Field Day

Cows on parade

2012-02-09T13:25:23Z

Cow Parade - one of the world's largest public art exhibitions - is heading to Belfast.

The event, which could feature as many as 200 fibreglass cows, will kick off in the Northern Ireland city in May.

It's happened at scores of venues around the world, allowing artists to transform the fibreglass sculptures into beautiful and varied works of art and, ultimately, raising millions for charity by auctioning them at the end of the event.

Champis the sheeprabbit

2012-02-08T15:24:26Z

Why herd your sheep with a plain old dog when there's a smaller, quieter, cuter, fluffier alternative? You'll save a fortune on the dog food bill too.

Introducing Champis, the sheep herding rabbit:

Champis lives in a barn, on a farm, in a small village in Sweden, and has become a bona fide YouTube phenomenon. This video was only uploaded on the site on the 24 January and already it's notched up more than 2million views.

I think this probably makes Champis the most famous rabbit in the world right now.

You can read more about this rabbit's unusual story on her owner's blog: www.gardsbacken.blogspot.com

Tractor used in bank raid

2012-02-08T06:55:44Z

Question: What happens when a tractor is driven into a bank wall?

Answer: This.

Farming talent on TV

2012-02-07T13:50:42Z

Young farming talent will go head-to-head in a TV show later this month designed to find the 'BBC Young Farmer of the Year'.

The programme, which will air on Sunday February 26 at 8pm on BBC 3, is part of the 'Young Talent' series, showcasing ambitious youngsters in various professions - from bakers to tailors.

The hundreds of initial applicants were whittled down to four, who were put through their paces in a Suffolk farm.

They faced various paper-based and practical challenges in a bid to explore their abilities.
Some tasks were physically challenging, others were psychologically testing - including one called 'the grill', says 32-year-old judge Dave Finkle (pictured) who works as farm manager at Jimmy Doherty's farm.

"It was like being in the army," says David. "For the final itself, we had the farming day from hell."

As well as its entertainment value, the show has a serious side, he points out.

"What I like about the concept is that it celebrates silent working heroes - farmers.

"All too often people take it for granted that food appears on their plates. This shows what farmers have had to do to get it there. It shows how difficult their job is - and celebrates their achievements.

"There's a lot of negative press about the youth of today; this shows people who are passionate about their industry."

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Big cat 'video proof'

2012-02-07T13:32:41Z

The big cat debate seems to be intensifying.

We ran some pictures of a supposed 'kill' yesterday here on Field Day - and I see today that The Sun's website is running video footage that it claims is 'proof' of the existence of a leopard-like beast.

A big cat kill?

2012-02-06T13:54:06Z

The big cat debate is one that I'm interested in, so Field Day readers often contact me to share their views.

Farmers Weekly received an email over the weekend from a lady who lives near Banbury in Oxfordshire. Yesterday, she discovered the carcass of a deer in the field next to her house and took this photo. She reckons the short trail of blood shows it was attacked and brought down very quickly.

She said she saw a couple of really big foxes come and eat some of the carcass last night, but she doubts if they killed it. Then when she went back out this morning, she found lots of fox pawprints but also some much bigger ones - see the photo below.

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Spud shots

2012-02-06T12:39:01Z

Country people love getting out with their cameras - as the 2011 Farmers Weekly Photography Competition demonstrates.

And if you've got some great spud-related shots, then you might be interested in the World Potato Congress photo competition.

OK, it won't mean taking the types of picture that'll end up on front pages around the world, but anything that helps promote potatoes and the farmers who grow them has got to be good news...

Livestock in the frame

2012-02-03T14:32:43Z

Sarah Spofforth McOuat's striking textured paintings really capture the spirit of her animal subjects.

Many of the residents of her mixed beef and sheep farm in Dunblane have modelled for her and produced some stunning portraits.

Hamish, who lives in the neighbouring farm, is "the Kate Moss of the Highland cow world," according to 33-year-old Sarah. "He always looks good even on a bad hair day."

