Field Day: May 2011 Archives

Anchor cows make a comeback

By Rachel Jones on May 31, 2011 9:36 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

TV advertisers' love affair with all things rural shows no sign of slowing down. Yeo Valley, Hovis, Muller and Milka have all jumped on the countyside bandwagon, and now the Anchor Butter cows are back on our screens and getting ready to party:

The ad sees the cows from the 2010 'Made by Cows' advert getting ready for Anchor's 125th birthday party in a barn next to the Anchor dairy. But the party only really gets started when one of the cows gets stuck in to a bit of 'Coweoke'.

I can only presume that the creative bods behind the ad got wind of FW's Cow-aoke contest at this year's Young Farmers AGM, and thought it was such a good idea that they just had to borrow it.

You're welcome Anchor.

Milking wigwams for all they're worth

By Rachel Jones on May 28, 2011 10:00 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Another day, another diversification - but full marks for originality for this venture which is proving popular with lots of farmers.

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This is a Wigwam holiday home - a heated wooden cabin which sleeps up to five people. It's billed as a "luxury alternative to camping under canvas", and they're springing up all over the country.

The Hughes family, who farm beef and sheep near Caernarfon, are one of several farming families who have added Wigwams to their traditional offering.

"It's like putting a milking parlour in", says Eleri Hughes," there's the initial outlay and then you wait for the milk to flow in a return on it. We haven't got to the gold top yet with our Wigwams but we're on the way. We are fully booked for the bank holiday weekend and could have rented a whole field of Wigwams if we'd had them."

Apparently prices start from around £5,000, and each Wigwam could generate anything from between £3,500 and £7,500 per year depending on the type of site and the facilities on offer. Although potential locations would need toilets, showers and a kitchen for cooking and washing up.

More info on the Wigwam Holidays website.

The mathematical theory of tractor delays

By Rachel Jones on May 27, 2011 11:11 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

It's good to know that the UK's brightest mathematical minds are spending their time cracking mankind's most pressing problems.

Mathematicians and statisticians (try saying that after a couple of pints) from University College London and Green Flag Breakdown have put their heads together to come up with a series of equations that explain tractor delays on rural roads.

I've had a deep-seated hatred of numbers ever since a primary school teacher made me stand on my chair and recite my eight times table in front of the whole class, but if you're more mathematically minded, try getting your grey matter around these:

The study focused on the period March to September, when more of the UK's 250,000 tractors are in use than any other time of year, and here's their groundbreaking (ahem) conclusion:

Drive for 80 minutes on a rural road and you will get stuck behind a tractor.

Suddenly those equations look a lot less impressive. However, more helpfully they also concluded that drivers are typically only delayed by between two and four minutes (or about one to three miles) for every hour they're on minor rural roads - food for thought anyone who has a tendency to lose their temper with tractor drivers.

The results prompted some sound advice from Henry Topham, head of Green Flag Breakdown:

"Many of us end up behind a tractor either directly or as part of a queue of traffic. Whilst it can be frustrating it's worth noting that it won't delay your journey for too long, so getting impatient and undertaking risky manoeuvres to overtake the vehicle on a narrow, rural road is not worth it. With blind bends, narrow roads and overgrown foliage obscuring visibility overtaking in rural areas can be fraught with danger."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

PICTURES: Brilliant blooms at Chelsea

By Rachel Jones on May 26, 2011 9:00 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Farmers Weekly's picture editor took her camera to the Chelsea Flower show earlier this week, and got some stunning snaps (it's a hard job, but someone's got to do it).

Here are a couple to whet your appetite, but you can browse the whole collection in our Chelsea 2011 gallery, which you can find here.

I'll start with the faintly ridiculous. You'll all be wearing these in a few months, mark my words:

Back down to earth, and I love the slightly tumbledown, cottagey feel of this little plot:

...and this little piggy went wee wee wee, all the way to your back garden:

And there are 62 more pics to peruse in the Chelsea Flower Show gallery.

Time to design a prettier pylon

By Rachel Jones on May 26, 2011 9:00 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Clever photography and some stunning scenery might take the edge off, but there's no denying that the standard electricity pylon is an overwhelmingly ugly construction. I give you Exhibit A:

So it can only be good news that there's a competition underway to design a new one. One that is not only capable of delivering the energy we need over thousands of miles, but also preserves the beauty of the countryside it crosses.

The steel lattice design that we see across Britain was first introduced in 1927, and has barely changed since, but that's not the only reason that a competition to update the 75-year-old design is timely.

Continue reading Time to design a prettier pylon.

Branch out with new blogs (but please come back)

By Rachel Jones on May 25, 2011 9:57 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Ignore the photo of the bunny for a second and look on the right hand side of this page. You should see a section called 'More FWi blogs'.

