Michael and Caroline Goddard of Lowe Farm, East Drayton near Retford have won this year’s Wilkinson Environment Award for Nottinghamshire. The winners of the small farm category, Michael and Caroline were judged to be the best farm overall and will be presented with their winning cheque for £5,000 in the autumn.
This year’s joint second prizes of £2,000 each, have been awarded to medium-sized category winner W Jackson and Sons of Hill Farm, Carlton on Trent and Leyfields Limited at Kneesall, Newark, which wins the large farm category. The runner-up, this year, is John Ogle of Headon Manor, Headon, near Retford.
"The 2009 Awards were extremely close-fought," said NFU’s judge, Simon Fisher. "The standard of entries was tremendous: Nottinghamshire’s farmers are going from strength to strength and showing just how much they care for the wildlife on their farms and the depth of commitment they have to sustaining a rich diversity of habitats.
"The Goddards’ farm at East Drayton was a superb example: a family-run farm with both arable and beef enterprises, has a good range of habitats including some old meadows which haven’t been ploughed for several generations. It is obvious that Michael and Caroline care deeply for their farm and have a strong passion for farming and wildlife."
Michael Goddard said: "I can’t believe that we’ve won the award this year, it’s come as a complete surprise. Caroline and I work hard to make the farm successful both as a business and in terms of conservation: our children are both enthusiastic about farming and wildlife so it’s great that we can encourage them, too. We have several projects in mind which we could spend the prize money on, including putting in some scrapes for wetland birds and tree planting in field corners, but we’d also like to put in signs and information boards for everyone who enjoys using the footpaths across the farm. There’s always something we can do to encourage our wildlife and help show how farmers are the custodians of the countryside."
The medium category winner, W Jackson & Sons, was the runner up in the 2008 awards, but this year, his farm reflected the extra work he and the farm’s partners had undertaken in the last twelve months: the judges liked the enhanced integration of farming and habitat management and particularly commented on the variety of birdsong as they walked around the farm. At Leyfields, the minimum tillage system reduces inputs and contributes to the environmental well-being of the farm. One of the farm’s ponds was created when land subsided suddenly over old coal workings: the accidental lake has become a great asset to wildlife and the farm’s policy has deliberately been to extend the wild area surrounding it with two hectares of naturally regenerated grassland.
Simon Fisher added: "All the entries, whether they were successful in reaching the final judging round or not, showed just how hard farmers in Nottinghamshire work to ensure that future generations enjoy the diversity of flora and fauna resident on our farms. Whether their work is in developing and implementing new farming techniques, such as minimum tillage, or taking field corners and extra land out of production, their thoughts are to benefit the wildlife that lives there too."
The ninth Nottinghamshire Environment Awards are sponsored by Wilkinson, the Nottinghamshire-based home and garden retailer and reward farmers who successfully integrate farming and wildlife conservation on their holdings. The three winners and their families will be invited to a special presentation event at the Wilkinson headquarters this autumn. The tenth Wilkinson Environment Awards for Nottinghamshire will be open for applicants next spring.