Sarah researches ideas for new paintings by walking around the farm on the look out for an interesting face and soulful eyes.

"If I see a really nice cow, I will stop and take photographs of it. Highland cows are great because they have so much expression, but I'm also working on paintings of a really whiskery pig with lots of personality and a depressed-looking hare who looks like he needs cheering up.

"I've been told that my animal paintings put a smile on people's faces and that they can see right into their souls through their eyes."

She started from humble beginnings - the corner of the cow shed - but now has a studio on the 400 acre Scottish farm she lives on with her famer husband Tom and their two sons, Jamie and Archie.

Her work has sold as far afield as Australia, Spain and Egypt and even hangs in a local castle.

Under the name McSpoff-Art, Sarah specialises in personalised large-scale artwork and regularly gets commissions for people's pets.

Return to Field Day home page.

Fish found in field

2012-02-03T13:47:34Z

Farmers often find strange objects in their fields - but this really must have been a shocker. Twenty tonnes of mackerel.

Rabbit, Run

2012-02-01T16:09:52Z

I see that Matthew Naylor's been rabbiting on again over on the Mouth of the Wash blog.

Farmer frank online

2012-02-01T14:43:42Z

Just to let you know - the countryside's favourite agony uncle, Farmer Frank, now has his own page on Farmers Weekly's website.

And for those of you on Twitter, you can follow him at @farmerfrankfw

If you're not familiar with him, here's an example of one of his responses.

Q: I have started finding evidence of sexual congress on my allotment every Sunday morning. How should I respond this?

A: You could start by remembering to always pick vegetables on a Saturday.

Farmers Weekly's foetus fan

2012-02-01T11:48:40Z

Proof that you can never come to Farmers Weekly too young:

Thanks to FWispace user 'Trolivant' for their sense of humour and Photoshop skills. At least we hope it's Photoshop...

Picture life before industrial agriculture

2012-02-01T09:00:00Z

I love this picture by East Anglian photographer Justin Partyka:

The
It's one of many stand-out images in a new photo exhibition at the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) in Reading.

Collected together, Justin's pictures are intended to highlight how "traditional farming methods and knowledge still form a vital part of everyday life" and "explore the lives of those whose identity stems from a close relationship with the landscape."

Here's another from the collection:

All

Justin has been capturing rural scenes in Norfolk and Suffolk for the last ten years, exploring the worlds of rabbit catchers, reed cutters and small-scale farmers.

"This exhibition documents and depicts the lives of people who find themselves pushed increasingly to the margins," he said. "I have spent many hours in the fields patiently watching how man and the land intimately shape each other, witnessing a way of life that is deeply rooted in the past in an age where industrial agriculture has come to dominate the countryside."

The next county on Justin's list is Berkshire, where he's going to spend the next two months photographing farms and landscapes, leading to a pop up exhibition in central Reading in March.

The Field Work exhibition runs from 21 January - 22 April 2012 and admission is free. For more information visit the Field Work exhibition page.

If you can't make it to see the photographs in person, here are two more from the collection to whet your appetite:

Chocolate covered sprouts

2012-01-31T12:21:26Z

Coating healthy, green sprouts in naughty, sugar-filled chocolate sort of undoes the whole point of encouraging your kids to eat their veggies in the first place. But that's what one baker in Kent has done, and they're proving surprisingly popular.

Full story on the BBC.

Thanks to @Tyrells for flagging up this story on twitter.

Valentines cards for cow lovers

2012-01-30T10:30:41Z

If your beloved has an appreciation for cows, there's really only one card you should be buying them this Valentines Day:

This greetings card was the branchild of Staffordshire designer and farmer's daughter Helen Thompstone, who trades under the name 'A Farmer's Daughter'.

The heart marking on the side of the cow was Helen's handiwork, and for another card in her Valentines series she spelled out 'I love you' in ear tags. Who says romance is dead...

Her products are designed on the farm, made locally and are available to buy on craft website Folksy, or via her website: www.afarmersdaughter.co.uk