With a lifelong passion for farming, Richard Elcock looks back on his 50 year career with the Hawking family. Rebecca Jordan meets him to find out just how much has really changed.
FIFTY years ago, 21-year-old Richard Elcock started working for Tim Hawking at Oldfield Farm, Marshfield, near Chippenham in Wiltshire. Fast forward to now and Richard, 71 is as enthusiastic as ever and still right where he belongs.
While at school, Richard spent holidays, weekends and evenings on the original family farm five miles away at Upton Cheyney, Glos.
Leaving school, I was desperate to farm, but my father said I had to get a proper job. So, I went as an apprentice to a coach builder, says Richard.
When I turned 21, I was then my own man. I still had the farming bug, so I decided to accept Tims offer of a job after he moved to Oldfield. I did not know how I would get on so we decided on a three-month trial. The rest is history.
At that point, in 1972, there were 35 cows milked by bale out in the fields with milk sold in churns at the end of the farm lane to the local dairy. As well as grazing on 121 hectares (300 acres), corn was grown for feed and bedding. Aside from Richard, there was a herdsman and a string of Youth Training Scheme students who were educated under Richard too.
Today, Hawking Farming runs across 445ha (1100 acres) of which 202ha (500 acres) is owned. Tims son Will is at the helm having come straight into the business at 21-years-old from college.
The farm turned organic in 1999, having diversified into Marshfield Ice Cream in 1988 with 240 cows now producing 2.2 million litres per year. Of that, 75 per cent produces 4m litres of ice cream annually supplying 5,500 outlets and employing 60 staff.
Will says: None of this would have happened without Richard. He is passionate about farming and is very much part of the family. At every stage he has helped build up this business and always taken the initiative when we have made dramatic changes. His input has been phenomenal. We have never had a big row we come at life from the same angle.
Family
Although there is a 15-year gap, both Will and Richard have noticed many changes over their half century at Oldfield.
The farming world has changed so much in that time, says Will.
Work rate has increased beyond proportion as has the level of investment. And I firmly believe the only way to stay in this business now is to keep up with technology by keeping an open mind and being curious about its benefits out on the farm.
Richard, who partnered a Ford 4000 and a two-furrow plough in the early 1970s, is still a regular in the tractors at Oldfield and responsible for 162ha (400 acres) of arable ground for oats, barley and wheat as well as 16ha (40 acres) of whole crop. However, he is baffled by the technology.
I have no problem driving these huge machines I just have to get someone from the younger generation to set up the computers before I go out to do a job. And then it takes a little while to trust the tractor will do what has been programmed, he says.
Looking back, what really hits me is how quickly we get jobs done these days, says Richard.
When we started, it took three weeks to a month to do the silaging for 35 cows. Today we can get through 202ha (500 acres) in four or five days.
Despite all these efficiencies, one crucial facet of Oldfield has been a step back in time. In 1999, when Will took the decision to run the farm organically, Richard was very much up for the battle ahead.
For generations - pre artificial fertilisers - farmers managed their land this way. The difference now is we understand the science behind the management practice, he says.
Oldfield is now therefore based on a rotation of red clover leys for harvesting, white clover for grazing and herbal leys to ensure grazing in drier months due to deeper rooting species which also have other health benefits.
Vision
Will says,: In the late 1990s, corn was worth 60 per tonne and the only calm days here were Bank Holidays and Sundays, so we had to do something if we were to keep going.
To start with, I was very worried we would have no grass without fertilisers on this ground - which is Cotswold brash - but it has been a success once we got into the swing of properly managing and rotating the farm. We now reseed 28ha (70 acres) a year.
Ten years earlier, Richard also fully supported Wills vision to add value to the 75-head herds milk production by producing their own ice cream.
At the respective moments, I could see these ideas of Will were a natural progression of how the farm was to survive and prosper, says Richard.
Will had just come back from college and did not feel just producing milk was very exciting.
Will says: I wanted to add value to the milk and in the back of my mind I was always concerned how long subsidies would continue. Geographically, we are well positioned for distribution. Back then 34 years ago we could just about make the ice cream in our own kitchen; today we have four ladies employed just to keep up with all compliance requirements and the associated paperwork.
Despite all the burden of paperwork and red tape required to keep farming today, Richard says they are always laughing at Oldfield.
I tell them theyve got it easy today, he says, speaking of his son Robin who now also works on the farm alongside Will' s son Rory.
I remember driving the combine - with just a 10ft header - without a cab. In high summer I would have on a bobble hat, scarf over my mouth and an overcoat on my legs to stop the dust getting everywhere. They dont know themselves today with their cabs and air conditioning.
Some things, however, never change such as Richards on-going battle with thistles and docks.
In all these years I have found no better way to deal with them than regular topping, he says.
But Richard does not believe there has been much change in the biodiversity at Oldfield in the time he has worked there although he does bemoan the plight of many elm and ash trees in recent years due to Dutch elm disease and ash dieback, respectively.
He also feels the seasons are kinder and overall, he believes farming is in a better place.
We had quite a bit of snow in the 1980s but there has been no drought or hard winter such as 1976. I remember making hay that year and having to feed it back to the cows the next day, says Richard who never missed a day working alongside Tim.
In fact, winters have been milder, with maybe a few more strong winds.
We have found our feet at Oldfield, but everyone is having to change their ways now.
This is probably for the better. We are under pressure from the public. We should be doing more to show farming in an even more favourable light - there are so many good points about farming which should be highlighted and would go a long way to helping the public understand where their food comes from and how important British agriculture is especially today with all that is going on in the world.
