February 2009 News and Views

                                                                            

 

News & Members' Contributions from Countryside Connection Village  

       

The response has been so wonderful since I began sharing excerpts from our members' monthly newsletters! After enjoying this month's issue, you will be able to read all of those from the past year that you might have missed by accessing the individual links. February 2008 News and Views as well as  March 2008 News and Views   April 2008 News and Views  May 2008 News and Views  June 2008 News and Views  July 2008 News and Views  August 2008 News and Views  September 2008 News and Views  October 2008 News and Views November 2008 News and Views December 2008 News and Views and January 2009 News and Views  I will continue to provide access to future issues in the same way so that you will not miss any of the news from our village. To enable you to enjoy past news and members' contributions from our Countryside Connection Village please simply click on the link to the appropriate month each time you visit our site.

 

Please Note : As one of our members, Artist Linda Leonard Hughes from Maine advised in our February 2008 issue, you will be wise to prepare a pot of your favourite brew before beginning so that you can sit back, relax and enjoy all of the exciting news as well as the latest adventures and offerings our members have shared.

I hope you will enjoy the excerpts from our Members' Newsletter. If you have a small business in Britain or America that you would like to see featured on our site and enjoy the full benefits of membership in our unique networking community, please send me an email and I will be delighted to make contact with you and answer all of your questions. Send your request to enquiries@countrysideconnection.com ~ I look forward to hearing from you, Heléne 

Dear Visitors to Countryside Connection Village,   

In researching a favourite quote of my father’s ~ a very wise man who appeared to have a suitable quotation or writing readily at hand no matter what the occasion; I discovered that it has often been stated in articles referring to the current economic crisis we are all enduring – ‘Hope for the best, expect for the worst and accept whatever comes’ The sources credited with this are too numerous to mention ( a Google Search will reveal what I mean) but I must admit it has often been in my thoughts in recent times.

My mother’s wisdom ensured that we were always guided by two loving parents who wanted their children to be both intelligent and compassionate in their approach to all that life places in one’s path. I assume this particular favourite, often heard by each of us, came from the old proverb ‘ to walk a mile in another man’s shoes’ My mother’s special version ~ ‘if everyone were to sit in a circle and put their shoes into the middle, each would choose to take back his own’ My mother would remind us that although there are times in everyone’s life when we are prone to think our problems are worse than anyone else’s, it is the wise person who takes time to pause and think about others and the great burdens so many endure each and every day. She was a woman who was greatly loved and admired by all who knew her and always found time to help others as a volunteer in our local hospital and through the many charities and women’s groups she was involved in. The way she lived her life and guided her children’s continues to inspire and influence every day of my life. **When you read this month’s contribution from member Jackie Miller I feel certain that you will be as encouraged as I was by her own generosity of spirit that was displayed so inspiringly during this past holiday season. ~ I want to take this moment to also express how humbled I felt by her kind and thoughtful comments about the vital part Countryside Connection and I have played in her new found confidence and desire to become even more involved in life’s vast offerings. Her belief in what we all have to offer by networking and supporting one another has laid the foundation for her new found desire to make changes in her own life. You all know that this is at the heart of everything that led me to establish our village and her words and those often expressed by other members mean more than I can possibly express to you. It is ALWAYS a good time to network the economy is simply another reason to do so.  

This is clearly a time of challenge for all of us and I am pleased to share the various ways in which a number of our members are wisely taking things in hand with regards to their own personal businesses and individual lives and to introduce new working partners who have taken a very different route than most. I hope you will share your unique approaches with all of us and I will present them in next month’s issue.

