Butchery
and Sausage Making at Empire Farm
Sally and Adrian
Morgan run a series of courses throughout the year at
Empire Farm, their 100 acre organic farm at Templecombe
in Somerset. The courses are proving to be in demand
with people attending from as far away as Warwickshire,
London and the Isle of Wight. Vouchers for the courses
were obviously popular as Christmas gifts as Farm
Radio's Colleen Jackson found out when she talked to
some of the people on a Pig Butchery (with butcher Ken
Davison) and Sausage Making day in early January. There
was also a television crew filming the course as part of
a forthcoming documentary about a Warwickshire village
community Pig Club.
Colleen previously talked to Sally
Morgan last year and you can also listen to this
interview in
Edition 42 (April 2008). A list of their courses for
2009 can be found on their website.
www.empirefarm.co.uk
Click on the bale to
listen
(26/01/09)
|
Report on the
Meeting
to Present the New Sustainable Communities Act, Dorchester
Corn Exchange, Friday 16th. January
The main purpose of the meeting was to
launch locally the new Sustainable Communities Act. John
Holman went along for Farm Radio and, shortly before the
meeting, was able to record an interview with Ron Bailey
from "Local Works", the massive coalition that campaigned to
push the legislation through. Here Ron explains what it is
all about and you can hear some clips from the meeting.
Mayor of Dorchester,
Kate Hebditch welcomes everyone to the
meeting. She mentions a presentation of Dorchester's
Transition Town project but, as we decided to concentrate on
the Sustainable Communities Act here, we plan to bring you a
further item dealing with the Transition Town project.
The meeting was supported locally by Transition Town
Dorchester: (www.transitiontowndorchester.org)
chaired by Town Crier,
Alistair Chisholm, and the panel was made up of
Oliver Letwin (MP for West Dorset),
Robert Gould (Leader of West Dorset District Council),
the aforementioned Ron Bailey and local writer Andy McKee.
For more details and to find out more
about Local Works
www.localworks.org
Click on the bale to
listen
(23/01/09)
_______________________________________________________________________
For a recording of the entire meeting
Click on the bale to
listen
(23/01/09)
|
ANNOUNCEMENT
www.richscider.co.uk
(15/01/09)
|
The Royal Smithfield Christmas Fair
- Part 2, Richs Cider
Click for
Part 1, The British Pig Association
Geoff Pagotto visited the Royal
Smithfield Christmas Fair and recorded seven stories for
Farm Radio.
Celebrating
their 50th year Richs Cider from Watchfield Somerset
were doing a roaring trade in the Food Hall with a
wonderful mulled cider. Geoff Pagotto found out how the
harvest was looking this year and how this 100,000
gallon a year business looks for 2009.
www.richscider.co.uk
Richs
Cider are holding a Wassail on Saturday 17th January.
For more details visit their
website
Click on the bale to
listen
(15/01/09)
|
The Dairy Show,
Part 7, Adrian Cottey of Bayer CropScience
(Click
here for Part 1, Will Sanderson of
Milklink,
Part 2, Duncan Forbes of Kingshay,
Part 3, Paddy Gordan and Peter Edmundson, Vets,
Part 4, Oliver Seeds,
Part 5, David Munday of the Maize Growers Association,
Part 6, Clive Rainbird of Bayer CropScience)
 Establishment
of maize seems essential in any year but particularly in
wet years such as this, Bayer has a new seed dressing
that combats pests such as wireworm, fritfly and leather
jackets all taking a nibble out of your future profits,
it also protects against unseen symphylid pests and, as
Adrian Cottey explains, new ones that could be on the
climate-change horizon.
http://www.bayercropscience.co.uk
Click on the bale to
listen
(15/01/09)
|
ANNOUNCEMENT
Further
to the
announcement below about the meeting at Dorchester
on Friday 16th. January, Dorchester Transition
Town Chairman, Mike Jones, sent us the following:
". . . there
will also be a short presentation on Transition Towns.
