Tim Youngs, who runs Grange Farms in Hockwold, Norfolk, has replanted parts of his holding to vines as a deliberate strategy to reduce risk to the family business after a string of extreme seasons and changes to farm support.
From onions to grapes: the scale of the switch
Youngs has converted land previously used for onions, wheat and sugar beet into a vineyard that now covers 7.5 hectares and holds 31,500 vines. The site produced six tonnes of grapes in its most recent season; the farm intends to scale production towards a target of around 70,000 bottles a year in future.
Climate and economics underpin the decision
Youngs told the BBC that the decision followed an assessment of both soil and risk: the farm’s chalk‑rich soil is similar to that found in parts of France’s Champagne region, and the vines are regarded as better able to withstand the increasingly volatile conditions he is facing.
"We need to make sure we are going to have a business here for future generations and, in order to do that, I assessed what we were growing before and I felt the risk was getting too great."
He highlighted that in the past six years the business has seen three of the wettest and two of the driest years on record, a pattern that complicates growing conventional arable crops and lifts the appeal of less water‑sensitive enterprises.
Policy and market context
Youngs also raised concerns over shifting support frameworks. He noted that a subsidy for food production has been withdrawn, while some continental competitors continue to receive support and US farms may benefit from insurance schemes. That divergence in backing, he says, affects competitiveness and investment choices.
- Existing crops: onions, wheat, sugar beet
- Vineyard size: 7.5 hectares; 31,500 vines
- Recent yield: 6 tonnes of grapes
- Production goal: c. 70,000 bottles per year
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Area converted | 7.5 hectares |
| Vine count | 31,500 |
| Last season yield | 6 tonnes |
| Target annual bottles | 70,000 |
For households and businesses, the story underlines two trends. First, farmers are altering enterprise mixes in response to climate variability — not only changing crop varieties but planting entirely new sectors such as viticulture. Second, shifting public support shapes those decisions: where subsidies and insurance are available, producers may manage risk differently than where support has been withdrawn.
Those changes have knock‑on effects for local supply chains, seasonal labour demand and domestic food and drink output. If more farms follow suit, consumers might see greater availability of British wines over time, although scaling from small vineyard yields to mass retail supply takes multiple seasons and investment.
Youngs’ move is a practical example of farm adaptation: it combines an assessment of soil suitability with a judgement about market and policy pressures, and quantifies ambitions with concrete targets — hectares, vine numbers and a bottles‑per‑year goal. That arithmetic will determine whether the switch delivers the resilience he seeks.
