rachel and andrew marston easgill head

VoicesFromtheLand,2017InterviewbyHarrietandRobFraser

Article©HarrietFraser,Images©RobFraser

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RachelandAndrewMarstonEasgillHead

EasgillHeadFarmnestlesamidascatteringoftreesinadipoflandwheregrassispunctuatedbylimestoneoutcrops.Itfeelslikeahiddengem,setbetweenSwaledaleandSmardale,justafewmilesfromKirkbyStephenbutinvisiblefromthemainroad.Aswedrivedownthetracktowardsthefarmhouse,weleavethewindbehindusandenterayardinashortboutofsunlightbetweenheavyshowersthathavebecomesomethingofathemeduringthelastfewweeks.It’slateJulyandalleyesareontheweather,hopingforafewdrydaysthatwillallowforhaymaking.

RachelandAndrewMarstonwelcomeusintothekitchenwherewearejoinedbytheirthreedaughters:Catherine,whohasrecentlyfinishedherGCSEexams;Abigail,whoisthirteen;andtheiryoungest,Olivia,agedseven.Andrew’smotherandfatherarealsopartoftheteam.‘Thefarm’sbeeninthefamilyforafewgenerationsnow,’saysAndrew,‘downmymother’sside.Igrewuphere,I’vespentnearlyallmylifehereonthisfarm.’Rachelisalsofromafarmingfamily;herparentsHarryandMaryHutchinsonfarminUldalenearSedbergh.ShemetAndrewwhenshewasthirteen.‘Ourparentsprobablystartedsharingtups,andbuyingtupstogether,’saysAndrew,‘sothatintroducedustooneanother.’Theymanagethefarmandaholidaycottagethattheyhaverecentlycreatedfromoneofthefarm’sbarns.

TheconversionofthebarnwasinspiredbytheinterestthatthefamilyreceivedaftertheyfeaturedontheBBCprogramme,LambingLive,in2011.Atfirst,Andrewwasquiteresistanttotheideaofappearingonatelevisionprogramme,uncomfortablewiththeprospectofthousands,ormillions,ofpeoplewatchinglifeonwhatheconsiderstobe‘abogstandardfarm.’Hewaspersuaded,though,byRachelandthechildren,whosawitasanopportunity.‘Itshowedafarmer’swayoflife,andafamilywayoflife,’saysRachel.‘Everybodymuckinginandgettingonwiththejobs-partofateam.Alotofhusbandsandwivesgoofftoworkanddon’t



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spendalotoftimetogether.It’sthatspendingtimetogether,workinginthecountryside,thatpeoplereallylike.Isupposeit’squiteaprivilegetodoit.’Thefloodoflettersthatarrivedfrompeopleacrosstheworldinresponsetotheprogrammesetthefamilythinkingaboutconvertingabarntoaholidaycottage,andtheywereabletodothiswithsomefinancialsupportfromCumbriaFellsandDales.‘Thepointofthebarnisthatpeoplecomedowntothefarmandlearnaboutfarming,firsthand,’saysRachel.‘We’vehadpeoplelambingsheepandallsorts.Theyhay,waterandcakethesheep.AndonanightI’llwalkroundthefieldsandcheckthelambs,sotheycancomewithmeanddothat.They’renoextraburden,infactit’ssomeonetotalkto.It’squiteaprivilegereally,isn’tit?’

Behindthehouse,thefieldsarefullofrecentlyshearedsheep.Thefarmhasamixtureofbreeds–aroundathousandewes,plusfollowers,thatarekeptonthe400acresofinsideland,andhaverightstograzeoncommonland.BothAndrewandRachelarepassionateaboutbreedingSwaledaletups.It’snotjustthattheyfetchhighpricesatauction(therecordforonetup,Andrewtellsme,is£110,000),it’salsothesatisfactionofproducingtherightkindofanimal.‘I’mlookingforabigtup,onewithalotofbone,thicklegs,agoodmouldofhead,anicelylaidhorn.Itwantssomenicecolouredlegs-blackandwhite-andthehair’simportantaswell.You’regettingquitedetailednow,but,yes,somethingthatlooksproudofitself,andstandsoutfromtherest.’Andrewtellsusabouttheothersheep.‘Weworkwithpure

