19
Oct
Fountains Abbey farmer wins national award for regeneration
A farmer near Ripon has scooped one of the most prestigious titles in UK agriculture at a national awards ceremony in Birmingham.
James Johnson, of Mallard Grange Farm at Fountains Abbey, was named Regenerative Farmer of the Year at the British Farming Awards.
The awards, which are hosted by the news publication Farmers Guardian and sponsored by Morrisons, celebrate pioneering family farms, innovation, technology, and business diversification across the British agricultural sector.
The family-run, 300-hectare Mallard Grange Farm is using regenerative agriculture to transform production, profitability and biodiversity.
Following extreme weather in 2019 and 2020, the family adopted adaptive multi-paddock grazing, diverse herbal leys, reduced tillage and direct drilling.
Its 140 suckler cows and 400 ewes use native, forage-efficient genetics, and pasture-raised hens follow grazing livestock, helping control pests and return nutrients naturally.
Hens at Mallard Grange Farm follow grazing livestock.
Arable practices include diverse cover crops, manure applications and reduced artificial fertiliser use. Sheep also graze cereal crops in spring, helping reduce disease pressure and fungicide requirements.
These changes have cut fertiliser costs to around a third of previous levels, while improved soil structure and deeper rooting increase resilience to drought and heavy rainfall.
Diversification includes pasture-raised eggs, meat boxes, pick-your-own flowers and accommodation, creating new income streams while supporting healthier soils, greater biodiversity and long-term farm resilience.
On winning the award, Mr Johnson said:
Farming is going through the hardest time at the moment – there are so many uncertainties – but I've always been a glass-half-full kind of person, so it's amazing to come together and showcase what we do to all the people in the industry, especially the youngsters coming up.
Wildlife hero
The award was the latest in a series of accolades for local farmers. Earlier last week, Robert McAneney of Scow Hall Farm in the Washburn Valley picked up the Farmer title at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's first ever Wildlife Hero Awards.
Washburn Valley farmer Robert McAneney of Scow Hall Farm collects the Farmer title at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's first ever Wildlife Hero Awards. Photo: Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
Mr McAneney is Yorkshire Water’s first tenant under its Beyond Nature Next Generation Farming Programme, and has introduced a range of measures to simultaneously improve productivity and sustainability at the Norwood farm.
He has improved soil management, while restoring field margins, rough grassland, drystone walls and other habitats. Fencing and buffer strips protect streams, and his support for natural woodland regeneration, species-rich meadows and locally sourced wildflowers has created habitats for birds, mammals, pollinators and aquatic wildlife.
His work has also secured an 11-year extension to his tenancy with Yorkshire Water.
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