 

Isobel Davies has recently been mentioned for her ethical clothing line from the newest of her three companies, Izzy Lane www.izzylane.co.uk  which has enabled her Yorkshire Sheep Sanctuary to save more than 600 Wensleydale and Shetland Sheep from slaughter. However, her beliefs guide her through an exemplary life that is a guidepost for many and an inspiration for even more. It will not surprise anyone who knows her to find that her original companies, Farmaround www.farmaround.co.uk and Farmaround North www.farmaroundnorth.co.uk  founded almost fifteen years ago, are addressing the present economic situation with a special offering for its customers:

 

     

 

About Farmaround

As a wholly vegetarian company established in 1994, Farmaround specializes in the weekly home delivery of organic fruit and vegetables. You can choose from our Standard Family Bags, Mini Bags, (which would suit a single person), Mediterranean Bags, Salad Bags, Luxury Bags as well as a selection of Vegetable Modules that you can combine. And recently introduced is our Credit-Crunch bag, specifically designed to help those who want to buy organic but who are feeling the financial pinch. In addition to this we deliver Standard, Mini and Luxury Fruit Bags and an extensive range of organic extras which include groceries, bread and dairy products.

We deliver to your door in central London and in the North of England

We are proud to support and be associated with Compassion in World Farming and their tremendous work as they strive to gain a better life for farm animals.

www.farmaround.co.uk

email: info@farmaround.co.uk

Tel: 01748 821116

Don’t miss Isobel's recipe for Aubergine Fritters with Tomato Chutney  just added to our Recipe Category!   

Member Carla Boulton of  Naughty Mutt Ltd. www.naughtymutt.com as we have all learned from her many wonderful and humorous contributions to our newsletters, always finds a way to put a positive spin on absolutely everything ~ from business and the economy to making her children love their vegetables even when she describes how she is ‘force feeding them’ from a bumper crop of one particular item.

Hi Heléne

Quick note off to Florence this afternoon for a few days to get some art in my soul!

Note for March Newsletter: 

I am showing my drawings at Jones Coffee House  

  18 Green End, Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 1AA 

For the whole of March 2009 

Hope you are well 

Carla 

The night of Carla's 'departure to Italy email' shown above, a wonderful coincidence occurred. I received an unexpected telephone call from Italy ~ not from Carla who I hope was far too busy having a delightful time, but from one of our other valued members, Hilary Shenton of Zarza Alpacas www.zarza-alpacas.com. It was lovely having a chance to chat and catch up with Hilary who began breeding Alpacas in 1998 and is now a renowned judge as well as a highly respected breeder. Although she is extremely busy with her international workshops and many other projects as well two Alpaca farms, one in Italy and the other herd on a farm in Wiltshire that is run by her UK managers, Hilary very kindly suggested at the end of last year that now that she is spending much of her time living and breeding Alpacas in Italy she would like to offer to write a regular column for our newsletter from the Italian Countryside. Her first column appears this month and I feel certain you will find it as interesting and enthralling as I did.

                                                                        

Zarza Alpacas - Hilary's Story from Italy

As I sit writing this and looking at the snow on the mountains I realise why we moved here to southern Italy . Days working at home interspersed with afternoons skiing, or on the beach in summer, sounds like an idyll but life has not always been as calm as this!

We moved here from England in early 2007 in order to expand the alpaca breeding business so successfully established in Herefordshire ten years earlier.

It had always been an ambition of mine to live in Italy and I bought and restored an historic apartment for holidays in Umbria a few years ago which fuelled that ambition. My partner John and I then agreed that life in the UK was not what we wanted in the long term and so we sold our barn in rural England and bought some land with a view to building a house in Puglia . Unfortunately things did not work well for us there and we missed the hills and scenery and good grazing for the alpacas. Hence we now find ourselves living at 800 m above sea level on the side of Monte Sirino, near Rivello in Basilicata .

Breeding alpacas is both a job and a passion. I established my herd, called Zarza, at a time when there were few quality alpaca herds in England . During that first decade I worked very hard indeed both learning about the breeding and care of alpacas and developing a sound business that would ensure a good return on a substantial investment. My herd grew from an initial pair of pregnant females from Peru to over 75 at the peak of business. As is often the case in a new venture experience and knowledge changes our initial views and I downsized the herd after a while retaining the very best pedigrees and ensuring a mix of colour so that the yarn I would eventually produce from the fleeces would be in saleable colours.

