A WEST DEVON estate where wildlife flourishes is to receive a top award at the Devon County Show on May 20 - 22.
Farm manager Peter Walters beat off tough competition to win the prestigious John Neason Memorial Award after impressing judges with the successful rural diversification enterprises at Fishleigh Estate, Okehampton.
When the 400 acre estate was purchased by the current owner in 1998, the farm had been overstocked and the woodlands were in need of positive management. Peter Walters applied for the Countryside Stewardship and Woodland Grant scheme support in 1999.
Now the farm is also registered as an organic holding and premium prices are received for agricultural produce.
Nature conservation is a very strong theme running throughout the management of the estate and wildlife-friendly measures have encouraged species such as otters, kingfishers and rare species of butterfly.
A farm building has been converted to an interpretation centre and local schools and organisations are encouraged to participate in guided walks on the estate.
The judges were particularly impressed by the variety of income streams used to generate profit for the estate, including: a sporting shoot, promotion of the estate as a film location, letting of fishing rights, Countryside Stewardship grants, and Organic Farming scheme grants.
Premium prices are obtained for meat from the progeny of the farm?s 80 North Devon cows and 250 ewes by direct meat sales and a new venture is the opening of a shop near to Okehampton. It is likely that additional enterprises such as organic pigs, geese and turkeys will be established to provide further products for sale in the shop.
Runner up in the competition was Tarka Springs (bottled artesian spring water). Proprietor Neil Folland used to milk the cows on the 300-acre family farm at Langtree near Torrington before a rugby injury forced him to reappraise his means of income. In 2000 he had a spring tested with good results and he applied for grant aid under the Rural Enterprise Scheme to set up a water bottling plant.
The business has been very successful and he now employs his sister Anna as a marketing manager. Although Neil still drives the forage harvester and milks on the family farm, most of his time is invested in the water business.
The judges appreciated the financial commitment of an enterprise such as this and the tremendous risk when starting up.