NSA Annual General Meeting 2014 and Farm Walk

Date: 14th August 2014

The 121st Annual General Meeting of the National Sheep Association was held at 10.30am at the Westmoorland Room, Westmorland County Agricultural Society, Crooklands, Cumbria. As well as approving the annual report and accounts for the financial year ending 31st December 2013, the AGM saw the Duke of Montrose re-elected as President and Dave Gregory elected as Honorary Treasured. David Croston was presented with a gift as thanks for his much appreciated time in the treasurers role.

The AGM was followed by an update on recent NSA activity, presented by NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker and NSA Communications Manager Joanne Briggs. Download a copy of the information below.

The formal part of the day was followed by a farm walk, hosted by NSA Chairman John Geldard and his family at Low Foulshaw Farm. John welcomed everyone to farm and showed them briefly around the farmyard to provide a little history of how he and wife Rachel came to the farm and developed the business (picture 1).

Having originally started as a beef and sheep farm, John passed over to son Richard to explain how his young entrepreneurial skills selling eggs from a handful of chickens to friends and neighbours has developed into a significant part of the farming activity at Low Foulshaw. Richard now manages many thousands of chickens on farm, producing free-range, barn and cage eggs, as well as packing eggs from other farms to meet contracts ranging in size from local hotels to national supermarkets.

While Richard focuses on the poultry side of the business, John’s other son Charles takes the lead on the sheep and cattle. He and John escorted the visitors on a trailer ride around the farm, first showing them investment made by the Environment Agency years ago to protect productive farmland in the Lythe Valley from flooding (picture 2). Visitors then saw Lleyn gimmers (picture 3), new additions to the farm in the form of solar panels on the chicken sheds (picture 4), Lleyn shearling rams (picture 5), Charollais breeding ewes (picture 6) and Stabiliser cattle.

Charles and John (picture 7) provided an excellent tour considering the typical Cumbrian weather! NSA extends its thanks to the whole family for their time and the wonderful refreshments provided by Rachel and her team of helpers, even if we had to enjoy them in the garage instead of the garden to keep out of the rain.