Farming in the Yorkshire Dales
Traditional Dales farming has shaped the whole environment of the Dales, the walls stretching over the fells, barns, hay meadows and use of rough fell grazing are all a result of farming through many generations.
More recently the impact of foot & mouth on the Settle area will inevitably lead to more changes in local agricultural practices, and changes to the lives of the farming community.
Farming techniques in the Yorkshire Dales may change to reflect the needs of the whole country to enjoy our unique environment, employing the farming community to maintain & protect the environment & traditional farming methods for the whole country.
CONTACT INFORMATION
NFU Skipton 01756 793516
Contact the Chamber of Trade:
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Settle Business Officer |
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PO Box 22 Settle N Yorks BD24 9YY |
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LIFE AFTER FOOT AND MOUTH
Julia Weston of Cappleside explains how Foot & Mouth has forced a major rethink of her dairy farming business.
As the dust settles on the Foot and Mouth fiasco, it is worth standing back and considering what the outcome of that terrible twelve months has been. The effect on the community has been fundamental and in some cases very severe. Livestock breeders, for example, who have perhaps put successive generations of hard work and dedication into their flocks and herds, have seen them swept away at a stroke. Recovery from that sort of a blow takes time. But now we must look forward, rethink our businesses, regenerate…and live again!
A CHANGE OF EMPHASIS At Cappleside, this process of regeneration has set us off on a different course. In our previous existence we were dairy farmers but we also managed some woodlands for timber, firewood and charcoal production. Suddenly our cows were all dead and we were forbidden to access our woodlands. It was time to re-evaluate; too young to retire; not young enough to undertake a completely new career; young children to consider; an old milking parlour that needed replacing (a considerable investment!); woodlands that had greater potential than we had the time to do anything about; no burning desire to pack in farming altogether and do something radically different, or to spend years retraining. Added to which, no decision could be made with any certainty, given the social and political turmoil facing farming and the rural community – with ever-dwindling returns and the constant suspicion that British farmers were an unnecessary luxury. Everyone decided on a course of action as best they could whilst under stress and fear. And then they crossed their fingers.
For us, we decided to stick with livestock and woodlands but to change the emphasis; go into beef production, thereby freeing up milking time for timber work; put capital into timber processing machinery and buildings rather than into milking plant. The extra income from timber products could compensate for a lower return on the livestock side and help pay for farm labour. It was a balancing act, a case of making existing resources more profitable, rather than truly diversifying. To be fair, we had actually diversified prior to FMD but we were now building up these other sides to the business.
A PEACEFUL & SECLUDED WOODLAND BURIAL And what are these? An ecologically-friendly Woodland Burial site, which we opened just seven months before FMD struck. We sell biodegradable coffins for hand-dug burials in a peaceful and secluded setting. The appearance of the burial ground is totally natural, as there are no gravestones or anything artificial adorning the graves. A tree is planted on each grave. All the plants, bulbs and trees on the site are carefully selected to reflect the native woodlands of the area and to encourage specific insects and creatures. The timber, woodchip etc. that we use, comes from our own woods. The next phase is to start converting the barn on site, for eventual use for funerals.
To give a firm foundation to the woodland enterprise, we have drawn up a five-year business plan under the auspices of the Rural Enterprise Scheme. The aim of this is to maximise the potential of our woods, while pursuing sustainable forestry practices, involving a cycle of planting and establishing a crop, thinning and selective felling and then restocking again. The timber harvested from this will be processed on the farm, for our own use and for sale, as firewood and charcoal. Woodchip will also be produced for use in cattle bedding, pathway material, horticultural mulch and children’s play areas, as well as oak chips for food smoking purposes. We will also be able to manufacture fencing materials, posts, rails and planks.
On the livestock side, we have taken the big step of going organic. This is more suited to our new suckler herd of Herefords than to our previous dairy enterprise but still requires a different mindset - and a new approach to growing grass, achieving the necessary levels of production without chemical inputs. It is an exciting challenge, a challenge which should fit in well with our whole approach to woodland management and to the environmental and wildlife-friendly basis of the green burial site.
We feel that the three main enterprises complement each other well and make maximum use of Cappleside’s natural resources. As I said previously, it is a balancing act of trying to put in as well as taking out, so that the whole business runs like a series of well-oiled cogs. Hopefully - and if politics allow it - the end result will be a continuing business for ourselves and for future generations.