One aspect I intend to promote during this presentation
is that as much food as possible should be sourced
locally and that there is an opportunity here for
cooperatives to be formed to break the stranglehold of
the supermarkets with the obvious benefits of reduced
damage to the environment, support for the local economy
and greater food security."
(13/01/09)
|
Heart of the Vale, Soul
of the Town, Part 4, Ernie.
It is now ten years since the livestock market at
Sturminster Newton closed down, bringing to an end 700 years of tradition.
We were involved in a project gathering views and ideas on video from the users
of the market as part of the effort to keep it open. The realisation of
what the closure meant to the people who used it was part of the
inspiration behind the concept of "Farm Radio". So, therefore, it seems
fitting to post some of the footage that we shot here.
I was thinking of calling this section "Where Are They
Now?" but, given the age of some of the contributors and the passing of time,
the answer to that would be all too obvious in so many cases. However, it
would be great to
hear from our listeners with any stories of the subsequent
adventures of the folk featured here so we could follow up their stories.
Perhaps we should call it "What Happened Next?" Video shot and edited by
John Holman.
Click on the bale to
view (07/01/09)
Click for
Part 1, Pat and Ted,
Part 2, Ian and Paul,
Part 3, The Auctioneers
|
ANNOUNCEMENT
Dorset Public Meeting on new
Communities Law
Fri 16th Jan,
The Corn Exchange, High East Street, Dorchester.
DT1 1HF
Time: 7pm doors, 7:15pm start to
9pm.
This is a public meeting – it is
free and no booking is required.
Come and hear how you and your
community can use the amazing new Sustainable
Communities Act to protect and promote local services,
shops, trade and the environment and create a thriving
place to live. This Act did not come from government in
Westminster – it became law because of a huge
grass roots coalition campaign called Local Works
(www.localworks.org).
Also please spread the word and
urge friends, family, neighbours etc to come too so we
can show
Dorset’s councils that we want them to use this new law
too! If our councils choose not to "opt in" the
people of Dorset will not be able to benefit from this
legislation so it is vital to demonstrate that we are
keen for this to happen. In Somerset, Bath and
North East Somerset, Mendip District and South Somerset
District Councils have already signed up.
Chair: Alistair Chisholm
(Dorchester and
Champion
Town
Crier)
Speakers:
Oliver Letwin (MP for
West Dorset),
Robert Gould (Leader of West Dorset
District Council),
Ron Bailey (Local Works Director),
Andy McKee (Local Environmentalist, Writer and Author)
If you would like to help publicise
this meeting by distributing flyers please contact Steve
Shaw on 020 7278 4443 or
steve@localworks.org
More info is available at
www.localworks.org
Click
here for a flyer
Supported locally by Transition Town
Dorchester:
www.transitiontowndorchester.org
(07/01/09)
|
The Royal
Smithfield Christmas Fair - Part 1, The British Pig
Association
Geoff Pagotto visited the Royal
Smithfield Christmas Fair and recorded seven stories for
Farm Radio.
UK Pig breeders broadly have two very different
organisations the BPA and the NPA. Geoff Pagotto got
BPA's chief executive Marcus Bates to briefly explain
the distinction and why members are feeling provoked at
the moment while Somerset pig farmer and BPA deputy
chairman Alan Rose describes how they plan to take on
this challenge.
www.britishpigs.org
01223 845100
Click on the bale to
listen
(05/01/09)
|
Poem by
William Percy Withers - "Yet Another Spring
Song"
Somerset
folk singer George Withers - the uncle of Farm
Radio's Margery Hookings, reads "Yet
Another Spring Song", a poem
by his late father William Percy Withers, 1894-1970.
Percy fought with the North Somerset Yeomanry in
World War I where he saw service in the Somme and
lost many dear friends and comrades. When the
war ended, Percy took up a farm tenancy in Barton
St. David, Somerset, before moving to farm at Donyatt, near Ilminster, in 1920.
