Farmer wants land to be better for next generation
BBCAn award-winning farmer said he wants to leave the land "better" than he found it.
Dr Johnny Wake has won Sustainable Farmer of the Year in the British Farming Awards, and last year won the Royal Agricultural Society's Bledisloe Gold Medal for Landowners.
He manages Courteenhall Farms in south Northamptonshire, which has a number of sustainable measures in place across the estate, including growing wild bird seed and pollen mixes to encourage nature.
"I don't particularly like the term farmer or landowner, we really are just stewards... I'm just looking after it temporarily," he said.
The Sustainable Farmer of the Year award recognises those who are safeguarding the land for future generations and are embracing practices which work in harmony with the environment.
The farm has moved away from being a business based around arable farming and residential property to one on a more diverse and sustainable footing.
A number of measures have been introduced, from renewable energy and rainwater harvesting to reintroducing traditional Hereford cattle and rare breed pigs. Stewardship schemes have also enabled nature to thrive on the farm.
"My lifetime is just a blink of an eye in terms of land and I want to make sure that during my tenure it's handed over in an even better state than it was handed over to me," Dr Wake said.
"When you manage land you get to think in really long terms, most businesses can't think beyond five years, let alone 20, but we think in terms of hundreds of years.
"The simplest thing to do is plant a tree and you know it'll be here long after your dead.
"Everything we do here on the land is about that, so it's leaving a legacy to be proud of."
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