When flooding struck last week, two farmers from Nidd leapt into action alongside the emergency services to rescue a young bull and herd of cows from drowning.

Sisters Fran Robinson and Hannah Blakey, who tend cattle and sheep on their 150-acre farm, were alerted to the plight of the stranded animals on social media.

Fran told the Stray Ferret:

“Hannah and I instinctively knew that we had to lend a hand. We couldn’t bear the thought of the cattle being stranded and at risk of drowning in the River Ure.”

The Blakey family has been farming in the Ripon area for 25 years and, with a call to their auntie Anne, they were able to find a telephone number for the farmer whose bull was in peril, having slipped into the river from a field near Ure Bank Top.

In safe hands — Splash the bull, after his river ordeal

The bull’s owner was in Halifax and at least 40 minutes away – so welcomed the offer of help from two women who are highly experienced in handling cattle.

Fran said:

“We got to the field at around 1.30pm and saw cattle in quite deep water.

“The emergency services arrived as we were shouting the animals, trying to encourage them to swim over to us, but the river was flowing pretty quickly.”

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The cows moved further down the flooded field onto a small section of banking at the bottom of Ure Bank Top.

Hannah, said:

“People who live in a house near the Ure joined in the rescue. They were absolutely brilliant and knew what to do.

“They guided the cows away from danger and put the frightened cattle into the safety of their stable.”

Although the cows were safe, the young Limousin bull’s life was still in jeopardy.

Fran said:

“We watched him struggling in the water and going under the bypass bridge and then raced with a blue light escort to the racecourse bridge at Bridge Hewick, hoping the current would sweep him this way and we could get a halter around his head and guide him to safety.”

The bull did re-emerge, bobbing upside down like a giant cork in the swollen water with legs flailing.

Hannah ran across to the other side of the bridge shouting to the bull, trying to get him to right himself and swim to the bank.

Fran pointed out:

“I did manage to touch him as he came towards me, but had no chance of being able to pull a tonne and a half bull to safety.

“He got swept away again and we felt awful. We thought that was it for the poor animal.”

But it wasn’t. Hannah said:

“I was elated when a farmer who farms near Newby Hall rang at 5pm to say that a bull had washed up on one of his fields.”

Fran added:

“We collected him and took him to our parents’ nearby farm where he stayed overnight in a nice dry shed, with hay to eat and fresh bedding to sleep on after his ordeal.

“Hannah and I decided to call him Splash and his owner collected his newly-named Limousin the following morning.

“We are delighted to report that he is doing well.”

Farmers, other land managers and conservation staff working in Nidderdale or the wider Dales are being called on by photographers to be part of a film.

It will focus on the lives of people working rurally and how they have responded to recent challenges.

The photographers want to include rural practices such as sheepherding, lambing and dry stone walling.

Both photographers involved have won awards for their work and hope this project can be another way to show off the Yorkshire landscape and those working on it.

Gary Lawson, a videographer and photographer from Ripon, said:

“Over the next year ‘Future Talks’ will be filming farming, land management and conservation practice in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and northern hills.

“We’re looking to explore how Dales people are responding to Covid-19, climate change and Brexit, and the forthcoming changes to agriculture policy. Participants will be free to raise any issues they see as a concern.

“The final product will be a series of films offering an insight into grassroots perspectives on the future direction of land management in a changing political, economic and environmental climate.”

The photographers want to focus on those working on the land and how recent events such as covid and Brexit have affected them.

Mr Lawson is working alongside David Higgins to complete to project. It has received a grant of £10,000 from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund.

Anyone interested should contact Gary Lawson or David Higgins on info@future-talks.com

Yorkshire Water has announced a starter scheme to get young farm workers renting land.

The project is titled Beyond Nature. Plots will be rented out to young farmers and anyone under 40 with an interest in farm ownership.

In the European Union, only 11% of farms are run by those under 40. The largest barriers for young farmers who want to run their own farm is expense and how often land becomes available.

The first farm announced in the scheme is Scow Hall Farm, located behind Swinsty reservoir in Washburn Valley.

Lisa Harrowsmith, lead surveyor at Yorkshire Water, said:

“After the first five-year lease, we will let the farm to another young farmer, therefore creating a cycle of opportunity for the next generation of farmers. Once the tenancy is up, we will assist that farmer with finding new opportunities on a permanent holding or elsewhere within the agricultural industry.”

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Yorkshire Water’s intention is to give young farmers the tools to create sustainable farms on their 70,000 acres of land. Mentorship, training and business advice will be provided.

Ellie Britton, 22, who was brought up on her parents farm in Ripon, said:

“My dad has a farm with his brother and they both have sons. Their options are to either continue working together or split up into pairs to buy a farm. Farmers often keep farms and hand them down for generations. If they do come up they are unattainably expensive or need a lot of renovation work. I think the Yorkshire Water scheme is a good idea to get people going with experience.”

Applications for Scow Hall Farm will open in late August. More information can be found on the Yorkshire Water website or via their social media pages.

Viewers from over 40 countries tuned into watch the first Great Yorkshire Virtual Show this week.

