Excellent farmers honoured
Three farmers are to be recognised with important awards for excellence in farming and land management.
Richard Fuller, who farms in Yorkshire, and David Simmons, who farms in Cornwall have been chosen to receive the Royal Agricultural Society of England's Excellence in Practical Farming Award for 2004.
The Society presents the award each year to farmers who are helping to create a climate of commercial awareness, technical efficiency and international competitiveness in British farming.
Sir Kenneth and Lady Carlisle have been chosen to receive the Society's Bledisloe Gold Medal, which is only presented once each year.
The award recognises their outstanding achievement in the successful land management and development of the 1100 acre Wyken Hall Estate in Bury St Edmunds.
The awards will be presented by HRH The Duke of Gloucester on Tuesday 6 July at the Royal Show.
Richard Fuller has been part of JSR Farming for approximately 30 years, managing arable of approximately 900 acres and livestock on 500 acres at Givendale.
In 2000 he became livestock specialist and technical director of the Beef Improvement Group. Working to improve the economic production of high quality beef from forage based systems, he led the development of a successful suckler cow breeding programme
The panel of judges commented that all the aspects under the control of Mr Fuller showed excellent management.
They said, "Mr Fuller is an extremely capable person of modest manner with a tremendous knowledge of his subject."
"He has received other accolades for his work, and those of us who visited the farm are of the opinion that he is deserving of recognition by the Society."
"He often gives educational access to his livestock enterprises, ponds, field margins, hedgerows and Countryside Stewardship Schemes."
David Simmons combines brassicas, cereals and a milking herd of 270 Holstein cows on his 2,400 acre farm.
His expertise in marketing to the major supermarkets has built up a supply business of cabbages, cauliflowers and purple sprouting from 40 Cornish growers.
>From small beginnings in 1983 when the farm was a mixed stock unit, the
>farm
now employs over 100 people.
The panel of judges commended Mr Simmons for his high level of expertise in practical farming with every increasing monitoring from the supermarkets.
They said, "David Simmons is an excellent communicator and comes across as being a complete master of his business, which, at times, must be very stressful."
"We find him thoroughly deserving of an Excellence in Practical Farming Award."
Sir Kenneth and Lady Carlisle have made tremendous improvements to the Wyken Hall Estate, which now employs upwards of 50 people.
850 acres farmed on contract using a wide rotation including sugar beet and potatoes. Areas are managed under the Countryside Stewardship and Game Conservancy schemes and160 acres of SSSI ancient woodland is managed in agreement with English Nature.
The conservation sits comfortably side-by-side with profitable diversifications including a vineyard, a restaurant, shops and a farmers market.
Judges visiting the estate commented on the estate's support for the local community. Sir Kenneth and Lady Carlisle have provided land for low cost housing, a bowls club, 20 allotments, and there is ample public access to the grounds.
The judges said, "All in all agriculture on the estate is very reasonable. The conservation is well above average; and the diversification, sympathetically planned to maintain and enhance the unspoilt nature of the estate, is outstanding."
"This award identifies landowners who are doing the best both for their employees and their communities."
"We have no hesitation in recommending the award to this modestly sized estate that is a highly successful example for the future."
