K Brough and Son is a dairy farm at Bolton cottage farm, Bolton low houses which is ran by Father and Son duo Ken and John Brough. They milk about 160 cows and run the farm alongside their mother’s Hill sheep farm at Chapelhouse, Uldale.
What is it like working together?
I think family farms are the heartbeat of the rural community, every heated argument over a buckled gate or livestock moving gone wrong is soon forgotten. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to spend so much time and get to know my Father as part of my every day work. Whether it’s a quick cup of tea before milking that becomes a half hour in depth auction and local gossip round up on market days or a passing comment on the ownership of a piece of land that causes a long meandering story about the family and farming history of that particular area, it’s a way of life and I couldn’t see myself doing another job.
What advice would you give to other Father and Son businesses?
I have been very lucky in the sense that Dad has always let me have a say on every aspect of the business. We bought the farm in 2007 when I was 20 years old, the experience I gained from those early years has been extremely valuable as we’ve moved forward. I have now taken on more of the day to day responsibilities of the business.
What drew you to working with David Allen, and how has your business progressed as a result?
David Allen was recommended to us by our bank manager when we were in the infancy of the business shortly after buying the farm. Michael Peile and the rest of the agriculture team have always been excellent to deal with. Not only with advice on taxation but they have helped us obtain grant funding for improvements on the farm and manage our payroll for our employee.
What does the future hold, how will David Allen help with this?
No real big plans for any expansion in the future, we always keep a close eye on the cost of production and Michael and his team do a great job in breaking it all down to see where we can improve. Plus, we are currently in the Countryside stewardship scheme where we have re-established over 1500 meters of hedgerows and diverted rain water to use on the farm and hope to make changes to further reduce the farm’s carbon foot print in the future.
What is your Monday Motivation?
To try and improve every aspect of the farm, there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think there’s something we could refine or tweak to improve the business.