Chris Rooke
After the floods at Beeches
Chris Berry talks with Chris Rooke at Newton on Ouse
» YOU MAY HAVE SEEN A news story on television and all over social media earlier this year about a school bus getting stuck in the floods in January after it tried to get pupils destined for Easingwold School through waist high water . It took place on the road where Chris Rooke ’ s Beeches Farm is situated near Newton-on-Ouse after the River Kyle had broken its banks .
Much of Chris ’ farm was still under water seven weeks later but thankfully the students were shaken but not stirred by their driver ’ s Bond-like exploits .
‘ It was 8ft deep where the bus went through ,’ says Chris . ‘ Keith , who works for me , had to go on a 22 mile round trip to get to work . Normally his journey is just a couple of miles and takes him a few minutes . It was the worst flooding we ’ ve ever suffered and occurred because where the Ouse and Kyle meet is at one of our fields in Newton on Ouse . When the River Ouse rises there are big doors that stop the River Kyle from flowing into the Ouse . When
the doors have been shut previously they have been closed for 2-3 days , but this time they were shut for 14 days while heavy rain came down continuously from Husthwaite and up on Kilburn . The water went above our flood banks and we had some land under water for 7 weeks .’
‘ 50 acres of our land was under water and we lost 20 acres of winter wheat as well as having our beautiful wildflower meadows decimated . We ’ re currently getting some help towards restoring it from the government .’ Beeches Farm runs to 320 acres . This year their arable operation , having been somewhat reduced since winter ’ s flooding includes 70 acres of JB Diego winter wheat ; 40 acres of Cassia winter barley ; 25 acres of Propino spring barley and 11 acres of oilseed rape , with 30 acres of potatoes being rented and grown by another farmer . Oats are grown on rotation but
‘ 50 acres of our land was under water and we lost 20 acres of winter wheat as well as having our beautiful wildflower meadows decimated ’
50 Aug / Sep 2016 www . farmers-mart . co . uk