The Farmers Mart Aug-Sep 2019 - Issue 64 | Page 44

44 WEST WOLD FARM Stabilisers are great animals to keep, feeding on cheap grass and calving very easily; the herd is mainly fed on grass, many won’t have had any cereal, and when fed on good haylage you don’t need to push the herd. Typically, these days, a dream calf will be 30–35 kg and finished at 650 kg in 13 months. Heifers that get to 440 kg in 14 months will then go for breeding. The herd is pregnancy and semen-tested, any not up to standard are culled. Derek’s very business-like approach means that the herd enjoys the prestigious High Health status, being vaccinated against all the main diseases such as IBR etc. I asked Derek if he showed any animals, he replied “Stabilisers aren’t really show cattle as they are for the mass market.” They now also farm another 400 acres of grass land on the adjoining estate made up of 200 of grass leys and 200 of permanent grass dale sides, this carries the total stabiliser herd which with young stock is a similar number to the acres and provides the winter forage requirement. Recent success stories have been the sale of 80 Stabilisers to the Beeswax/Dyson Estate, a bull to the Chatsworth Estate and others to the Isle of Man and Ireland. AUG/SEP 2019 • farmers-mart.co.uk But the real achievement was exporting 7 heifers and a bull to France in January 2019. The work on the farm and caravan site is done just by Derek, one full time and one part-timer since he sadly lost his wife Carol three years ago. Just this year they did 160 acres of haylage in just five days, this was helped by them having a lot of equipment, some of it larger than they needed for the actual job. Derek’s son, Tom and daughter, Lucy, are partners in the farm and do assist occasionally, however they are both very successful in their own right. Lucy is Blood Stock Director for the Racing Post. She graduated from Northumbria University with a First-Class Honours in Media Production. She then worked for the British Horse Racing Authority before joining the Racing Post and has steadily progressed up the ladder to her current post. Derek works more closely with son Tom, as they are both directors of the successful and well-known land agency, Cundalls and Malton Auction Mart. Tom did Estate Management at Harper Adams again graduating with a First Class Honours he then went to work for Carter Jonas in Shropshire, then moved to Cundalls for a brief spell, moving on then to Savilles. The training he received at Savilles gave him a wealth of knowledge and really taught him the value of professionalism. Tom then returned to Cundalls, however this was not just a straightforward career development. Derek had always wanted to have a small agency of his own. At a chance meeting at a bank breakfast event, he learned that Cundalls was up for sale. 2010 was an eventful year all round. Negotiations started in April, finalising in September. There were a lot of hard decisions to be made on offices and staffing etc. However, the doors at Cundalls closed for just one NIGHT, opening the next day with a new team and great energy. Cundalls Yorkshire Ltd, has offices in Malton, Pickering and Helmsley and provides advice on all aspects of property and letting manage- ment, farm and land sales and valuations as well as single farm payments etc. Derek is involved with the business, mainly on the cattle market side with Tom as Managing Director looks after the day to day running and professional side of the business. With such a diverse and demanding set of businesses in the Watson portfolio, I asked Derek about the future. “Keeping a keen eye on the bottom line”, was his response. He has run the farm on a strong business footing, even excluding the single farm payment from the equation. “Change will come, there will be greater competi- tion, but many opportunities as well, I have no doubt. You must embrace it and be ready for change and to adapt if need be. Farms and businesses in general can only do this if they are making money.” Wise words and clearly Derek’s busi- ness-like approach coupled with his friendly personality and demeanour will ensure continued success.