THE GREAT YORKSHIRE SHOW

A farm near York has been named Farm of the Year at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Husband-and-wife team Andrew and Ann Heaton, of Peel Park, Brandsby, not only came top of the dairy class in the Yorkshire Agricultural Society awards, they also scooped the overall Farm of the Year award and their manager Mark Yearsley was voted Young Manager of the Year.

As the first-time entrants in the county-wide competition collected their awards, Ann Heaton said: "We are very proud."

Mark Yearsley joined the Heatons - who have been tenants at the farm for 20 years - only a year ago. He said: "Farming is not a very social job and a lot of hard work goes into it but when you win something like this it makes it all worth while."

Meanwhile Malton farmer Richard Howard-Vyse, of Langton Farm, received the Conservation Award for his dedication to encouraging wildlife on his land.

He said: "It would be very dull farming without wildlife on the farm."

Mr Howard-Vyse, who is 57 and lives with his wife Sally on the farm, grows cereals, potatoes and sugarbeet as well as keeping cattle and sheep.

He has put in a number of wildlife strips across the 900 acres of farmland which has belonged to his family since 1620. He has also replaced or repaired old hedgerows, planted wild flowers and built three ponds.

He said: "I get an enormous amount of pleasure from seeing the wildlife which comes on to my land. As farmers it is our role to protect and respect wildlife. We are the guardians of the countryside and unless we look after it very few others will."

see COMMENT 'Labour must listen to farmers'

see NEWS 'Director says 'It's been an honour' '

see COLUMNISTS Julian Cole

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