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We are a farming family who rent a National Trust
farm on the Gunby Hall estate. Bernard Jarnell came here in 1956
when the farm was much smaller and kept a few cattle and a small
number of chickens. He still comes daily to check on what is happening
on the farm.
Graham and son Andrew work full time on the farm. Wife Liz runs
the farm shop helped by daughter Emma,
when she's home from running the local Playgroup.
Today we farm 500 acres in total and growing wheat and oilseed
rape. The 100 acres of grass which a greater proportion is rigg
and furrow is grazed by our flock of 160 ewes and lambs. We are
concerned about the way farming has an important role in preserving
the countryside and have joined the
Countryside Stewardship Scheme to help maintain important features.
We have purchased a weed wiper, which is proving to be popular,
to apply weed killer onto nettles and thistles in grassland. This
clever little machine pulled by a quad bike only applies chemical
to the taller weeds and therefore does not apply it to the grass.
Like many farms of our size we have had to diversify from earning
our living totally from producing food and selling to the trade.
We also operate as farm contractors offering a full range of arable
and estate maintenance skills and also have started selling our
produce direct to consumers in our farm shop.
We are involved in estate maintenance at Gunby one interesting
job we have is maintaining the grounds at Monksthorpe
Baptist Church |