after family tragedy

The pace at which he had to learn appears to have brought about his relentless approach to farming and making things happen. Nick said he’s never been one to just wait and see.

“I don’t like to feel as though I’m ever standing still. I’m always looking for new ideas, ways to improve. I’m a firm believer you’ve got to get off your own farm and look at different things, at the way others do them and Future Farmers of Yorkshire enables that. It provides a fantastic networking opportunity. We’re trying to connect farmers right across Yorkshire.

Having taken up his chairmanship of Future Farmers in the early part of this year Nick has had his eyes opened to the work that needs to be done in getting the message out about the organisation and encouraging greater participation.

“Since taking over I’m finding there’s a lot of people that don’t understand what Future Farmers of Yorkshire is about. There are many who have never even heard of it, even though many of us already know it provides a fantastic opportunity for individual development and networking.

“We are currently reviewing our ways of communicating what Future Farmers is about and letting people know that it is meant to be for everyone. We want to encourage as many as we can to come along.

“I was involved in the Tesco Future Farmers Foundation around the time dad passed away. That came to an end after 12 months and I then stumbled across Future Farmers.

“I’ve taken part in negotiation skills days and media training days. I’ve attended the NFU Conference and the Oxford Farming Conference as a delegate on behalf of Future Farmers and I have been involved in nearly every one of our three main meetings each year which include the breakfast meet on the Wednesday of the Great Yorkshire Show, the autumn debate and spring debate.

“Our autumn debate on December 1 is titled Ploughing on Through High Inflation and includes a panel of high profile speakers talking about how to deal with the rising costs we are all facing. Mark Berrisford-Smith, head of economics for HSBC is our keynote speaker. There is no age limit on who can come. I think that’s something people have misunderstood in the past.

Nick said the way things worked out for him on taking the reins on the farm were truly a baptism of fire.

“It was a real rollercoaster. At university I’d written my dissertation on direct selling. I’d been going to a family business where I had been learning to be a butcher. We were about to have our first animal going in when dad passed. I had to park that idea for a few years.

“But I believe everything happens for a reason. Dad had mentioned about getting a job away from the farm and I’d tried, but I was a farmer’s son with no siblings and I couldn’t convince anyone to take me on as other farmers thought I wouldn’t be a long term prospect. That I would always be going back to the farm. It all happened a lot quicker than anyone could have thought.

Nick took on the generational tenancy from his father on the 200-acre Nether Haugh Farm where his great grandfather had become the first generation to farm.

“I’m the third generation of the current three generation tenancy agreement with the Wentworth Fitzwilliam Estate. It’s all reclaimed open cast mining, heavy, hard-working blue clay. We have around 100 acres of arable cropping and 100 acres of grass.

“We have sown 50 acres of winter wheat and will be growing 50 acres of spring barley in 2023. Our wheat yield is doing well if we achieve 3 tonnes an acre here. I’m looking at putting grass back into the arable rotation too and would like to go back to winter barley.

The livestock enterprise at Nether Haugh is a mix of cattle, sheep, pigs and turkeys.

Nick said he is currently in the process of improving the health status of his herd of Angus-cross cows and is now direct selling his beef.

“I started with purebred Salers put to an Angus bull. All the Salers have gone for the time being. I’ve had a heavy cull this year partly through bad luck but also adopting a more cost-effective approach. I’m currently down from 25 breeding cows to just 14 but I will go back up again.

“I’m using AI for the first time this year as I couldn’t justify a bull for the lower number. Our cows will start calving from around December 14 and calve in one block. I’m now at the stage where every cow has to give one calf a year. We will keep the best heifers as replacements, and everything else is now being taken right through to direct sell.

“I went back to my original idea of butchery at the beginning of lockdown. I received a bursary from The Henry Plumb Foundation and we have a complete new on-farm butchery and cold room.

“Farming on the urban fringe can be an inconvenience most of the time, but there are a lot of chimney pots around and people like buying local.

Nick’s Welsh connection isn’t just through his studies. He also met his wife Carys at university; he has Welsh sheep and said his best friend, who he buys his sheep from and met through a Future Farmers hook-up at the Oxford Farming Conference, is also Welsh.

“I’ve a lot of Welsh friends and a flock of 60 Welsh ewes that will lamb in April. Lambs go through Holmfirth market and are usually sold as fat. This year I’ve only kept 20 for the fat market, the rest sold as stores because of the dry summer.

“I have two pure Saddleback breeding sows and currently 19 piglets. All direct sold. I’ve never taken a pig to market. I’ve an idea of utilising pigs in field corners that were previously in an HLS scheme. I also have 150 turkeys for Christmas. All inside of course right now.

Nick certainly doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet. He has launched a hog roast business called Getting Piggy With It.

Nick and Carys have Arthur (5), Billy (3) and Thomas (1).