This little list of links sits there quietly day in day out, minding its own business, never moving, never clamouring for attention. In fact there's a good chance you've never even noticed it before.

But, if you get a few idle moments (or more likely, just want to put off doing that particularly boring piece of paperwork) then pay it a little bit of attention, because this is a list of FWi's other top bloggers, and there's something for everyone.

Maybe you're mad about machinery (try Torque Talk blog)
Or passionate about poultry (definitely The Feathered Forager)
Wild about wheat? (Crop Watch blog)
Love livestock? (it's Taking Stock for you)
Or maybe what really gets your heart racing is whether pre-tax profits of Company X are up 3% year-on-year, and whether increased processing costs will actually result in a net profit reduction, despite the costs being offset by increased prices (I'd recommend The Business Blog. Seriously, it was made for you).

Admittedly we don't have any specialist blogs about rabbits who balance inanimate objects on their heads (now that picture makes sense!) or owls that look hungover, but browse away - you might be surprised.

There's only one condition. Please come back, or Tim will never forgive me.

A love story... in milk

By Rachel Jones on May 24, 2011 11:38 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Friends of the Earth commissioned this quirky video about two besotted milk bottles to highlight the need for better recycling provisions.

Love the vid, just think it's a shame they started the story at the conveyor belt, and not the cow.

Pictures: Wheelie bin lamb

By Rachel Jones on May 24, 2011 9:26 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

For those of you who have been following the 'lamb-found-in-wheelie-bin' story, here are some pictures from the lovely RSPCA people who looked after him until he was adopted by a new showbiz Dad.

Lamb and Gillian Powell 1 - credit Georgina Holmes.JPG

Lamb and Gillian Powell 1 - credit Georgina Holmes.JPG

Continue reading Pictures: Wheelie bin lamb.

Paul O'Grady adopts wheelie bin lamb

By Rachel Jones on May 23, 2011 4:54 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Remember that lamb that was found dumped in a wheelie bin on the outskirts of Manchester city centre? Well good news, it's been adopted.

But the story gets better for this particular little lamb, because its new owner is none other than TV's Paul O'Grady.

Apparently the presenter and comedian has added the one-month-old lamb to the small flock of sheep he already keeps on his property in Kent.

The Only Way is (Rural) Essex

By Rachel Jones on May 23, 2011 11:14 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

If current TV shows are anything to go by, you could be forgiven for thinking that Essex has little more to offer than beauty salons, bad nightclubs and perma-tanned celebrity wannabes. Not so.

For starters, the county is gearing up to pick its Village of the Year and Best Kept Village competition.

The contest is described as a "showcase for the best in rural community life", and each village is judged on their performance in four key areas: Community, Business, Sustainability and Communications.

However, in truth I like to think that they pick it on the basis of how many Morris dancers live in close proximity to chocolate box-style thatched cottages - like this lovely shot taken in the village of Wendons Ambo in north-west Essex.

Another major event in Essex's calendar this week is the Essex Schools Food and Farming Day at Writtle College. Lectures and seminars have been cancelled for the day (poor students) to allow 3,000 primary schoolchildren from all over Essex get a better understanding of the food chain and the role played by farming in the county.

The event has got the thumbs up from big names including Jamie Oliver, Adam Henson and Ray and Jayne Brabban - winners of the BBC 2 series A Farmer's Life for Me. Oh and Farmers Weekly of course.

And if that little lot wasn't enough, Essex Young Farmers are still hard at work packing up the County Show, which took place in Chelmsford yesterday. Here's shot from the ring:

Perhaps someone needs to pitch a new series to the big bosses at ITV2 - The Only Way is (Rural) Essex. Less tanning, more lambing.

(Picture copyright: Brian Harris/Rex Features)

Saleswoman breaks new ground for New Holland

By Rachel Jones on May 21, 2011 9:00 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Meet Alison Shacklady.

Alison is New Holland's first ever saleswoman in the whole of the UK. Ever.

She joined the J & S Lewis dealership in Leigh, Lancashire back in February, and it didn't take her long to realise that she was unique. There were literally no women doing the same job as her.

"It's a man's world, there's no doubt about that and I'm seriously outnumbered - but I've dealt with farmers all my life and I think I've been well received in the area," said Alison.

Great to see she's bucking the trend, but I can't help thinking...

Continue reading Saleswoman breaks new ground for New Holland.

Archers - the faces behind the voices

By Tim on May 20, 2011 3:16 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

If you're not an Archers fan, look away not - because we've had a few Arhcers posts in recent days. But for addicts of the soap, here's a picture that'll help put a few names to faces.

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From left to right:

Edward Kelsey (Joe Grundy); Tim Bentinck (David Archer); June Spencer (Peggy Archer); Andrew Wincott (Adam Macy); Rosalind Adams (Clarrie Grundy); Vanessa Whitburn (the show's editor).

