R C Baker History

Agricultural Contractors & Farming

Previously known for their Agricultural Contracting Services, RC Baker Ltd took a change of direction in November 2021 and now focuses on their farm premises at Spring Hill Farm, offering a smaller range of agricultural contracting operations alongside livestock grazing, hay making and their camping business.

RC Baker Ltd was established in 1974 by Charles Baker.  As a result of a chance meeting with a hay and straw merchant, who at the time was looking for some help loading, Charles purchased his first tractor.  His first machine was a Ford 4000 and this is where the business began.

Originally based in Sandford St Martin, in 1989 Charles and Mary Baker purchased Spring Hill Farm, just outside Barford St Michael and this became the base for their business and the location from which it grew.

During the first twenty years, RC Baker Ltd grew rapidly and offered services in hedge cutting, baling, muck spreading and silage making for forty-six local dairies.  At the time the company ran a fleet of four hedge cutters, four balers and ten muck spreaders.  However, after the collapse of the dairy industry in the early nineties, nearly half of the business was lost overnight.  With four young children to support, the temptation could easily have been to throw in the towel, but Charles and Mary sought to restructure the whole business by scaling back, looking for new opportunities and exploring other financially viable avenues.       

Over the following decade, Charles began to re-build the business, propelling it back to a prominent position within the local arable and livestock industry. At the time there was an increasing demand for grass, maize, and whole crop silage, partly due to the prominence of anaerobic digestion (AD) plants.   Charles, with the invaluable assistance of his two sons, Christopher and Stephen began to focus more on these opportunities and extended the business scope, ultimately becoming renowned for its expertise in the application of organic fertilisers, specifically in the form of green waste compost and digestate.

 A significant milestone in this journey occurred in 2008 when RC Baker Ltd made history by importing the UK's inaugural Kaweco/Xerion tanker, pioneering the way in slurry and digestate applications. As time progressed, the business continued its expansion into various ventures, such as Agri.Cycle agricultural waste recycling and collaborations on environmental projects with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). This growth and accomplishments culminated in 2009 when RC Baker Ltd was bestowed with the prestigious Farmers Weekly Contractor of the Year Award.

The ten years between 2010 and 2020 saw RC Baker Ltd continuing to grow with Charles and Mary beginning to enjoy more leisure time whilst sons Chris, Stephen and daughter Jennie became more involved in the day to day running of the business.  2014 saw the first Christmas Tractor Run event, dreamed up by daughter Jennie Steenkamp, which has continued to grow in popularity and raise huge amounts of money for local charity Katherine House Hospice.  By the 7th year of the event, the fundraiser had raised over £97,000 for the charity. 

In 2013, Chris saw the opportunity to acquire Charles’ sister and brother-in-law’s business RA Marine Ltd.  RA Marine was founded in 2003 by husband and wife, Richard and Anna Horn (hence the name ‘R’ ‘A’ Marine).  Originally importing boat lifts, the business grew to focus purely on pontoons and jetties.  Chris took the helm of the business and with the support of the wider family, has grown the business, continuing to specialise in the design, build and installation of bespoke jetties and pontoons. 

Camping, Glamping, Shepherd's Huts and Pontoons!

In 2021, Charles faced health challenges that had a profound impact on the family and served as a catalyst for the family team to re-evaluate their situation. With three out of four of Charles and Mary's children actively involved in the business, while also tending to their own young families, the Bakers began to reassess their path forward.

In November 2021, the family made the difficult choice to significantly downsize their agricultural contracting business.  Agriculture had been a lifelong commitment, and the work they carried out was not merely a profession but a true passion. They had dedicated themselves to the long hours, the satisfaction derived from their work, and the impressive fleet of modern machinery they had assembled and operated. However, they recognized the importance of reclaiming time for their families. 

2022 saw the Baker family starting new ventures and focusing on the farm at the business premises.  As well as continuing to run the jetty and pontoon business, the Bakers’ now run a successful camping and glamping business at Spring Hill Farm and also have livestock grazing, hay making and are implementing some woodland creation.