Young farmer and finalist at the National Arable and Grassland Awards, Bethany Sharpe, revitalised her family farm in Langworth, Lincolnshire, after losing her mother in 2021 and her father’s lung cancer diagnosis in 2022. Despite these personal trials, Sharpe inherited their business and currently runs S Sharpe & Daughter, a thriving fruit and vegetable shop.
Sharpe maintains a relentless work ethic that sees her wake up as early as 02:30 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays to travel to Sheffield market. After buying and selling produce, she gets a quick breakfast and starts her work back at the farm shop. She continues her duties till 16:00, after which she makes deliveries before returning home to unwind.
Sharpe is a hands-on farmer who shares responsibilities with her father Stephen. He takes care of the spraying and fertilising while Sharpe handles land work, which includes setting up irrigation pipes due to the prevalent dry conditions. “She’s been planting since she was 10 years old,” Stephen commented. “It makes a vast difference that the next generation is interested in wanting to do this sort of thing.”
The Sharpes’ perseverance and dedication have allowed them to overcome various challenges, with their most recent issue being the threat of closure in 2020 as the Lincoln City Council claimed they hadn’t fulfilled licence requirements. Even though they petitioned against this, no victory could compare to the personal struggles that followed. “It was one of the hardest moments of my life,” Bethany confessed, referring to her mother Polly’s passing. However, with the completed treatment of her father’s cancer diagnosis, Sharpe continues to move forward, hoping her story may inspire other young women to venture into the farming industry.
This article has been adapted from its original version premiered on BBC.