Dairy duo have the best B&B

By Rachel Jones on May 19, 2011 10:48 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

A working dairy farm in Somerset has been named 'Best Guest Accommodation in England' by the AA.

Blackmore Farm, situated on the outskirts of the village of Cannington near Bridgwater, offers seven guestrooms in a converted 15th century cowshed and cider press (it's a stunning building - well worth a look on their website).

Proprietors Ian and Ann Dyer balance the trials and tribulations of running an 850-acre dairy farm in tandem with their diversification projects, including the now award winning bed and breakfast, farm shop, café and award winning ice cream.

A typical farmer, Ian said "there are 24 hours in a day after all!"

A 1951 Archers photo

By Tim on May 18, 2011 4:20 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

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If you're an Archers fan, here's another photo from those nice people at the Museum of English Rural Life who holding an exhibition in conjunction with the show.

The guy on the tractor is Brookfield farmhand Simon Cooper (played by Eddie Robinson) with casual worker Bill Slater (John Franklyn).

The tractor is a Ferguson model TE20, and the photograph dates from 1951.

Meet the new AGA

By Tim on May 18, 2011 8:37 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

The Telegraph has written about the new generation of AGAs - they might even 'talk' to your iPhone.

Great technology, but I'm not sure I can see one appering in a Jilly Cooper novel just yet...

The Archers teams up with MERL

By Tim on May 18, 2011 6:39 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

David-and-Ruth Archer.jpg

An exhibition celebrating the 60th anniversary of two iconic institutions has opened.

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL), which is owned and managed by the University of Reading, has teamed up with the BBC to bring visitors 'Everyday Stories of Country Folk: Celebrating 60 years of The Archers and MERL'.

Continue reading The Archers teams up with MERL.

Possibly the perfect photo competition for farmers

By Rachel Jones on May 17, 2011 3:11 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Farmers know more than a bit about the environment, and as FW's past photo competitions have proved, they're pretty handy with a camera too.

Put the two together, and this competition might be right up your street: 2011 Environmental Photographer of the Year.

You've got until 31st July to enter and there's a total prize fund of £5,000 up for grabs. Check out this video from last year's event to see what it's all about...

Super-sized sausage set to be a show stopper

By Rachel Jones on May 17, 2011 11:58 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

When I clicked to open this picture in a press release this morning, it took me a few seconds to figure out exactly what was going on...

Continue reading Super-sized sausage set to be a show stopper.

Animal art comes to the capital

By Rachel Jones on May 13, 2011 3:32 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Rural artist and Field Day favourite Thuline de Cock has been in touch to tell us about her latest exhibition.

She'll be at the Untitled Artists Fair in Chelsea on the 4 and 5 of June, showing a collection of her trademark animal paintings. Expect bold colours, expressive faces and lots of personality in her pictures of dogs, horses, cows, chickens, owls, ducks... the list goes on.

You can find a gallery of Thuline's work on her website or Facebook page, and contact her directly to book tickets to the exhibition.

Education according to Country Life

By Rachel Jones on May 11, 2011 5:04 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Put your feet up Cameron, clock off early Clegg, because there is one less thing on your agenda this week.

Country Life magazine has compiled a list of the 39 skills the nation's youth should master before they are unleashed on the real world. A 39-step educational reform package if you will - albeit with a strong countryside slant.

Some would save you some money on the weekly shop ("know how to grow carrots from seed, skin a rabbit, pluck a pigeon"), some would come in handy on the farm ("know how to deliver a lamb, drive a tractor, handle a shotgun") some would help around the house ("know how to iron a shirt, sew on a button, carve a joint") and some would make good party pieces ("know how to perform three good card tricks, know at least two songs off by heart").

Some, however, are less immediately practical. Here are a few of their kookier proposed educational milestones:

Be able to tell the difference between Baroque and Palladian architecture (?)

Ride a horse to jackaroo standard (??)

Tie a bow tie, bowline and Bloody Butcher (???)

Dance the eightsome reel (???!)

Qualifications without a quadratic equation in sight. And just think how much more fun homework would be. I vote yes.

(photo credit: Liz Gregg / Mood Board/Rex Features)

Farming with Bin Laden

By Rachel Jones on May 11, 2011 11:07 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Think your neighbours are bad? Spare a thought for this Pakistani farmer who shared a boundary with Osama bin Laden.

'Take a view' photography competition launched

By Tim on May 11, 2011 7:31 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

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Keen on photography?

Then you might want to know that the search for this year's Take a View - Landscape Photographer of the Year has just begun.

The closing date for entries is July 15 and over 100 of the best pictures will be exhibited at the National Theatre in London from 5th December.

The picture show is one of last year's commended entries - Lavender Field At Dawn, Somerset - by Antony Spencer.

Ron Weasley as you've never seen him...

