Beadlam Grange is a traditional family working farm. A mixed/arable farm of 300 acres. 160 acres of combinable crops including miscanthus, an energy crop grown for Drax Power Station to help decrease the carbon footprint. 140 acres of grass to summer graze our livestock and make silage and hay for winter feed. We have 70 LimousinX Suckler cows and all offspring is reared for beef. We rear pigs on a bed & breakfast
system! These weaned piglets are housed in a big shed on straw and we tend to them for around 8 weeks before moving them onto other farms where they are finished for pork. We purchase around 220 store lambs from our neighbouring farmers to
fatten for the Farmshop.
The Rooke family came originally to Beadlam Grange in 1962. Mark’s parents and their two young children came from a small farm in Heslington, York to Beadlam Grange as tenants of Duncombe Park Estate. The land was farmed pretty much as it is today, a mixed arable and stock farm but at that time grew potatoes and sugar beet for the factory at York.
Since 1986 Mark & Jenny and children Helen & Peter have continued the farming tradition. We consider ourselves extremely lucky to live and work in such lovely surroundings and enjoy the benefits of living in a close rural community. Our hobbies include the traditional pursuits of hunting and shooting and over the years our ponies, horses and dogs have given us enormous pleasure.
Farming has seen many changes during the past 25 years most significant being the drastic decline in farm incomes. Agriculture is now global and businesses are faced with cheap imports, much of which is produced from much lower standards of animal welfare etc. which means that it has become increasingly difficult to run a profitable business from a small farm producing crops and livestock for the commodity markets alone.
For our family to have a future in farming at Beadlam Grange we needed to diversify. And so in June 2007 following months – no - years of planning, research and sheer
hard slog we opened our Farmshop & Tearoom to sell our own home produced
beef and local produce direct to the public.
The Beadlam Grange experience has been a hit with our customers from day one and we have slowly but surely gained a reputation for excellent quality food and drink and customer service. We are now in our fifth year and extremely proud of what we have achieved. So far so good!!
