The Barn Owl Award is FWAG SouthWest’s regional award for farming and conservation. It celebrates those who go above and beyond to provide space for wildlife whilst managing sustainable farming enterprises.

In early June, our two judges, Gary Rumbold and Ruth Kimber, set off to judge the 5 entrants for this year’s competition. Sadly our third judge, Hugh Warmington, was unable to join them following an accident but we're pleased to hear he is fully recovered. A huge thanks to our judges for the following write-up of their journey and the photos, detailed below in the order they visited the farms. 

Ellen Kingston, Purcombe Farm, Witchurch, Canonicorum, Bridport
Purcombe Farm has been on a great journey, having been a dairy farm for many years and now focusing on farm diversification and environmental sustainability.

Areas of the farm have been entered into arable reversion options under Countryside Stewardship and all watercourses are now bordered by 12-24m grass margins. 
Where once large slurry lagoons stood, these have been sympathetically restored into ponds for wildlife, even boasting a Little Grebe during our visit. The farm now has a small scale “back to nature” campsite using compost toilets and a delightful glamping area - one with a shower room that must have the best view in Dorset!

Farm buildings have been retained and re-purposed as shower facilities and recreational areas enhanced with on-farm sourced timber and a delightful “Cowriosity” area of natural finds from the farm, curated by Ellen’s 10 year old son. 
Nesting boxes within farm buildings boast kestrels and barn owls as residents and the boxes have been cleverly designed to incorporate bat roosting areas. Engagement with school and local community groups is excellent, with the judges arriving the day after Open Farm Sunday where 1100 guests visited the farm. 
The judges were impressed by the farm’s diversification and approach to environmental sustainability in all aspects of its business. The commitment to community engagement and education of environmental issues to guests and the public was remarkable. 

Rachel Phillips, Apricot Centre CIC, Huxhams, Cross Farm, Dartington, Devon
The Apricot Centre is a not-for-profit farm covering 60ha managed by a community interest company taking its responsibility towards sustainable food production, local food provision, training and wellbeing to very impressive levels. On paper this may not have seemed a traditional FWAG SouthWest Barn Owl trophy entrant but the judges were soon educated on the positive impact that the Apricot Centre is having on local food provision.  The farm is registered Organic Biodynamic, allowing access to niche local markets, whilst providing a practical and financially sustainable growing model for the farm.

Ruth Kimber commented “the obvious benefits to wildlife were clear. Food production on the site in the form of veg boxes, eggs, honey and meat, made for a balanced story when relaying it to the public via school and adult groups”. 
Rachel, who manages the farm, demonstrated an excellent understanding of maintaining soil health as the basis for a healthy ecosystem and for successful growing. The Apricot Centre boasts excellent solar PV capture as well as rainwater harvesting, irrigation ponds and use of electric delivery vehicles.

                                             

The Apricot Centre are also passing on their knowledge by training students and staff in regenerative farming practices, alongside running a Wellbeing Centre which provides therapy to people in a nature based environment. 
The judges were impressed with the amount of land given over to nature, especially their meadows which, even on a cold and windy June day, were full of life including butterflies and orchids. The site is ideal for barn owls and other raptors with its tussocky grass and excellent wildlife corridors between woodland copses, hedge trees and hedgerows. 

Martin & Bridget Whell, Leyonne, Golant, Fowey, Cornwall
Leyonne is largely a beef and dairy farm, milking 450 cows and with a herd of approximately 400 beef cows as well as some pigs and small-scale poultry. Ten hectares of land are turned over to root vegetable production for forage and a further 10ha for maize. 

Bridget and Martin are innovative and inquisitive, constantly seeking out new opportunities and looking into alternative habitats that they can use on their farm for the benefit of wildlife but also for their livestock. They have learnt valuable lessons from early trials of FiPL-funded in-field tree strip planting and hedgerows and have plans for further engagement with agro-forestry through the Forest of Cornwall project.  

The farm has been surveyed for farmland birds by FWAG SouthWest advisers and will have further surveys in the near future to monitor bird numbers. The Whells are using their small pig herd to turn up the straw bedding after calves are turned out, giving them a carbon rich compost for their orchards. The farm was an early adopter of Solar PV and is now looking at capturing methane from its slurry stores to power a small, combined heat and power (CHP) unit on site. 

