The Farmers Mart Apr-May 2020 - Issue 68 | Page 37

HEADINGLEY FARMERS’ MARKET 37
75% of the turning. Reash will still
have to turn the youngest of the
cheeses. Part of the investment
is a whole new area of racking,
all built from French pine by a
company in France who special-
ise in doing this. It took a team
of men nearly 3 weeks to install,
piece by piece. This will save
Reash’s back and future proof
the business when he finally
retires. The racking is all stored in
a temperature controlled, insu-
lated purpose-made building.
The humidity is controlled by
keeping the floors wet 24/7, using
1,000 litres of water a day!
The farm and premises are
continually maintained and
up to date. As Tim says, “Our
people like to work in a good
environment.” They have 15 full-
time and five part-time people
to service the markets. Tim
himself likes to keep an eye on
business at the front line, so he
does a number of days on the
markets in order for him to get
feedback and also interact with
customers. It also demonstrates
strong support for the staff.
In 2006, another big invest-
ment was made when they
refurbed and moved their
offices into one of the huge old
barns. It took three years, and
what a stunning open plan build-
ing it is, using all local material
including
oak for all
the beams
and rafters,
reclaimed
pantiles for the
roof, solid oak
fittings inside, and
all the outer walls
were repointed which
took 3 months alone! Again,
reclaimed old bricks were used
to face some of the new walls.
The whole building dates back
to 1820.
Both the farm and the Cheese
production facility are environ-
mentally friendly which is now
so important in modern farming.
They
have a
number of
renewable projects
on the farm, including a 275
kwh wind turbine, 50 kwh of
solar panels, a wood chip boiler
for heating the milk , ground
source heat pump to heat the
office and cutting room. They
generate more electricity than
they currently consume, which
means they are net exporters of
electricity. They have cut their
annual consumption of oil by
about 20,000 litres a year with
the introduction of the straw
pellet boiler.
From relatively humble begin-
nings back in 1917, Ulceby Grange
has evolved in a quite remark-
able way, and is yet another
shining example of just how suc-
cessful farm diversification can
be. TEAM – “Together Everyone
Achieves More”. Tim and
Simon are a perfect example
of business and farm working
hand-in-hand, supported by an
invaluable staff.