Garrington farms

When traveling for two and a half months through the US this last summer I was always conscious of what farm crops were grown in each region of the country. This is because my sister Anne has lived on a farm now for 55 years. I have had the opportunity to observe the changes in British farming practice and particularly on her farm. This was the 53rd time that I had stayed in the farm house. I first stayed in 1965 when I was working at a hospital in Chichester.

 When my brother in law bought the farm in 1960 it originally had nine farm workers and there were about 480 acres. The machinery was small - at least a Ferguson tractor and plough. The farm had multiple crops - arable (wheat and barley), fruit (apples), hops (a hop garden and oast for drying and bagging the hops), a large beef herd, water cress beds and harvesting sheds etc.

To-day nephew Robert, who had obtained a degree in farming from Wye university manages more than 3500 acres on seven different farms. The family own about 800 acres. An extra 1100 acres has just been taken over to be managed and an additional 300 acres next year. The staffing including Robert will be five full time equivalent plus part time at harvest times. Machinary is huge including a bigger each year tractor that ploughs and drills (seeds) and a sprayer with arms that are about 100 feet long. Each piece of land has to have accounting for the use of the shared equipment and labour.

The farms are mostly arable - wheat and barley and break crops like soy and beans. There is still a small heard of cattle that mainly grazes on the marsh land that has no better use. Some land is rented out for growing maize (corn) that is harvested and used to make biofuel. Two pieces of land have turnips planted and then a sheep farmer brings a flock of sheep (having first put up an electric fence) who graze the leafs and eat the turnips and then fertilize the land. Another piece of land is rented out for potato growing. There are about ten rental cottages that bring in farm revenue. There are two large solar arrays that feed electricity into the grid. Some older farm buildings are rented out for small business (like dressing of game).

There are also non revenue farm activities. My sister has always has had horses and has bred horses.  She currently owns a cob which she rides every day. My nephew brings in pheasant which he grows up and then twice a year friends of the family come for a shoot. The grandchildren start using a gun at about the age of 14. A beekeeper keeps several hives in a small wooded area on the farm.