The Farmers Mart Dec/Jan 2016 - Issue 43 | Page 29

Bordley Green Farm

Breeding
winners from
the Dales
Chris Berry talks with John
Stephenson at Bordley.
»»Getting cut off
regularly during winter comes
easy to the Stephensons at
Bordley Green Farm in the
hamlet of Bordley that was
once a community of 30
houses. Never heard of it?
It’s four and a half miles from
Threshfield, near Grassington,
and three miles from Malham.
It’s on one of those roads where
you’re not quite sure how far
you can go when you reach
the farm but you can get right
across country from Threshfield
to Malham – although not very
well in winter!
‘The longest we’ve ever been
cut off was for a two month
period,’ says John Stephenson.
‘When the snow comes we end
up having to dig the sheep out
and that’s no fun at all. The
drifts get to over six foot and
we have no snow-plough. I hate
snow with a passion.’
John is the second
generation to farm here. His
father, also John, came from
Linton-in-Craven in 1966, when
John was 6 years old. His father
worked for quarry company
Tilcon and had a smallholding
previously. He’s now semiretired from the farm and lives
in Hetton with his wife, John’s
mum Lavinia. He still handles
the paperwork for the farm and
helps out when needed. John’s
brother Richard is a keeper on
the Bolton Abbey Estate.
‘When we first came here
there were two farms. We had
Bordley Green Farm that ran
to 300 acres and 23 years

ago we were offered and took
the opportunity of taking the
acreage of Bordley House
Farm next door. We currently
farm across 980 acres that
is tenanted from the Procter
Bordley Estate and is now in
the hands of the Chadwick
family. The land is all permanent
grass apart from 100 acres of
meadow land. The farmhouse
is 1180 feet above sea level and
we run to 1980 feet. We get two
cuts of silage, the first in July
and the second whenever it is
ready which is generally at the
beginning of September.’
John’s father started showing
cattle at Kilnsey, Gargrave and
Malham shows in the 1970s. It
was to be the start of a showing
dynasty that has now passed
down to the third generation
with John’s son – also John
(19), can you see a pattern
developing? – and daughter
Laura (17) both involved today.
‘Hereford X was the trend
back then and I remember dad
having Angus, Hereford X and
a few Blue Greys as well as a
couple of Shorthorns for milk. He
also had Swaledale sheep, which
I kept with for quite a while.’
Today’s livestock operation
sees John with a herd of 70
Belgian Blue X Limousin of
which around 15 are pure
Belgian Blues and he’s built a
formidable reputation for the
quality of his stock at shows
and sales.
‘When we compete at shows
such as the Great Yorkshire
and Countryside Live we’re up

D&A
Shearing
Please call or text us for
rates & available dates
Proud to be associated with
John Stephenson of Bordley Green Farm

DAVID: 07955 236661
ADAM: 07743 271962

www.farmers-mart.co.uk Dec/Jan 2016 29