thomas iveson low blackburn farm, gayle, wensleydale · back on the market – and you’re looking...

VoicesFromtheLand,2017.InterviewbyAndyFaggArticleandPhotographs©HarrietFraserandRobFraser

1

ThomasIveson

LowBlackburnFarm,Gayle,WensleydaleThomasIvesonhasbeenatLowBlackburnFarmsincehewasthree,in1972,whenhisparentsmovedhere.Theybuiltabungalowalongsideexistingbuildings,andsincethenhavebuiltanadditionalannex.ThomasfarmswithhispartnerJulie.Thomas’smaingoalistoproducehighqualityanimals.‘IhavealotofprideinmystockandIliketoproducethebestlambsthatIcan,thebestSwaledaletupsthatIcan,andthebestsucklercalvesthatIcan.I’vealotofprideinmystock-maybemorepridethanprofitiftruthbeknown!That’smygoal:toalwaysbeasfarupasIcanwithwhateverI’mbreeding.’

ThomasdidnottakeoverthebreedingofpedigreeSwaledalesfromhisfather.Hebecameenthusiasticwhilehelpinghisbrotherinlaw,andspottedoneparticulartupthatgookhiseye:‘flashy,well-built.’Thomassoldhisfirsttupin1994andsays‘we’vebeenluckysincethen.We’vesoldquiteafewgoodtupsandwe’vehadalotofsuccessinthebreed.’Hisfirstrealmarkofsuccess,hesays,wassellingatupthatwasReserveChampionatHawesin1996for£18,000.Hefeelsveryluckytohavehadthestarthedid.‘Itwasmoreluckthanmanagement,thatfirsttupin1996.Now,thebloodlinesareabigfactor.We’vebeeninthebreedforovertwentyyearsnow,andwe’rebreedingtupsandyowsoutofgreatgreatgrandmothers,youknow,ofthatbreed.Anygoodbloodlinesweliketokeepthemgoing.’

KeepingtrackofthebloodlinesandknowingwhichnewtupscomefromgoodstockisnotsomethingthathappensbecauseofnotesthatThomashaswrittendown–it’sallinhishead.‘Overtheyearsyouremembertupsthatyoulikefromeachbackendsales:yourememberthemtupsn’howthey’rebred.Thenit’stwoyearsbeforetheirprogenycomesbackonthemarket–andyou’relookingfurtherback,tothosegrandparentsandgreatgrandparentsthatyouliked.It’sabigplusifthere’satupthatsomebodysays‘wellthatgoesbacktoAygilofficer’.ThatwasthebesttupthatIeversaw.ThehairsonthebackofmyneckstandupwhenIthinkaboutit.Iwenttoseehimathomeandhecamedownthehillsideandhejustblewmeaway.’Thomasbidforhimatauction,butdidn’tgethim.‘He

VoicesFromtheLand,2017.InterviewbyAndyFaggArticleandPhotographs©HarrietFraserandRobFraser

2

madeeleventhousandandPatrickSowerby,whowasatMossdalethen,heboughthim.IthinkI’veusedfourtupsgotwiththattup,andsowe’vealotofthatbloodabout.Alotofpeoplewouldn’tpickhim,buthewasmypickasthetupofmylifetime.’

Ofcoursefavouringsomequalitiesoverothersisverysubjective,andeveryfarmerhashisownpersonalpreferences.Thomasoutlineswhatmatterstohim.‘It’sverydifficulttoexplain.Probablyeasiertoshowsomebody.Themainthingformeisthedepthofblack.Anybodythat’snotintotheSwaledalesheepwouldsay‘oh,ablack’sablack’,butit’snot.There’ssomanydifferentgradesofblack,andthedeepestblackwiththebrightest,hardestwhite-thatiswhatstandsoutforme.Again,notforeverybody–otherpeoplewouldthinkthatabroadsheepwithaheavyboneismoreimportant,butformeaqualityinthebreedisadeepblackandasilvernessofthewhitesoitjusthitsyoufromadistanceandmakesyoukeepwantingtolook.’Evenwithongoingsuccessinbreedingandsellingtups,Thomastendstojoinwithothersforbigpurchases:his