Click on the bale to listen
(05/01/09)
Further poems from
William Percy Withers:
"The Mendip Hills",
"Memories",
"Farewell to Pottery Farm",
"The Things I Love"
|
|
Would you
like to see the name of your
enterprise/business/organisation here . . . ?
Contact us to find out what we
can offer. |
DAAS
(Dorset Agricultural Advisory Service into 2009
Farm Radio and
DAAS ( Dorset Agricultural Advisory Service ) started
around the same time 5 years ago. Geoff Pagotto found
out from Katherine Sealey and John Rowe that DAAS is now
firmly part of the Dorset farming scene and goes into
2009 in a very robust condition.
Contact DAAS on:
01305 215167
or see for all
contact details:
www.kmc.ac.uk/daas/
Click on the bale to
listen
(05/01/09)
|
|
CLICK HERE FOR THE CHRISTMAS
SPECIAL
And here are two
previous Christmas items from our project with our partners
in Ireland
West Limerick 102FM,
Bridport Christmas Tree Festival and
Christmas at Barrington Court
|
Peter
Kendall - NFU President
 On
the eve of the NFU's 100th birthday, Geoff Pagotto
tackled NFU president, Peter Kendall, on the challenges
ahead for his membership and, in particular, the
prospect of GM crops becoming the norm in the next 100
years of the organisation.
www.nfuonline.com
Click on the bale to
listen
We were
particularly keen to explore the issue of GMOs and their
position in farming in the future as, whilst reporting
on Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser's tour of Britain, we
found that there was a level of disquiet, including
amongst some farmers, about the NFU's position on this.
Whilst the science of GMOs is an important and still
debatable aspect of the whole question, there is much
more to the issue. In other parts of the world
where they are already growing GM crops, very grave
difficulties with the relationship of the farmers to the
biotech industry have arisen and some feel that the NFU
should be concerned with this. Many were surprised
at the NFU's reluctance to take up the open
invitation to attend Percy Schmeiser's presentations and
engage in the debate.
The whole patenting process, which has been such a
prominent part of the strategy of the biotech industry,
has rendered independent research into the GM products
of the Biotech companies problematic. The highly important
IAASTD
report into the future for agriculture globally,
contributed to by over 400 prominent experts from around
the world, sponsored by the UN and the World Bank and
adopted by nearly every government, which states that
there are other, far more potent, areas of research
which need to be pursued urgently if we are to be able
to feed the world for the next 100 years and more effort
should be expended on alternatives to GM.
Ultimately
it is up to the membership of the NFU to push the
organisation to adopt a more comprehensive and
informed policy on the introduction of GMOs into British
agriculture, taking into account a wider perspective if
this would be seen to reflect the concerns of the
members.
However, don't just take my word
for it,
listen to the views of others as recorded by Geoff
Pagotto at the Percy Schmeiser presentation at Kingston
Maurward and John Holman on the following day at a
meeting in London.
As ever we are keen to open up the
debate on this issue and to reflect all reasonable
opinions so, if you have a view on this
issue,
please give us a shout
(18/12/08)
|
What Would
GM Crops Mean for British Farmers?
A report on
the Dorset and London legs of Canadian farmer Percy
Schmeiser's tour of England and Wales
 Percy
Schmeiser came to Kingston Maurward College near
Dorchester last month to share his personal experiences
of the effects of contamination of his fields with GM
crops which was followed by 8 years of legal wrangling
over patent issues and intellectual property rights.
Geoff Pagotto attended for Farm Radio and grabbed these
recordings from a wide range of people who were at the
event who expressed their thoughts on the issue of GM
crops after having heard Percy's presentation. There
follows an interview with Percy himself recorded by John
Holman from the next day at the
GM-Freeze AGM at Friends' House in London,
interspersed with reflections from two farmers who were
also at the AGM.
www.percyschmeiser.com
|
Heart of the Vale, Soul
of the Town, Part 3, The Auctioneers
It is now ten years since the livestock market at
Sturminster Newton closed down, bringing to an end 700 years of tradition.
