Benefits of Entry

Benefits of Entry

With the changes to the agricultural industry over recent years, farmers have been forced into establishing other businesses in order to support the core farm business. Many, including all our past winners, have done this with considerable success and the competition demonstrates the enourmous entrepreneurial skills of the region's farmers. Previous winners include:

• Hollow Trees Farm Shop - which sells home grown vegetables, plants and meat.

• Farmhouse Cooking - a bakery run from redundant farm buildings.

• Mulberry Bush and Hill Farm Nurseries - children's nurseries.

• The Playbarn and Barn Club - a chidren's play venue and farm park, and children's pre and after school club.

• The Reid Rooms - stable buildings converted to conference rooms/wedding facilities.

• Wix Equestrian Centre & Valley Farm riding centre

• Wyken Vineyard

• Bruisyard Hall - renovated farm house converted to specialist holiday accommodation.

• Resting Pets Crematorium and Cemetery - cremations and burials for pets.

Other businesses entered include thatching straw, herb growers, rare meat suppliers and machinery builders. This list is by no means exhaustive and no business is too small to enter.

Publicity

The competition attracts great interest from the media and our entrants, particularly the winners, also receive considerable publicity. The competition is well supported in the East Anglian Daily Times, as well as other journals and farming magazines.