SwaledalesbutwealsocrosstheSwaledaleyowtotheBlueLeicestertupstoproducemulegimmers,andthenwehaveaflockBeltexandTexels,whichproduceverygoodfatlambs.Theyseemtobewheretheprofitisforthisfarm,butnotthesameinterest,forme,astheSwaledales.’TherewerenoBeltexorTexelshereuntil2003,afterFootandMouthledtoadramaticreductioninlivestock.‘Itwastough,tough.Welosttwothirdsofthesheepandathirdofthecattlewehadatthetime.’BuildingupaflockofBeltexwaspartofmovingforward.‘Youhavetotryandlookatthegoodthingsthatcameoutofthebad,’saysRachel.AndrewandRachelmanagethefarmsothattheyhavelivestocktosellallyearround.Inadditiontotheirsheep,theyhavearoundfortysuckler1cows,crossingLimousinswithBritishBlues.Thecalvesstaywiththeirmothersfortenmonths,andthenaresold,usuallytolowlandfarmsforgrowingon.Thechildrenareinvolvedinandinterestedinallaspectsoffarming,butatpresentitissheepratherthancowsthatgettheirattention,andtheyarecontinuingthefamilytraditionofshowing.Abigailsayssheistoonervoustogointothering,butenjoysgettingthesheepready.Catherine,theeldestat16,isalreadymakingstrides,notjustinshowing,butinbreeding,andismakingprofits.‘AboutthreeyearsagoIhadaflockofaboutfivesheep,’shesays.‘Itraded

1Asucklercowonecalfayear,sucklingituntilitissold.

The point of the barn isthat people come downto the farm and learnaboutfarming,firsthand.We’ve had peoplelambing sheep and allsorts. They hay, waterand cake the sheep. AndonanightI’llwalkroundthe fields and check thelambs, so they can comewithmeanddothat.



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thesefiveforoneyow.ItuppeditwithquiteagoodtupandthenIgottwotuplambs.Youdon’twanttoexpecttoomuchbutit’stheexcitementofthethought-Icouldpossiblymakequiteabitofmoneyhere!Itwasquitehard,though,thereweretimeswhenIthoughtitwasrubbish–butthenlastyearinOctoberImade£3200withmytup.Itwasabsolutelyamazing.’IwonderwhatCatherinemadeoutofthatmoney.‘I’vesaveditattheminute,butitdepends.ThisyearifIseeapenofsheepthatIlikeI’lltryandturnoverthatmoneyandhopefullyproduceanothertupthatinthefuturemakesmore.Seewhathappens.’Catherineiskeentocontinuefarming,andtospeakupforfarming.‘Ienjoytalkingaboutit.Ithinkit’simportant.Sometimesfarmersdon’thaveavoicebutifyouwanttomakeachangeinthecommunity,orinanything,theonlywaytogetanywhereistodiscussitwithpeople.’Atschool,however,herwishtopursueacareerinfarmingisnotbeingmetwithenthusiasm.‘Catherine’sbeentalkingtoherteachersforthelastyear,andAbigailwillprobablybetalkingtotheminthefuture,’saysAndrew.‘ButifateacherasksCatherine,“What’syourcareer,whatdoyouseeyourselfdoing?”andCatherinesays,“Iwouldliketobeafarmer,Iwanttoworkathome,onthefamilyfarm,”theteacher’spullingfaces,andactuallysaying,“Wellthat’sadeadendjobCatherine,youdon’twanttobedoingthat.You’vegottodosomethingelse.”’

Catherinesaysthattheteachersencouragehertogoandexperienceotherthingsbeforesettlingintofarming,butshefeelsuncomfortableaboutwhatisfuellingtheiradvice.‘You’repushedtogoforthehighestcareerpossible,’shetellsus.‘Thepeopleinthetopclassesaresupportedtogooffandmakeasmuchmoneyasyoucan.Wehavelessonswhenwelookforthingsthatwewanttodointhefuture.Everybody’slookingatthesalaryandthey’renotreallylookingatwhatthejobactuallyentails–it’sjustmoney,money,money.There’sastereotypethatfarmersdon’tmakemoney,sothere’sapressure-amIgoingtogointosomethingthatisunsure,whereIdon’tknowhowmuchI’mgoingtomakeeachyear?’WhenAndrewwasatschool,hetellsus,manymore

