The Train Family
Simmentals, Charolais and Angus are more what I’ m looking for. We take them to 22 months so that the finishers can take them through. I’ d like to up our numbers to around 200 stores once I have a new shed up. I will sell 20 at a time in Ruswarp.”
Phil turns the cattle out in late April or early May and likes to keep them out until late October if he can.
“ It all depends on the state of the grass. We make good quality silage and haylage and get at least two cuts. We also re-seed regularly.”
Lambing is also a thing of the past at Ellis Close Farm. Phil had 100 Texel X ewes but sold them as he was out of shed room and time.
“ They were lambing at Easter and we’ re flat out with veg at that time. We now buy in stores again from Ruswarp, usually Texels and
a few Suffolks late in the year and overwinter them. We occasionally also buy in a batch of pigs.”
Phil still goes back to Holderness to visit farming friends such as Nigel Wilson. They were each others’ best man at their weddings. He also has two younger brothers who aren’ t involved in the farm. He’ s married to Angela who in addition to working for the NHS, also handles all the accounting and wages at Ellis Close as well as running their three holiday cottages, another strand they have built up in the past decade. They have two daughters – Charlotte( 14) and Lucy( 11) who are always willing to give a hand.
INFORMATION Phil Train, Ellis Close Farm, Harwood Dale, YO13 0DW 01723 871152
Fresh Fruit & Vegetables Flowers & Plants, Provisions
Wholesalers of fruit, vegetables, flowers, plants and provisions to shops, hotels, restaurants, ships suppliers and caterers in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Pleased to be suppliers to Phil Train of Ellis Close Farm.
01482 224994 • www. dennisbutler. co. uk • paul @ dennisbutler. co. uk
K E Bland
Fruit and Potato Merchant( Est. for 55 Years)
Supplier of quality Fruit and Potatoes to Fish and Chip shops, Caterers and Shops
Proud supplier to Phil Train of Ellis Close Farm
Telephone 01765603049- Fax 01765690837
Telephone
K E Bland, Unit 1, Canal Side, Dallamires Lane, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 1TT www. farmers-mart. co. uk Apr / May 2016 63