Richard puts focus on farming at the Cheshire County Show

A FARMER is aiming to satisfy the public’s hunger for knowledge at this year’s Cheshire County Show.

Richard Fryer, 35, will use the Sainsbury’s Agri-Centre on the Tabley showground to promote farming to the 80,000 visitors expected through the gates.

"As a farmer I want an image of being approachable, someone who looks after his cows and the environment and of someone who is needed," he said.

"No one else will tell the story of what we are doing so it has to come from us."

For the past eight years Richard, who runs Home Farm in Wincham with dad David, has been involved in the Sainsbury’s Agri-Centre, which is at the heart of the two-day show.

It is a hub for farmers where all suppliers come together under one roof and where the public learn more about the processes involved in food production and running a farm.

For Richard, a father-of-one, it is an opportunity to educate families about milk production by giving live milking demonstrations and then showing how it can be used to make other products such as cheese.

"We realise the public are our customers and we have to sell our product to them," said Richard.

"The link between consumers and producers had been broken, but it is being put back together slowly and the work we do at the show goes some way towards helping with that."

Richard’s great granddad began farming in Wincham in 1914 and now he and his father David have 200 dairy cows.

The farm used to be mixed producing cereals and potatoes as well as dairy, but the focus has now shifted onto milk production. They still grow grass, wheat and maize to feed the cattle.

With Richard’s parents living at the farm, he has now moved a mile down the lane with his wife, Libby, and son, George. Richard believes this has given him a wider outlook and helped him to make the right decisions at work.

His focus now is to simplify the business so there are weeks in the year when he can spend more time with Libby and George.

"We are looking to calf in a tight autumn block, I want to strike the right work / life balance, giving me some time to spend with my family," he said.

This summer Sainsbury’s will once again sponsor the Cheshire County Show’s Agri-Centre, which will be keeping Richard busy on June 21 and 22.

He admits to initial reservations about working with a supermarket, but the partnership with Sainsbury’s has proven valuable to both parties.

One of his goals is to link farming and the Cheshire County Show to the National Curriculum so the education of children can continue through school.

And what words of advice will he have for his own son, George, when he is old enough to follow in his father’s footsteps?

"You’ve got to love what you do and that is what I will say to George. If he wants a career in farming then great, I will give him every opportunity to do that," said Richard.

This year’s Cheshire County Show is on June 21 and 22. To book your ticket, or for more details, go to the website www.cheshirecountyshow.org.uk