childrenwerefromfarmingbackgrounds,andteachersweremoreacceptingoffarmingasacareer.Thisisoneofthethingsthathaveclearlychangedinthelasttwentytothirtyyears.Onthefarm,themostobviouschangeistheintroductionofthequadbike(although‘youstillneedadogandagoodstick.’)Anothermarkeddifferencehasbeenareductioninnumbersofpeopleworkingoneachfarm.‘Thereisn’tthelabourthattherewasonthesefarms.IclippedallthesheepmyselfthisyearbutIcanrememberwhenIwasgrowingup,therewerehalfadozenpeopleshearinglesssheep.They’dgoandhelpeachother.Thelabour’snottherenow,thepeoplearen’tinthehillsthesameastheyusedtobe,definitelynotfarminganyway.’Thischangeisalsoamarkerofthefactthat,increasingly,smallerfarmsarebeingamalgamatedacrosstheDales.Thisissomething,Andrewthinks,thatisn’tgoodforthearea.‘Itmightbethe

There isn’t the labour thatthere was on these farms. Iclipped all the sheep myselfthis year but I can rememberwhen I was growing up, therewere half a dozen peopleshearing less sheep. They’dgoand help each other. Thelabour’s not there now, thepeople aren’t in the hills thesame as they used to be,definitelynotfarminganyway.



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wayitwillgo,butIdon’tthinkitwillmaketheareabetter,anditwon’tkeepbusinesses.Ifweboughtthefarmsroundus,wewouldbuyonetractortodoalotofwork.Butiftherearealotoflittlefarms,everybodyhasatractor,everybodyhasamotorbike,sothey’reallkeepingtheseotherbusinessesinbusiness.’It’snotjustabouteconomics:‘Communitiesiswhatitisallabout.It’snogoodhavingonefarmersatwithhundredsandhundredsofacres-youneedlotsoflittlefarmerstomakeacommunityandmakethearea.I’mprobablybiasedherebuttheYorkshireDaleswouldn’tbetheYorkshireDaleswithoutthefarmersthatkeepthewallsup,thatkeepthemlookingnice,andtheykeepgrazingthesheepinwaysthatmakethequilt-workpatternoffields.’Rachelagrees,andadds:‘Ifitwasn’tforfarmersthere’dbenobodyhere,andthere’dbenothingtoeat,soIthinkthey’rereallyimportant.’Thespecialfeatureofthelandscape,whichhasbeenshapedbyfarmingforsomanyyears,isamongthequalitiesthathavebroughtEasgillFarm,andtheareaaroundit,intothenewextensionoftheYorkshireDalesNationalPark–theWestmorlandDales.It’stooearly,Rachelsays,tonoticeanydifferencethishasmadeforthem,butsheispleasedthattheareahasbeenrecognisedasspecial.Intermsoftourism,it’spositiveshethinks.Forfarming,Andrewsays,thenewstatusmaybeeitherpositiveornegative–perhapsmoresupport,orperhapsstricterplanningrules.‘Fromafarmingpointofview,whatcantheYorkshireDalesdo?’Andrewasks.‘Theycan’tmakeyourlambpricesanybetterorworse,Idon’tthink,unlesstheydohelpthemarket–havinglambscomingoutoftheYorkshireDales,orcattlemaybe.Thereareopportunities,butitdependsifthey’reinterestedinkeepingfarmersinthearea.’Atpresent,thereisno‘YorkshireDales’labelforlambbredlocally.Whensheepgotomarkettogointothefoodchain,theyarejustsheep,andthepricesfluctuatefromweektoweekandthroughouttheyear.Iwonderifit’sdifficulttoworkwiththisuncertainty.‘It’sreallyhard.Ifyou’retryingtogetabankloantopurchasesomeland,orforwhateverreason,youhavetoputabusinessplantogether,andit’sreallydifficult.Fromoneweektothenextyoudon’tknow.Itcouldbe10pounddifferenceinyourlambs,20pound,30pound.Orevenabaddrawonthesaleday.Somesaleswesell300lambs.Soit’sreallyhardbudgetingorworkingoutwhereareyougoingtobethistimenextyear.’I’veheardthisfromfarmersbeforeandaskAndrewifitmightbebettertoselldirecttoabattoirsatpredictableprices.‘WedoselldirecttoabattoirsbutIthinkweneedthelivestockauctions.Thedeadweightsystemfollowstheauction–iftheauctionpriceisup,deadweight’sup;iftheauctionpricecomesback,deadweightcomesback.Sowithouttheauctionsettingthatprice,thejobwouldbenogoodatall.AndIdothinktheauctionisareallygoodplace–notjustforthelivestockbutforfarmers.It’sameetingplaceforfarmerstotalktooneanother.Ifyou’rehavingaproblem,chancesareifyoutalktosomebodythey’vehadasimilarproblem,orprobablyworse,soit’sjustit’sagoodthingtodo.Farmersareprettyisolatedpeople.They’reoftenworkingontheirown,longhours,anddon’tthinkanybodyelsehasanyproblems,soIthinkit’sagoodthing.’

