The Farmers Mart Jun-Jul 2020 - Issue 69 | Page 30

30 STUBBINS FARM JUN/JUL 2020 • farmers-mart.co.uk
GETTING THE BALANCE
RIGHT AT WEST TANFIELD
Chris Berry talks with Jason French of Stubbins Farm near Masham.
ACHIEVING the right balance on a
mixed farming operation is an art form
in its own right, especially when you’re
trying to match livestock numbers
with grassland and cereal crops. It’s an
equation that is at the heart of Jason
French’s farming life at the 180-acre tenanted
Stubbins Farm, West Tanfield near
Masham where he is the third generation
to farm following his grandfather Joe and
his father Stephen.
It’s also an equation that is never-endingly
changing especially given the
vagaries of the weather, as every farmer
knows only too well. Losing crops to the
rain and wet conditions or losing yield
due to drought conditions can seriously
alter other considerations, particularly
when your livestock numbers are based
upon your ability to feed them from your
own resources rather than paying higher
costs of buying in from elsewhere.
‘Our livestock numbers are based
largely on the amount of cereal we can
grow,’ says Jason. ‘Of course, we have
to buy-in soya and minerals but we
try to be as close as we can to be self
sufficient on wheat, barley and oats. We
have around 120 acres down to cereals
and we use the wheat and barley in the
mix for our pigs and cattle, putting them
in with the rest of the ration into our
Caravaggi mill and mix.’
In common with most, Jason reports
that it has been a tough time in challenging
conditions on the arable front since
mid-September last year.
‘I only managed about three or four
days of drilling after last year’s harvest
and tried again in February this year
when it was drier. It’s the latest I’ve
ever drilled winter wheat. I’m growing
Costello and Graham on what is largely
very heavy clay that holds the water.
Unfortunately, I then lost half of what I
drilled in February when the rain came
back but on balance it has still proved
worthwhile as we need whatever amount
we can grow.’
‘In a good dry summer our wheat can
stand up well and come in with around
4 tonnes per acre but if it’s wet, as it has
been again lately, the yield could be
down substantially and that will make a
difference on our overall farm costings.
The spring barley needed the showers
and it certainly had those in June,
whether that was too late we will see at
harvest.’
‘We grow about 10 acres of oats which
we feed to the lambs and ewes, the
lambs start on them after they’ve been
out on grass. The oats work really well in
the ewe ration a couple of months before
lambing as they enhance the diet with a
good fibrous quality saving us on buying
in sugar beet pulp.’
Stephen moved the farm to greater
cereal production some years ago after
the enterprise had originally been a dairy
farm with 100 Friesian cows.
‘We handle all of the arable operation
ourselves,’ says Jason. We have a very
efficient fleet of machinery including
our Oakfields grain trailer which is highly
versatile.‘ The only thing we contact out
is our spraying which is done by local
contractor Andrew Walburn of Kirkby
Malzeard.’
Pigs, sheep and cattle, along with the
arable crops and grassland see Jason
very much with his hands full in every
department. He’s had his own personal
Continued on page 32