From humble beginnings....

From picking up the pieces after the first world war, to making bold decisions which shaped the future of the company,

please read on to discover our story.

Our story really starts in the 1920s, the farm had been kept going by the women and girls of our family, the Smiths, whilst the men were called into service during the war. 

After the war we, and the farming community in general,  saw a brief boom but it wasn't to last, and a couple of short years later, due to various factors, farming was becoming harder and harder.  

A lot of farmers were either selling up, or changing from arable farming to farming livestock, as the latter was more profitable.

 

 

First steps

In 1926, my  great grandfather, Tom Smith, decided to wind down the farm and start his own animal feed business.  It was really just an expansion of what he was already doing, as he was already making feed for his own farm.  He decided to name the new company after his favourite motorcycle, and call it Sterling.

Land girls to the rescue

With the arrival of the second world war, things changed. Tom, and his Sons, Ged and Noel, were called up for national service, leaving the women of the family to keep the business going.

Tragically, Tom, Ged and Noel, were all killed in action, so the business passed over to Toms wife, Mary, who ran it , along with various female family members, including both daughters in law, and their kids. They all had to learn new skills as they went along, drawing on their experience as "land girls"

The next step

The company went from strength to strength, bringing in new ranges, ideas and processes. In 1963, under the management of Tom and Marys daughter, Pam, they moved into a new yard, as they had outgrown the previous one. They also took delivery of a new fleet of lorries to serve their growing customer base. 

Planning ahead to stay ahead

As the business was continuing to grow, and to provide space to expand and adapt in the future.  In 1990, managed by my father, John, Sterling Farm Co. moved to it's current site in Calmsden village, a stones throw from the farm where it all started.

Over the years the company has seeked to adapt and evolve, to move with the times and trends.  Adding to the animal feed part of the business, we have added yield improvements, such as fertilizers, herbicides and supplements.  More recently seeds and sapling have been introduced.  With everything produced or grown in house, we have really become the one stop shop for local farmers, small holdings and allotment gardeners.

We also settled on a new green colour scheme for our vehicles to show our connection to the countryside.

Evolution revolution

Nearly up to date now, thanks for staying with me, I'm James, I'm Toms great grandson and the current managing director of Sterling Farms Co.

I came onboard with some new ideas, not least, after spotting an opportunity, to open a dedicated food distribution and wholesale venture that dealt with small to medium local suppliers, helping them get their products to a wide range of customers across retail and hospitality.  We offer a collection service from their farms, so everything is taken care of.

We are currently building a new cold store so we can offer an even wider range or fresh, healthy and vibrant products going forward.

So, what's next?

We have exciting plans for the future.  We have just started  an association and sponsorship of Calmsden FC.

This year we will be opening our very own farm shop, having rescued a local farm from foreclosure, so things have gone full circle , as we run the farm alongside our existing businesses.

You will be able to follow all the developments as we will be filming video diaries week to week, so you can keep up with all the challenges, mishaps and, hopefully, a bit of farming too !

We have a few other irons in the fire, which we will announce in due course , as we head in to 2026, our centenary year.

Thanks for all your support as we GROW TOGETHER.