Emma Pritchard catches up with Countryfile presenter Adam Henson to find out more about life as one of the nation’s favourite farmers
“I always knew I wanted to be a farmer...
I was about five years old and I used to love helping my dad and older sisters get the pregnant ewes into their pens to give birth. We’d then turn them out with their lambs to graze in the paddock. One day, we were moving a flock of 200 ewes and they decided to bolt past me into a neighbouring field. I can still remember their legs and bodies going over me. When I got up, I was covered in dust, muck and bruises, but I wasn’t worried. I was more distraught that I’d not managed to keep the sheep on track.
“For me, farming is all about the livestock...
I’ve done some arable farming in the past, but it’s the animals that are my thing. Sheep, in particular and sheep dogs. We specialise in rare breeds on our farm – we have 50 types and seven different species, including sheep, pigs, cattle, poultry. You name it, we’ve got it. It makes life interesting.
“Rare breeds are part of my family legacy...
My dad started collecting them in the 1960s, partly as a hobby, but he saw them as an important genetic resource to save for the future. He founded the Rare Breed Survival Trust in 1973 and since then, no rare breeds have gone extinct. It’s refreshing to see the public’s increased interest in these animals. Food provenance has become much more of a talking point, which is lovely to see.
“I love the diversity of farming across the UK...
I get to travel a lot for my work and it’s fascinating to see what people are doing. I was recently filming on the Queen’s Estate at Windsor Great Park. There, they keep the biggest collection of Sussex Cattle (a rare breed) in the world plus a herd of Jersey cows, which have been there since Queen Victoria’s time. With the robotic milking machines housed in lovely old buildings, it was a fine example of traditional farming embracing the new.
“Autumn is an exciting time on my farm...
It’s the beginning of the farming year, when I’m busy planting autumn crops such as wheat, barley and oilseed rape, and putting ewes to the ram to lamb in the spring. There’s the anticipation of what’s to come. The land is also changing – we have deciduous woodland here, with lots of beech and ash – and they are an amazing ray of colour as their leaves start to change from greens to oranges and browns. I’ll often see deer, hare and flocks of skylarks. And the best bit? Blackberry and apple pie. My mum, who sadly passed away last spring, used to make it as it's a favourite of mine. This will be the first autumn without her, so I’ll have to persuade my partner Charlie to make it instead. Fortunately, she’s a good cook.
- An evening with Adam Henson is on October 18 at The Capitol in Horsham; visit thecapitolhorsham.com for details
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