The Farmers Mart Apr/May 2015 - Issue 39 | Page 69

Mount Pleasant Farm
Dairy Farmers of Britain still
cost us dearly though.”
Nigel is now a farmer
representative for ARLA and he
and Tina are full members of
the co-operative that has 3000
UK members and a further
10,500 members on mainland
Europe.

‘Nigel is now
a farmer
representative
for ARLA and he
and Tina are full
members of the
co-operative that
has 3000 UK
members and a
further 10,500
members on
mainland Europe’
“We are now getting a
share of the ARLA price
that is equivalent to our
fellow European members.
Traditionally, the UK price to
members has been 2-3 pence
below.”
Don still gets involved on the
farm and beds up the cows each
morning while relief milker, Kim
Pickering does three or four
milkings per week and is the
person Nigel and Tina call ‘our bit
of sanity’. Handily, Don lives just
next door with his wife, Ros.

“I’m very fortunate that my
dad let me take the reins about
20 years ago. There are still
many farms where at 50 years
of age you’re still considered
‘the lad’ but dad has always
been great about things.”
Nigel and Tina met when she
was visiting a college friend.
Tina lived in Scawby, North
Lincolnshire before attending
Bishop Burton College. She
started her veterinary nursing
career in Brigg before moving
to Driffield. The couple have
three children: Sophie (18),
Daniel (16) and Nicola (14).
Daniel is an apprentice at farm
machinery specialists, RBM
based in Market Weighton. The
family is also involved quite
heavily with Brandesburton
YFC – Tina is on the advisory
committee; Sophie is secretary;
and Nicola is junior chairman.
So where does
‘Winston’ fit in?
“He’s been up two and a half
years and Sophie named him.
The electricity he creates goes
straight into the National Grid
and he has given us another
string to our bow. We are also
starting with solar panels soon.
Whether you believe in green
energy or not, I don’t see it
that way. It is about supplying
energy for the country and
an income for us. At least it is
renewables supplying our own
energy rather than importing it.
That’s the moral part.”

H.H & J.M Artley
Agricultural Contractors

James Holding Dairy Engineering,
suppliers of the new Fullwood robotic
milking system are pleased to be
associated with Nigel & Tina Watson.
FOR DETAILS OF OUR PRODUCTS
AND SERVICES CONTACT
UNIT 18, THE GARDENS, MALTON ROAD, YORK. YO32 9TN

Pleased to support, and
would like to wish, Nigel and
Tina and the family all the
best for the future

OFFICE: 01904 400449 | JAMES: 07807 704884 | BILL: 07936 407690

www.farmers-mart.co.uk Apr/May 2015 69