People as far as Japan and New Zealand watched as more than 60 show supporters, ranging from farmers to rural craftspeople, filmed their own footage to give viewers a real insight into their work.

The three day programme allowed viewers to see the Yorkshire countryside virtually from the comfort of their own homes. The itinerary included stunt riders, stars of The Yorkshire Vet and cooking sessions with TV chefs.

Families who have been showing their animals on the show ground for generations invited viewers onto their farms, via video, to give a real insight into Yorkshire farming.

Amongst those missing out were the hundred of school children who usually attend the show. This year they had to sit in their classrooms to watch the behind the scenes footage and performances.

Local farmers took viewers on virtual tours to give them an insight in farming in Yorkshire.

Read more:

• The Farm to Fork campaign champions the efforts of Yorkshire’s farmers to keep the nation fed during the pandemic.
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Charles Mills, farmer and Show Director of the Great Yorkshire Show, said:

“I am absolutely delighted and grateful for the support for our first ever virtual show. While it was always clear that we could not replicate the Great Yorkshire Show as everyone knows and loves, I hope that everyone who tuned in found something that entertained them and hopefully they learned something new about farming, food and the countryside.”

“We are incredibly proud of how supporters of the Show of all ages and from across the county went to such great efforts to help us celebrate the Show. One important thing I do hope the virtual show has achieved is to have helped lift people’s spirits during what has been a tough time. I’m now looking forward to next year when we look forward to welcoming everybody back to the Great Yorkshire Show.”

The line-up for this year’s Great Yorkshire Show has been announced ahead of the first day today.

For the first time in history the show will be broadcast online from the Great Yorkshire Show website and will feature a packed schedule which celebrates farming, food and the countryside.

Some top attractions include a behind the scenes tour with Olympic show jumper Graham Fletcher, a Q&A with stars of The Yorkshire Vet and a performance from East Yorkshire based TV stunt performers Atkinson Action Horses.

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Charles Mills, the show’s director, said:

“Never before has the Great Yorkshire Show been celebrated as a virtual event and so we are incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to bringing the show to life in this way. There will be something for everyone to enjoy online over the show’s three days and we dearly hope that you will join us for what promises to be a very special showcase…”

Charles Mills, Show Director.

The show, which normally welcomes more than 130,000 visitors and 8,500 animals was cancelled in March due to the pandemic. In previous years the show has generated large amounts of traffic through Harrogate.

The organisers were determined that “the show must go on” and instead encourage people to enjoy the event from the comfort of their own home.

To view the full schedule visit – https://greatyorkshireshow.co.uk 

Steve and Clare Walmsley may well be leading the field when it comes to an unusual way of thanking the NHS.

The couple live with their teenage children Heidi and Freddie at Brooklands Farm close to the A61 Ripon to Harrogate Road near South Stainley and have a corner of a field on a raised plain has proved a prime location for catch the eye messages, such as Support British Farming and follow the Tour De Yorkshire.

Now they have taken matters to a whole new attention-grabbing level by placing a sign that reads ‘Thank You NHS’ and putting rainbows on the side of resident ewes Muffin and Milkshake, who munch the lush grass as lorries, cars, motorcyclists and cyclists pass by on the nearby road.

Steve told The Stray Ferret:

“We decided to do this because people are having a tough time at the moment and need something to smile about.”

The rainbows on Muffin, who is a Mule and Texel Cross Milkshake, were put on using an animal marker and are so far on one side of the ewes, but Steve and Clare are planning use the marker colours on the other side of each animal, so the rainbow can be seen whichever way the ewes are turning.

Clare, who has family that work in the NHS, added:

“We are so grateful for what the front line workers are going for us all, that we wanted to find a special way of saying thank you to them.”

Their decision to put the sign in the field with their rainbow sheep is clearly working, as drivers of vehicles passing by could be heard papping their horns as they went past.

A young Harrogate farming family with underlying health conditions has urged walkers to stay off their land during the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the lockdown, which was imposed on Monday, the farm in Haverah Park has seen an increase in people passing through.

Francesca Ryder, who farms sheep and suckler cattle with her husband Josh, are both in the high-risk category for COVID-19.

She fears that people will bring the virus to her home by touching gates, walls and other surfaces on their way through.

“People are treating it like it’s a bank holiday, not a health crisis.”

Francesca told the Stray Ferret: “When we politely ask people to avoid this footpath until the pandemic is over we often get abuse in return.

“We only want to protect our health, People don’t realise that their choice to walk here could kill us.

She fears for her family.

“A lot of people saying they’ll come through just to prove their rights. We know that legally we can’t obstruct the footpath.

“We’ve tried to get a temporary closure from the councils but they are so busy with the pandemic they haven’t given us a straight answer yet.

“We feel that it’s very important to protect ourselves and other farming families – there are five others on this footpath with equally vulnerable family members.”

What are the lockdown rules?

• People can only leave their home to exercise once a day, to commute to work when it is necessary or to shop for food or medicine
• North Yorkshire Police will soon have the power to fine people between £30 and £1,000 for breaching the rules

So far, there are 30 confirmed coronavirus cases in North Yorkshire with one death at Harrogate District Hospital.