Farm on the M62: Please, give us more pen space - Jill Thorp
The summer appears to be back on track as we approach another heatwave, hot on the heels of the summer solstice. With the cold and dark days of winter still fresh in our minds, the grim reality of the sun now slowly retreating and our days shortening, is best ignored whilst we enjoy the great British weather.
Pauls passion for shearing sheep has returned with him confidently clipping at least ten in a day! His body lacks the same commitment that his mind does, however, and the stooping gait has returned, as have the packets of ibuprofen. June has flown by, the agricultural shows are marching on and before we know it, the best one will be upon us. It will be slightly different for us this year; unable to secure the sheep pens for our team meant we had a rethink about our plans.
The little guy will be heading off to France with his school buddies, where hopefully he will behave and I won’t get any phone calls asking me to come and pick him up and we were offered some pens for our Leicesters at the last minute. It looks like it will be just Paul and I going alone, a far cry from the days when the entire family would descend on the hallowed turf at Harrogate.
Whilst readily accepting the pens, I quickly realised I wasn’t exactly ready for a big show. Unfortunately I’d not been in a rush to prepare the show team; nothing had been sheared and I’d not even begun to stress about the dreaded colouring of the fleece saga. With only two pens available to us, however, we decided we’d just take some of our lambs, pending any disaster.
The Great Yorkshire show really is the best but often the frustration of not being able to secure pens mars the reputation it has so deservedly won for being the greatest agricultural show on the calendar. A rethink of how pens are allocated and the amount available is absolutely essential going forward to ensure that everyone can attend, farmers can showcase their stock and hard work and most importantly they can have a break. These shows provide that oh so vital link between those that provide good quality produce and the public. It’s where, for a brief moment, the rural – urban divide disappears and people can experience our industry, our passion at first hand.
To see the look of admiration from onlookers when our fantastic native breeds fill those rings is something I am always eternally thankful for. The many people that stroll up and down the sheep lines, stopping for a chat, learning, listening, admiring and showing real interest in what we do is brilliant and one of the most enjoyable parts of the show for me.
The little guy, who can talk the hind legs off a donkey, usually at speed and volume, happily perches on a hurdle in front of our pens, chatting to countless strangers about our lives, our animals and our passion for farming. This interaction is as essential as the farmers themselves being there. So please, let’s see more pen space, more sheep and keep this wonderful show at the top.