The Foot Family has been farming at Monk Sherborne near Basingstoke, Hampshire since September 1939.

In September 1957 Richard Foot took the tenancy of Vyne Farm from the National Trust and in 1964 the family bought Vyne Lodge Farm.

Since then the business has taken on tenancies for land at Bramley, Silchester and Headley.

The start of the 60's saw the birth of Hampshire Farm Developments, seen as a club of what were then classed as "up & coming barley barons", the idea was to club together & find what we now call "diversification"! the out come was the setting up of HFD peas at Cowdown Farm, Micheldever & growth in the production & supply of canning/freezing peas

The mid 60's saw the introduction of potatoes around 1980 saw the introduction of Iceberg Lettuce. the mid 80's brought a farm in portugal making year round lettuce production possible and also the beginning of out own haulage business

Around the same time work started on an Agricultural Lime Quarry, then came the 90's with the winding up of lettuce & portugal, unfortunately by the mid 90's road haulage costs went up & revenue came down, sadly forcing the disposal of the haulage fleet

Near the end of the 90's it was decided to pack up the HFD peas operation due to uneconomic cost of transporting chilled peas further as processors closed more & more southern factories

The new Millennium brought the decision to monitor potato production after several years of dismal returns and weather that we would all prefer to forget.

Autumn 2001 heralded the end of potatoes and sadly brought the untimely loss of Richard Foot who had "battled" with 18 months of ill health.

In the beginning of 2002 we unfortunately had to shed 3 staff of considerable service and carry out a dispersal sale of the potato equipment, but we have focused on and strengthened our cereal production along with our diversification projects which includes lime quarrying and landfill.

2002 was a year in which as it progressed we were more & more glad to have taken the decisions we had especially as we watched others struggling with the potato nightmare.

2003/4 brought the completion of securing the tenancy's that had formerly been held by Richard Foot and transferring them to his widow Jennie Foot. The farm continues to be a family business chaired by Jennie with the day to day running in the hands of Manager/MD Mike Dalgarno and Richards eldest daughter Ginette Filson remains involved as the farms Company secretary and agronomist.

2005 Mike Filson becomes the new holder of the Environmental Licence required for the Quarry & Landfill site.

2006 We take on a contracting agreement with a near neighbour plus loose some ground so things balance up again.

2007 The year starts with the prospect of Southern electric installing a new underground power supply across the heaviest london clay ground between Basingstoke & Bramley.

2008 The year of no summer! After a promising start things turned a bit damp with summer being a real washout, the underground power supply turned parts of the farm into the Somme. The contracting agreement ends which at least eases the dragged out harvest.