Henry Rowntree farms at Windy Pike Farm, Gisburn, and will host a farm walk from noon to 3 p.m. looking at his Ribble Aberdeen-Angus herd in beautiful countryside. Conservation work is very important at Windy Pike and Henry will show visitors how nature conservation can go hand-in-hand with running a successful working farm.

The event will be signposted from the A59 at Gisburn – turn at the Auction Mart to Bolton-by-Bowland, go over the river, turn first right and Windy Pike is the first farm on the right.

 The Award, run by the RSPB in association with BBC Countryfile, Plantlife and Butterfly Conservation, honours farmers around the UK who manage their land sensitively for wildlife and the environment – and John Moir has successfully integrated a host of conservation measures into his commercial farm business.  As Scottish winner, John will be presented with a cheque for £200, and is eligible for the overall UK prize of £1000 if he collects enough votes online before August 28th.

The Moir family farm 668ha of land on the northeast coast of Scotland in Aberdeenshire, with herds of Aberdeen Angus and Scotch Mule ewes alongside spring and winter cereal crops.  However, a keen interest in wildlife and nature friendly farming means several measures have been taken to be as kind as possible to nature.

The nationally threatened corn bunting has seen a significant increase on the farm during recent years and nests have been protected through delayed cutting of grass, and John has even helped to trial seed mixtures to find the best habitat for the red-listed farmland bird. 

Other conservation measures adopted through the Rural Stewardship Development Contracts include unharvested crops, grass margins, beetlebanks, species-rich and open grazed grasslands to enhance habitats for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.    

The farms are situated close to the Loch of Strathbeg Nature Reserve, which attracts tens of thousands of pink-footed geese each winter.  By taking part in the Strathbeg Goose Management Scheme, thousands of geese are able to graze several of the Moirs’ grass fields undisturbed every winter.  In addition, the Moir family are involved in the Savoch Burn Catchment Initiative to reduce diffuse pollution of this watercourse that feeds into the Loch of Strathbeg.  Having been organic since 2006, their management reduces the run-off of nutrients into the burn and by planting riparian woodlands and allowing water margin vegetation to develop, valuable buffer strips have been created.

John Moir said “It’s a great honour to be awarded in this way by the RSPB.  I’ve always believed that commercial farming can go hand in hand with helping biodiversity, and it’s a pleasure to know that the way I manage the land here is actively helping to provide a home for birds and insects for the good of the countryside.”

Mark O’Brien, Farmland advisory manager with RSPB Scotland said “John Moir fully deserves this award for showing what farmers can do for nature, and we hope that people will vote for him for the UK prize of £1000 by visiting www.rspb.org.uk/farmvote.”

Margaret and Neville Stacey

The Aberdeen-Angus breed is playing a key role in the switch to organic farming at Garth Fach, Llidiartywaen, Llanidloes, Powys, where Neville and Margaret Stacey have been breeding Aberdeen-Angus cattle commercially for 19 years.

Mr and Mrs Stacey decided in 1990 to switch from Continental to Aberdeen-Angus cross cows on their high-lying 320-acre all-grass hill unit because of the breed’s easy calving advantages and low-cost maintenance. Aberdeen-Angus also gave them the opportunity of breeding their own female replacements and benefiting from the premium prices available for Aberdeen-Angus prime cattle.

“We wanted to move away from “ever hungry” Continental crosses to a breed more suitable for a grass-based system,” says Mr Stacey.

“It is the best move we have ever made and the breed has fully lived up to our expectations. The Aberdeen-Angus cattle are easily maintained on a low-cost system in fairly harsh conditions – the land goes up to 1300ft – and the cows calve unassisted which is a big plus point.”

Mr and Mrs Stacey also appreciated the stability which the Aberdeen-Angus brought to their farming enterprise as a result of the stable pricing policy adopted by Dovecote Park and high premiums available for Aberdeen-Angus finished cattle.

“We wanted a breed that would keep us – rather than the other way around – and we got that with the Aberdeen-Angus,” says Mr Stacey.

The herd has been expanded to 60 cows and breeding heifers, two thirds of which are now pure-bred Aberdeen-Angus, and it has now been decided to switch from finishing to selling stores and breeding heifers following the loss of the Beef Special Premium – which was previously the profit – and to take advantage of the grants available for environmental schemes and organic conversion.

“We sell our steers at 14-16 months at around 460kg and our heifers for bulling at 18-24 months and the ‘phone never stops ringing from people looking to buy Aberdeen-Angus stores or breeding heifers,” Mr Stacey says. “Our calves are not pushed and receive very little concentrates.

“We sell the cattle straight off the farm on a weight basis and have been very happy with the returns.”

The farm reached organic status last June and has benefited from a £150/ha payment under the Organic Aid Scheme during the two-year conversion period and will receive an annual £40/ha payment for the next three years.

The farm is also in the third year of a five-year programme under the Tir Gofal Agricultural Environmental Scheme which pays a grant of £165/ha for the maintenance of hay meadows – plus a 10% supplement for keeping cattle.

“The Aberdeen-Angus is about the only breed which can thrive on the lower quality fodder from the hay meadows,” Mr Stacey maintains. “We are not allowed to fertilise the grass and we can’t cut it for hay until July.”

The Aberdeen-Angus herd has been expanded at the expense of the sheep flock because Mr Stacey found the cattle were more easily managed and more profitable.

Cows calve in April/May, mostly outdoors, and calves are weaned in January after housing in November. The longevity of the cows is another benefit Mr Stacey has found from using Aberdeen-Angus. Outwintering is not an option because of the 50 inch rainfall.

Steers are sold off grass in August/September and bulling heifers over the winter.

Mr and Mrs Stacey are now becoming a couple familiar to shoppers in Wales with their photograph adorning the Aberdeen-Angus service counters as part of the supermarket’s Welsh beef promotion.

The programme will also highlight the transition of where native breeds have come from as a small, hardy type of beef animal, to how the modern type of native breeds including the Aberdeen-Angus and Hereford now play such a huge role in today’s commercial beef industry.

The programme is set to follow four known native fans. The McLaren family are scheduled to make a strong presence in the film (hopefully Willie Mclaren will be singing!), along with Neville Stacey from mid-Wales who will tell the story of how Aberdeen-Angus works perfectly in line with the environment, Robert Parker from south west Scotland and the Wright family from Humberside.

The programme is showing on Wednesday night at 9pm on BBC4, any of you that miss it can view it again on BBC iPlayer.