The Farmers Mart Aug/Sep 2016 - Issue 47 | Page 60

Farm
Old
Hall
Name
Farm

The WOW of
diversification
Just outside of the village of Towton
between Tadcaster and Sherburnin-Elmet, nestled amid picturesque
countryside is Scarthingwell Golf
course. Why on earth an article about
a golf course in a farming magazine?
» AHA! ALL IS NOT WHAT IT
seems – The Golf course
lies on what used to be
Scarthingwell and Old Hall
Farm which have been owned
and farmed by the Pick family
for 100 years. Ian Wilkinson met
up with sisters Kathy and Eileen
Pick to find out more.
Up until 1992 they had
a busy Arable operation
growing Wheat Barley Beet
and potatoes. In 1992 the then
Government was encouraging
diversification , so the family
came up with the idea of a
Golf Course – a bold step
indeed – although Kathy
wisely retained and farmed
150 acres right up until August
2015. With grain prices down
it became apparent that 150
acres isn’t really enough to
sustain a reasonable income
so she then took the decision
not to relinquish the 150
acres but to do what many

Nidera is proud to be associated with
JN Sykes and Son as suppliers of
crop marketing services and arable inputs

landowners are now doing and that is to share farm the
land which she now does in
conjunction the Sykes brothers
of J & N Sykes who are both
Farmers and major agricultural
contractors. This relationship
forms a perfect management
plan for the Farmland around
Scarthingwell
There has been a farm
on this land for hundreds of
years. The impressive main
buildings date back to 1751. I
was curious about how you set
about transforming ng a group
of newly combined fields into a
Golf Course. Kathy explained:
”It was quite simple really.
The initial design was carried
out by Eileen’s former husband,
Ian Webster who had a real
vision of how it could look.
They basically modelled the
course to fit the land. When
construction commenced
November 1992 Ian walked

B.Gillam

With Nidera, you’re in good company
The Havens, Ransomes Europark,
Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 9SJ
01473 275020
Norfolk Office 01603 757729
www.nidera-uk.com

60 Aug/Sep 2016 www.farmers-mart.co.uk

Fencing & Groundworks
Proud to be associated with JN Sykes & Son
Tel: [phone]

Tadcaster, North Yorkshire