The Farmers Mart Feb/Mar 2015 - Issue 38 | Page 49

Garfield House Farm
Bakewell Office:
01629 812777
www.bagshaws.com

See our website
for full details of
Sales at Bakewell
Agricultural
Centre together
with information
about our
property and
professional
services
We are pleased to be associated with John Key and wish him continued success

‘John believes in running a clean,
organised operation and it comes
as no surprise that the judges of the
Tye Trophy award were impressed’
get the first 50 away early at

the winter. The calves are on

to let the waders breed and

Easter. We sell further ewes

creep as soon as they will take

have had considerable success

and rams either at collective

it usually in June. They stay on

with the growth in numbers of

sales or privately. The best

creep outside. I bring the cattle

lapwings, snipes and curlews.

price we have received at

in during mid-October but

We have been working on

auction was £3,000. We are a

that is dependent on ground

it regularly over the past 10

closed flock producing our own

condition and the weather.

years and have also carried

replacements,” he explained.

They all go to market at around

on incorporating walling

9-10 months old or around 350

projects.”

‘I have switched
from Simmental
X Herefords to
predominantly
Belgian Blue X
cows using either
a Belgian Blue or
Limousin Bull’

kgs. One or two are bought by

10kw wind turbine that powers

Hodgson of Boston.”

their farm buildings and they

John believes in running a

also utilise solar panels that

clean, organised operation and

were supplied and installed

it comes as no surprise that the

by Towngate Technologies of

judges of the Tye Trophy award

Thurlstone.

were impressed by his overall

Fiona, who is originally from

commitment to combining

Grenoside, runs an accountancy

farming with care for wildlife

and bookkeeping practice with

and the environment.

her business colleague, Angela

“We have always had a
“The suckler herd runs to

John and Fiona have a small

cattle showmen such as Keith

tidy farm and looked after

Button.

‘he’s still a
Sheffield lad
at heart’

70 cows. I have switched from

the land,” John said. “ I built

Simmental X Herefords to

walls right from the start.

predominantly Belgian Blue

We are in the Higher Level

X cows using either a Belgian

Stewardship scheme and have

Blue or Limousin bull. I may

quite a sizeable area of the

keep some Limousin cows

farm next to the Langsett &

back and they will go to the

Midhope Reservoir. There is

the trick that many wish they

Belgian Blue from the second

some 90 acres of rough wettish

could today by coming from

calf onwards. I try to also keep

grazing where we have around

the city to run a successful

calving as tight as possible and

30 cattle. One part of the site,

- and now award-winning -

as far as we can that is roughly

around six acres, is particularly

conservation farm but he’s

nine weeks after lambing.

wet and we have put in some

still a Sheffield lad at heart

“Our sucklers only get

scrapes to encourage waders

and keen on his home team,

grass or silage and straw in

and chicks. We delay grazing

Sheffield Wednesday.

John may well have turned

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