The Farmers Mart Dec/Jan 2016 - Issue 43 | Page 68

Scurf Dyke Farm

James Mortimer Ltd
Independent Grain, Seed & Fertiliser Merchants
Proud of our 50 year association with H & V A Thompson, one
local independent farming business working with another

New seed processing plant with state of the art cleaning /seed treatment application equipment

Tel: [phone]

Unit 13, Kelleythorpe Industrial Estate,
Driffield, East Yorkshire, YO25 9DJ

“Serving Yorkshire
Agriculture since 1869”

www.jamesmortimer.co.uk

ANDREW & MICHAEL
ARE PROUD TO BE
ASSOCIATED WITH
H & V A THOMPSON
Taking the time to offer you attentive,
personal, local service for your insurance,
pensions and investments.
Call 01377 253208
for a quote or pop in

NFU Mutual Branch,
40 George Street,
Driffield,
YO25 6RA

Agent of The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited.

Ripon Farm Services are proud
suppliers to Scurf Dyke Farm

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

Scurf Dyke:
Where grain,
dairy and
the family
farm makes
a great mix
»»Chris Berry talks with
the Thompsons of Scurf
Dyke Farm near Cranswick in
Yorkshire’s East Riding.
There are not too many
family farms that can still
employ four brothers and even
some of their offspring. The
Thompson’s of Scurf Dyke
are still managing it, however,
despite a year that has seen
poor prices in both dairy and
arable. They run a milking herd
of 200 black and white cows,
farm across approximately
1,000 acres at Scurf Dyke Farm
near Cranswick and have no
intentions of anything other
than carrying on farming.
Ian, Peter, Roy and Keith are
the four brothers who have
followed on from their father,
Hubert in running the farm;
Ian’s sons, Danny and Russ,
and Peter’s son, Liam are also
involved. The milk price is an
issue but Peter hopes and
believes it will come back.
“When the price first started
going down I remember saying
it wouldn’t last forever but I
didn’t think it would get as low
as it has,” he admitted. “It’s
the lowest it has been in the
10 years we’ve been selling
to ARLA but we’re still happy
being with them and are aware
that it is largely down to world
price problems.”

One of the recent changes
made to the dairy herd has
been the switch to housing the
cows all year round, a decision
many other dairy farmers in the
UK have also recently made.
Peter believes this is already
starting to show benefits.
‘Housing is paying
dividends in yield
& welfare’
“We started housing them
last year and it has paid
dividends in both cow welfare
and yield,” he said. “We’ve
improved in specific areas such
as fertility and feet. Having put
up a new building, our shed
capacity is now enough for us
to get to between 220-250
cows. We’re currently getting a
herd average of around 9,400
litres. Our replacement rate is
around 25 per cent. We use
Cogent for our AI needs.”
Bull calves are kept until
around six months before going
in to York Auction Centre as
stores. Prior to housing the
herd, the Thompson’s kept
cattle as steers for up to two
years but they now need the
space for more heifers.
The herd is fed on TMR and
the Thompson’s are trying
wholecrop beans silage this
year in addition to maize. It’s
in its early stages and is being