 | 24 September 2014 |
|
| 大象传媒 Homepage | | |
| |||
| Contact Us | | |
FeaturesYou are in: North Yorkshire > Features > Farming for the future  Farming for the futureA farm near York is top of the class. Grange Farm at Nun Monkton welcomes groups of children who come to find out more about farming and the countryside. It's now won a new regional award which recognises innovation and excellence in farming. The farm, run by the Throup family, is one of 16 regional winners of Natural England's inaugural Future of Farming Awards.  Sir Martin Doughty, who chairs Natural England, the Government's advisory body on the environment, said the awards recognised "the important achievements of farmers who have set a new standard for environmentally-friendly farming and provided inspiration to others." Grange Farm is a traditional mixed arable farm with a dairy herd and free-range hens. It accommodates lots of visits from schoolchildren, including from inner cities like Leeds and Bradford, who use the farm as a living classroom and learn about where their food comes from.  Sophie Throup "The award is a real point of encouragement," said Sophie Throup. "It's a real thumbs-up for everybody on the farm, the whole family, who are working so hard to work with the environment and to bring people on to the farm." She added: "It has taken a lot of time and effort to get our educational facilities up to standard, but it's all worthwhile when you see the children enjoying themselves whilst learning more about farming and the countryside." It all began about three years ago when the Throups joined the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. A barn was converted into a classroom complete with a wood-burning stove, farm implements on the wall, farmhouse-style chairs and tables and an area to play videos. Mrs Throup said it's very rewarding work: "Often there's a lot of squeals and sighs about all the smells and the little presents the animals leave for them in the field.
"But in general the children are really positive about what they see. "It's such a different environment to the classroom and if they've been learning about food production in the classroom, coming out on to the farm and seeing it all taking place, seeing the cattle, seeing the sheep, seeing the fields of crops, is fantastic for them and can really help cement their learning and help bring everything to life for them." Runner-up for the award was Stephen Ramsden. He has a livestock farm at Northside Head Farm at Middlesmoor, near Harrogate, which he also opens for schoolchildren and other groups.  Classroom at Grange Farm Mr Ramsden is also working to protect moorland areas on the farm and he's put up a six kilowatt wind turbine. "We like to think that we are doing our bit to protect the local countryside." The Future of Farming Awards were launched at this year's Royal Show and judges came from Natural England, the National Farmers Union and the Countryside Land and Business Association. last updated: 25/10/07 You are in: North Yorkshire > Features > Farming for the future |
| | About the 大象传媒 | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy 听 |
