A Yorkshire husband-and-wife who were previously a police officer and beauty salon owner have become the first guests of a new podcast series celebrating farming families across the UK.
Chad and Lucy Stevens took on Horncastle Farm on the border of Pontefract and Wakefield in 2014 following the death of Lucy’s grandfather.
Left with the dilemma of whether to sell the farm or become the fifth generation of the family to farm on the land, Chad and Lucy decided to juggle their careers with taking on the 200-acre farm which is now a mixed operation incorporating cows and sheep.
Determined to focus on the farm, Lucy sold her salon, called Bluebelle in Wakefield in 2021, while Chad took a career break from his role as temporary Chief Inspector of Humberside Police last October.
The pair’s story features on the opening episode of Talking Crop, a new podcast launched by Goodyear Farm Tires to celebrate farming families in the UK.
Chad said: “We feel privileged to be the first guests on Talking Crop.
“Farming families have had a really tough time over the last two years so it’s fantastic of Goodyear Farm Tires to set up a podcast which celebrates those people who devote their life to their farm.
“Our story is pretty unique due to the lack of farming roots between Lucy and I. Lucy used to come and stay on the farm of a weekend when she was young with her grandparents but didn’t really get involved in any activity so when we took over in 2014, it truly was a case of what do we do now?
“Helped by some expertise from people who have worked on the farm for decades, we have slowly got to grips with it and have now made the decision to give up our jobs and try and make the farm a success.
“We have three children – Herbie, Arnie and baby Posie – and the boys absolutely love it on the farm.
“It’s very different from our former lifestyles but we wouldn’t swap it for the world and – so far at least – we have no regrets about becoming full-time farmers.”
As part of their long-term planning, the Stevens family have embraced regenerative agriculture practices and opened their farm to the public, allowing visitors to interact with animals through farm events.
The debut series of Talking Crop will feature six episodes and will delve into the unique successes, challenges and choices farming families face.
Goodyear Farm Tires has a proud history of supporting farming families and will sponsor that category at the British Farming Awards for the third consecutive year in 2025.
Amongst the themes the podcast will cover is succession planning, diversification of farming and relationships between family members.
Natalie Dukes, Marketing & Communications Manager at Goodyear Farm Tires, said: “Farming families are the lifeblood of the British agricultural scene so to be able to acknowledge and celebrate this group of people through a new podcast is a genuine privilege.
“We want to provide a unique insight into the hard work, dedication and benefits which farming families bring to the country and to open the farm door on some fantastic stories.
“Lucy and Chad have a wonderful story so it’s fantastic that they will be the focus of our first podcast of this series.
“Goodyear Farm Tires has been an integral part of the British farming industry for many decades and our tyres are on tractors, from modern to classic and right through to vintage.
“Our strapline is Generations of Growth and there felt no better way to show our support to farmers than creating a podcast series to celebrate those families who have dedicated their lives to the industry.”
The Talking Crop podcast is available on all major podcast platforms.