The Farmers Mart Apr/May 2014 - Issue 33 | Page 36

LEASES FARM Let’s scrap short term tenancies! Chris Berry meets new TFA chairman, Stephen Wyrill at East Appleton who has a clear agenda already planned. When Stephen Wyrill attended his first Tenant Farmers’ Association meeting in Boroughbridge some years ago, he had no idea that he would end up becoming TFA national chairman. Stephen took on the role for a three-year term in March this year. Stephen runs a dairy farm with his brother, Graham at Leases Farm, East Appleton where the family business that also includes mother and father, Jean and Ken, sees them milking between 80-90 cows. Owing to some of their rented land being taken back in hand by one of their landlords in October this year, Stephen has current firsthand ‘we will be down to just over 140 acres’ experience of the issues facing his colleagues. He has a level headed approach about what needs to be done at home. “We will be down to just over 140 acres of which we own 43 acres with the rest rented from North Yorkshire County Council - and that means that we will lose the corn and a proportion of the beef operation,” he explained. “It will put us back to where we were pre-foot and mouth. The acreage that we will have left will carry the cows and young stock and we will have to alter the grazing pattern, putting in new grass seeds a lot more frequently. As the business continues to grow and change Steven needs to keep a keen eye on his costs. Steven has found WE Jamieson’s of Ripon invaluable as agricultural suppliers, always there on time with supplies and at that all important right price. “We won’t have the headache of harvesting cereals but I still see us growing around 20 acres of wholecrop. We will have quite a lot of beef from our own cattle and although I reckon we will be down by about 50 overall, The Team at Jameson’s are proud suppliers to Steven Wyrill and wish them continued success in the future” Jamesons is a leading supplier of feeds, seeds and fertilisers to farm throughout the north of England Our experienced team ensures we can supply you effectively, quickly and at the right price Our new trade counter for farmers has good stocks of raddles, harnesses, crayons, electric fencing, rat poison and markers and foot treatments. Farmers will also find pour-ons, drenches & boluses, as well as vaccines such as Heptavac, Ovivac, Crovexin & Bravoxin to name but a few W.E Jameson & Son Ltd, Masham, North Yorkshire T: 01765 689 666 | e: [email protected] | www.wejameson.co.uk 36 Apr/May 2014 FarmersMart Focused on Farming To read more, visit www.farmers-mart.co.uk