Name
Andy Claydon
Job Role
Arable Operator / Harvester Driver – responsible for harvesting the carrots throughout the year.
When did you start at Hobson Farming?
I came to work at Hobson farming full time in 1998, although I had been helping out here a few years beforehand. The farmer I had been working for was about to retire, so Rodger said to me, are you going to come and work for me? And so I did, and 27 years later I’m still here!
What was your previous role/experience?
I was brought up in Crockey Hill and have only ever worked in Crockey Hill – so I haven’t travelled very far! I previously worked for about 14 years on another farm. The benefit of being born, growing up and working in the area all my life is that I know the land and I know all the local farmers.
How did that prepare you for your role?
I’m not the type that would ever want to work in an office. I was brought up working on the farm and that’s all I ever really wanted to do, I really enjoy being outside.
I did go to Askham Bryan day release when I was younger, but I’ve learnt most of what I know working on the job and the people I work with.
Why did you want to work at Hobson Farming?
I wanted to work at Hobson Farming because of the drive that Rodger Hobson had to take the farm forward. We’ve always had decent machinery that makes a difference to be able to do a good job, and I could always tell that we were going to move forward, not just stand still. The farm has really grown a lot in the time that I’ve been here.
What roles/responsibilities have you had at Hobson Farming?
When I first came to Hobson farming, we didn’t originally grow as many carrots as we do now, probably around 300 acres, and now it’s around 900 acres. My main role has always been harvesting carrots – now there are just more to harvest and it’s easier with the new machinery we have.
Is there any such thing as a typical day?
I start work at 7:30am and I find out from Andy Blunt the Farm Manager, which area and which fields I will be harvesting carrots in and how many loads I need to harvest for the day. Sometimes that could change during the day but Andy would update me. When we’re really busy, there are times when I don’t get back to the yard until 8:00 or 9:00pm at night, and other times it might be about 3:00pm. So, no typical day, but it’s always good to be outside in the different types of weather and in the different parts of North Yorkshire.
Can you give me an example of a good day – what you enjoy the most?
I just really enjoy harvesting carrots and fulfilling the contracts that we have. Working with all the different people in the team and just being outside.
What are the biggest challenges in your role?
In the summer and spring when the weather is good the challenge can be that the ground is too hard so we have to irrigate the carrots just to be able to harvest them. In the winter when it’s wet the challenge is that it can take many more hours to achieve the same thing.
When I was younger I took a proficiency test on how to drive the different tractors, now all the tractors have guidance GPS where the tractor pretty much drives itself if you want it to. There will be times when the weather is so bad or there is straw on the carrots, that I often don’t use the GPS and it’s the driver’s skill and experience that really counts to make sure we harvest all of the carrots without damaging them.
What changes have you seen over your career at Hobson Farming?
Since I joined the farm back in 1998 the amount of acres we now farm is nearer 5000, which is a substantial growth and that’s all down to Rodger’s plan for development and the team we have here.
The machinery we have is pretty fancy – from self-propelled sprayers and tractors with their latest GPS systems to carrot harvesters like mine that’s a bit like driving a luxury car – it’s got air conditioning and a fridge! Everything is just so much easier than it used to be.
The weather has really changed in the time I’ve been working at Hobson Farming. There seems to be bigger dry spells and longer wet spells, so definitely extremes. When it’s really wet carrots often rot in the ground, but then when it’s really dry like it has been this year, they’ve really struggled to grow unless we have been able to irrigate them.
What’s it like working with the team at Hobson Farming?
You get to know most of the team even though I am in the tractor on my own a lot of the time. They are a good crowd to work with and you couldn’t get a better manager than Andy Blunt, he’s very understandable and a great person to work for. Terry Gilliland, the Assistant Farm Manager, is similar to Andy so it doesn’t matter who is in charge for the day. We all try to look after each other.
We are paid well, get a pay rise every year and if there’s any problems we can speak to Andy or Rodger.
What are your highlights so far?
My job’s pretty steady really, so I’d say my highlight is Christmas do each year!
I just love harvesting carrots to fulfil the orders we have and working with everyone here at Hobson Farming, there are no hassles, it’s just a great place to work.
Any good/funny stories?
Any funny stories? Yes, but I can’t tell you about them!
Do you think Hobson Farming is a good place to work?
It’s a really good place to work. We’re expected to work long hours sometimes but there’s a lot of areas to work on the farm with the carrot growing and the arable farming and that means you can get a lot of experience in different areas. If anybody asked me why they should work here I’d say because it’s such a good opportunity you wouldn’t find anywhere better to work. No way.
