Farmer Focus: Direct sales up but family loss took toll

First, we would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year, and we hope 2026 is a good one for you all.

I’m not quite sure where the past year has gone but, if I’m being honest, we are glad to see the back of it.

See also: How two livestock farmers give back to their communities

About the author

Louise Elkington

Louise Elkington runs 500 breeding ewes and a small suckler herd in Lincolnshire with husband Chris. Gelston Lamb sells all meat produced on the farm through pop-up shops, deliveries and catering. They have 54ha of grass on a farm business tenancy and agreements for stubble turnips and hay aftermaths.

Read more articles by Louise Elkington

From a business point of view, direct sales have gone from strength to strength, which has been absolutely fantastic and something we are incredibly grateful for.

However, April brought an unexpected and devastating blow for our family when we lost Chris’s father.

Not only did this bring an immense amount of grief for us all to process, but it also significantly increased the workload and responsibilities that suddenly had to be taken on.

One thing the experience really highlighted was how important it is to have things organised for when the worst happens.

It doesn’t matter what age you are, none of us ever thinks it will be relevant – until it is.

While it’s certainly not a nice topic to think about, it is something that should be discussed and arrangements put in place.

With the new year come new plans.

While you never quite know what’s ahead, we do know we will continue to push forward with our meat sales, while also steadily growing both our flock and cattle numbers.

We’ve had a brilliant Christmas, with sales up on last year, highlighting just how strong the demand is for high-quality, local produce.

The feedback we’ve received has been wonderful and is incredibly encouraging, especially on the more stressful days.

It reminds us why it’s so important to keep building a successful, sustainable farm that we hope our girls may one day choose to continue.

We close the butchery over Christmas to enjoy some well-earned family time, starting again on the 5 January, when we hope the orders will continue to roll in.

The cattle remain content in the shed, and all the sheep are now grazing cover crops in one area, which is a real bonus.

Not having to travel miles each day to check them all makes shepherding so much easier.

The next big date in the diary is scanning. We really don’t know how it’s going to go, but we’ve done all we can – so fingers crossed for a good result.