Communities is what it isall about. It’s no goodhavingonefarmersatwithhundreds and hundreds ofacres - you need lots oflittle farmers to make acommunity and make thearea. I’m probably biasedhere but the YorkshireDales wouldn’t be theYorkshire Dales withoutthefarmers.



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Beyondtheauctionmart,salescanalsobeboostedthroughtheuseofsocialmedia,somethingthathasmadeabigimpactatthisfarmrecently.‘WehaveaFacebookpagefortheholidaycottage,’saysRachel,‘soyoucanshowwhat’sgoingononthefarm,andadvertise.There’stwitteraswell.’‘Forthelivestock,’Andrewadds,‘wesoldsomestorelambslastyear,justoneinstance–weputthemontheFacebookpageandachapfromthetopofScotlandputabidontheselambswithoutseeingthemintheflesh.Thingslikethat–peoplegettheireyeonacalfandringyouupandwanttocomeandhavealook.Itisagoodmarketingtool.’Whilewearetalking,thelightoutsidekeepschanging:oneminute,rain,thenextsunshine.Despitethepressureofneedingafewgooddrydaystogetthegrasscut,thisisAndrew’sfavouritetimeofyear.‘Cominguptotheautumnsales,thebackendsalesaswecallthem.Allthattimeyou’vespentfrommoreorlessthistimelastyear,choosingyourtups,buyingyourtups,ifyoucanaffordthattupyouwant,itsprogenycomingthrough,howgoodthoselambshavedone,howgoodtheylook.That’syourfinishedarticle.’‘Thinkingaboutwhatkeepspeopleinthehills,Ithinkitisthelivestock,’headds.‘Iwouldn’tbeinterestedinbeingaparkkeeper.Iwouldn’tbefarmingifitwasn’tforthelivestock.I’mnotinterestedinlookingaftertrees.I’mnotinterestedinmowinggrasswithalawnmower,orkeepingthingslikethat–it’sthelivestock.Andintheyoungergenerationaswell,it’sCatherinetalkingabouthersheep,orAbigailtalkingabouthersheep:it’sthelivestockthat’llbekeepingpeopleinthehills.’Catherineaddsherthoughts:‘Youdon’treallythinkaboutthemaintenanceofthearea,itjustcomesnaturallywhenyoufarm.’AndAndrewagrees.Thefarmisstockedquiteheavilycomparedtosomefarms;ithasfewerrestrictionsfromagri-environmentschemesandthesheepcanstayoutonthecommonthroughoutthewinter.Andrewbelievestherecanbeabalanceallowingforlivestockandhealthyland,andthathavinglivestockinthehillsispartoflandmanagement.‘Ifyouwantpeopleinthehills,youhavetokeepthelivestockinthehills.’DuringourconversationRachelandAndrewhavebothmentionedmorethanoncetheprivilegetheyfeel,beingabletoliveandworkhere.Theirfocusisalwaystomaintainhealthylivestock,buttheylovewheretheyliveandappreciatethelandaroundthem.Justtheother



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night,theytellme,theywerewalkinginthefieldsandsawseveralpairsofowls.Lapwingsandcurlewsarealsoinabundanceduringthesummermonths.‘Takesyourbreathaway,’saysRachel,whenIaskaboutthewayitfeelstobeoutthere,withthesheep.‘There’safieldyoucangointoandupthetopyoucanseeWildBoarFell,anddownintotheEdenValley.It’sjustamazing.’Andrewnodsinagreement.‘Itdoesn’tmatterwhattheweather’slike–itcanbepouringdownwithrainandit’sstillgood.Yougotothetopofthefellinthemorning,andit’saprivilege.It’sabonnyplace.’

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rachel and andrew marston easgill head

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