The Farmers Mart Dec-Jan 2020 - Issue 66 | Page 11

BENTLEY GRANGE FARM 11
• DEC/JAN 2020
On the fruit side, he has
made the transition from
growing everything in the
field to nowadays having
everything in Spanish
tunnels on raised growing
platforms. Although he
ran the field and tunnels
side by side for a while,
the tunnels proved much
more popular with people
as it’s easier to pick the
fruit and you don’t have
to grovel on the floor.
Part of the reason for this,
Chris says, is because
“pick your own” has now
become much more a
weekend pastime.
The transition wasn’t
a particularly easy one
as Chris had to learn
new techniques, which
did mean less weeding
although it still needs to
be done. It also meant
that he hasn’t had to use
herbicides. A big benefit
from the tunnels is that
you get more fruit from a
smaller area.
Although it might look
relatively simple, the fruit
growing business isn’t.
Water and feed must be
just right and there is little
margin for error. Fruit is
like livestock, you need
to keep your eye on the
crops daily. Growing
fruit on the system Chris
now uses does mean
it is easier to achieve
alongside running the
shop and other jobs on
the farm. Fruit picked
when ripe tastes different
and better which is why
Pick Your Own fruit will
ALWAYS taste better than
the supermarket. A sunny
morning does increase the
sugars in the fruit so it will
be sweeter by lunchtime.
However, selling the
fruit can be challeng-
ing. Sometimes if it’s a
sunny Saturday, people
will descend onto the
farm and pick all the
ripe ones, then people
expect more ripe fruit to
appear the next day; this
is not always the case if
the weather is not right
and Chris may have to
shut the farm for a day
which causes frustration.
Another frustration these
days is often people
expect to turn up and
pick an abundance of
fruit when they want it
rather than when the
fruit is ready, they have
had phone calls as early
as March and as late as
November expecting
summer fruit to be avail-
able. To educate people
and try get around the
general availa-
bility, Chris has a
website that is updated
daily to let people know
when is the best picking
time.
Chris has got this down
to a fine art, however he is
no different to the rest of
the farming community,
the weather can mean
the difference between a
good and a bad year.
Chris has also further
developed and expanded
Bentley grange feeds.
Production of their own
feeds started to become
too costly with equip-
ment, admin and licences
etc, so relationships with
some of the very best
manufacturer means they
now have a wide variety
of horse feeds, equine
supplements, bedding and
stable/yard equipment
as well as
many other
items for the
horse and rider.
Other ranges include
large selections of food,
treats and accessories for
dogs, cats, poultry, wild
birds and small mammals.
They even stock feed for
goats, sheep and llamas
and have access to hun-
dreds of other non-stock
items, through a network
of suppliers. To com-
plete Bentley Grange’s
range, their registered
approval to sell worming
products means they
can offer comprehensive
up-to-date information to
ensure the best care for
your animal, whether it’s
horses, dogs or cats.
The one big variable
here can be horse feed,
as once again weather
dictates how much horses
can be grazed or fed.
Bentley Grange is follow-
ing the family tradition of
careful progression well.
Chris’s wife Elizabeth is
also a farmer’s daughter
whose family have also
diversified and have a full
livery yard. I asked Chris
about the future. “Well”,
he said, his “daughters
Isabelle (eight) and
Georgina (two), as well as
Elizabeth, all love animals.
So who knows, we may
have livestock in the
future. You never know.”
One thing he does plan to
do, is to demolish the old
chicken sheds and replace
with agricultural buildings
which would add value to
the farm and pave the way
for …?... well who knows.
Whatever Chris does,
I know it will be well
thought out and planned
and we wish him and his
young family all the best
for the future.