Rowdefield Training & Education
 

The Butler family first came to the original Rowdefield Farm site in July 1860, when the area farmed was 115 hectares (284 acres). Daniel Butler died in 1871 and the tenancy passed to his son Daniel William Butler in 1877.

 

By 1917 the farm had become part of the Roundway Estate, owned by Lord Roundway. The area by this time was around 132 hectares (330 acres) of rented land plus 70 acres in the parish of Bromham. The rent was the equivalent of £1.30 per acre, and Walter Butler became the tenant. These were 92 hectares of arable land and the remainder was pasture. Sheep were kept as well as cattle.

Walter Butler retired in 1951 and his son Daniel took over the farm, which was now owned by the Society of Merchant Venturers.

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The crops grown were principally winter barley, spring barley and winter wheat. The farm became more mechanised throughout the 1950’s and 60’s and tractors included a Nuffield DM4 and a Fordson major, both of which remained on the farm into the 1970’s.

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Daniel Butler died in 1978 and the farm tenancy passed to his widow June Butler. This was a rapid time of change in agriculture and some buildings were modernised and upgraded to cope with the increasing yields now being achieved on many farms through better breeding of cereal varieties. June Butler’s son John helped run the farm once he completed his training at Lackham College. In 1981 the last of the cattle left and the remaining grass fields were ploughed up. The farm grew their first crop of oilseed rape in 1984 and also by this time all the crops were winter-sown.

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In 1990 June Butler retired and John took over the tenancy – at the same time a further 120 hectares (300 acres) were added from a neighbouring farm on the same estate, making a total of 280 hectares (700 acres). Yields continued to improve through the 1990’s and the range of crops now included oats and beans in an attempt to establish a more beneficial rotation. There were four tractors of around 80 to 100 horsepower each at the start of the decade, but the power had risen to around 140 h.p by 1999 and just three machines.

 

In 2000 an additional 80 hectares (200 acres) were rented from Bowden Park Farm, and a further 140 hectares (350 acres) were added via contract arrangements in the following six years.

 

The farm occupies land on a variety of formal arrangements, including Contract Farming Agreements (share farming). The farm has built an excellent reputation over the last few years, for both professional farming and land management services.

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