Husband and wife team, Beth and Tom Withers, have found themselves running the family farm, and now, with their small brood in tow, are building the business to stand the test of time. Emily Ashworth finds out more.
It is safe to say that Beth Withers has her hands full.
With three children under three years old, a blossoming social media account which has taken the industry by storm, and a 162-hectare (400-acre) farm to help run, time is of the essence.But in person, Beth is pretty
relaxed, taking it all in her stride.From a non-farming background, after meeting her husband, Tom, she has used the last eight years to throw herself into his farming world, using her Instagram account to document the journey.
The couple now live near Toms family farm, Lowlands, in south west Birmingham, but Beth grew up in a small countryside village, in Belbroughton, Worcestershire.
Beth says: Being truthful I didnt really know anything.
I wasnt in Young Farmers or anything and I didnt connect what I saw in the fields to the food at
the end. I just had a normal upbringing, went to a normal school and then went on to Nottingham university and started working in food.
Change
Beth relocated to London and worked for Nestle, before moving home in 2014 to be closer to family and met Tom, the fifth generation to farm at Lowlands, in a local pub.
It was quite strange at first, says Beth.
Tom had all the responsibility of the livestock, and I didnt understand his way of life, or the seasonal calendar.
And it was the same for him. I was still working for Nestle, driving around a lot and on the phone a lot. There was a lot of trying to figure out what each other did. I remember our first farming date when Tom had to lamb a ewe, and I nearly fainted and had to sit down because Id never seen anything like it with all the blood and the afterbirth. That just shows how disconnected we were.
Beth went on to work for popular farm-based business, Tyrells Crisps, and it was here she began her social media account which documented her journey at Lowlands as a way to help people who, like herself, did not understand the farming way of life.
The biggest learning curve for me was the farming terminology which my husband thought I understood, she says.
But people dont understand, and thats a massive disconnect. Its knowledge which Tom knows naturally.
Everything he said was like a different language which obviously I grew to learn and, as time has gone on, I love it. Lambing is my favourite. But funnily, my friends now look at me with the same questioning looks I used to give Tom.
Growth
The farm has been steadily growing over the years, helped by Tom coming back and his dad, Davids, career in butchery.Although helping at the farm when needed, David forged out his own career as a butcher and eventually led him to opening his own shop.
Now the family have been able to take on more land and most of the livestock go through Davids shop two miles down the road.
Tom says: When I left school, we were farming 100 acres. After college, I went to work on another farm, but we gradually bought more livestock and built it up from there. My grandad was getting older and I ended up back at home. Weve since put new cow sheds up and polytunnels for lambing.
The land is a mix of rented and owned, running 60 suckler cows and 400 ewes.
Around 40ha (100 acres) are for crops consisting of wheat, barley and oats, most of which is grown for feed.
The cattle, which are predominantly grass-fed, are a mix of Limousin, Hereford, Aberdeen-Angus and Simmental crosses, and are put through the shop at about one beast a week, aiming for anywhere between 250350-kilogram deadweight, says Tom.
Six to eight lambs are put through too, most of which are North Country Mules, Charolais, Texel and Suffolk crosses.They are looking in to entering an environmental scheme, aware that in the future it is something that may become necessary, but part of their land falls under Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Beth says: We have old English flower meadows that can only be cut for hay and used for grazing at specific times of the year to enable the wildlife to thrive.
The farm is also home to multiple beehives, making honey which is again sold though the shop.
Beth, with her account Tractors and Tweed, has almost 12,000 followers on Instagram.Her insight into motherhood and life on farm with Henry, three, George, two, and four-month-old Jack, has earned her a lot of loyal fans.
In the early days, Id be out with Tom at harvest time and wed go for tractor rides, but now weve had children, it puts strain on a relationship. I cant be outside with kids in minus three temperatures. Somebody has to feed the cows, but somebody also has to feed the kids.
There are also different stages of life. You see a lot of female farmers on social media at a certain stage in their life, but when you get to this place youre not really a farmer any more as youre not actively helping and you feel a bit forgotten. Its trying to get that balance.
But I personally see it as a powerful tool to show people what we do.
Often you get caught up in the negativity such as Veganuary, but for me its about showing the local side, and the effort and the care that goes into it the animals that give us this end product. We watch things on TV, which often show American farming or Australian, but its a completely different practice, so [British farming] doesnt get the visibility.
I connect with a lot of people, which is a big thing, especially for people trying to get into farming.
With the butchery established for over 31 years, they are happy with where the business is at, and although want to grow they are keen to do so slowly to make sure they do it right.
And the next step is naturally meat boxes.
Its good to have that direct route, says Beth.
People can see the animals in the field, and they can go to the shop, buy the product and make that connection. Toms dad has a good customer base and a good local name.
But its about how we can build on this story. Ive worked in sales and marketing, so how can we show the local community more of what we do? That will then feed into the shop.
Personally, I want to get involved more and would like to open the farm at lambing time so people can come and learn about the process, and I can teach others.
Were not set up for it at the moment, but its a question of how I can take my social media and make it physical.
Although Beth and Tom started out in different worlds, they are firmly working towards the same goal, and that is to provide a stable farming enterprise for years to come.
We are hoping to build a resilient business which enables any one of our sons to continue on and become the sixth generation at Lowlands farm, if they should desire, says Beth.
The shop and the farm working alongside each other should provide a stable basis for our children to build upon and diversify further in the future.
Utilising our different backgrounds and experiences, we hope to continue learning from each other and carry on our journey. We are proud to represent British farming and will continue shout about local produce and share our passion.
Farm facts
400 acres, part owned and rented 100 acres kept for crops and the rest is for grazing
60 Limousin, Hereford, Aberdeen Angus and Simmental cross cattle, all spring calving
400 North Country Mules, Texel, Charolais and Suffolk cross sheep, all lambing in March
Most of the livestock goes through the family butchery
Land consists of SSSI land
Beth runs Tractors and Tweed, a social media account documenting farm life