brother-in-law,GrahamScar,andStevieandChristineClarkson.‘Tobuyatuponyourownnowadaysisnearlyimpossibleunlessyou’refromabigfarmwithalotofmoney.Soit’snotunusualforfour,five,sixpeopletogettogethertobuyatup,maybegiveitahundredyows-fifteen,twentyyowseach.’Whatkindofpricemightatupgofor?‘That’sdifficult.Whenwegowiththelambstotheauctionmart,whetherthey’refatlambs,orthey’remulegimmers,weknowwithintwoorthreepoundwhatthey’regoingtomake.WhenyougowithaSwaledaletup,youhaven’tacluewhatthey’regoingtomake.Overtheyearswe’vespentalot–we’vemadealot,butagainit’sdowntosyndicates,Icouldn’tbuythemonourown.We’vepaiduptwenty-sixandthirty-fivethousand,butthat’sbeenamongfiveorsixofus.Butasfarasselling,it’sgreatwhenit’shappened.Wehadchampionin2011andhemadefiftythousand.Itwasjustsomethingdreamsaremadeof,anditwillneverhappenagain-butit’sjustnicethatitdid.Itdidhappenthatonetime.’Andthattime,thetuphadastrongbloodline:‘HewasgotwithatupthatcamefromAygillagain.HewascalledAygillBumper.HismotherwasgotwithatupthatwegotoffRichardSowerbyatThwaiteBridge.Hismother’sfatheronlycost£700,andhisfatheronlycost£3600,soitshowsthatyoudon’talwayshavetospendalotofmoneytogetyourrewards.’ThegrazinglandthatThomashasforhisSwaledalesisamixtureoftypes.‘Wehavelimestoneandwehavepeatyland.Alotofourlandisnotroundthehouse,it’slikeotherfarmsaroundthisarea–peoplebuybitsorrentbitswheretheycan.Soit’swithina6-mileradius:variousblocksfromHawestoGarsdalestation.’Altogether,theIvesonshave650acresofland,someownedandsomeofitrented.WhenThomaswasachild,hisfamilyhadaround300sheep.Nowtheyhave600ewes,keepingaround200tobreedpedigreereplacements,andcrossingmostoftheotherswith

Anybody that’s not into theSwaledalesheepwouldsay‘oh,ablack’sablack’,but it’snot.There’s so many differentgrades of black, and thedeepest black with thebrightest,hardestwhite - thatiswhatstandsoutforme.Forme a quality in the breed is adeepblackanda silvernessofthe white so it just hits youfromadistanceandmakesyoukeepwantingtolook.

VoicesFromtheLand,2017.InterviewbyAndyFaggArticleandPhotographs©HarrietFraserandRobFraser

3

BluefacedLeicestertupstoproduceMules.TheyalsorunasmallsucklerunitoftwentyBelgianBlue-blondeAquatainecows,whichtheyputtoaLimousinbull.Andlikeeveryfarmer,Thomashasdogs,andwiththesehehasahistoryofcompetingwiththem.‘WhenIwasayoungsterIboughtabitchoffthelateLennyPrince.HegotmeinterestedandtookmetoaDentsheepdogtrial,anditwasjustlikeabug–Iwasbitten.Icouldn’tgetenoughofit,andI’vealwaysbeeninterestedindogssince.IranforEnglandattheinternationalwhenIwas19yearsold,andIrepresentedmycountryonOneManandHisDogin1985,whenIwas16yearsold.’Thomasnolongertrialsashehasn’ttimewiththerestofthefarmwork,‘butIstillliketorundogsandstilltraindogsformyself.Ilikewhatwecallnaturalinadog:adogthatcanthinkforhimself,balance,doesn’tneedalotofcommands.Idon’tlikewhatwecallarobotdog,whichisstop,startandjustwaitingforyourcommandsallthetime.Abitlikemysheep,Ilikesomethinggoodtolookat,somethingthat’sclassyandkeepshimselflowtotheground,butalsoitmusthaveplentyofpower.There’snothingworsethanasheepbackingadogawayintoacorner.’Thomas’spassionabouthisanimalsisalmostcontagiousand,ashesaid,itsometimesdriveshimmorethanprofit.Nevertheless,it’svitaltomakeendsmeet.‘I’mnotgoingtodenyit–it’stight.Weliketopresentourstuffandgrowourstuffverywell.Oneofthebigproblemsuphereisthelandisn’tasfertile,itisn’tasproductiveaslandfurtherdownsouth.Sowehavetofeedalot,andfeedcostsarequiteextremereally.It’sfrighteningifyoureckonthemupandknockoffyourprofits,therewouldn’tbealotleft.Butthat’sthroughchoice:youcanpresentyourlambsmaybenotasbigandmaybenotmakeasmuch,youmightbebetteroff.Butagain,itallcomesdowntopride,really,andwhateverrouteyouwanttogodown,really.’

