The presenter of BBC TV’s Countryfile farming programme Adam Henson will receive his Farmers’ Union of Wales Bob Davies Memorial Award at this month’s Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival (May 21 and 22) where he will judge the rare breed classes.
He should have received the award – a specially carved and inscribed shepherd’s crook – at last year’s Royal Welsh Show but was unable to attend due to filming commitments in the Lake District.
The poignant manner in which he commented on bovine TB testing during a filmed report at his Cotswold farm was one of the reasons why he was chosen as the first winner of the award which will be presented annually at the Royal Welsh Show.
In his report Henson could barely disguise his emotions after losing one of the two splendid Longhorn steers he had spent months training to work as draft oxen.
The award – in memory of Farmers Weekly Wales correspondent Bob Davies, of Welshpool, who died in November 2009 aged 69 – is being offered to a media personality who has raised the public profile of Welsh farming.
Henson has delivered thousands of lambs on his 1,625-acre farm in the Cotswolds. As well as managing more than 1,000 sheep, his farm also includes the Cotswold Farm Park, which has more than 50 flocks and herds of rare-breed farm animals including 198 pigs, 14 Highland cattle and 15 different breeds of sheep.
His passion for rare breeds was passed down from his father and, since 2001, Henson has been a regular presenter on Countryfile, reporting on his own fortunes in the regular feature Adam’s Farm.
