LEEDS ROAD , OTLEY , LS21 3BD www . wharfedale-farmers . co . uk

We are pleased to be associated with the Wood Family of Parkin Hall Farm , Sowerby Bridge & we wish all of them continued success for the future .

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IT was an overcast but crisp Tuesday March morning when I had the pleasure of meeting up with Richard Wood and his two daughters , Lucy and Emily . Our original appointment was for a week before , however as in most weeks in farming two days are rarely the same , the Tuesday before was no exception as Richard , a very busy agricultural contractor as well as dairy farmer , had an anxious call from a customer who needed a static caravan , of all things , lifting into place ! The delivery company had just dumped the van in the lane , reason being there was absolutely no way it could be manoeuvred due to the lane being both narrow and winding . Even a demolished wall wasn ’ t much help . Richard , in his usual “ Can do ” frame of mind , along with Lucy and the team , had to go and sort the job . It needed a full day ’ s graft , including head scratching , harness / cradle fixing and lifting with two telehandlers to get the job done .

When you meet up with Richard , Lucy and Emily what strikes you straight away is their energy , enthusiasm , and pride in what they do .

Lucy and Emily are the third generation at Parkin Hall Farm . Richard ’ s parents came to the farm back in 1968 when it was a mere 18 acres , a ramshackle shack and a collection of huts for battery hens . Richard ’ s father , Richard , put a lot of time into the farm , improving it and renovating the farmhouse . They started milking in 1981 , just before the dreaded “ Milk Quotas ” came in . This was largely due to the falling price of eggs . They initially started with 11 head and slowly built the herd up . The sheds / huts were all converted to take the dairy herd .

Richard junior was always mad keen on the farming way of life from an early age and frequently bunked off school in order to work on the farm . After a period of time , the school were probably more lenient than they would be these days , understanding the young Richard wasn ’ t skiving but grafting !

Sadly , the family lost Richard senior in 2017 at the age of 72 , which hit Richard and family hard , however they were thankful for the extra years Richard senior was able to have as he had suffered a massive heart attack on the farm in 2013 . Richard was actually able to resuscitate him , performing CPR remembered from his first aid course at school - thank God for mobile phones as the Ambulance Service were on the phone the whole time , assisting Richard until the paramedics came . Richards Mother Margaret however is still very active in helping the day to day running of the farm .

Both Lucy and Emily have Richard ’ s passion for farming . Emily is just 17 and studying a level 3 extended diploma in agriculture at Askham Bryan College . She is following exactly in big sister Lucy ’ s footsteps who , like Emily , studied , living in 4 days a week and the rest of time at home on the farm . After completing her course , Lucy became full time on the farm at 20 . Whilst at school , Lucy worked at a local farm shop for 2 years , as well as helping out at the farm . In the tough winter of 2017 / 18 , the weather was so bad that the girls helped out with the milking , leaving Richard free for the contracting side . Just like her father ,

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