Lymington Growmore Club holds annual dinner dance and award ceremony at South Lawns Hotel
AN annual celebration of farming and agricultural life has taken place in Milford with prizes awarded for the best local enterprises and producers.
Farmers and agricultural workers from across the New Forest came together for the Lymington Growmore Club’s annual dinner dance and award ceremony at South Lawns Hotel.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of trophies for competitions held last year including classes for the best crops, livestock farmers and agricultural enterprises in the area.
The evening featured a speech by Tim Butler of Binstead Growmore Club who urged attendees to spread the word about the agricultural organisation, describing the clubs as “more important” than ever.
He said: “They are a wonderful thing to encourage us to grow more food and look after the countryside.
“We have a problem that we have less members and less and less farmers – it is important to encourage all those who aren’t in farming but live in the locality to come and join us on farm walks and activities. It is a great opportunity to let people know what we are doing and understand more about farming.”
Mr Butler also shared fond memories of his youth, when he trained at farms in Lymington and Keyhaven. He added: “You are a very busy club raising lots of money for charities supporting Parkinsons UK and the British Heart Foundation and I am delighted to be here to celebrate with you.”
The dinner dance was attended by around 120 guests who enjoyed a three-course meal with locally reared beef carved at the table by club members.
The Lymington-based organisation is one of only a handful of remaining clubs which were originally set up during the Second World War to encourage farmers and producers to work together to feed the nation.
Prize-winners:
Best short term ley: 3D Farming.
Best long term ley: East Close Farm.
Best field of wheat: Simeon Morgan.
Best field of barley: Bisterne Farms.
Best spring sown arable crop: ET Farwell and Son.
Best field of forage or grain maize: ET Farwell and Son (Maize Cup).
Best sample of malting barley: 3D Farming Partnership.
Best sample of milling wheat: Bisterne Farms (Norsk Hydro Cup).
Best made hay: 3D Farming (Tithe Barn Cup).
Best made grass silage: Bisterne Farms (Cecil Sutton Cup).
Best made baled silage: J & H Dunning (Baled Silage Shield).
Best made maize silage: D Daltons and Son (Maize Shield).
Best managed in-calf dairy heifers: Bisterne Farms (Taymix Cup).
Best managed dairy herd: Bisterne Farms (Edgars Dairy Bowl).
Best beef enterprise: 3D Farming (Harry Cobb Cup).
Best Heifer: Stuart Morgan (Hygienic Dairies Cup).
Best steer: E T Farwell and Son (John Howlett Club).
Best quality milk: Luke Dovey Birchlands Farm (awarded the Arthur Rolf challenge cup).
Best drilled corn: Martin Button (Tom Gazzard Cup).
Best cow and calf: C and F House.
Best dairy person: James Dunning (Vaccar Cup).
Best flower garden: C and F House (Perpetual Challenge Cup).
Best vegetable garden: Marion Ingram (Challenge Cup).
Best photograph: Paula Button (The Keyhaven Cup).
Best field of rape: Avon Tyrrell Farm (Rape Shield).
Best rural enterprise: Jayne Pothecary.
John Hoskinson Cup (for the member who contributed most in the last year): Linda Humby and Kirsty Slocombe.
Jim Bacon Cup (highest scores in quizzes): Luke Dovey.
Snakecatcher Cup (highest score in skittles): Jan Sutherland.
Viscountess St Cyrus Cup (most points in grassland classes): 3D Farming.
Howlett Cup (most points in forage classes): 3 D Farming and D Dalton and Son.
Christopher Hill Cup (most points in cereal classes): Bisterne Farms.
John Edgar Trophy (most points in five nominated classes): Bisterne Farms.
Arthur Lunt Cup (most points in classes 1-18) Bisterne Farms.