I also enriched my knowledge by qualifying as an alpaca judge with the British Alpaca Society and attending the international Alpaca Breeders Fibre School in Peru-more about that on another occasion!

We moved 11 of the alpacas with us to Italy . In the summer of 2007 four crias (babies) were born whilst we were in Puglia . We were so busy that we did not re-mate the females deciding to give them a year off being pregnant so they could properly acclimatise. So now we have crias to look forward to in the summer of 2009.

I get lots of enquiries from people drawn to the beauty and exclusivity of alpacas, but it’s important people know how to look after them. That’s why I developed the Alpaca Experience - effectively to provide people with a ‘day in the life of an alpaca breeder’. Alpacas may be extremely hardy from their roots on the mountains of Peru , but they still need caring for. That’s what I like to show people. Show them how much fun they can have, balanced with what they can expect to do in return. And it’s a fantastic pay-off!

My clients come from all walks of life but have the same ambitions - to enjoy the kudos of these animals, along with the dedication to making a rural business a success. The weighting of these two ambitions does vary though. To some the beauty of these animals roaming their land is enough. To others, the commercial enterprise and return on investment is just as important. I make sure each is aware of the opportunities, including breeding stock, stud, livery and alpaca fibre (ie fleece)

It is my job to make sure each client achieves their ambition. Ultimately though, my loyalty lies with my animals. I’ve rarely met such enchanting, intelligent and thoughtful animals. I do feel very blessed to have found my niche and to watch others experience the same magic when they get their first animals.

Now our British herd is based in Wiltshire and these courses continue there with the next one on 28 February. In Italy the courses have been adapted for life here with the next one being held on 7 March.

Some people come for a great day out! For others it is the start of the fulfilment of the dream just like ours!

If you’d like to know more about us and our alpacas look at www.zarza-alpacas.com or give me a call on 0786 778 1699 ( UK ) or 0039 320 822 7068 ( Italy )

Debbie ‘ The Mulberry Dyer’ thoughtfully sent me a Cc to her enthusiastic email to Hilary with all of her contact details. Although she is unable to attend the event at Ashland Lane due to a dyeing workshop she and John are holding then at Kent Guild she wrote that she is very interested in exploring ways that they can mutually support one another and discover ways of working together. Another Countryside Connection partnership is on the horizon – think about ways you can join those who so successfully networking with other members!

For those of you who are looking for new opportunities and experiences or possibly even a change of lifestyle and the way you earn your living, Hilary has sent along some information about upcoming courses she is offering in both England and in Italy . Please contact Hilary or Carol & Peter Watt whose information is provided below for more details or to reserve a place on any of the courses, but please do let us know if you participate as all members would love to hear about it!

 

7^th of March – Italian Seminar

                                                                        

 

Introduction to Alpacas

 

For people interested to meet and learn more about alpacas in Italy

 

7 March 2009    at   Casa Sirino, Contrada Sirino 16, 85040 Rivello (PZ)

10.00                Meet for coffee

10.30                                Presentation – What are alpacas?

10.31                                Differences between huacayas and suris                   

                        Where do they come from?    How do they live and breed?

                        What do they eat?                How healthy are alpacas?

                        Your future with alpacas

11.15                Tour of the farm

                        Meet the alpacas – huacayas and suris

                        Herding and handling alpacas

13.00                Light lunch

14.15                Trimming toenails

                        Walking alpacas

1500                 How to choose an alpaca – what to look for

Seminar leaders

Hilary Shenton, owner of the Zarza herd from England , a British Alpaca Society Judge and breeder with 10 years experience.

Fee

Euro 60 per person or Euro 100 per couple payable upon booking.

Lunch Euro 15

                                                            Booking Slip

 

Send to: Hilary Shenton, Casa Sirino, Contrada Sirino 16, 85040 Rivello (PZ) or book by e-mail hilary@zarza-alpacas.com

Name of participants:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

                 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Name:……………………………………………………………………..tel.no…………………………………………….

e-mail address…………………………………………………………..

