ARABLE & DIVERSIFICATION, WEST YORKSHIRE: Philip is the third generation to run the family’s 334-acre (135-hectare) arable farm in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. As well as growing wheat, the farm has diversified into grain drying and storage, plus a 27-hole golf course.

The farm’s arable crops include wheat for flour production and animal feed. It used to grow oilseed rape but this has become unviable due to being ravaged by the cabbage stem flea beetle. Philip has recently developed an interest in ‘regenerative’ farming practices and now offers consultancy on the environmental benefits of sowing without ploughing. He documents his experiences in Direct Driller magazine and on the Farming Forum YouTube channel.

As part of his ‘regenerative’ journey, Philip was a pilot participant in the Government’s Sustainable Farming Incentive. This involved not ploughing and instead leaving crop stubble for nesting birds to enjoy; growing short-term crops such as buckwheat and phacelia between main crops to improve soil health; and monitoring the farm’s soils for worms and plant root systems. He says that as a result he has noticed an encouraging increase in wildlife, particularly skylarks.

Despite a love hate relationship with the British weather, farming has always been Philip’s passion. Born on the farm, he studied agriculture at Shuttleworth Agricultural College in Bedfordshire and now runs the farm and its various enterprises along with his wife, daughter, son and daughter in law. His oldest grandchild, in his teens, is already keen to learn the ropes, and proficient at tractor driving.

The golf course that Philip and his father set up in 1995 on 150 acres (61 hectares) of parkland to help make the farm viable has proved a resounding success. The enterprise, now run by his son and daughter in law, includes two courses, a clubhouse, a driving range, a putting green and a golf simulator. Other sources of income include a commercial liquid fertiliser store that Philip rents out, and a seasonal clay pigeon shoot.

Philip is keen to inform children about farming and has participated in ‘Farmer Time’, a project enabling schoolchildren to regularly chat live to a selected farmer from their classrooms through FaceTime or Skype. The project, started in 2019, aims to inspire and educate children about farming and where their food comes from. “Being part of this is a great privilege,” says Phil. “The joy brought to a classroom in a suburban area from the sight of a barn owl nesting or the latest tractor onboard computer system can be infectious. The children love it.”