The Farming Year - Autumn

So what do farmers actually do from dayto-day and week-to-week? In the first of a quarterly series, Katie Jarvis finds out

- Ian Boyd

How many hours a day do farmers work? What are the regular jobs that need doing, and how do they fit in with the seasons? We’ll be following the Boyds - a third generation farming family - throughout the next year as they run Whittington Lodge Farm, 900 feet up in the countryside outside Cheltenham.

The farm is organic, Pasture For Lifecertified, and practises regenerative agriculture, focusing on caring for soil and enriching biodiversity. Ian is responsible for general farm work, as well as tending their herd of pedigree Hereford cattle. Cathy runs the farm B&B, and manages meat retail sales in partnership her daughter, Steph Ackrill. Steph also runs her own business, Bhoid: contemporary British fashion accessories. In the longer term, Steph is preparing to take over the farm.

The farming programme on Radio 4 [Farming Today] begins at 5.45 so I’m always up at half five. (I’m not allowed up until then!) But I usually wake earlier, thinking: ‘Another half hour…’ I always start my day with tea, and a Bourbon biscuit from a secret drawer in my office. My sister reminded me that dad used to bring us a glass of Ribena and a Bourbon first thing when we were kids - and I’ve done it ever since!

I’m sure people picture me on a tractor day and night, but that’s not the reality. So much time goes into planning the movements of the farm, and I tend to be on the computer first thing. Cathy will sometimes say, “I’ve got to the end of my office pile!” I don’t think I’ve ever got to the end of mine. Steph is a big help with office work, especially in making the farm accounts digital – great fun!