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!
Denne historien er fra September 2019-utgaven av Cotswold Life.
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Denne historien er fra September 2019-utgaven av Cotswold Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Gloucestershire After The War
Discovering the county’s Arts and Crafts memorials of the First World War
THE WILD SIDE OF Moreton-in-Marsh
The days are getting shorter but there’s plenty of reasons to be cheerful, says Sue Bradley, who discovers how a Cotswolds town is becoming more wildlife-friendly and pots up some bulbs for an insect-friendly spring display
Mr Ashbee would approve
In the true spirit of the Arts & Crafts Movement, creativity has kept the Chipping Campden community ticking over during lockdown
The Cotswolds at war
These might be peaceful hills and vales, but our contribution to the war effort was considerable
Trust in good, local food
‘I’ve been following The Country Food Trust’s activities with admiration since it was founded’
Why Cath is an open book
Cath Kidston has opened up almost every nook and cranny of her Cotswold idyll in a new book, A Place Called Home. Katie Jarvis spoke to Cath ahead of her appearance at this year’s Stroud Book Festival STROUD BOOK FESTIVAL – THIS YEAR FREE AND ONLINE: NOVEMBER 4-8
From the Cotswolds to the world
Most people know that the Cotswolds have featured in a fair few Hollywood movies and TV series.
The Wild Hunt
In search of the legendary King Herla in the Malvern Hills
Fighting spirit amid the flowers
Tracy Spiers visits Warwick, a beautiful town that is open for business and ready to welcome visitors
Final journey
Cheltenham author and volunteer on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR), Nicolas Wheatley, recounts the fascinating story of funeral trains