 

                                                                         

 

        

 

The Alpaca Experience

A One Day Introduction to Keeping and Breeding Alpacas

Saturday 28 February 2009

10am -4pm

Venue: Ashton Lane Alpacas, Steeple Ashton, Nr Trowbridge, Wiltshire

 

This is a comprehensive overview of all the issues regarding the breeding of alpacas for beginners.

Specific Content

How alpacas live; handling alpacas; nutrition, health and basic husbandry; preparing land and shelters; how to choose quality alpacas; legal and financial issues; business planning; breeding; accessing further support and training

Participants

No previous livestock experience needed. Just bring your boots and warm clothes in case of cold weather!

Programme

One full day with time indoors for theory and outside for practical work

Course Leader

 

Hilary Shenton is an accredited International Breeder from the Alpaca Breeders Fibre School (held in Peru 2004 by Dr Julio Sumar) and a BAS Judge.

She has been breeding alpacas for ten years and is a regular participant in shows and an ex-Director of British Alpaca Ltd (the ‘coop’)

Hilary runs training courses both in England and Italy on Introduction to Alpacas, Alpaca Husbandry, Assessing Alpacas and she also runs a Breeding Seminar

Fee

£49 per person or £75 per couple.VAT is added and lunch is provided.

Course materials provided.

If you book The Alpaca Fibre Day on 1 March too then the cost for both courses is £69 for one person or £105 for a couple!

Booking:          

Call Peter or Carol Watt, Ashton Lane Alpacas on 01380 870603 or email Hilary Shenton on hilary@zarza-alpacas.com

 

                                                         

   

Alpaca Fibre Day         

                                                            Sunday 1 March 2009

                                                                     10am-4pm

 

Venue: Ashton Lane Alpacas, Steeple Ashton, Nr Trowbridge, Wiltshire

Overall Objectives

To gain an understanding of the characteristics of alpaca fibre and what influences the quality.

To review options for selling or developing products from your alpaca fibre.

Specific Content

Understanding alpaca fibre ; qualities of alpaca fibre ; comparison with other fleece producing animals; assessing the key characteristics both on and off the alpaca ; factors that affect the fibre quality; caring for the fleece; hands on assessments.

Viewing of spinning, felting and dyeing processes

Fleece, yarn and products for sale

Participants

This course is suitable for beginners to breeding and for people who are keen to focus on the fibre.

Participants are encouraged to bring along some of their own alpacas to practise on and to assess other people’s alpacas too.

People with alpaca products for sale are warmly invited to bring them along.

Programme

One full day with time indoors for theory and outside for practical work.

Course Leader

Hilary Shenton is an accredited International Breeder from the AlpacaBreedersFibreSchool (held in Peru 2004 by Dr Julio Sumar) and a BAS Judge.

She has been breeding alpacas for ten years and is a regular participant in shows and an ex-Director of British Alpaca Ltd (the ‘coop’)

Hilary runs training courses both in England and Italy on Introduction to Alpacas, Alpaca Husbandry, Assessing Alpacas and she also runs a Breeding Seminar

Fee

£40 per person or £60 per couple.VAT is added and lunch is provided.

Course materials provided.

If you book The Alpaca Experience on 28 February too then the cost for both courses is £69 for one person or £105 for a couple!

Booking:          Call Peter or Carol Watt, Ashton Lane Alpacas on 01380 870603 or email Hilary Shenton on hilary@zarza-alpacas.com

 

It was member Sandra Morton, farmer and owner of ‘Perilla’ www.perilla.co.uk who introduced Hilary to Countryside Connection. Hilary’s English farm was located near Sandra’s and as a local breeder of British Alpaca she collaborated with Sandra to enable her to present a range of luxury items that includes socks to fit every need from sleeping comfort to outdoor pursuits as wide-ranging as fishing and sailing. Alpaca’s unique hollow fibre is incredibly lightweight and warm; the high insulating properties make them perfectly suited for outdoor clothing. Second only to silk for strength, alpaca is comparable to the luxurious softness of cashmere yet more durable than both. Hypoallergenic qualities with no lanolin content make alpaca ideal for babies and those with sensitive skin. Visit Sandra’s wonderful website and discover items for men, women and children to order from the comfort of your own home. I feel certain you will not only want to shop, but it will also entice you to attend one of Hilary’s seminars to learn more about both Alpacas and working with their extraordinary fibre.

