The Farmers Mart Oct-Nov 2018 - Issue 59 | Page 32

32 HAREGILL LODGE FARM OCT/NOV 2018 • farmers-mart.co.uk EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT ON a sunny September afternoon, I had the RUSSELL GROUP Leaders in agricultural, construction and groundcare equipment www.russells.uk.com Branches throughout Yorkshire Please contact our head office on: 01653 698000 [email protected] 2017 pleasure of sitting on a bale of hay to chatting with Mark Greensit of Haregill Lodge Farm in the picturesque village of Ellingstring between Ripon and Masham. My original reason for contacting Mark was that he is the proud winner of Russell’s Machinery tractor competition at the Great Yorkshire Show. He will receive a brand-new New Holland tractor for a year with an option to buy after the twelve months. Haregill Lodge consists of 520 acres rented from the Swinton Estate ranging from 200 to 1000 feet above sea level. All the Arable land is on high where they grow Wheat, Barley and naked oats on contract to Ianson’s. They also have 250 mainly North of England Mules along with some Whitefaces. The land has a lot of steep hills and stones, so all the land is ploughed which keeps weeds down and means much lesser use of chemi- cals which in turn produces better crops. Keeping that diversification going they also have upto 600 pigs on B&B for Bailey Livestock who are based a couple of miles away. They have done this since 1994 after BSE, converting all the previous potato stores to accommodate them. Typically, they come in as strong stores and go out at 120kg. The pigs are all outdoor bred which Mark believes produces a better animal. They use all their own straw and as Mark was keen to point out “Pigs don’t half do some damage” so Mark is often doing running repairs. Haregill has always been a mixed farm hav- ing Dairy, cows, sows and sheep with most of the crops going to livestock. Mark is 3rd generation. Father Robert at 68 is still as active as ever and his uncle does some sheep and tractor work although he was forced to retire early from farming as he had a major accident in snow falling through a barn roof. In 2017 their longest serving employee Thomas Lumley retired at the ripe old age of 86! Thomas used to come back for the com- bining and ploughing Mark too has an absolute passion for farming “love the variety, every day is different “he re- marked even though they are often beholden to the great British weather. However, it doesn’t stop there, wife Vicky helps as much as pos- sible and their two daughters Jessica and Ellie are mad about tractors and combines. Mark is a very practical and handy man and does much of the maintenance work himself as well