EGGS , beef and agricultural contracting make up life at Flat Top Farm in Terrington where Paul Johnson is the third generation at what was originally tenanted from Castle Howard by his grandparents until they were offered the farm around 1960 .

Paul ’ s parents lived and he was brought up at the other farm , which still forms part of the 320 acres owned and rented , eight miles away from Flat Top , at Whitwell on the Hill on the Brotherton estate .

“ Mum and dad farmed at Whitwell , where we still farm today under a tenancy agreement , but there ’ s no longer a farmstead or buildings attached to the land .

“ Dad had the first generation tenancy there , I have the second and hopefully our son Robert

will have the opportunity to have the third if he wants it when the time comes .

“ When I married my wife Julie in 1990 we converted some old farm buildings at Flat Top and built an extension for my grandparents and we moved to Flat Top and have been there ever since . The farm is a partnership between myself and Julie . My dad Richard having passed away in January 2008 and unfortunately never saw the hen unit become completed .

“ It ’ s quite a bit different to when I took over . Before it had been a very mixed farm with myself , dad and two full-time men . We had a few sheep , cattle , grew potatoes and sugar beet .

“ When the sugar beet factory closed in York and the potato prices became very challenging we decided to look and changed

our farming enterprises .

Paul invested in a free range poultry unit in 2008 .

“ We had it four years and then started retailing the eggs direct to customers ourselves . We do all our own deliveries . I find it enjoyable talking with customers as more and more people are now interested and more appreciative of where their food is coming from and meeting the farmer who runs the operation that produces the eggs for them .

“ I ’ m able to tell them about how we are an RSPCA and LION accredited producer , at what point the hens come to us , which is at point of lay at around

These photographs of the hens outdoor were taken prior to the Avian Flu outbreak . All Paul ’ s hens were inside during the time Avian Flu restrictions .

16 weeks and that we take them through to 84-plus weeks . We are able to achieve that because of the nutrition our hens receive through a home mix put together by Harbro . Customers really are interested .

Due to the success of the free range eggs venture and to concentrate on its success Paul did away with keeping the sheep and stopped growing potatoes . The sugar beet had also stopped , but that was more down to the York factory closure .

As time has gone on and with Robert now working full-time on the farm the cattle and agricultural contracting sides have been added . Also 800- 1000 pigs on bed and breakfast

are housed when some of the cattle sheds become available in summer .

“ We handle contracting work primarily in the spring and autumn ,’ says Paul . “ It ’ s mainly potato work and tillage in spring and cultivation work and potato lifting in autumn . We grow our own wheat , barley , fodder beet and silage . The wheat is fed to our hens . The barley , fodder beet and silage is for the cattle .

The cattle enterprise sees the farm with around 400 head of cattle at its height each year . Paul has a herd of 100 suckler cows and has more recently started with pedigree Belgian Blue cows over the past five years .

Continued on page 12

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