Author Archives: FRAN

Rock and Roll Farming – A Town Called Malham

Tonight I’m delighted to be heading up to Malham in the Yorkshire Dales to talk to beef and sheep farmer, Neil Heseltine.

And yes, first of all we start off talking about how a rugby playing upland farmer called Neil ended up with the slightly confusing twitter handle of @hilltopfarmgirl 😉

After clearing that up though, we move on to talk about the farm that his family have been at for several generations, hilltopmalham.co.uk and the challenges of farming at 1200-1800ft above sea level, as well as discussing his early life and his time studying agriculture at Seale Hayne in Devon.

We talk about his return to the family farm, and the changed he’s made since, including the reintroduction of cattle, the traditional British Breed of Belted Galloway, some of their characteristics, and the reasons behind that decision. We also chat about the Pasture Fed Livestock Association and how they’re producing meat more sustainably from grass.

We talk about how they reduced their Swaledale sheep numbers from a high of 800 to 200, and how their entire farming system is now based around the natural environment, which has seen flora and fauna, hares, and birds such as lapwings and curlews return to the farm.

Neil tells us about the Nature Friendly Farmers Network, the recent surge of interest there’s been in this relatively new organisation, and why he believes that increased focus on the environment in farming can lead to a more sustainable and profitable business.

We talk about the importance of selling their produce locally, and the social and community aspect of this, before moving on to talk about some of the scepticism he’s encountered with regard to his way of farming.

We also discuss mental health in the farming industry, and how we must address the terrible accidental death and suicide statistics that are the largest of any industry in the UK.

All this and much more. Neil’s a great guy, farming in a really interesting way, and it was an absolute privilege to get to know him better tonight. Check it out folks..

This episode is kindly sponsored by NFU Cymru. For more information please visit www.nfu-cymru.org or www.rockandrollfarming.com

Rock and Roll Farming Podcast – Farming, Family, & Future

Tonight I’m delighted to be staying in Wales and heading down to Brecon in Powys to talk to farmer and new President of NFU Cymru, John Davies.

We talk about the family farm near the village of Merthyr Cynnog and the various enterprises they have there, including 100 suckler cows, finishing Welsh Black Cattle, 1000 ewes, and a contracting business covering 2000 acres of grass silage production for neighbouring farms.

We also discuss the 3 holiday units that they renovated to a very high standard from derelict farm buildings, and now rent out to tourists – epyntholidays.co.uk

We go into the various events they’ve held on the farm, from YFC rally, through to the very first Royal Welsh Grassland event in 2012, which happened to be the wettest June day in living memory!

We discuss the huge role that Young Farmer’s Club has played in his life, from being National Chairman to meeting his wife Menna ,and some of the experiences that he had along the way, as well as a local history project that he was involved in ‘Cofio’r Epynt’ which looked at the impact to the area when 52 families had to be moved at short notice in 1939 to create an army training area.

We also talk about his time as Chairman of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, and his role in organising the biggest Ag show in Europe, The Royal Welsh Show.

We then discuss at length NFU Cymru (Wales National Farmer’s Union), and how he feels to be elected President. We talk about some of the issues facing Welsh farmers at the moment, the importance of securing a free trade deal with Europe, and how vital it is for people to get involved and support the organisation. We also discuss what it’s like to stand up and stick your head above the parapet, and how important it is to have good friends and family around you, and what motivates John to take on a high profile role like this.

All this and much more. John’s a fantastic representative for Welsh farming and a great guy, and it was an absolute pleasure to talk to him tonight. Check it out folks..

This episode is kindly sponsored by NFU Cymru. For more information please visit www.nfu-cymru.org.uk or www.rockandrollfarming.com