*Graham, Poppy, Kate, Sam and Thomas Squier.*
Photo credit: Alison Dewar

We’re third generation tenant farmers here at Humphreys Farm and are immensely fond of our home and the land we get to look after. The farm has seen a lot of change since Thomas and Eva Squier moved here in 1939 and the farm’s latest shift is merely another chapter in a very long book!

Sam’s Granny and Papa (Thomas and Eva) moved into the medieval farmhouse, here at Humphreys, which had no running water and no electricity. They took on the tenancy when there wasn’t much interest in farming and when WW2 was imminent. They came with 12 cows and, luckily, a bucket load of enthusiasm. Dairy cows, sugar beet and potatoes were farmed in those early days with five farm workers needed to help keep everything running.

Graham was born in 1949 and grew up on the farm with early memories of cows being milked in the old cow shed and milk being transported in metal churns. When he began farming the potatoes and sugar beet were dropped and the dairy herd expanded to 120 Fresians. A breed renowned for high yielding qualities and for producing high butter fat. However, like many dairy herds in the UK, they became uneconomical and were sold to a farmer who wanted to produce ice cream. The grass was ploughed up to make way for wheat and oil seed rape which we grew on the farm every year since then, until 2019 when the process of putting the land back to pasture was started.

*Graham Squier, early 00s with free ranging KellyBronze*

As soon as the cows left Derek Kelly of Kelly’s Turkeys suggested Graham tried his hand at rearing turkeys, some 30 years ago. This side of the farm has grown and grown since and still plays a huge part in what we do here at Humphreys Farm. From housing breeder turkeys, egg-laying hens, day-old chicks and then to free-ranging turkey poults from five weeks old, all of which is still relevant today.

*The youngest residents at Humphreys; Poppy and Thomas Squier and a turkey chick!*

*Sam and Graham Squier, 2008. Sam’s first six cows.*

Sam came home to farm in 2008 and with him he bought six Aberdeen Angus cattle. Lots has changed in that time and the farm has diversified further. We have also replaced old sheds, re-wired the farm’s electricity, installed solar panels and plenty of other ventures - as you can imagine there’s a never ending list of jobs to do. Sam’s brother Matt even had a fish farm here for a few years farming Tilapia.

The turkeys and cattle are now very much the farm’s focus and we’re thrilled to be finally selling our beef straight to the consumer - our latest venture.

We feel very grateful to live and work in such a beautiful part of the Essex countryside ❤️

The Squiers and Humphreys Farm

Farm Walk

A small but mighty team