The Farmers Mart Apr-May 2019 - Issue 62 | Page 56

56 SWITHENS FARM APR/MAY 2019 • farmers-mart.co.uk FAMILY ATTRACTION IS THE NEW FARMING BUSINESS IN ROTHWELL Chris Berry talks with the Broadheads of Swithens Farm. SOMETIMES it’s not the first idea you have that proves the winner, but it can lead you on to the one that turns the trick. At Swithens Farm in Rothwell between Leeds and Wakefield, the generations of the Broadhead family have been through several reincarna- tions before hitting their best current formula as a farm visitor attraction. Ian Broadhead’s parents Geoff and Jill took the tenancy 58 years ago that became the owned 150 acres Ian and Angela pur- chased in two blocks of 60 acres 11 years ago and the other 90 acres 7 years ago. When his parents had the farm they had dairy cows until the mid-70s before moving into the growing of vegetables and rhubarb, the area being part of the famed Rhubarb Triangle. Beef cattle, often topping the market at York, were fattened, but prevail- ing winds from a local leadworks became problematic and for years the farm became wholly arable before turning to pigs and arable producing 2500 pigs per year until the early 1990s. Ian’s mum started the on-farm livery that Ian and Angela’s daughter Nicola runs today with 90 horses in the stables from others plus Nicola, Angela and their other daughter Sam each having their own. Nicola and Angela compete in dressage while Sam is a show jumper. ‘How Ian and I first met was when I had my horse in his mum’s stables. I was a Rothwell townie and this was the nearest place to keep my horse,’ says Angela. ‘We married in 1984 and when we went out of pigs Ian converted the pig pens into stables building up the livery yard to 100. When we reached that number I told him if he built another I was divorcing him!’ When the couple started looking for another source of income to make the farm viable they took notice of their friends who had set up Blacker Hall Farm Shop at Calder Grove. Now one of the finest food and wine farm shops in the country. ‘They said we should open one too,’ says Angela. ‘So we put up a new building and opened 8 years ago in 2011, but it never took off. The butcher’s shop side has always ticked over nicely but what we found was the part we were allowing the public to walk around for free, through the animals in the cow shed, was our unique selling point. People love looking at animals and learn- ing about them. That’s when the penny dropped.’ ‘We still only charge £4 entry, which is very cheap, and we have added so many different breeds of animal from traditional farm animals to meerkats, alpacas, llamas, rabbits and guinea pigs. Sam took over what is now the petting side 4 years ago and it’s just going crazy. Last year we had over 50,000 visitors.’ Ian, who works alongside son-in-law John, aka Ernie, has felt a new lease of life through the public being around the farm. ‘I like talking to everyone about the animals,’ says Ian. ‘We were used to talking with livery customers, but this is different as people have a thirst for knowledge and when you see the looks on some of the faces of adults as much as the children Tyres for Agricultural, Commercial, Plant & Cars Proud suppliers to Swithens Farm, wishing them continued success. One of the largest John Deere & agricultural machinery dealers in the North of England, Yorkshire & Lincolnshire Darrington 01977 795241 Stockton 01740 630254 Leyburn 01969 621369 Brigg 01652 650600 Keighley 01535 632661 Louth 01507 617588 Ottringham 01964 622351 Market Weighton 01430 872421 Ripon 01765 692255 Malton 01653 695094 Tadcaster 01937 835454 Retford 01777 704823 Mitas AC 65 Goodyear Super Traction Radial Vintage Tyre Trelleborg TH400 Goodyear Traction Sure Grip Vintage Tractor Tyre FITTING SERVICE COVERING THE NORTH OF ENGLAND - 24/7 CALL OUT SERVICE 01274 585427 | [email protected] | www.britishrubberco.co.uk it is really special. We now have a herd of 15 suckler cows that we are wanting to build up to 30 and want to move to- wards the Beef Shorthorn; we also have a commercial flock of 140 Charollais X Texel breeding ewes put to the Texel tup and 20 breeding sows that are largely Large Black X Landrace with a couple of Tamworth and Saddlebacks. We’re continually adding to our rare sheep breeds with Oxford Down, Jacob, Kerry Hill, Hebridean and Cameroon from Africa. We supply our own meat for the farm shop and sell any surplus pigs, cattle and lambs as stores at Selby Mart.’ ‘We now structure lambing, calving and farrowing around the school holidays to provide families with that really lovely ex- S J Barker Agricultural Contractors Morley, West Yorkshire Mowing, Baling and Wrapping Autumn Cultivation Work Haylage and Straw Supplies Hedgecutting Tractor and Tanker Hire Any enquiries phone Steve on 07768 845776