Aroundtown MEETS
‘‘arlier this year they went on a hour round trip to cotland to collect rily ear a male wiss alais blacknose sheep think haun the heep to bein reproducin this rare breed’’
Before the new farm opened, the boys had all gone off to college, with Robert and David studying agriculture respectively at Askham Bryan and Bishop Burton colleges, while Richard followed his own dreams to study graphic design and photography.
“Our parents thought the outlook for the farm wasn’t great back then, so we were all encouraged to get an education and not rely on the business still being there when we returned. But luckily, the farm’s fortunes changed and we all left college at a similar time so everything fell into place,” Richard says.
The days of plucking turkeys for Christmas and transporting them across the farm in their mother’s beloved but battered Silver Cross pram are but just memories. But the brothers are still firmly in the flock of 250 staff tasked with caring for both animals and paying visitors, mucking in just as they had done as kids to help the farm flourish. “Robert and David are primarily farmers at heart, while I’m in the office tasked with marketing the business but we still all lend a hand where needed across the site – whether that’s serving in the farm shop, scooping ice cream or cleaning toilets,” Richard says. With over 1,000 animals to care for, the working
farm is still a full-time effort with animal welfare their most paramount priority.
“When you’re farming in front of the public, you’re under constant scrutiny and they’ll certainly remind you if you take your eye off the ball. But people love that they can see what life really is like for modern-day farmers, watching everything from births to milking and shearing. “Everything is real and raw. Yes, we have livestock but the reality is that farming also comes with deadstock so there will be sadness and loss at times,” Robert says.
But there is no doubt the animals live a life of luxury down at Cannon Hall Farm – just ask reindeers Jeffrey and Prince who are enjoying retirement there - and all are in the best possible hands should anything happen.
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aroundtownmagazine.co.uk
When a ewe stood on and broke her newborn’s leg shortly after birth, David and Robert stepped in to put the tiny lamb’s rear leg in a plaster cast to give it a chance to live. Similarly, when they found twin lambs orphaned after their mother passed away, the race was on to get them to take a bottle five or six times a day to ensure they survived. As experts in their field, the farmers at Cannon Hall deliver various breeding programmes throughout the year. Earlier this year they went on a 15-hour round trip to Scotland to collect Grizzly Bear, a male Swiss Valais blacknose sheep (think Shaun the Sheep) to begin reproducing this rare breed.
They also recently recommenced the breeding of shire horses following tragedy two years ago which saw the loss of Poppy and her foal Chester. As a child, Roger learned to drive shire horses and so was keen to reintroduce these magnificent animals back into the farm’s fold. This March, they successfully delivered a baby foal to its mum Orchid and named him Will after Will Roe who helped Roger substantially following his father’s death.
Another of the newer additions to the farm is the herd of pedigree Highland cows which
arrived last year. Dougal was born to Emma in early spring, followed shortly after by Bonnie, the second calf for mum Fern who won a first-place rosette at last year’s Great Yorkshire Show. Bonnie’s brother, Ted, also had his taste of fame when Robert and David entered him into this year’s virtual show owing to Covid-19 cancelling all live events. He received star treatment from the brothers who took a few styling tips from David’s hairdresser wife to make sure he was groomed to perfection before his debut.
There are quite a few superstars down on the farm – and not just Barnsley’s band of broadcasting brothers - with Shakira the hip- shaking alpaca and Shetlands Ozzie Horseborne, Pony Hadley and his father Jon Bon Pony. Jon Bon is quite the stud, having impregnated five mares in one weekend. But when he was feeling a little horse and not his usual sparkly self earlier this summer, Robert and David called in the vet for advice.
“He’d turned into a right pipe and slippers man and was losing weight so we knew something was wrong. Turns out he was feeling so long in the mouth because he’d got a bit of toothache which was stopping him eating. The vet brought high- tech equipment in to file his sharp teeth and he’s been right as rein ever since,” Robert says. Along with the typical farmyard animals, Cannon Hall Farm is also home to some more exotic creatures which have adapted to the Barnsley climate. There are meerkats and porcupines, and the reptile house built in 2018 houses all sorts of creatures great and small. “We’ve always kept llamas but we had to decide whether to put in for a zoo license for the other exotics. There was also great investment involved as we’d need generators on site in case of power cuts to ensure the tanks’ lights and
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