Building a solid, sustainable farming business and travelling to most of it from over thirty miles away from where he started, might not have been in Graham Foster’s plans some years ago, but he wouldn’t change for the world what he and his wife Claire have now grown together, nor their twin locations of Catwick and Wressle Grange.

“I honestly never imagined I’d be anywhere but Catwick where I was born and raised,” said Graham. “I can understand some people thinking I’m mad doing what I do, having two homes forty-five minutes apart and moving between the two there and back most of the time, but Catwick is where most of my work is. I love both places dearly.

“I love it here at Wressle Grange and what we have done with the cottages that we have turned into holiday accommodation and now having turned The Grange the same way. We’ve developed another really great enterprise that saw us finalists in the REYTAs again this year.

“My parents still live and farm on the east coast and I very much still farm with them.

Graham Foster, of Grange Farm, Intake Lane, Wressle, Selby

It was Graham’s move into agricultural contracting, particularly spraying. that proved the platform for everything else that has happened since.

I started contracting to diversify what was then a very small unit, when we split what had been a farming partnership with my uncle in 2002.

“I began by helping other local farmers and funnily enough when I did something for another uncle he said he didn’t know why I wasn’t doing contracting for a living because, he said ‘you’re good at it.”

“That got me thinking and at the same time it coincided with the moment when well-known sprayer contractor Roger Jagger was considering retiring. Roger rang me and said he thought I should buy his business off him and I said okay. That’s how it all set off for me.

Farmers Claire and Graham Foster, of Grange Farm, Intake Lane, Wressle, Selby.

“I’ve since taken on contract farming agreements and I’ve ended up on FBTs and tenancy agreements predominantly through family connections to the land that I farm; and sprayer contracting and other work for other farms.

Graham’s farming business is all of an arable nature, although livestock does play its part in the growth of his crops.

“We now have 200 acres at Catwick and 420 acres at Wressle and we have FBT arrangements on another 800 acres in East Yorkshire plus contracting agreements of various types for another handful of farms. The acreage we now cover each year is between 2200 and 2500 acres overall.

“We predominantly grow wheat, barley and oilseed rape. I’m a big fan of organic manure and have teamed up with a farming neighbour and good friend Neil Buckton who is a big slurry contractor. I farm his farm and I then bring him in to spread the poultry litter.

“Neil’s poultry waste has been pretty useful in combating the flea beetle issue, largely it seems through the ammonia gas it gives off.

Graham said that he and his team, that includes full-time men James and Steve, harvested around 900 acres of winter wheat this year using mainly the varieties Firefly, Graham and Astronomer.

“We managed to cut every acre without turning the dryer on once. Yields have been great, but I don’t really like crowing about figures. We’re definitely above average this year and I’m really pleased with that.

“Other main crops this year were 400 acres of oilseed rape using varieties Crocodile and Anastasia; 350 acres of spring barley variety Laureate that has gone into Muntons at Flamborough and for feed; 150 acres of winter barley variety Tardis and a vining pea acreage which is dealt with by Bird’s Eye. The peas produce a cracking break crop for blackgrass control.

The contract spraying of liquid fertiliser has proved a mainstay of Graham’s business for many years, but he said that he and his team are also adept at most forms of agricultural contracting.

“James drives the sprayer. We contract spray liquid fertiliser on around 25-30,000 acres a year. I prefer liquid spraying as it produces more accurate application. The rest of our work on farms includes quite a bit of cultivation and long-term stuff for whole farm.

Graham said that another major influence on his business came when he met Claire’s late father Richard.

“When I got together with Claire her father came to have a look around at what we did at Catwick and brought Claire’s sister Lynne, who’s into agriculture as well and is a great farmer herself. I think they thought wow, this guy’s keen. It created a bit of enthusiasm from Claire’s father who then wanted myself and my team to help them on contracting work over this way.

Claire said the trigger for the move into the holiday accommodation market came through property purchases.

“We bought the farmland here at Wressle in 2010 when we were on honeymoon, but Grange Farm farmhouse and the three cottages weren’t part of the sale. We have since bought those back at moments when they came up.

“We were going to live in Intake Farm, but it was derelict and needed rebuilding, then we realised that Grange farmhouse was on the market. It threw a curveball to our plans and we decided that we couldn’t not buy the Grange as it put the ownership back. We lived there for ten years until Easter this year and it is now our flagship holiday accommodation for 14 people.

“The cottages then came on market, which we bought while I was on maternity leave with every intention of going back to my job with chartered surveyors in Leeds. Buying those as well as having previously bought The Grange meant it was back to what the estate had been years ago and holiday lets became her new career as well as um to George, now 11 and Annabel 10.

Claire said the moves they have made in the property market have paid off and they have just moved into a completely new-build on the farm leaving the holiday accommodation as a thriving enterprise.

“The Grange and the holiday cottages which are called George’s Gaff, Annabel’s Abode and Rusty’s Retreat are now a real favourite for celebration groups, reunions and family events as we can sleep up to 26 on site. We have quite a few wedding venues nearby and they also prove ideal accommodation for guests. The cottages are also very popular for those working around here.

“What we hadn’t realised was just how much of a 360-degree pull point this is. Howden railway station is just 10 minutes away, we are only two hours from London and Edinburgh.

Graham and Claire took advantage of a grant from the EU’s Leader initiative in 2016 in order to purchase a John Deere direct drill.

“We were generating lot of paperwork and administration for no greater financial gain,” said Claire. “The grant helped us focus our minds on what to do best over kit used and staffing.

Graham said that he sees his regular sixty-mile farming commute as something positive.

“I relish the journey as I enjoy the time thinking about things. I have never seen it as an issue at all.

The Yorkshire man running two farms 30 miles apart