I must admit, I find the first six weeks of the year particularly hard. The inevitably miserable weather, dark nights and post-Christmas blues are a real struggle. And, this year we had not one, but THREE storms batter the landscape this February. Luckily, much of the farmland and property came away unscathed, save for a couple of loose tiles. I hope that you were as lucky and escaped any major damage or difficulty. On to brighter days, with the nights becoming ever lighter and that beautiful weekend of spring-like weather that we just enjoyed. We’ll hopefully make more progress on...

January always seems a long month, so the new years’ celebrations seem a distant memory. It is only right to begin this month’s news by wishing you all the best for a happy and prosperous 2022. Christmas as well seems an even more distant memory, but it was so lovely to celebrate with friends and family. The buzz in the Restaurant and Farm Shop during December never fails to put a smile on my face. It was great to see so many of you over the festive period. There is little to report on the Farms, the weather doesn’t seem...

The work at Fulford Barns is complete now and the properties fully let. It’s been a huge project with lots of involvement from our team and external contractors. I’m very pleased overall with the outcome and the finished properties. Here are some of the team moving the machinery away. The end of one project and on to the next! One of my favourite times of year is Bonfire night. Earlier this month I gathered a few of my friends and family together for some fireworks. We managed to make a great frame this year for the fireworks to keep things...

Despite the pants weather, to put it politely, we have managed to plant almost all next year’s crop which is always a relief. The coming months tend to go a little quieter for the Farming team but their time is always used wisely and they have enjoyed getting creative over the last few weeks! You’ll soon spot a giant poppy in our field opposite the A435 in celebration of Remembrance Day and 100 years of the poppy. Christmas is just around the corner. As we get closer to the festive season, I’ve been instructed to get some Christmas cards made!...

All is safely gathered in for another year, and we have begun re-planting out in the fields. I bet you can guess how I am feeling about the weather! Miserable. These are not good conditions for farming. My grandfathers’ old farming diaries often tell a similar story around this time of year, rain unexpectedly hampering efforts across the farmland. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s something us generations of farmers will ever quite accept, the unpredictability of the English weather. However, in positive news, through visits to our sunflower field we were able to donate an amazing £980 to NHS Charities...

At long last the sunflower field is open! The wonderful Lauren officially opened our sunflower field on Friday 27th August by cutting the giant ribbon. We received a very lovely email from Lauren’s mom back in April. Tracey explained how Lauren was so pleased that she was able to rescue a bee that she had found on the pavement outside of her house. Lauren and her mom often shop at Becketts for some local honey. We thought it would be lovely for them to open our sunflower field this year. We invite the public to come and visit our sunflower...

We’ve had a full month and a bit now with our Restaurant back open. It’s a slow and steady return to normal and the last 18 months have knocked people’s confidence for sure. We’re trying hard to help build people’s confidence back up, by doing all we can to ensure safe visits to our venue. One example is that our usual Sunday Carvery has been changed to a plated roast. Seeing the carvery become redundant is quite sad in all honesty! It was a real Becketts Farm staple, but I doubt the appetite for food served openly like that will...

Let’s begin with the most important news – sunflower field update! With May heading towards the wettest on record, it is no wonder our sunflower field has taken a battering. Unfortunately, our sunflowers have been attacked by slugs and jackdaw birds. You’ll see from the photos here – a comparison from what the crop looked like this time last year and what it looks like today. This late, cold and extremely wet weather is any farmer’s nightmare, particularly when it affects the crop so significantly. We of course try to prevent the attack of slugs and jackdaw on the fields...

How has April flown by already? As predicted in my last month’s news update, the oil seed rape is now flowering. It’s filling the local area with a sea of yellow. Here you have my official annual apology to any hayfever sufferers out there! It is certainly renowned for setting off a few sniffles. Elsewhere on the farm, we plan to bring back our sunflower field again this year. The field has been ploughed, power harrowed, drilled and rolled. The rain today is welcome, as it will give the freshly planted seeds a nice drink. Wow, how long it seems...

Wow, March has been and gone and it’s almost Easter. Time really flies. Out on the farm it’s finally dried up a bit again so things are beginning to look up. I have mowed my lawns which always makes me feel better mentally, so I’m very happy. There is oil seed rape in the field at my back door, and I saw the first yellow flower last week. Now there’s a scattering of a few of them, and it won’t be long until the sea of canary yellow is back again. Toward the end of April, early-May you can expect...

Hallelujah! The end seems to be in sight and even better, I am off to have my first dose of the vaccine later this afternoon! I often refrain from being political in my monthly news but I am more than impressed with the roll out of the vaccination. I believe it is certainly something to celebrate and shout about and I am all for having a COVID-19 vaccination passport. The most important thing to come from this vaccination programme is confidence. Confidence in the public is what is needed to take us out of this lockdown and lead us forward...

Good god, its ground hog day again. It is a struggle to get motivated let alone motivate the people who work for us. However – today is a new day and a day closer to the happier days ahead. Christmas has been and gone and Santa was wonderful to us all. Lockdown restrictions meant this year was a quieter one for us. The large Turkey turned into a smaller crown but there were still plenty of pigs in blankets. As you will have read in my previous monthly news, I am now a qualified pilot. It was such an achievement...