NEWS
Potato Cup entries, please -
After the deluge, maybe a ray of warmth and sunshine will finally be a boost to root crops. Entries for Stalham Farmers' Club's crop competitions will be welcomed. The Potato Cup, now freshly engraved with the names of the last three year's winners, is the first to be judged.
Robin Baines has agreed to cast his eye over the entries and it is planned to walk crops in the first week of August.
Please send details of the size of the field/ variety and access to the secretary - michaelbpollitt@btinternet.com at your earliest convenience.
All entries will be acknowledged amd there is no fee for entering.
Fields should be at least 10 acres. Incidentally, the Potato Cup was first awarded in 1970.
Any questions, please contact the secretary, Michael Pollitt on 01603 486997. Please keep samples from cereal crops for the club's two grain competitions. The club's sugar beet competitions will be judged later in the season.
[17/07/24]
The club's annual farm walk, which was staged with the East Norfolk branch of the National Farmers' Union, was a great success. A total of almost 90 members and guests joined the walk around Tony & Emily Bambridge's PArk Farm, Blickling. Thanks to all who atended and who helped to make the event such a success. There's a report on the website. [17/07/24]
Glorious summer farm walk - A glorious summer evening walk was enjoyed by 85 members of Stalham Farmers' Club and East Norfolk branch of the National Farmers' Union. The hosts, Tony and Emily Bambridge, welcomed the party including a dozen members of North Walsham YFC to Park Farm, Blickling. They then led the group around the 94 ha (237 acre) holding - part of the National Trust's 4,464-acre estate. He spoke about the range of cropping, including growing grass seeds, vetch and pre-basic barley seed as well as the pedigree herd of Lincoln Red cattle. His wife Emily talked about the herd of Haflingers and her drive to produce a more modern horse. There was a little history too including a description of diverting the course of the river Bure in 1388 and planting new hedges behind the field boundaries mapped by Faden in 1797. The other speakers, William Heal and Adam Curtis, of the National Trust, also spoke during the walk. Finally, a hog roast supper ended the evening. See Minutes and Reports on the left. [10/07/24]
Farm walk update - All places for Monday's walking tour of Park Farm, Moorgate, Blickling NR11 6PU, have been booked. It starts at 6pm prompt on Monday, July 8 and our host Tony Bambridge will lead the party on the walk, which will take in arable crops, pedigree beef cattle from his Lincoln Red herd, and a briefing on the Haflinger horses by Emily Bambridge. William Heal will discuss fishing and river management. Adam Curtis, countryside manager for the National Trust will talk about plans for the parkland and for tree-planting. The farm walk and hog roast, which is being held jointly by Stalham Farmers' Club and the east Norfolk branch of the National Farmers' Union, is fully booked. As numbers are limited, please don't attend. Please note too - it is a walk, so no vehicles and do not bring dogs. It would also assist with parking if members could join forces with neighbours as parking may be a little limited. [05/07/24]
Congratulations - Former NFU president Minette Batters has been given a peerage by outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In one of his final acts, published just an hour before the polls closed for yesterday's General Election, she was included in a list of political honours.
Minette, who spoke at the annual dinner of Stalham Farmers' Club in 2016, will sit as a crossbench peer in the Lords. And former environment secretary, Therese Coffey, was made a dame in the same list - which might be some slight compensation for losing her seat Suffolk Coastal MP to Labour just a few hours later. Another former environment secretary and later Britain's Prime Minister for 42 days, Liz Truss, lost her attempt to be re-elected for south-west Norfolk to Labour - by 630 votes. In what seems rather ungracious behaviour, she declined to make the traditional speech of thanks after the results of the count was declared.
[05/07/24]