Major award for innovative Saintfield livestock farmer

Major award for innovative Saintfield livestock farmer

21 May 2014

SAINTFIELD farmer Crosby Cleland has been presented with a major award at Balmoral Show.

He received the M&S livestock award for commitment to renewable energy and long-term sustainability on his 160-acre farm.

A lamb producer for local M&S supplier Linden Foods, Mr. Cleland also runs a successful fencing business and submitted a comprehensive entry outlining his carefully planned, simple infrastructure on the farm that allows the movement of his 750 ewes and their lambs, as well as 230 replacement stock. 

This means that even at lambing time, most of the work can be shared between him and just one other member of staff.

The environment is extremely important to the Saintfield farmer and he is currently experimenting with agro-forestry — planting trees on less productive land that can still be grazed by sheep. 

He has also been part of the Northern Ireland Countryside Management Scheme for more than eight years, planting metres of new hedges and encouraging a diversity of wildlife on the farm.

To ensure the very best returns, Mr. Cleland monitors, benchmarks and analyses every aspect of his sheep business, from the cost of his silage to the number of lambing ‘assists’ per breed. 

He works especially closely with those in his local producer group and has hosted around 60 visits in the past six years as a Department of Agriculture focus farm.

“Sheep production is really about chasing kilos per hectare and I believe that keeping really comprehensive records is the only way to achieve that,” he continued.

“Regular conversations with your vet and careful analysis of your figures allow you to make informed decisions about how to move the farm forward.”

Mr. Cleland holds many different roles in the industry, one of which is co-ordinator of the Strangford Down Lamb Group which markets 170,000 lambs to M&S each year through Linden Foods.

Steve McLean, head of agriculture and fisheries at M&S, described Mr. 

Cleland as a “worthy winner,” demonstrating his commercial success, innovative thinking and social responsibility in the way he manages and executes his business. 

“Our judges were particularly impressed with Crosby’s attention to detail and willingness to share knowledge with other producers, as well as his overall contribution to the local agricultural industry and wider sheep industry,” he added.