By Tim on May 10, 2011 12:04 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Rupert Grint (aka Ron Weasley from Harry Potter) is the latest star to back the Make Mine Milk campaign.

The 22-year-old has joined a list of celebrities supporting the multi-million-pound initiative including chef Gordon Ramsay, singer Pixie Lott and racing driver Jenson Button.

Rupert has even part in the Make Mine Milk Challenge which involves drinking milk - very quickly. Apparently, he ended up in 12th place on the celebrity leader board (just ahead of Justin Bieber).

Cross-dressing farmer appears on Corrie

By Tim on May 10, 2011 11:55 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Dairy farmer Kenneth Prestidge, aka Justine, has made his debut on popular soap Coronation Street.

He told the press: "When I'm working I'm a gruff, scruffy farmer, but when I go out I get glammed up with my Christian Louboutins."

Harriet Wilson's diary from Blackpool

By Tim on May 8, 2011 3:31 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Don't forget, if you're interested in following what's happening at the Young Farmers AGM in Blackpool this weekend, one of FW's student writers Harriet Wilson is posting updates of her weekend on the College Calendar blog.

And Farmers Weekly's coverage of the event is here.

VIDEO: Why Young Farmers love the convention

By Tim on May 7, 2011 2:32 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Getting cheesed off at the Young Farmers bash

By Tim on May 7, 2011 1:33 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I wouldn't claim to be a cheese expert - but I know what mozzarella is. I'd have thought most people do, too. It seems not.

I was in the queue in Starbucks a few minutes ago (believe me, copious quantities of coffee are consumed at the YFC AGM) when the following exchange took place:

Lady in front of me: Got any cheese and tomato paninis?

Member of staff: Yes, this one (holds up mozzarella and tomato panini).

Lady in front of me: But I wanted cheese and tomato.

Member of staff: Mozzarella is cheese, madam.

Lady in front of me: It can't be - I've never heard of it. I don't like the look of it either (huffs and walks out).

Ironic, really, because a few hundred yards away a group of Young Farmers were discussing this very subject - how people don't know much about their food and how it's beholden on everyone working in agriculture to help inform them of the facts.

As to whether I accosted the Starbucks lady and highlighted the error of her ways - eeer, no. She had a very big boyfriend who didn't didn't look as if he'd take kindly to a strange man talking cheese.

Read Farmers Weekly's full coverage of the Young Farmers AGM here.

Young Farmers AGM: Five first impressions

By Tim on May 7, 2011 12:52 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

So, we're a day into the Young Farmers gig at Blackpool. Here are five things that have struck me so far:

1. Blackpool is being refurbished. Wandering round large sections of the town makes you feel, frankly, as if you've stumbled onto a building site. Two of the seaside venue's most iconic sights - the Winter Gardens building and the Tower - are having work done to them. The locals reckon the work is long overdue, though, and that the result will be a big improvement.

2. Our hotel is absolutely covered with pigeons. And what comes out of pigeons.

3. Lots of Young Farmers arrived yesterday on bikes. The prize for the most impressive ride has to go to 22-year-old George Steer, who cycled all the way from Tavistock in Devon. That's 450 miles. Four. Hundred. And. Fifty. Miles. I'd have been worn out driving that far.

4 We've had rain. And, within five minutes of it starting, I lost count of the number of people I overheard saying: "I hope we're getting this at home."

5. Club shirts were soon on show and, as is traditional, some had suggestive (OK, rude) slogans on them. Cumbria YFC's, for example, said: Trim your hedges, bang your posts, we've got big tackle, but don't like to boast...

See all Farmers Weekly's coverage of the event here.

Dog days

By Tim on May 5, 2011 10:22 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

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The NFU has found its Farm Dog of the Year'.

Meet Jack, the three-legged sheepdog...

If you go down to the woods today...

By Rachel Jones on May 5, 2011 9:20 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

...then make sure you take your camera, because there could be £50 in it for you.

To celebrate the 2011 International Year of the Forests, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society is launching a challenge to find the best photographs of trees and woodlands from across the UK.

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The competition is split into three categories - juniors, seniors and professionals - and the 30 best photographs will be displayed at this year's Great Yorkshire Show (12 - 14 July), where visitors will be able to vote for their favourites.

Each category winner will receive £50 in Jessops vouchers to spend on photographic equipment and the overall winner will get a day with renowned Yorkshire photographer Javan Liam.

The deadline for entries is Friday 3 June so get outside and get snapping. Application forms are available on the Great Yorkshire Show website at www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk

Prince Charles on farm duty

By Rachel Jones on May 4, 2011 10:11 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

After the global hype, pomp and ceremony surrounding his son's wedding I don't blame Prince Charles for choosing this as his first public outing since the big day.

Four days after the royal nuptials he visited a small urban farm in Washington, where he talked about composting, nibbled some spinach and chatted to volunteers.

Much less stressful.