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In 1901, the Passmores family hired a whole train and moved up to Sussex from Devon. On the morning of the move they milked the cows and by hand, put the animals wagons and implements along with the people on the train. In the evening the milked the cows at Coombes. At this time we were tenants of the Petworth Estate. Due to the great agricultural depression, there had been no farming in Coombes for 2 years, so it was taken on almost rent free for the first year in order to afford the vast amount of fencing required. The farm was then bought from the estate in 1924 and has been handed down through the family ever since. In 1912 we bought two of the very first milking machines in England. During the war, a large area of the Southdowns was taken over by the army for training. This included all of our land and when it was returned in 1946, it was covered in spent shells and lives ones. These had to be cleared and the land quickly brought back into food production to help ease the rationing. At that time we milked 60 cows and grew 30 acres of potatoes (which were harvested by land girls and pows). We also grew 250 acres of wheat and barley which was cut with a binder and carted with a horse and cart. It was then pitched and stacked into ricks which were then thatched. In the winter, these ricks were then thrashed in order to retrieve the grain. At this time we had a staff of 16. In 1950, the first combine harvester arrived and a bailer to make the handling of the straw easier. There was also a glut of potatoes so we stopped growing them. In 1958, the dairy herd was sold and the beef enterprise set up.
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There had always been a sheep flock originally of 200 Southdowns, these were looked after by a full-time shepherd and his dogs, who would move the sheep on a daily basis in order to keep the fertility of the downs up. The land was rotated between Kale, Rape, Swedes or Tares which the sheep grazed and Wheat or Barley which benefited from the extra fertility the sheep put in. This was done until 1930 when we started using artificial fertilisers. So now there is a lot less Rape etc grown, only some for winter fodder and the sheep graze mainly on the pastures. Over the years we have bought and sold bits of land, the largest being 250 acres in 1970 from our Northern neighbour taking us up to Bramber. In the 1980's we were growing 650 acres of Wheat and Barley producing in excess of 1500 tons of grain and in one case getting 4 tons per acre (10 tons per hectare) so joining the elite 10 tonne club. We also were producing450 fat cattle and 1200 fat lambs. And to maximise production we used aeroplanes to fertilise the steep banks and so were very intensive. We had by then planted large areas of trees and shrubs for conservation and as a result won several awards for farming and conservation. At this time we employed 8 full time staff with a further 16 casuals in the peak times. Over the years we, as farmers, became too efficient and over produced and as a consequence had to start cutting down. Due to the changes in circumstances, be it agricultural depression, wars, food shortages or over production and the latest, peoples diets changing due to comments in the media on, for example BSE or Salmonella in eggs,we have always had to change with the times. This is why we are now a mixed farm. At present we only employ 2 full-time staff and one casual the rest being done by contractors. and hopefully this will enable us to remain here for generations to come. With Government grants at present being the main reason we are able to continue, without them we would have to sell up and who would want the land ? Developers perhaps to house the ever growing population ? Farmers definitely not. Diversification is the modern way forward on this farm; it includes the farm tours, course fishing lakes, caravan site and a model aeroplane club to name a few. |