Farmer lands conservation trophy at show

Mr Fenton was among 15 finalists in the competition for the trophy, announced at the Great Yorkshire Show yesterday, for his efforts at Yokefleet Farms, near Goole, in which he is a shareholder and manager. He and his wife Henrietta live at Driffield.

Over the past 10 years, his project at Yokefleet has included reconstructing an old orchard – which involved taking apples to Kew Gardens for identification – and beginning the creation of a salt marsh alongside the Humber.

He was presented with the Tye Trophy, an Edwardian shell cup, by Alison Saville, who donated it in memory of her family, the founders of Tye Trailers.

The competition is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), which has been encouraging farmers to work in sympathy with the environment for 40 years.

Its national chairman, Henry Lucas, said at the presentation yesterday: "Farms have changed, politicians have changed, regulations have changed, but FWAG has been putting out the same message. Now the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (a voluntary effort by farmers' organisations) has taken us mainstream because that is what FWAG does – encouraging people to do their own thing rather than waiting to be told to do it."

All the finalists in the Tye Trophy are deemed to have done more than their duty. However, most of them are at least partly compensated by environmental stewardship schemes and they and FWAG share the mounting concern that such schemes will lose funding.

Mr Fenton said: "I would probably do what I do anyway, because it's my mindset. But not all farmers would."

East Yorkshire runner-up Chris Hobson, of Woodhouse Grange, York, said he and his brother Nick were able to care for marshy "ings" alongside the River Derwent because they were compensated for non-intensive grazing by their dairy cows and low use of fertiliser.

He said: "It is what I am interested in anyway but realistically you could not do it without the money."

The North Yorkshire winner was Mark Rooke of Beadlam Grange, famous for its shop, at Pockley, near York. Chris Woodall of Manor House Farm, Ledsham, was the champion for South and West Yorkshire. Harry Chrisp of Loughhoughton, Alnwick, won in Northumberland. Richard Ward of Langleydale, Barnard Castle, won in Tyne and Tees.

Also among the finalists were Mark and Mike Stringer, Callis Wold Farm, Bishop Wilton, York; Tango Fawcett, White Quarry Farm, Hazlewood, Tadcaster; Stephen and Joceline Gibson, Birkdale Farm, Mawthorpe, York; Gregory Brierley, East Whirlaw Farm, Todmorden; and Jo Cartwright, Swillington Organic Farm, Leeds.

Each received an engraved tankard, the county winners also got 200 and a plaque. Mr Fenton will go forward into the national Silver Lapwing competition.