Simon Bainbridge - Donkin Rigg

Simon is one of a number of progressive livestock farmers in the North East who took part in a LandSkills North East funded educational visit to Ireland to generate ideas for growing their businesses in an increasingly competitive market.

Simon supplies a farm shop, Acklington auction mart and Scotbeef with home-fed and finished lamb and beef and is in the process of organic conversion.

 

Simon a tenant of the National Trust and an owner occupier farms 650 Hectares of mixed upland ground in the heart of central Northumberland.  Beef and Lamb production with 100 Suckler cows, 1000 ewes, all progeny finished on farm are the main enterprise.  He produces all feed on farm, arable/forage rotation, and grass/ clover silage.

Simon visited Ireland to explore different approaches to livestock farming and see the levels of government support received by Irish farmers. He was also keen to discover new ways of reducing costs, increasing trading opportunities and organic farming.

The trip was a familiarisation visit where Simon and a group of farmers, made up of members of the Mid Northumberland Farmer’s Club, looked at every aspect of the Irish supply chain - regarded by many as a best practice example for lamb and beef sales. The North East farmers met with some of its key players in the industry and gained a fresh insight into improving product quality and delivery channels as well as ways of promoting their meat.

The three day agenda began with a visit to the sheep herds at Titour Farm and a Suckler Cow Herd at Wicklow Town.  They then moved north to Irish National Beef Research Centre, which demonstrated some invaluable and independent research into improved feeding and grass production research. Then they moved north over the border to talk to the directors of Linden Foods, at their impressive processing plant in Dungannon.

His experience of TEAGASC, Grange Beef Research Centre, was a real eye-opener – where the research being done on producing the optimum amount of beef from grass was of particular interest to his own organic conversion. He was also able to gain valuable feedback and information from a number of the other organic farmers on the study visit. 

Visiting Linden Foods, an Irish company with significant investments in food processing in the North East, brought new ideas about the likely benefits to food production including raising standards and lowering haulage costs.

Simon said “Training is needed to improve ourselves whether it be on the rugby field or on the farm. Modern farming involves long hours, often working alone so opportunities to mix with other likeminded people have to be good. I would not have been able to do this without the support of Landskills North East.

“The major benefit to my business was that by visiting The Grange Beef Research I learnt how to maximise beef production from grass which will ultimately increase my profit margins.   By visiting this research centre I know feel much more confident about my organic conversion and will certainly progress some of my farming practices."