Loaghtan farmers Rawdon Hayne and Jenny Shepperd are celebrating a double at the Isle of Man Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group’s Manx Farm Conservation Challenge awards ceremony.

Rawdon and Jenny of Ballacosnahan Farm, Patrick, were the winners of the smaller farms category for the second year in the row and also received the prestigious Bronze Chough trophy as overall competition winners.

The Bronze Chough Award is a true celebration of our Manx farming industry, rewarding commercial farming that works in partnership with nature to provide mutual benefits.

The annual competition is open to farms across the island to compete in one of two categories for large and small farms.

Judging takes place over the summer and every year more farms are encouraged to take part and showcase what often remains ‘ordinary practice’ for the farmer, but is so beneficial for our environment and Biosphere.

This year’s presentation was held at the Talk of the Town in Noble’s Park, Douglas, last Wednesday.

Certificates for the winners, runners up and highly commended in the smaller and larger farms categories were presented by Lady Phillipa Lorimer.

And her husband, Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer presented the Bronze Chough award, the DEFA Award of Merit for Commitment to Conservation and a Special Award for Habitat Management.

Jenny and Rawdon have been sustainably farming at Ballacosnahan Farm for some time with a commercial flock of 700 Loaghtan sheep farmed for wool and meat, specialising in a range of salami.

Their hard work and commitment to both local produce and the environment is second to none and the award is another feather in their cap after incredible success at the Great Taste Awards this year.

Rawdon said: ‘It’s been quite extraordinary. Our team work well together on our vision of what we want to do to work with nature. We are in a lucky position of selling everything we make.’

Winner of the larger farms category were David and Sarah Quayle who farm in the south of the Island and have a strong focus on sustainable regenerative farming, using native cattle breeds and Exlana sheep.

They are keen to extend their enterprises towards providing more education on farming and information to schools and public.

Runners up in the larger farms category were John and Fiona Anderson, of Knockaloe Beg Farm.

Phillip and Rose Christian of Faradale Ltd were highly commended in the larger farms category and also winners of the Special Award for Habitat Management through its upland grazing systems.

John Teare of Colooneys Farm was runner Up in the smaller farms category and Julian Teare of Lheaney Ballakerka was highly commended in the smaller farms category and also winner of the DEFA Award of Merit for Commitment to Conservation.

The presentations were followed by a few words from Jacqui Keenan, UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man co-ordinator, on the island’s contribution to our island’s biosphere.

FWAG was first established as a charity in the 1960s by a group of forward thinking farmers who saw that the environment was an important part of a successful farming business.

It evolved from this original idea in the late 1980s and has been headed up by Paul and Hilary Fletcher for more than 12 years.

The organisation helps farmers understand the environmental value of their land and make the most of the agri-environment options available.

Winners of the Bronze Chough Award are eligible to compete for the UK Silver Lapwing Award, an extremely prestigious UK prize.

Farms are selected for demonstrating outstanding commitment to good environmental practices, alongside running successful farm businesses.

For the first time a Manx Farm took top honours in 2024.

Dave and Rob Cooil together with their families run a successful commercial dairy farm in the south of the Island and have efficiently utilised all of the benefits of biodiversity to support a profitable business.

They also provide support for the local school with a specially designated ‘forest’ and farm learning platform.

Dave and Rob, Manx winners in 2022, held out against very strong competition from across the UK, to emerge as triumphant at an awards ceremony held in the hills of North Wales, at the farm of the 2023 winner, Iwan Davies, earlier in the year.

Next year it will be the first time the Isle of Man has hosted the National Silver Lapwing Presentations which will attract many leading industry experts in farming and wildlife.

Last year’s Isle of Man winner, Anna Kerruish, farming at Ballafayle, Maughold, will now be eligible to compete in the National Awards.

Anna hosts a huge amount of farm walks and talks and showcases farming in a remarkably biodiverse and historic location, encompassing all that is to be celebrated about our fabulous Manx farming heritage.