We were involved in a project gathering views and ideas on video from the users
of the market as part of the effort to keep it open. The realisation of
what the closure meant to the people who used it was part of the
inspiration behind the concept of "Farm Radio". So, therefore, it seems
fitting to post some of the footage that we shot here.
I was thinking of calling this section "Where Are They
Now?" but, given the age of some of the contributors and the passing of time,
the answer to that would be all too obvious in so many cases. However, it
would be great to
hear from our listeners with any stories of the subsequent
adventures of the folk featured here so we could follow up their stories.
Perhaps we should call it "What Happened Next?" Video shot and edited by
John Holman.
Click on the bale to
view (18/12/08)
For Part 1, Pat and Ted,
click here,
Part 2, Ian and Paul,
click here
|
Farm
Radio CHRISTMAS SPECIAL - with young children singing
carols and everything!
Hollyfields - A
New Crop on Blackwater Farm
Geoffrey Miller's family have been
farming at Blackwater Farm, West Bourton, near Gillingham in
north Dorset for over 100 years but I bet that none of his
forebears could have predicted the latest crop being
cultivated there by Geoffrey's wife Anne! John Holman
went for a walk to find out how it was going and talks to
Anne and her colleague Anne Carrol.
www.hollyfieldsschool.co.uk
Click on the bale to
listen
(18/12/08)
|
Come and Say Hello!
Wincanton High
Street is going to be a riot of festive activity from
5pm until 8pm on Friday 12th. The Street is going
to be closed to traffic, over 40 shops will be open late
(not to mention Café Central who will be serving some
seasonal treats), Wincanton Silver Band will be playing
and the children can visit Santa Claus amongst a lot of
other great attractions, including guaranteed snow(?!)
THE BALSAM CENTRE, the terrestrial home of Farm
Radio, will also be open until 8 and John Holman will be
there to talk about Farm Radio and to say hello to
anyone who cares to pay us a visit. It will be
great to see you.
|
Wildlife
Comeback - Mike Ridge
Summer or the so
called summer is a distant memory now, but back on one
of the less wet days Geoff Pagotto got an indication of
how much latent wildlife could be lurking in our
countryside when he visited Thurlbear Quarrylands near
Taunton with Butterfly Conservation reserve manager Mike
Ridge.
www.butterfly-conservation.org
Mike Ridge 01278 450793
Click on the bale to
listen
(10/12/08)
|
|
Would you
like to see the name of your
enterprise/business/organisation here . . . ?
Contact us to find out what we
can offer.
|
Beef and
Growing Cattle South West, Part 7, Bill Harper, Event
Organiser
Beef
and Growing Cattle South West is the Beef Event for South
West producers and Geoff Pagotto brings seven stories to
give you a flavour of the event. (Click here
for Part 1, Neil Parrish, MEP,
Part 2, Oliver Edwards,
Part 3, Amy Croucher, Butcher,
Part 4, Rupert Dod, Farmer,
Part 5, Dr. Phil Hadley of Eblex,
Part 6, John Sheaves, Chief Executive, Taste of the West)
Event chairman
of Beef and Growing Cattle South West, Bill Harper had
his characteristic grin as another successful show came
to a close with a mixture of good news for the industry
and challenges ahead.
Click on the bale to
listen
(09/12/08)
|
Heart of the Vale, Soul
of the Town, Part 2, Ian and Paul
  It is now ten years since the livestock market at
Sturminster Newton closed down, bringing to an end 700 years of tradition.
We were involved in a project gathering views and ideas on video from the users
of the market as part of the effort to keep it open. The realisation of
what the closure meant to the people who used it was part of the
inspiration behind the concept of "Farm Radio". So, therefore, it seems
fitting to post some of the footage that we shot here.
