Shadow Agriculture Minister Jim Paice MP has described local farmer and entrepreneur Tim Waygood’s experimental farm at Ardeley as “an impressive project, which we will be monitoring closely”.
North East Herts MP Oliver Heald took Shadow Agriculture Minister Jim Paice to visit Tim Waygood at Church Farm Ardeley to see how his “Agrarian Renaissance” is transforming the 175 acre farm into a new model for farming. Tim showed them round and explained how he hopes to build on his plan and spread it round Britain. He has already lectured about it at an Oxford conference.
The farm is genuinely mixed with Berkshire and other pigs, cattle, sheep, many varieties of poultry picking away in new orchards, vegetables, grain – in fact, food of many sorts. The farm provides educational facilities and is a hub for other services from a vehicle mechanic to a vet. The recent opening of the shop means that Ardeley is one of few villages to have a new shop – the first shop there since the 1970s – and all meat home-grown on the farm. The coffee was excellent in the busy café too.
A caring side to the enterprise is shown by the “Rural Care” base, enabling disadvantaged people to work on the farm, learning skills and making friends.
Commenting Oliver said:
“I have been hearing good reports of Tim’s scheme and thought Jim Paice should see how it is changing the face of farming, particularly for smaller mixed farms. I am delighted that Jim was so impressed and wish Tim good fortune in spreading his wings. This is a great initiative in North East Herts”.
The photo shows us with the cattle: L to R – Tim, me, Jim.
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Contact Oliver Heald MP – 01763 247640
or Tim Waygood at Church Farm - 07958 125142
Friday 11 September 2009