The Farmers Mart Dec-Jan 2018 - Issue 54 | Page 64

64 GREY LEYS FARM DEC/JAN 2018 • farmers-mart.co.uk NEW IDEAS, NEW OUTLETS, FRESH MILK, FRESH APPROACH AT ELVINGTON Chris Berry talks Jerseys with Helen Stanier at Grey Leys PROTOCOLS in place, encouragement of career progression, produce available lo- cally and in new outlets, increased produc- tion and great relationships with the main supplier. If this sounds as though it is some medium to large sized company, then you may be surprised to learn that it is a dairy farm with 230 Jersey cows. Helen Stanier is the fifth generation to farm at Grey Leys Farm at Elvington near York having taken the reins from her father David Shaw who established the Jersey herd 50 years ago. Typically, as with most farmers David and his wife Anne haven’t retired but it is Helen who came back to the farm five years ago and husband Craig who are setting the agenda for the farm’s future. ‘We’ve been adding to what mum and dad did in the previ- ous 45 years and production is really good now. We’ve introduced new technol- ogy including flushing systems in the parlour where we are making it cleaner and have sped up the milking process. Craig and I have put protocols in place for everyone who works here so that we are all working to the same goal and standards are achieved. We’re encouraging all of the team to undertake a bit of everything and getting training organised where necessary.’ ‘Dairy farming used to be a job that meant the hours worked didn’t allow for much of a 68594 social life and that’s where - CHFarmSystems - 8TH.pdf 1 27/11/2017 10:59:04 we’re trying to make it right too. We have C 4 full timers and two students and by having more staff then you might expect on a farm of our size we look at giving them less hours, so they can have a life away from the farm. We have an excellent team with Joe Martin who has been with us 20 years since finish- ing his studies at Askham Bryan College and Stan Cosby who has been here 15 years. Our two younger guys both graduated from Askham Bryan.’ CH FARM SYSTEMS LTD M Y CM CMY K ‘ ’ C M ‘We would like to wish the Shaw family every success with their new venture’. MY CY ‘When Craig and I came here there were a lot of changes we wanted to implement Dairy farming used but we took a step back and decided to to be a job that meant go through them one by one as it was not the hours worked didn’t financially viable to attempt everything at once. We also had a lot to learn and made allow for much of a sure we understood the background to the social life and that’s way things were done before we made the decision to make any changes.’ where we’re trying to Helen’s family line has farmed at Grey make it right too. Leys since 68380 1876 and it was her father who - RiponFarmServices - 8TH.pdf 1 21/12/2017 14:55:07 made his mark as Helen is now doing Y CM MY Please contact Richard for all your farm supply requirements. T: 01751476117 M: 07885753235 E: [email protected] CY CMY K Proud suppliers to the Shaw family at Grey Leys Farm