12 CUMBRIAFebruary 2009
Estate of indepe
John Harris runs 5,400 acres that have been in his fa
when his ancestors made a fortune from mining. Tod
self-sufficient and its farms have to make money. An
J
ohn Harris points several miles
across snow-covered fields and
trees to where his land ends just
short of the glistening Pennines.
This modern-day `Lord of the Manor'
has driven to a spectacular vantage
point in his second-hand Subaru, to sur-
vey the family's Brackenburgh Estate,
near Penrith.
His yeoman farmer ancestors created
the 5,400-acre estate in the 1800s with a
fortune made from coal mining in west
Cumbria.
The estate was cut in two by the M6
in the late 1960s and its land has become
a virtual bridge between north and
south with two lines of pylons striding
through the Tebay gorge while the main
west coast railway line follows the
motorway and, beneath the fertile soil
of Brackenburgh, run the gas and ethy-
lene pipelines joining north and south.
John took over stewardship of the
estate from his father Joe in 1995 after a
career as a land agent with Savills in
London and Henley.
He describes running Brackenburgh
as the "best job in the world" and says
he is well aware of the lucky fate that
put him in such a privileged position.
"If you are lucky enough to be born
into this lifestyle, you have to reinvest
in society," he said.
There are three home farms and 11
tenanted farms scattered around the vil-
lage of Calthwaite, all bearing the dis-
tinctive burgundy colours of the estate.
Low Grounds is the home dairy farm
where history and tradition, far from
holding it back, help it to trailblaze.
In 2003, John and his staff made a
major commitment to the dairy oper-
ation, investing �325,000 in a new slurry
lagoon, parlour and cubicles.
Herdsman Richard Savage and Brack-
enburgh farm manager James Turner
have since made big changes to the pure
black and white herd.
They introduced Danish reds for their
longevity and fertility, and the first
homebred Danish red was born at the
farm earlier this month.
Mr Turner said: "We were working
harder and harder for the black and
whites and not being rewarded for that
extra effort.
"They've been bred purely for yield.
It's been the main focus at the expense
of some of the other health traits.
"I think Holstein breeders have
realised this themselves.
"We looked around at how we could
try and improve performance and we
looked for a breed that would settle in
with our herd.
"We're keeping a nucleus of both
breeds and then cross-breeding the
rest."
A big challenge for John has been to
keep the estate up with the fast-chang-
ing agricultural industry.
Though beautiful, the old Victorian
buildings peppering each estate farm
are not suited to modern farming and
large machinery.
He said: "One of the big problems is
what to do with the old Victorian build-
ings. We use some for storage or at
lambing time. It is a constant challenge
to make the best use of them."
He sold off some of these buildings for
residential development in Calthwaite.
The money from the sale was used to
buy commercial property in Darlington,
Birmingham and York.
Rents from these properties are
invested straight back into the estate.
It's a subsidy that helps keep the farm
viable.
Joe Harris, who has chaired many
businesses, including The Cumberland
News's publisher CN Group, remains a
trustee of the estate.
He and his wife Anne moved out of
Brackenburgh mansion to another
house on the estate when he handed the
reins over to John.
He said: "It is customary that the
majority of family estates have been
dependent on outside income. A family
has had other income, which has
allowed them to enjoy an estate.
"There is not that outside income
now. The whole policy of managing an
estate has altered and it has to be self-
sufficient."
One of the home farms is dedicated to
an 850-strong flock of traditional
Masham sheep, which is tended by
estate shepherd Craig Stoddart, one of
11 employees on the estate.
Around 250 ewes at a time are brought
into a large modern she
time. The lambs are sol
mart system or direct to
Foods.
The third home farm
Last year, it produced 3
wheat per acre, three to
and 2.5 tonnes of oilseed
Yields were slightly d
the severe wet weather
Drying costs rocketed fr
per tonne because the g
It took up to three mont
the 1,600-tonne store to
to 14 per cent moisture.
Much of it was sold o
tracts for an average �1
I'm the first male
not to have a
son... I almost
think she might
make a better job
of it than a man'
`Lucky': John Harris on the Brackenbrugh estate near Penrith. Inset, top, John having his portrait painted by Edinburgh artist Frances Bell; and, below, talking to estate shepherd, Cr

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