The Farmers Mart Apr-May 2018 - Issue 56 | Page 30

30 BRECKENHOLME FARM
APR/MAY 2018 • farmers-mart.co.uk
RAPESEED OIL PROCESSING IS NEW
FLAVOUR OF FARMING AT THIXENDALE
Chris Berry talks with Adam Palmer at North Breckenholme Farm.
RAPESEED oil pressing, blending, pro-
cessing, bottling and marketing from the
farm has become a relatively new market
sector in the past 10-15 years with several
Yorkshire farmers having made the move
and for Adam Palmer and his family at
North Breckenholme Farm on the edge of
the beautiful village of Thixendale it now
forms the lion’s share of their business.
Adam was always destined to farm but
was probably unaware as to how quickly
he would have to make some life changing
decisions when his grandfather Brian Meg-
ginson, who had farmed here previously,
passed away in 2000.
‘I was 19 at the time and in my last year
of an HND course in agriculture at Bishop
Burton College. I can never really remem-
ber wanting to do anything else but farm
and would probably have been unemploy-
able in any other sector. I knew that the
size of this farm being small – 200 acres of
arable and 100 acres of rough grazing dale
land – meant it wasn’t going to be a tenable
proposition for me to farm it on its own in
the long term. Twenty or thirty years ago
it may have been but with the way fixed
costs were rising I realised I needed to do
something else.’
Today North Breckenholme Farm is home
to a burgeoning business called Yorkshire
Rapeseed Oil that has won awards for its
oils, dressings and mayonnaise; Adam has
developed a sheep farming operation with
his friend and former college colleague
Peter Caley called Six Valley Lamb; and 1200
pigs are kept on a B&B arrangement for Ian
Mosey. It’s quite the hive of activity with
wife Jennie close by his side and a young
family that includes Charlie (7) and Ivy (4).
‘The rapeseed oil business has been a
fabulous learning curve for me, and some-
thing I’m enjoying immensely. Don’t get me
wrong it’s not without it’s moments and has
proved a rollercoaster ride too. I don’t think
I truly understood what I was getting into,
which is probably just as well because if I’d
known then I may not have jumped in.’
‘There were a few people starting at
the time and it took me a while to get my
head around it all. I’d looked at a variety
of different ventures but began settling on
an oil press around 2005-06. I finally made
the decision in 2007 which meant investing
in a purpose-built shed and oil pressing
equipment. We sold our first bottle of oil in
December 2008, now over 10 years ago. It’s
unbelievable when I think of it like that.’
‘Essentially we were going to sell produce
grown on the farm, but it soon snowballed
to much bigger than that which has con-
stantly thrown up new challenges. We only
grow around 25-30 acres of oilseed rape
a year that comes in at around 1.5 tonnes
per acre. Typically, we now need between
300-400 tonnes a year and our biggest year
saw us crush 1000 tonnes. I now crush rape
from other local producers and try to keep
it local so that it is all grown on the same
or similar soil type, which maintains the
taste. There are subtle differences in flavour
dependent on where it is grown.’
‘Thinking about an end user, as opposed to
just growing a crop, has made me think very
differently about what we do. Marketing is
important and because we sell locally at
shows, food festivals, farmers markets, farm
shops and delicatessens I’ve realised just
how much consumers like to get to know
about where produce has come from and
the people behind it. Our customers like our
personal story, the fact we are a family farm
in a lovely location on the Wolds.’
Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil is sold in bulk into
the trade for manufacturers; to restaurants
and other food establishments; and as
branded produce. Adam now sells a variety
of dressings, oils and mayonnaise.
‘When we started we had oil bottled in just
one size and the only variety was natural.
We’re now employing more people. You can
get to a certain point without changing much
but the challenges are when you must make
decisions over next steps as the business
grows. We are still selling at five farmers mar-
kets a month – Stokesley, Otley, MaltonOak-
wood in Leeds and Hovingham.’,
While the business of farming makes up
a smaller proportion of the overall income
Adam is still committed to it and Six Valley
Lamb in conjunction with Peter Caley
launched in 2010.
‘At the time we had 200 breeding sheep
here, but our problem was we were short
of fattening grasses for the lambs, but had
plenty of summer grazi