 

        One of ‘Perilla’s’ incredible & wide array of offerings to keep you warm and cozy:

                                                            

 

  

I recently received this most welcome email from Sandra. We share many things in common and it is always such a pleasure to hear from her and catch up on the latest news. Life is hectic and challenging on Sandra’s farm and in her home but she is always so filled with enthusiasm and positive thoughts and willing to have them shared!

Hi Heléne,

Can't believe how lovely it is not to be lambing. I miss the lambs terribly but I don't miss the hard work and all the problems that come with lambing large numbers of pedigree sheep. Lambing them was the easy bit then comes the hard bit which is keeping them alive and well. The work never stopped as I was producing ram lambs and yearling rams for the Autumn ram markets. I have kept thirty ewes to keep the grass down in the summer which seems like keeping 3 in comparison to how it was.  They are in at the moment as there isn't a blade of grass and our land is so so wet.  They keep coming up to me in disbelief and asking when on earth the proper feeding gets started - they seem quite bemused that they are now pets instead of little breeding machines. Of course being Charollais and Suffolks I have to make sure that they do not go out overfat on the Spring grass, when that happy day arrives, as we will then have a load of fat sheep on their backs with their legs in the air! I absolutely love sheep and would never be without them.

I still have twenty three horses and ponies and this looks as though it is going to be a very bad year indeed to sell youngstock although they do say about everything "quality always sells", we will see!

My husband is due to retire in March and I am not entirely sure how pleased I am about that. He says that he is going to fill his days felling trees in our woodland and chopping logs. Will let you know when the corn shed is full! We haven't planted any corn at all this year. We worked out it would actually cost us more in corn seed, time, fertilizer and sprays to put a crop in the ground than we would get at the end - in fact we would be £2,000 down - the world has gone mad!

Sam has got a really lovely Personal Assistant who used to clean for me 10 years ago. She is absolutely perfect, she takes him swimming, shopping, does painting with him and cooking. He has improved immensely already. He is also under the care of a Homeopath and we think the remedies he is having are helping as well. He still has his two treasured days at the Houghton Project where he does farming and horticulture and we have one night respite care.  We still have the odd explosion when he hurls his glass of Ribena up the walls, but life is altogether easier - Thank God!

Meggie has got a nice job in Hereford and seems quite happy with life. A lovely boyfriend has helped although he is off to foreign climes soon for the gap year he never had. My eldest son is in IT and is very worried at the way things are going. He thought he was having a heart attack recently and after all the tests they found it was stress. Difficult to say stop worrying when he could lose his job at any minute if he doesn't meet his targets. I wish I could call his boss and ask him to ease up on him but he would be mortified - he is 25 after all!

My back has improved immeasurably now I have knocked off the sheep and have a girl to muck out the horses. Now I am going to have to watch what I eat as I am not burning off the calories like I used to which is the only bad bit. I hope your back is on the mend now, it is always lovely to hear from you and I always feel very guilty when I don't have time to write back - I know you understand.

Happily we had a marvelous Christmas with Perilla - completely exhausting but at least we were flat out busy.  We are at least doubling our turnover every year so that ain't bad!

Warmest wishes,

Sandra

  

Jinsy Robinson of Penyrallt Farm also writes about lambing in two of her recent emails www.penyrallt.co.uk 

Dear Heléne,

I was so pleased to get your email this morning...a lovely cheering start to a grey damp day.

