‘Six of the best’ sustainable farmers receive Rase awards
© Courteenhall Estate Northamptonshire landowner Johnny Wake, whose 1,000ha estate has been in his family for more than 350 years, has been awarded the prestigious Bledisloe Gold Medal from the Royal Agricultural Society of England (Rase) in recognition of “outstanding stewardship” of his land.
Dr Wake took over the running of Courteenhall Farms 10 years ago, during which time he has overseen its development from a primarily agricultural estate to one with a much more diverse and sustainable footing.
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As well as a large arable acreage, the holding includes a 340,000-bird, state-of-the-art broiler unit, and a herd of outwintered, grass-fed Hereford cattle, which are sold to The Ethical Butcher.
The arable system has been changed from a wheat/OSR rotation to one based on wheat and leguminous fallow, with the latter naturally combatting blackgrass, improving the soil and helping biodiversity.
Johnny Wake receiving the Bledisloe Gold Medal © Rase
Courteenhall is also signed up to a 10-year Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship scheme, putting more marginal land into seed mixes for nature, alongside an extensive hedge- and tree-planting programme.
Dr Wake founded and until very recently chaired the Tove Valley Cluster Farm, and the estate is one of three pilot farms for the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s work to develop a hedgerow carbon code.
Many of the traditional buildings on the estate have also been converted, with 46 units let out to commercial tenants.
“Johnny puts community, sustainability and legacy at the heart of every decision, demonstrating an exceptional model of best practice,” said Rase chief executive David Grint at an award ceremony at the Royal Windsor Estate on Thursday 7 September.
Other Rase winners
The other Rase award winners are:
- Rob Havard from Worcestershire, who received the Excellence in Practical Farming award, “in recognition of how he has used his farming knowledge and experience as a trained ecologist to farm sustainably”.
- Paul and John Cherry from Hertfordshire, first-time winners of the Farm of the Future Award, “in recognition of how the Groundswell event has promoted regenerative agriculture and instilled confidence in many farmers to start their journey towards more sustainable farming”.
- Alastair Leake from Leicestershire, who received the National Agricultural Award, “in recognition of his leadership of the Allerton Project, which has pioneered and popularised farming with nature”.
- Prof Rob Edwards from Newcastle University, who received the Science and Technology Award, “in recognition of how he has championed the interaction between the farming industry and academia”.