Farm award winners plough ahead (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Farm award winners plough ahead

SMALL and big are both beautiful, as far as the judges of a north Cotswold farming competition are concerned.

Aston Magna's 210-acre Bank Farm and Great Barrington's 6,700-acre Barrington Park Estate respectively won the Best Small Farm and Best Large Farm categories in the annual Champion Farm competition, run by Moreton-in-Marsh and District Agricultural and Horse Show Society.

Both were pipped to the overall Champion Farm title by C.W. Smith and Son's 850-acre Kingham Hill Farm, in West Oxfordshire, which had won the Best Medium Sized Farm category.

Robin Dale has been tenant farmer at Batsford Estate's Bank Farm, which has 120 cows and grows corn, for 20 years and he has entered the competition for more than 10 years, although this is the first time he has won.

Mr Dale, who only has one employee, said: "I just have to farm to the best of my ability, for today, tomorrow and a hundred years' time."

It was also the first win - after several attempts - for Barrington Park Estate, an arable and sheep farm managed by Adrian Dolby for the past four years.

Mr Dolby, who leads a 10-strong team, said: "We aim to farm to a high standard but sympathetically towards the surrounding countryside and the environment."

Both will get £50, with Mr Dale receiving the Tradesman's Challenge Cup and Mr Dolby the Harry Ferguson Trophy.

Kingham Hill Farm will also get £50, plus the Farmer's Ball Challenge Bowl.