I must apologise again for not being in touch but David & I have been away for a few days. We went down to Cornwall last week and had a real break from the farm. I had not been to Cornwall before (other than a brief visit being taken by friends to the Eden Project (which we hated!!)), so it was a lovely chance to see a new part of the country. We stayed in a tiny cottage on the LizardPeninsula and had a very relaxed time.

Although it is still only January we were amazed to see fields of daffodils in flower and there were primroses and snowdrops out in the hedgerows. We probably won't see snowdrops until well into next month and my daffodils are just showing 1/2" above the ground.

It was good to have a break before things get busy here again. We start lambing in the next week or so and we have some friends of David's coming to stay for a couple of days next week and a school visit by 50 3-7 yr. olds on the 12th Feb. and my first holiday makers on 14th, so you can see 2009 is getting into gear!

I am also having to start thinking of plans for a Easter Egg Hunt that we are hoping to do in conjunction with the Soil Association and Green & Blacks Chocolate. G & B have offered chocolate eggs to any organic farm that is involved in a jolly day for Easter with the support of the Soil Association. So that will be fun. See the S.A. website for details.

I will send you a piece for the newsletter very shortly and meanwhile, thank you again and I will be interested to learn more about Sara.

Love and best wishes,

Jinsy

                                          

As cheerful as always, two of our familiar American contributors wrote about events during their endurance of very difficult winter weather; one in Maine, the other in Virginia. It is snowing steadily here and in almost all parts of Great Britain) as I write this portion today (2^nd of February). our daughter Morgan telephoned this morning to report London has come to a standstill – no public transport, no work and off to the park with friends!

The first is from Artist, Linda Leonard Hughes writing from her home in Maine. www.lindaleonardhughes.com

                                         

Old Mill at Leeds Maine

Hi Heléne,

Hope all is well and your winter isn't as bad as ours! I never remember a winter as bad as this in my lifetime! The cold just won't let up. I have a couple of things to add about my Art. I will be in "Art of the West" magazine in this March 2009 issue with one of my still life paintings. I will also have a one woman show at the Boothbay Memorial Library in June 2009. I have been working very hard and people are starting to take notice. How have you been doing? I haven't spoken to you in a long time! I am sorry about not keeping in touch. Oh, there is a lot of that bank fraud here, I get it all time, even banks in England. It seems that fraud is everywhere we turn these days! I hate it!  Well, that is all I have for now! Take Care and let’s hope the winter is going to end early this year. 

Warmest Wishes,

Linda

Enduring an equally cold winter, Wendy Blair writes from Rose Hill Bed and Breakfast in Roanoke, Virginia www.bandbrosehill.com and shares another wonderful recipe. Her Apple Spice Muffin Recipe will be found on our Recipe Pages and later in our Recipe Archive Category. 

Dear Heléne,

How nice to hear your email voice.  You are correct about the weather.  All pipes frozen solid for two days.  Luckily nothing burst.  My lovely neighbor
calmed me down and instructed me to open up all the faucets and just wait.
Fortunately, I had no guests scheduled and the pipes thawed out . . .
eventually.  I had to scramble a bit to get ready for tonight's guests but
all is well in the Commonwealth.  I have attached my latest muffin recipe which has been
a tremendous hit.  Hope the new year is good to you, your family and your
back.  I will write more when I'm not playing catch up with my cleaning.

Ta ta,

Wendy

 

A Warm Welcome To The Yorkshire Farming Family Who Are Our Newest Working Partners

 

It is with the greatest pleasure that I introduce Sara, Stephen and Ian Ridsdale

 

