36 NEW HALL FARM FEB / MAR 2023 • farmers-mart . co . uk
“ The mill was originally 6 storeys but in 1963 it suffered a fire and only the bottom two storeys were able to be saved , although the chimneys are still there .
“ The days when wool used to be worth a fortune are long gone . Now it ’ s worth nothing , or at least that ’ s the case for most wool apart from those with a long staple such as Wensleydales , Mashams or Teeswaters .
Richard believes that wool garments other than just blankets could still have an important future .
“ We grow Christmas trees on our farm and we deliver to local schools . It ’ s always red hot when we go in because of the heating . They ’ d be better off turning the heating down and buying them all a woolly jumper to wear .
Straight talking and getting on with life and business has always been at the heart of the matter for Richard .
“ I grew up in Mirfield and when I was 10 years old I wanted to be a farmer not just a farm worker .
“ We now own 330 acres across 3 farms and other more isolated blocks of land . We have Cockley Hill Farm , Kirkheaton that adjoins New Hall Farm here at Lower Hopton and a small acreage at Elm Grove Farm where our Haigh ’ s farm shop is .
“ I started working at the slaughterhouse in Bradford in 1960 and bought the land where the farm shop is in 1977 from Sir John Armitage who owned Kirklees Estate . We bought New Hall Farm in 2004 . We didn ’ t own much land for many years , but we rented quite a bit . Cockley Hill Farm came up for sale two years after we ’ d bought New Hall Farm .
It was the seventies that proved a pivotal time for Richard ’ s business interests that laid the platform for where he is today .
“ In 1975 I opened a shop that had been closed down . That was the time when the freezer revolution took place and as people started buying freezers they were looking to keep them full .
“ We did a roaring trade in people buying bulk meat including everything from sides of pork , four quarters of beef and whole lambs . We grew the business so much inside 12 months that we moved into a bigger shop . When we opened our farm shop at Elm Grove it just took off and we ’ ve never stopped since .
Richard became the farmer he always wanted to be through the success of his shop and farm shop interests and today the farm is all about cattle , sheep and conservation .
SELBY LIVESTOCK
AUCTION MART LTD
‘ Yorkshire ’ s Friendly Livestock Mart ’ selbymart . co . uk
Proud to be associated with the Haigh family , wishing them continued success .
Auctioneer
Richard Haigh
07768 594 535
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' Proud to be associated with Richard Haigh of New Hall Farm , wishing him luck in the future .’
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