Hill farmer who sets his sights high

However, despite the challenges that his rugged farm at Harbottle, Northumberland, presents, Graham Dixon is able to run an operation that is home to a great deal of diverse wildlife.

Mr Dixon was yesterday named as the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s winner of the Tye Trophy at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Set up to recognise the best of good farming practice along with conservation and environmental improvement, the award has been a staple of the show for some years.

Judges said that Mr Dixon’s farm, which is home to sheep and cattle, was an excellent upland business with a diverse range of habitats. They also praised his commitment to diversification, calling him “an exceptional forward-thinking farmer who has sustainability at the heart of his enterprise”.

Based on Cheviot Hills, he farms 1,000 acres of tenanted land classed as “severely disadvantaged”. His farm is home to 1,000 Northumberland-type Blackface ewes, 350 of which are bred pure to run on 650 acres of enclosed land which is some 1,200ft above sea level. The remainder of his flock are Bluefaced Leicester for mule lamb production.

He also runs a small herd of 12 registered Galloway herd as part of his operation’s involvement in the Higher Level Stewardship Schemes.

In addition, Mr Dixon also oversees a 70-acre woodland and there is ongoing schemes for tree and hedge planting to enhance wildlife habitats.

His electricity is part provided by a local micro-hydro power plant set up which he shares with seven other farmers.

“Our whole approach to conservation management is proactive,” said Mr Dixon.

“For us to survive we have to be economically sustainable, environmentally sustainable and ethically sustainable.”

Mr Dixon is a former regional winner of Natural England’s Future of Farming Award for his farm, which is also home to Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the flood plain of the River Coquet.

His farm is home to numerous birds, including barn owl, golden plover, oyster catcher, curlew and skylarks.

It also has archeological sites, such as a medieval village and terraces on the hill. Hay meadows are home to a wide variety of plants which help support the variety of bird life found there.

Charles Beaumont, a trustee with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), presented the award of £400 and the trophy to Mr Dixon, as well as a trophy to each of the individual regional winners.

Among them were Russell Toothill, who farms at Doncaster and has been active in the Campaign for the Farmed Environment scheme to encourage more farmers to promote wildlife on their farms.

A special award was also made to Joy Henderson of Walsingham, County Durham.

Phil Lyth, the farm conservation adviser to FWAG, said: “The quality of entrants continues to be high, with the work under- taken on farms reflecting the broad range of environmental priorities, from wildlife and land- scape protection to natural resource protection and renewable energy.

“It is particularly encouraging to see how many farmers are actively involved in farm visits and informing school children, and the non-farming public about their work in managing the countryside and producing food.”