The Farmers Mart Aug-Sep 2018 - Issue 58 | Page 52

52 CROSBY COURT GRANGE AUG/SEP 2018 • farmers-mart.co.uk 74013 - JohnWalker.pdf 1 29/06/2018 11:17:43 the farm as I make all the calf pens and gates. It was the building of a new milking parlour that got me a lot more in with the cows.’ Gearing up the dairy herd and reposition- ing the farm for the future is clearly a matter for the whole Baker team and James tells of where they are at presently. ‘Like many other dairy farmers if we were to take out what people class as a proper wage the farm probably couldn’t survive. We take what we are happy to live with. If things get tight like they were particularly tight two years ago you manage and do other things. When we were down at 11p per litre I worked elsewhere feeding cows here and then working over at Thimbleby Estate. We’ve still a long way to go on a stable and hopefully rising milk price before we fill the gap from that lull.’ ‘We would like to invest, and we are looking at perhaps upping cow numbers by 20. We’ve recently also started crossing our black and white Holsteins with Norwe- gian Reds. The way the dairy job has been for the last few years we felt the need for a cow that is easier to look after with less attention required. We have seen an imme- diate impact with the first of the Holstein X Norwegian Red calves born this year. When they hit the floor, they wanted to be up and running. Thy had much more vigour.’ ‘Our herd average is 7500 litres as we don’t push them and like them out to graze. We average around 4-5 lactations. We use an Angus on any heifers we don’t want to breed from and Belgian Blue as a sweep on those that we can’t get in calf.’ ‘This year we are also investing in cubi- cles and sand, replacing straw due to its price. At the moment we’re on straw but struggle with availability.’ Land at Crosby Grange Court is largely heavy clay. Grass is in with the rotation and no grass leys have been in over three years apart from permanent pasture. Silage is three cuts and wheat yield are around 4 tonnes per acre. The beef enterprise sees the Bakers buying cattle from a local dairy farmer at between 1-3 months with all bulls finished and heifers sold as stores through Northall- erton Mart at 14-16 months. W. E. Jameson & Son Ltd continue to be one of the Bakers key suppliers of feed, seed and fertiliser, backed by their excellent service. Teamwork on farm, with YFC and certain- ly on the rugby pitch has always been key to any of James’ success. ‘I captained Bishop Burton College and played in the Northallerton team that got to the National Cup Final at Twickenham. I’ve played prop most of the time but also second row. I’ve been playing in the second team more recently, but whatever I play or do it’s all about the team whether here at home with Emma, my mum and dad and gran, with young farmers or playing rugby.’ John M Walker (Farm Buildings) Ltd C M Y CM Holly Farm, Kirby Sigston, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 3TB Tel: [phone] » Email: [email protected] MY CY Simple agricultural extensions • Large agricultural buildings • Whole farms • Industrial units CMY K John has been building Agricultural buildings since 1994 following many years in agriculture on the family farm. John’s wealth of experience means he can design, plan and build from the ground up any size or type of agricultural building you require. “Pleased to be a supplier to James Baker of Crosby Court Grange Farm and wish him all the best for the future”