Like several farms on this judging tour, the Whells have taken a view on what they need their farm to deliver for their family and have fitted the farm business around that approach, to give them a healthy work life balance. As Bridget said, “We still have 50p days – those days when we say we would sell it all for 50p,” but she is keen to point out the gratitude they have for living in such a beautiful part of the world and doing what they love best. 

The judges were impressed by the Whells’ scientific and measured approach to all system changes, all within the bounds of commercial reality for them. They are doing a great job of marrying science, technology and knowledge and applying these to form realistic farming choices.

Joe and Rachel Horler, Maundrils Farm, West Huntspill, Highbridge, Somerset
Rachel and Joe Horler are tenant organic beef farmers on 80ha of grassland on the Somerset Coastal Levels as well as producing some 5ha of winter bird food mixes. Rachel and Joe are thoughtful and innovative farmers, being early adopters of herbal leys in a bid to counter the challenging wet winters and dry summers on their coastal lowland farm. 

They continue to innovate and question their practices, making the bold decision to move away from dairy to beef to better meet their family’s lifestyle wishes and to better suit their geography. Their ‘can-do’ attitude to change was very inspiring. 
They have carefully considered their grazing regimes to benefit both their animals and the wider environment. Rachel and Joe are the stewards of several acres of medieval ridge and furrow systems as well as other later historic drainage systems and have a 5ha SSSI on the edge of the estuary. 

As well as their beef cows they run a small herd of traditional breed cows for milking, the milk from which is used for the rearing of their calves as well as for on-site educational visits. 

The judges were impressed by Rachel and Joe’s commitment to create and maintain habitats for reptiles, butterflies, insects and water voles. The farm rang out with the song of Reed and Cetti’s warblers on the judges’ visit but it has also been visited in the past by the red listed Grasshopper Warbler, egrets, kingfishers and fifteen species of bat all enjoying the various wetland spaces created, restored and maintained by the Horlers. The thought, care and attention that has gone into sustainable food production whilst conserving wildlife and the environment at Maundril’s farm was remarkable. They really have demonstrated how conservation and food production can go hand in hand. 

Chris Norton, Ruddle Court Farm, Newnham, Gloucestershire
Ruddle Court Farm covers 240ha of grassland, supporting a 350-strong organic dairy herd, which is spectacularly located on high ground overlooking the Severn Valley. Even on a late, cold, spring day the judges could tell the farm could be challenging in less clement weather. 

Although we were unable to meet Chris, the tenant farmer, on this occasion, his staff showing us around the farm had an impressive knowledge of the landscape, much of which went back over 30 years. 

The extensive, carefully considered mob grazing regime allowed for different sward heights across the farm and within field parcels, with the meadows at the top of the hill boasting a variety of grasses and flowering meadow species. The meadows were proving attractive to the healthy fallow deer population on our visit. The birdsong was impressive, with the ubiquitous chiff chaffs, goldfinches and skylarks in abundance – but also a healthy population of wheatears were spotted in the lower pastures. 
The new milking parlour has been constructed to a high standard and has been designed with efficiency and sustainability in mind, boasting solar PV panels and water recycling facilities. 

The judges were impressed by the sustainable approach taken to this very professional milk production unit and the wellbeing and dedication of the employees was clear, with excellent training provided and opportunities for student workers. The newly-planted orchard was an excellent feature of the farm and it was noted for plans for further hedgerow planting to enhance wildlife corridors on a part of the farm that was already providing sustenance zones for bats and birds. 

The Final Decision…
Firstly, “Thank you” to all of the FWAG SouthWest Barn Owl Trophy finalists for giving up their valuable time, for making the judges feel welcome and keeping us refreshed on our two-day road trip of the South West. It is a huge privilege to see the very best in farming and growing across the South West but also very difficult for the judges to select a single farm as a winner, especially when each enterprise is so different. In reality, any farm that makes it as a Barn Owl finalist is already a winner. They will be undertaking some of the best environmental conservation work in the South West region; something that was very apparent on our judging tour. 

After careful consideration the Judges placed Maundrils Farm as our winner for 2024 with The Apricot Centre as runners-up. 
We look forward to visiting Maundrils Farm next year for a farm walk and supporting them as our regional finalist for the National Silver Lapwing competition in 2025.