Weighton Wold Farm
Stabilised at
Weighton Wold
Chris Berry talks with Robert Rook at Market Weighton
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have played their part for
generations for one farming
family in the East Riding and
today are mainstays at the farm
headquarters at Weighton Wold
Farm half way up (or half way
down) Market Weighton hill.
Robert Rook and his brother,
John started out together in
1973 with around 700 acres
following on from their father
Robert and grandfather
Charles, who had bought
Wold House Farm on Arras
Hill in 1921 and Manor House
Farm, North Cliffe – a Vale
of York farm - in the 1940s.
Weighton Wold was added in
the 1990s.
Today the farm enterprise
runs to 2000 acres including
Wold House Farm, Manor
House Farm and Weighton
‘Today the farm
enterprise runs
to 2000 acres
including Wold
House Farm,
Manor House Farm
and Weighton
Wold Farm’
58 Autumn 2017 www.farmers-mart.co.uk
Wold Farm. Robert’s sons,
Charles and Edward are
involved too. Arable crops
currently include wheat grown
over 600 acres including
seed wheat variety Dickens
and feed varieties Revelation,
Relay and Lilli. Winter barley
is grown across 140 acres
including seed variety Glacier.
Spring barley variety Planet is
grown half for seed and half
for for malting and distilling.
Other cropping includes 200
acres of oilseed rape, vining
peas for Bird’s Eye, maize,
sugar beet and potatoes for
the prepack/baker market –
starting with Marfona in late
August and followed by the
varieties Sapphire, Sagitta and
Melody. Grimme equipment
has measurably improved
potato production. The farm
includes refrigerated storage
of potatoes. Livestock includes
their highly regarded Stabiliser
beef cattle, a free range egg
laying unit and duck fattening
which is conducted to supply
Fasenda Foods. The Rooks
have received day old chicks
from the company and provide
them with mature ducks since
90s when they were originally
Cherry Valley.