Yorkshire Wolds Farm is Tye Trophy Winner
An historic estate on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Wolds has today (Wednesday
July 9) been named winner of a prestigious award for environmental conservation.
Mr Michael Willoughby of the Birdsall Estate near Malton was Birdsall Estates
Farms, Birdsall, received the Tye Trophy which recognizes the contribution of
farmers in Yorkshire and the North East to wildlife conservation and environmental
protection and is organized by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the region’s
Farming and Wildlife Advisory Groups (FWAG).
Birdsall Estates farm comprises of 2559ha of arable and grassland with further
310ha woodland in Ryedale on the edge of the Wolds. The estate also supports a
commercial shoot. The remainder of the estate is tenanted out.
The majority of the farm landscape includes Wold tops, escarpment, Site of Special
Scientific Interest and chalk grassland dales, parkland, and woodland and heavier
low lying ground.
The farm was one of the five area winners and now has the option of going forward
to next year’s prestigious Silver Lapwing Award, although Birdsall has won this
national, award in the past, the estate’s commitment to conservation remains undiminished.
The five areas represented are North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, South & West
Yorkshire, Northumberland and Tyne Tees. Mr Willoughby was the North Yorkshire
Area Winner.
The awards will be presented by Mrs. Alison Saville who gave the trophy in 1989
in memory of her grandfather Howard Tye, founder of Tye Trailers, and also her
father Kenneth Tye. Now sponsored by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the
Awards are part of the Society’s charitable work which sees more than £1million
allocated to aid to the farming community each year. Last month (June) saw work
start on a £5.1m Regional Agricultural Centre on the edge of the showground. This
will include prestigious offices, a café and shop selling regional produce. The
YAS is the first agricultural society in the UK to undertake such a project.
Mr Richard Howard-Vyse, a past President of the Society, and one of the judges
for the award finalists said that whilst the final shortlist was “very close”
Birdsall stood out as a very well run commercial estate which integrated conservation
into its commercial activities, with new planting of wild bird strips and new
woodland into the contours of the Wolds.
.
When it comes to management policy owner Michael Willoughby explained: “we have
to find the balance between environmental security and food security.”
The grassland supports an 1100 head suckler cow herd with followers reared as
replacements or finished. In total the farm runs 3,500 head of cattle. The cows
are mainly Stabilisers or crosses of the Stabiliser breed. Some 1,500 meters
of hedgerows are planted each year some of this is to protect archaeological sites.
“It is great news that Michael Willoughby has won the prestigious Tye Trophy
award in 2008. His approach combines the very best of commercial farming and
conservation – both of wildlife and landscape.” said CLA regional director for
Yorkshire, Dorothy Fairburn.
“Michael Willoughby is a past Chairman of the Yorkshire branch of the CLA and
is currently the CLA’s national Vice President Europe – a role that gives him
a unique opportunity to visit farms and estates across Europe to see how other
countries marry farming and conservation.”
“The Yorkshire Wolds, where Michael farms, are a greatly undervalued part of
Yorkshire – with their own distinctive landscape features, much appreciated by
artist David Hockney. It is good to have such an important contribution to maintaining
this special landscape recognised and rewarded. This landscape depends upon continuity
of management by farmers and landowners with the knowledge and skills that have
been passed down from generation to generation.”
Michael Willoughby of Birdsall Estates (centre) presented by Andy Ormiston FWAG
and Mrs Alison Saville at the Great Yorkshire Show 2008