I was thinking of calling this section "Where Are They
Now?" but, given the age of some of the contributors and the passing of time,
the answer to that would be all too obvious in so many cases. However, it
would be great to
hear from our listeners with any stories of the subsequent
adventures of the folk featured here so we could follow up their stories.
Perhaps we should call it "What Happened Next?" Video shot and edited by
John Holman.
Click on the bale to
view (09/12/08)
For Part 1, Pat and Ted,
click here
|
The Dairy Show,
Part 6, Clive Rainbird of Bayer CropScience
(Click
here for Part 1, Will Sanderson
of Milklink,
Part 2, Duncan
Forbes of Kingshay,
Part 3, Paddy Gordan and Peter Edmundson, Vets,
Part 4, Oliver Seeds,
Part 5, David Munday of the Maize Growers Association)
It not just New
Labour that has focus groups as Clive Rainbird, Bayer's
CropScience communications manager explains - far from
being a faceless multinational calling the shots it
farmers groups are a forum for two way feedback.
http://www.bayercropscience.co.uk
Click on the bale to
listen
(08/12/08)
|
Heart of the
Vale, Soul of the Town, Part I, Pat and Ted
 It
is now ten years since the livestock market at
Sturminster Newton closed down, bringing to an end 700
years of tradition. We were involved in a project
gathering on video views and ideas from the users of the
market as part of the effort to keep it open. The
realisation of what the closure meant to the farming
people who used it was part of the inspiration behind
the concept of "Farm Radio". So, therefore, it
seems fitting to post a series of pieces that we shot
here.
I was thinking
of calling this section "Where Are They Now?" but, given
the age of some of the contributors and the passing of
time, the answer to that would be all too obvious in so
many cases. However, it would be great to
hear
from our listeners with any stories of the subsequent
adventures of the folk featured here so we could follow
up their stories. Perhaps we should call it "What
Happened Next?" Video shot and edited by John
Holman.
Click on the bale to
view
(08/12/08)
|
Beef and
Growing Cattle South West, Part 6, John Sheaves, Chief
Executive, Taste of the West
Beef
and Growing Cattle South West is the Beef Event for South
West producers and Geoff Pagotto brings seven stories to
give you a flavour of the event. (Click here
for Part 1, Neil Parrish, MEP,
Part 2, Oliver Edwards,
Part 3, Amy Croucher, Butcher,
Part 4, Rupert Dod, Farmer,
Part 5, Dr. Phil Hadley of Eblex
Marketing, marketing, marketing,
branding, branding, branding is all we've been
hearing for the last decade and buy local, has been
added to that echo, but as Geoff Pagotto found out
from Taste of the West chief executive John Sheaves,
buy local, is the one that's going to count provided
the unwritten rules for buy local are practically
based.
www.tasteofthewest.co.uk
Click on the bale to listen
(04/12/08)
|
|
Would you
like to see the name of your
enterprise/business/organisation here . . . ?
Contact us to find out what we
can offer.
|
Martin
Winters, Conservation Worker
There is no doubt the countryside
is a dynamic environment, but the change to many
peoples lives has been dramatic in recent years. In
a secluded part of Rural Somerset Geoff Pagotto met
a man who's working life changed direction
completely.
Click on the bale to listen
(03/12/08)
|
Poem by
William Percy Withers - "The Things I Love"
Somerset
folk singer George Withers - the uncle of Farm
Radio's Margery Hookings, reads "The Things
I Love", a poem
by his late father William Percy Withers, 1894-1970.
Percy fought with the North Somerset Yeomanry in
World War I where he saw service in the Somme and
lost many dear friends and comrades. When the
war ended, Percy took up a farm tenancy in Barton
St. David, Somerset, before moving to farm at Donyatt, near Ilminster, in 1920.
Click on the bale to listen
(02/12/08)
Further poems from
William Percy Withers:
"The Mendip Hills", "Memories",
"Farewell to Pottery Farm",
"Yet Another Spring Song"
|
