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6.30 am or after 5 pm for him to be there to unload them after his return from university .
The land needed to be farmed but the tractors had gone to Kenneth in the split , so Chris ’ s vintage tractors were brought into service in the early years . Neighbours commented that the ploughing was a credit to the family and the fields were well maintained . Who needs to get into debt buying the latest machinery , when with a little skill and ability things can be repaired , replaced , renewed , regenerated and reinvigorated ? However , not even Chris and Dan can do everything , particularly on the more modern machines . They have had great support on parts when needed from various suppliers , to say nothing of the help given by neighbouring farmers the Hirstle family when manpower is scarce and rain is threatened .
As the family came to terms with Raymond ’ s passing , it was time to look to the future . Barbara decided to form a business partnership with Dan . She said to Dan that he could do whatever he felt right to develop the farm and futureproof it . There was a need for some change and investment as Raymond , being a very strong character , was also set in his ways and reluctant to change . That meant Daniel became the fifth generation to farm at New House Farm .
Daniel has carried on keeping livestock and growing crops as his predecessors have before him , even building up the sucklers whilst at university ; however he has also diversified as many farmers are doing these days .
Dan has used his hard-earned master ’ s degree to add to the practical skills taught to him by his father Chris . Chris and Daniel pooled their knowledge , resources
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and talent to design a cattle shed to meet the latest specifications in terms of air-flow for high animal welfare standards ( Red Tractor accreditation ), making good use of Dan ’ s final dissertation at university , which was on air flow in agricultural buildings .
Imagine the frustration when they submitted the plans for the shed and objections were raised . Planning was refused . Dan was not to be deterred and single-handedly lodged his own planning appeal , representing himself . Dan made his pitch in the town hall to convince the committee that the erection of a cattle shed on green belt land was appropriate development in a rural area . Thankfully the verdict was unanimously in favour of supporting this hard-working young man in a struggling industry and the shed went ahead .
They sourced a pre-owned building that they dismantled , brought home , re-worked in terms of cutting and welding the legs , and erected in a field that will become the main hub of the farm in the coming years . Chris ’ s working knowledge and experience
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of groundworks contracting , coupled with Dan ’ s structural and civil engineering degree , and their combined graft , meant that the new cattle shed was planned and erected at minimal cost without having the need to borrow money as the family believe in living within one ’ s means .
Following on from the new shed being built , Daniel swiftly put in a planning application for an extension , submitting as evidence a photo of a mountain of produce worth thousands that could potentially perish if left outside . The plans were swiftly passed and the shed was a great success , with Chris and Dan doing the whole job from grass to roof , so to speak , including design , excavation , footings and drainage to the complete build . Many farming friends have seen how the design works and have been not only suitably impressed with the structure , they have also appreciated how the heavy duty gates and feed barriers ( designed and constructed by Dan and Chris ) fit together to minimise manpower and effort required in moving cattle from one area to another .
This , in turn , has led to inquiries from other local farmers to design , build and erect sheds , as well as re-roofing older buildings to give a new lease of life . Dan designs each project on CAD beforehand . To date they have erected five separate sheds and have enquiries for more .
I asked about any other challenges they have faced ( as if they hadn ’ t had enough ). Dan said , “ The sucklers would have been bigger in numbers but for an unfortunate experience when we bought a British Blue bull from Skipton who only produced three calves . On semen-testing he was found wanting to say the least . The lag in time whilst we put a new bull on late meant the calving pattern was disrupted and this resulted in some cows being culled to get us back on track .”
Dan recalled another amusing episode at the Royal Cheshire County Show , where for many years he and Chris , along with other family members , have been poultry stewards . Dan is so efficient and competent that he is in sole charge of the egg marquee , then he and Chris
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hand out the trophies . At one show they were taking time to look round on the Wednesday , dressed in the smart poultry steward jackets , at the cattle pens , when an exhibitor commented that they ’ d know as much about cattle as he did about poultry , not knowing that they knew far more about cattle than poultry and had a bigger herd than him !
Dan works , although it seems more like play to him , at milking cows for Dearnley ’ s every weekend for his chance to mix with other young farmers and enjoy a bit of banter instead of having a narrow outlook on life from being isolated with only family for company , as many people are these days in lockdown .
As time drew towards lunchtime , Dan ’ s fiancée Lisa Bentley joined us . A hard-working farmer ’ s daughter whose family are local dairy farmers , she and Dan are the only workers her father trusts to stand in for him .
History is coming full circle in this family as the new generation are ploughing their own furrow in life with their own ideas of how to move forward to maximise returns on investment – that is in terms of knowledge as well as money .
Daniel and Lisa are both dedicated farmers who understand that farming is a way of life and plans may have to change suddenly if the cattle escape or a cow goes into labour and needs watching over . This is why they plan to build their own new farmhouse on the top of the field I mentioned earlier , so they can be on hand immediately when needed . It will have spectacular views across the valley so they can watch over the farmland far and wide . They want the house to be the new hub of the farm , which will enable the current and future generations to continue the business and hopefully flourish and prosper .
As Dan and Chris said to me , “ There really aren ’ t enough hours in the day .” Well , all I can say is , they certainly maximise every moment they have , and this hard-working family are building a long-term diversified future for New House Farm .
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