The Farmers Mart Aug/Sep 2015 - Issue 41 | Page 38

Whincover Farm

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of farm &
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38 Aug/Sep 2015 www.farmers-mart.co.uk

»»Ian Wilkinson headed
for Rotherham, to visit a
wonderful farm & livery stable in
a surprising location.
Driving along the busy dual
carriageways of Rotherham
one bright Monday morning
I was struggling to imagine
where an arable farm and livery
stables could possibly be,
then one right turn up a side
road and there was the sign
for Whincover Farm which is
reached down the long straight
track flanked by burgeoning
crops on either side.
After the noisy, frantic main
roads, it was a real pleasure to
see pheasants and partridges
scuttling back and forth
disappearing into the fields.
Approaching the farmyard the
substantial livery stables come
in to view.
What struck me immediately
as I pulled up to the nearest
barn was the neatness in
evidence all around. I asked
a cheery lady riding by where
I’d find Mark Downing and she
kindly waved me toward the
farmhouse, where I was met by
Mark who showed me into the
equally immaculate interior.
Quite soon we were joined
by Mark’s father, John a very
youthful 80 year old character
who still works daily on the farm
and was keen to tell me he is
in his 59th year of harvesting!
He claims he may retire after
60 years but I am not so sure.!
They are a formidable pair John drove their first combine
harvester all the way from the
Great Yorkshire Show down
to Doncaster back in 1956, a
journey that took from 12.30

until 6pm as the A1 was just a
single carriageway back then –
and fortunately not too busy in
those days.
I commented on the unusual
neatness of all around. Mark
said: “Well, I am something of a
perfectionist and like everything
in its rightful place”.
Later, as we strolled around
the farm I could see the reason
why.
As I talked with this father
and son, who are also a very
close hardworking team who
do much themselves on the
farm, their very interesting
background unfolded. This is
now a highly successful and
diverse business managing
a perfect mix between farm,
wildlife, conservation and
business - and it is certainly not
difficult to see that this farm
really has secured its long term
future
Mark is a fifth generation
farmer originally from Fishlake,
and the land they currently farm
near Rotherham was previously
owned by the well-known
Yorkshire brewery, Whitworth’s.
They also have another farm at
Sprotborough near Doncaster.
They farm 300 acres in total
of 80 acres Winter Wheat for
Milling (Argrain’s top producer)
70 acres Spring Barley for
Malting,30 acres Spring
Oats for Porridge,25 acres
Sugarbeet (l [