HB JOHNSON & CO LTD, TRADING AS JOHNSON FARMING, IS A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF BEAL HOLDINGS LTD. IT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FARMING SOME 550 ACRES AT DANTHORPE HALL FARM, DANTHORPE, AND AT HEDON.

Its contracting division, Johnson Farming, also contract farms a further 1,000 acres.

HB Johnson & Co Ltd actively pursues the group's environmental aims and is involved in the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and promotes other environmental schemes.

Recently, the company has planted over 3,000 metres of new hedgerows and over 500 new trees and created new ponds and meadow land.

The farming operations are now totally arable and the company grows mainly barley, wheat, oil seed rape and vining crops. All the oil seed rape and some of the wheat are grown as energy crops.

Some may ask how builders became involved in farming? In 1992 Mr HB Johnson died. He was the father of Mrs Mary Beal and John Beal was asked to help in the running of the farming business.

In 1999, Beal Holdings Ltd acquired the whole of the share capital of HB Johnson & Co Ltd.

The company now owns a fleet of modern equipment and, along with its experienced staff, is more than capable of efficiently farming the land entrusted to it.