46 PROSPECT FARM JUN / JUL 2018 • farmers-mart . co . uk
46 PROSPECT FARM JUN / JUL 2018 • farmers-mart . co . uk
FAMILY FARM THAT FACES UP TO THE CHALLENGES
Chris Berry talks with Nick Houseman of Prospect Farm , Lindley .
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THREE decades ago so-called experts were predicting the death of the family farm and yet thirty years on the backbone of British farming still exists . Sure enough it has been through some tough times as it has tried to come to terms with increased paperwork , red tape , farm gate prices not in step with those ever more burdening costs , animal diseases and more - and there have been many casualties , but the family farm is still very much around , live and kicking .
Some family names are synonymous with farming in the way Smith , Brown and Jones are popular general surnames , but there are not many that have the same farming pedigree as Houseman in North Yorkshire and more specifically in Nidderdale .
Nick and Julie Houseman farm with their son John at Prospect Farm on Lindley Moor . On a gorgeous day it is a beautiful setting in a fantastic part of Yorkshire where they milk cows and run a sheep flock across the 300 acres they own with a further 240 rented , including land at Blubberhouses and Hardisty Hill .
‘ We are the third and fourth generations to farm here ,’ says Nick . ‘ My granddad Jess came here and my dad George followed . My niece has looked into the Houseman family tree and there are or have been about 1500 of us somewhere around North Yorkshire and now further
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afield . We seem to have bred well over the years .’
Challenges are all around for the family farm . Nick , Julie and John run a reasonably conventional farm of dairy and sheep . Their only additional businesses are Julie ’ s busy catering operation that sees her at Otley Show each year and handling everything from weddings , anniversaries , birthdays and funerals – plus the excellent holiday accommodation started two and a half years ago using part of the farmhouse and a new holiday cottage a few yards from the farmhouse that will open for business in July . Julie is involved with Farmstay UK .
‘ We ’ re very much a team of three ,’ says Nick . ‘ John plays a crucial role in the farm and basically runs it these days . As well as the day-to-day farming roles involved with running the dairy side of the farm he handles all the really important aspects of ensuring everything is up to date plus the silaging and forage harvesting . He put up a new shed last year and looks after all the concreting , fabricating and welding jobs that would otherwise cost us a fortune . He ’ s done all sorts including putting in a new silage pit . He ’ s keen on us having robotic milking as soon as we have enough money around to afford them .’
‘ Three decades ago so-called experts were
predicting the death of the family farm and yet thirty years on the backbone of British farming still exists .’
The dairy herd currently runs to 150 cows with around 132 in milk . Herd average is around 9000 litres and having moved from Friesian to more Holstein years ago the Housemans are now , like many , moving back towards the Friesian .
‘ We ’ ve introduced Fleckvieh and Norwegian Red into our AI programme for this year . It ’ s all about creating a less extreme cow than the Holstein that offers a little better longevity of lactation , but we don ’ t sitting down with manufacturers , retailers and consumers .. standing up for producers .
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