New era at county farm

They were running 450-acre Smethcote Manor, a traditional mixed family farm near Hadnall, in north Shropshire.

"Things were extremely tough and if it hadn't been for our son Ed wanting to farm we would have pulled out," Shane recalls.

Today they are supplying organic beef, eggs and cereals; they have pioneered the first high-level organic farm in the Midlands and the future of the tenanted farm has been secured for another generation with Shane's father retiring and his son coming into the business.

Going organic was only part of the picture, more radical steps were needed, as Balfours' farm business adviser Trevor Sheard recalls: "I carried out a business appraisal which identified that the sugar beet and sheep enterprises were not compatible.

"I then I showed Shane the benefits of cost control and forward budgeting and we looked at the financial implications of our proposals, leading to the poultry enterprise."

Markets were quickly established via their organic neighbours, the Mayalls, for cereals, both for the production of milling wheat for Pimhill flour and cattle feed. Their local abattoir, ABP Ellesmere is an organic abattoir - so to tap into that market they started a small suckler herd which now supplies Sainsbury's SO Organic Label.

The principles of forward budgeting made Shane realise the importance of cashflow. Following re-search they began organic free-range egg production with 2,000 laying hens in 2004. Today eggs from some 4,000 Smethcote organic hens supply Waitrose.

The farming revolution at Smethcote hadn't finished yet. While Shane's father was ready to retire and their only full-time workman had retired, the next generation, Ed, was home from college and wanted greater involvement.

Shane and Liz turned to Trevor who also brought in Balfours colleague Rory Galliers to assist with changing the partnership and of course financing the changes.

Trevor explains: "The tenancies needed rationalising and renegotiating which Rory was able to do, we also facilitated discussions between the three generations, together with their accountant and solicitor so that Shane's father could retire and Ed could become a partner."

Trevor also recognised the opportunity that with the five-year DEFRA-funded organic conversion now complete the Higher Level Environmental Stewardship presented an opportunity for another "secure" income.

Says Trevor: "This was the first organic HLS Scheme in the region - which meant DEFRA were learning too."

The couple have opened up a network of permissive footpaths to complement footpaths already on the farm, which is just two miles out of the village of Hadnall.

Seven years on from the turning point and enthusiasm abounds, Shane acknowledges: "It has been a very steep learning curve. The paperwork is immense, but it's a part of farming now and that is how you have to approach it."

He would concede frustration that, two years into the HLS scheme and footpath signposting has still not arrived from DEFRA.

Perhaps a strange twist in this farm trail is the fact that Shane and Liz have become local ramblers too, and get equal satisfaction from hosting ramblers on their own farm and getting out walking the countryside themselves.

Re-appraising the business enterprises with Trevor and planning succession with Rory Galliers of Balfours have been fundamental in that.