ALAN WEST SHEEP TOPICS ALAN WEST Sheep farmer
I am quite sure that not all sheep keepers will agree, but to me it’s good to see agricultural shows firmly back on the farming calendar. Show societies have struggled during Covid19. The impact of lockdown has removed many of their sources of income, leaving some in a precarious position; the support of both showgoers and the wider industry will be key to their survival for some. It will be a huge shame to see any lost. Sadly many farmers judge shows simply as a day out for “townies”, (often a derogatory term), but it is essential to remember that agricultural shows have
AGRICULTURAL
SHOWS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC
always been about the sharing of knowledge and, most importantly, communication. Our shows have a long and glorious history, for some stretching back more than two centuries, returning to a time in the late 18th century when
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the likes of Bakewell, Townsend, Tull, Ernle and many others were driving British agriculture forward. Innovative landowners and farmers, spurred on by the advancement of the enclosures of common lands, questioned traditional practices and set about trialing and developing new crops, techniques and systems of husbandry to increase domestic food production. It was also a period when many landowners and farmers held a contrary view, steadfastly trapped in a medieval mindset, engaged in long-established practices and, typical of farmers, regarding new ideas and techniques with a great deal of suspicion. In an attempt to remove a major obstacle to improvement and progress within the industry, some enterprising landowners established “farmers’ meets”, precursors of our shows, hoping that by demonstrating new techniques and providing opportunities for discussion and the sharing of ideas and knowledge, they could help break down some of the prejudice. One such enterprising landowner was Coke of Holkham (of Norfolk four course rotation fame), who became an object of some ridicule for adopting new ideas on his estate; to remedy this situation and increase understanding he began, in 1778, hosting a few local farmers at his home. The events were at shearing time and were referred to as Holkham’s Sheep-shearings (one of Coke's innovations was the introduction to the estate of Southdown sheep). They proved so popular that the then annual event was by 1818 a week long and attracted many hundreds of visitors, including many famous people not just from all over the UK but from overseas as well. Further sheep-shearings soon ensued as other land owners took up the idea, the Duke of Bedford and Lord Egremont introducing their own at Woburn and Petworth, but all the events were true to the original ideals, gatherings for disseminating knowledge, ideas and new practices and equipment; it was the seeds sown by these Sheep-shearings that led in 1839 to the advent of the Royal Show. It was not, however, simply about the great and the good. The Royal Show was probably
