Sheffield Farm Wins Top Conservation Award

An estate in the north-eastern sector of the Peak District National Park, just a few miles from Sheffield has been selected as South and West Yorkshire area winner of the prestigious Tye Trophy for conservation.
 
The award recognises the contribution of farmers in Yorkshire and the North East to wildlife conservation and environmental protection and, for the first time, it has been organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the region’s Farming and Wildlife Advisory Groups (FWAG). 
 
Mr Ben Rimington-Wilson of Broomhead Estate Farms, Boldersone Sheffield, is one of the five area winners, and now goes forward to the finals with the overall winner announced at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show at Harrogate. Dates for the show are Tuesday 10 – Thursday 12 July.  In addition, all the area winners have the option of going forward to next year’s prestigious Silver Lapwing Award. The five areas represented are North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, South & West Yorkshire, Northumberland and Tyne Tees.
 
The awards will be presented on the morning of Wednesday, 11 July, by Mrs Alison Saville, who gave the trophy in 1989 in memory of her grandfather Howard Tye, founder of Tye Trailers, and also her father Kenneth Tye. She will be assisted in the presentation ceremony by Michael Woodhouse FWAG Director for England.
 
Judges singled out the way Mr Rimington-Wilson, in conjunction with share-farmer Michael Wynne, integrates commercial livestock production and conservation projects to the benefit of this beautiful corner of the Peak District National Park. They were impressed by his consideration of wildlife and landscape issues when taking decisions about the farm and its enterprises.
 
Broomhead Estate Farms forms part of the larger Broomhead Estate, which has been in the Rimington-Wilson family since the late thirteenth century.
The farm comprises a total of 4,600 acres, of which 3,800 acres is heather moorland plus a further 550 acres of grassland (including inbye) and 250 acres of woodland.  The grassland runs from 600ft in the beautiful Ewden valley up to the moorland edge, and includes the ancient Broomhead Park, which, together with nearby land supports two flocks of sheep and a beef suckler herd.
 
The sheep enterprise consists of an early lambing flock of 150 Texel-cross ewes which lamb shortly after Christmas, and a further flock of 800 North County Mule ewes lambing from late March to mid April. A mixture of Texel, Beltex, Charollais and Suffolk tups are used.   The moorland, which peaks at just under 1,800 ft, is occupied by a hefted flock of 600 Swaledales and followers.
 
The suckler beef enterprise comprises a herd of 200 continental cross cows –Limousin, Charolais and Simmentals, plus their calves which are mainly by Belgian Blue, Limousin and Simmental sires. The herd is housed from late October to April and fed on clamped silage and baled haylage grown both on the farm and on neighbouring rented land.
 
The farm has been participating in the North Peak Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Scheme since 1988 – one of the earliest in the country having run for 20 years. All the various prescriptions under the scheme have been entered into voluntarily, and the farm is now in its third ESA management agreement.  Measures to support the ESA include taking 25per cent of the sheep off the moorland area from October to February, and limiting the amount of inorganic fertilizer and farmyard manure used on the grassland areas, particularly where upland ground nesting birds are present.
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The new regime has seen huge improvements in the populations of ground nesting birds such as curlews, skylarks and lapwings and also of brown hares which have benefited from the upland acid grassland, rich in flora of all kinds.  Other species present include red grouse, merlin, golden plover, snipe, dunlin, peregrine and short-eared owl.
 
Not only is the inbye environmentally important, but also the moorland which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) . In addition  it is  designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the European Birds and Habitats Directive There is also a driven grouse shoot which is run in conjunction with the moorland sheep enterprise in order to preserve and enhance this unique habitat and landscape.
 
The farm has 250 acres of woodland which is managed under Woodland Grant Schemes and which has provided the location for a small pheasant shoot, established in 1998, which is fast gaining a reputation for producing exceptionally challenging birds!
 
Over the past ten years more than 1,500 metres of drystone walling has been rebuilt, over 80 acres of bracken have been sprayed, and several ponds have been restored to provide a more varied habitat.  Wet areas have been created to encourage successful lapwing breeding under a Countryside Stewardship Agreement in association with the Peak Birds Project.The Broomhead Estate is now recognised as one of the best places in the Peak District National Park for upland waders and associated species
 
Broomhead Estate Farms was awarded the Peak Park Environmental Quality Mark, in November 2005 for combining livestock production with care for the environment, enabling stock to be marketed under this assurance scheme within the Peak Park and surrounding area.  The farm has forged a strong association with John Mettrick and Sons of Glossop – who have been key buyers since 2000.
 
Broomhead Park plays host in July each year to Broomhead Show, Championship Fell Race and Sheepdog Trials which raises money for local causes.  This year’s event takes place on Sunday July 8 and will feature a tug-of-war and dog show, together with craft stalls and other attractions including the famous Deepcar Brass Band.
 
(l-r) Michael Woodhouse, FWAG, Mrs Alison Saville
& Mr Ben Rimmington-Wilson