The Farmers Mart Oct-Nov 2017 - Issue 53 | Page 30

Marrick Abbey Farm show the Swaledales. Dad was big with the Teeswaters and Dalesbreds and showed them everywhere. We’ve always shown sheep. It was our grandfather, Robert who came here from Teesdale at the turn of the 20th century. He bought Marrick Abbey Farm, Reels Head Farm and Woodhouse Farm. He’d had a big family with 11 children. Many around here will have heard of Tarn Bainbridge, one of dad’s brothers along with Robert, William and John who became a cobbler. Mum, Elizabeth and dad just had the three of us.’ ‘The breeding of the Teeswater is very much a matter of tradition and prowess in showing for the Bainbridges who have had breed champion at the Great Yorkshire Show on more than 20 occasions.’ Today’s family farming operation sees the brothers with just short of 1000 acres of which moorland makes up 600. The other livestock enterprise is a suckler herd of 80-90 Belgian Blue X Limousins that Syd runs. ‘The majority of what we produce goes through Leyburn Mart as stores and we try to get them away by 11 months. If anything shapes up quicker it can go earlier. We’ve grown the suckler herd since coming out of dairy and we’ve found that producing smart little things that are really muscled up is what the premium end butchers whom we supply really want. Ours are normally bought by butchers in Wakefield and Thirsk. ‘Coming out of dairy cows was an easy decision financially as the milk price had meant we just couldn’t make it Addisons Rural Services Agricultural Sales and Lettings Landlord and Tenant Natural England and RPA Schemes Compulsory Purchase and Compensation Schemes Valuations of agricultural and Commercial Property Renewable Energy Negotiations Stock Valuations and Farm Dispersal Sales Planning and Development Estate Management Barnard Castle Office 13 Galgate, Barnard Castle Tel. 01833 638094 Crook Office 5 South Street, Crook Tel. 01388 766676 Carlisle: Tel. 01228 820007 Hexham: Tel. 01434 271003 Richmond: Tel. 01748 850698 www.addisons-surveyors.co.uk Addisons Chartered Surveyors is the trading name of Addisons Surveyors LLP. Registration Number OC355620 ENGLAND 30 Oct/Nov 2017 www.farmers-mart.co.uk