As we are all well aware, farming members and others are constantly exploring unique ways to diversify. To mention just a few of our own members who have expanded and explored new ways of utilising their land and resources Jinsy and David Robinson at Penyrallt in Wales host school groups and others to introduce them to their organic farm and now have a self-catering rental cottage that is in great demand as well as a farm shop; Isobel Davies started Izzy Lane, her ethical clothing line after founding her Sheep Sanctuary in Yorkshire, as mentioned above, in addition to Farmaround in London and Farmaround North in North Yorkshire and the North East delivering organic produce and other items directly to your door; when Sandra Morton’s back and hip problems as well as her husband’s upcoming retirement demanded reducing their livestock and finding something different, she opened her online company, ‘Perilla’ specialising in Alpaca clothing and increasingly offering other diverse items; Adams and Robb Family Farms in Vermont both have extensive opportunities for visitors to learn more about farming as well as operating gift shops, offering hay rides and sleigh rides depending upon the season, as well as music festivals and other events throughout the year and Helen Browning in Wiltshire whose company sells her products online and caters at events throughout the country bought their local pub last year which now features her wide-range of organic products and is quickly gaining a great following and reputation for their food, service, ambience and accommodations. These are just a few examples and more will be featured in future issues ~ please send us your news and let everyone know what you are doing so we can all ‘spread the word’.

 

Now, on to the introduction of The Ridsdales ~ Sara. her husband Stephen and his brother Ian were recently featured in the Country Week - Rural Affairs Section of our local Yorkshire Post. I was so fascinated by their wonderful story and approach that I wrote to Sara and Stephen about the possibility of exploring ways in which we might all work together. I was delighted to receive a separate warm and prompt reply from each of them filled with enthusiasm after having visited our website. When you read more about what they are doing, I know you will be as pleased as I am that we are going to be working together, offering features to our readers about one another’s websites and members as well as exchanging featured links. Sara and I are exploring ways in which we can continue to support and network together.

Brothers Stephen and Ian continue to farm on their 250-acre farmstead at Common Farm, Bielby, near Pocklington, East Yorkshire in partnership with their father, Terry and are the third generation to live there since their grandfather, Hugo purchased the farm in 1960. He started with an initial 110 acres, but six years later purchased additional acreage.They grow wheat, barley, oilseed rape, fodder beet and have cattle as well as a variety of smaller livestock.

However, for the past year, up to 10 per cent of the farm’s annual turnover comes from the family’s online pursuits. Stephen attended a computer course run by Yorkshire Forward and describes how the new enterprises happened as a direct result “The people who ran the course showed us different ways of making money. After all, if you’re a beef farmer you might go into things thinking that you will simply sell your beef online, but we were encouraged to think differently to that. So we came up with a knowledge-based product.”

In fact, the family came up with two and have plans for more in the future. Sara has her own site and Ian and Stephen run their own separate individual site, each based upon their own interests and expertise.

I will begin with Sara, a teacher until recently she now runs her weblog where she talks about farming-related issues, with video clips featuring current activity on the farm as well as a popular forum.

    

Farming Friends Website and Forum

                                                      

   

Charlie, Camilla & Diana the Guinea Fowls

When Sara moved to the farm after her wedding to Stephen in 2004, the acquisition of two leghorn hens (Hatty and Hetty the hens) and three guinea fowl (Charlie, Camilla and Diana) cemented Sara’s enthusiasm for keeping livestock. Initially the poultry were reintroduced to the farm in order to supply the family with their own eggs, but this interest in poultry quickly developed and Sara now successfully breeds and rears guinea fowl, along with quail and khaki Campbell ducks. The quail, guinea fowl and duck eggs are sold to local farm shops and restaurants and hatching eggs are also available along with week old keets and quail chicks. In mid 2007, Saddleback pigs were re-introduced to the farm and the two Saddlebacks sows (Cagney and Lacy) have now produced three litters of piglets which have been sold for breeding and fattening.

The farmingfriends website was set up at the end of 2006 and started as a diary of daily life on the farm but has grown into an online magazine and forum community packed with factual articles, recipes, puzzles, and competitions as well as readers sending in comments, questions and photographs relating to farming, smallholders, keeping and raising livestock, cooking, nature and the countryside. Hatty the hen now has fans around the world and the Saddleback sows were named by a reader in Canada. If you are a farmer, smallholder, animal enthusiast, parent, child or anyone interested in animals and the farming lifestyle then the Farming Friends website and forum is for you. Sara looks forward to seeing you there.

                                               

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