Withanincreasedflock,feedcostsremainasignificantfactor.‘Butdemandsarebigger–youknow,biggerlambs,biggercattle,everything’sgettingbigger.WhenIwasakid,lambsusedtogetfattenedoffnothingbutgrass,butnow,95%ofourlambsgetfattenedoffcakeandgrass.Wepossiblywon’thaveasbigaprofitmarginsasthepeoplewhodon’tdecidetofeed.Maybeyourmulelambcouldmakeanywherebetweenfiftyandsixtypoundanditwon’thavehadabiteofcake,whereaswefatteneverythingandwe’resellingatseventy-five,eighty.Butbythetimewegetourfeedpricesoff,we’llnotbesellingalotbetterthanthefellasthataresellingstores.Butagain,it’sdowntochoice.’Inadditiontobalancingthebooks,farmersintheDaleshavetobattlewithchallengingweathereveryyear.But

hasthischangedoverthelastfewdecades?‘Yeah,massively.WhenIwasakid,machineryandthatwasn’tasgoodasitisnow,andnotasfast,butweseemedtoahavealotbettersummerstomakehay-wewereneverinarush.Iremembermumfetchingteaoutandweusedtositonbalesofhayforanhourandhavetea,butnowwedon’tseemtohavethetime-becauseoftheweather-tohardlygetoffthetractor.It’sverylimited,thegood

When I was a kid, machineryandthatwasn’tasgoodasitisnow, and not as fast, but weseemed toahavea lotbettersummers to make hay - wewere never in a rush. Iremember mum fetching teaoutandweusedtositonbalesof hay for an hour and havetea,butnowwedon’tseemtohavethetime-becauseoftheweather-tohardlygetoffthetractor.

VoicesFromtheLand,2017.InterviewbyAndyFaggArticleandPhotographs©HarrietFraserandRobFraser

4

weatherthatwegetthroughthesummer,andthatseemstobeyearafteryearnow.Thewinters,ontheotherhand,aremoretheotherway.They’vegoneverywet,notascold.Iteffectstheland,abigproblemiswhatwecall‘bedding’.Thereseemstobealotmoreofthat,andthat’sanobvioussignthatwe’rehavingwettertimes.’So,eachmorning,andthrougheachseason,whatisitthatkeepsThomasgoing?Hejokesthatit’shisalarmclock,butthenreflects:‘Ithinkit’sjustthethoughtofgoingout,working.Seeingandworkingwithgoodstock,withstockthatyouknow,Isuppose,thatyou’veactuallyproduced.And,it’sjusthittingthattopbracket,that’swhatdrivesmeon.Justgettinguptoseeagoodtup,oragoodmulegimmerlamb,oranicecalfbeingborn.Ifitwasn’tforthatIwouldn’tbeinthebusiness.We’reallinitformoneytomakealiving,butifitwasn’tforstrivingtobethebestand,youknow,keepbreedinggoodstock,Icouldn’tseemyselfinthebusiness,no.’Andisthistheplacehewantstostay?‘I’mhoofed,whichmeansI’mstuckhere!It’swhereI’mbornandbroughtup.Ilikefarming,Ilikethepeople,likethearea.No,Icouldn’tseemyselfanywhereelse.’

www.dalesfarmers.co.uk

I’mhoofed,whichmeansI’mstuckhere!It’swhereI’mbornandbroughtup.Ilikefarming,Ilikethepeople,likethearea.No,I

couldn’tseemyselfanywhereelse.