42 HUNT HILL FARM AUG / SEP 2018 • farmers-mart . co . uk
42 HUNT HILL FARM AUG / SEP 2018 • farmers-mart . co . uk
Keeping it all in the family at Hempholme
Chris Berry talks with Joanne and Andrew Chapman of Hunt Hill Farm in the East Riding .
CARRYING on a proud tradition in the dairy show ring and in the sheep pens seems well set for a fourth generation as Stella ( 15 ) and James Chapman ( 13 ) of Hunt Hill Farm , Hempholme near Brandesburton in the East Riding once again joined forces with mum and dad Joanne and Andrew Chapman at both the Great Yorkshire Show and Driffield Show , but behind the smiles there is also a message Joanne is keen to get across to milk buyers .
It ’ s a family affair at the 300-acre farm at Hempholme that has been on-going ever since Joanne ’ s grandfather Tom and his brother Guy Southwell established what was then the Hunthill herd of British Friesians just after WWII , 70 years ago in 1948 with a bull that was rated as probably the best of the decade . Joanne ’ s father Mike Southwell followed on from Tom and Guy . He and wife Jill are still both involved in the family business and are both enjoying seeing heir grandchildren taking their part in the farm .
Bloodlines in today ’ s now Huntholme herd of pedigree Holsteins can still be traced back to the 1940s and cow families are as important in their 118-srong milking herd as the Southwells ’ and Chapmans ’ human families .
Jill and Mike live in the main farmhouse with Joanne , Andrew , Stella and James in their house just across the farm track .
The Great Yorkshire Show didn ’ t disappoint with the Chapman family picking up a First Place in the in-calf Holstein class with Huntholme Fever Kitty 35 and reserve dairy champion at Driffield Show , their home show where Joanne and Andrew are now both on the show ’ s livestock committee . James also carried on his own fine more recent tradition with a ticket for the fifth time at the Great Yorkshire with his now aged Suffolk ewe that Andrew refers to as perhaps the oldest Suffolk ewe on the show circuit .
Although there are only a handful or so dairy farmers left in their area Joanne and Andrew are keen to encourage compatriots from further afield to exhibit at Driffield in the future and the fact that their farm is down a long country lane with only one way in and out and a distance from a dairy hasn ’ t deterred their ambition to carry on dairy farming come what may .
‘ We ’ re situated miles down a dead end , but we ’ ve invested again just recently with a new 120ft x 110ft cowshed , an extension to the dairy and a second bulk milk tank to facilitate every other day collection ,’ says Joanne . ‘ Twenty years ago , there would
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have been at least 10 dairy farms around here but there are not many of us left and it ’ s difficult if anyone wants to start from scratch .’
Joanne would like to see the family ’ s commitment mirrored by a fairer price from milk buyers . She understands that their geographical position further away than many dairy farmers to a dairy company ’ s processing centre means some kind of price differential but feels it is often used against them more unfairly than it should be .
‘ It would be wonderful to think every dairy farmer receives equal prices for their milk or at very least we are not being overly disadvantaged by the difference between ourselves and others with their cows closer to a dairy , but in our experience the contracts vary so much .’
‘ We feel penalised because we are not in a milk producing area and our average price per litre is usually way below what we are led to believe others receive , far more than purely the haulage cost , but we are still here because we love the cows , our cow family history and producing milk , plus the next generation of Stella and James are very keen too and we are equally keen to encourage them .’
‘ James has it all planned out . He ’ s undertaking a lot of the milking and puts in a grown man ’ s shift on the farm already ,’ says dad Andrew . ‘ We were late drilling at last back end and he took over ploughing into the night . He also loves the arable side of the 300-acre farm , looks after the Suffolk sheep and was our man in charge of the Suffolks showed at the Great Yorkshire and Suffolks and Texels we had at Driffield Show . He won the young handlers ’ competition at Driffield last year and Malton Show this year and has also started clipping the sheep .’
‘ His plan is to buy a Gator and travel to Bishop Burton College , when he ’ s old enough to study there ,’ says Joanne . ‘ And drive back each day to work on the farm , have the cottage done up next door to his grandparents and a door put through to theirs so my mum can make him breakfast and an evening meal !’
‘ If he can get out of his homework by working on the farm he will ,’ says Andrew , but with mum Joanne being a teacher he ’ s unlikely to fall into the trap of getting behind on his studies . Stella plays her part very much too . ‘ Stella is really keen on working with cows and showed a yearling heifer from the Kitty family at Driffield and Harrogate . She helps with milking , feeds the calves , trains heifers to walk on the halter and has visions of perhaps a veterinary career . She has also qualified to compete at the National Calf Show in Malvern the past two years .’
‘ They are both heavily involved with Brandesburton YFC and enjoy competitions . Stella recently won the junior public