Clipston is a small village at the geographical centre of England, set in fields where arable and livestock farming has existed for millennia. All Saints Church was built in the early 13th century and still holds regular services. The local primary school has just celebrated its 350th anniversary. Bar some new houses and better roads, the village is recognizably the same from photographs taken over a hundred years ago.
I have visited Clipston regularly over the last forty years, ever since my parents moved there. The village and its surrounding agriculture looks much the same today as they did four decades ago: grazing cattle and sheep and fields of wheat and rapeseed (canola). But it was only a few weeks ago that I spoke to a farmer for the first time and began to appreciate how little I knew about the landscape that defines the village.
Clipston continues to thrive; the village website reveals a vibrant community, even though thereâs no shop and public transport is limited. Clipston thrives in spite of rather than because of agriculture. Job opportunities in farming are few and prospects for new farmers are uncertain, as I learnt from talking to a local shepherd, Martin Fellowes. Most of the employed people who live in Clipston today work somewhere else, some travelling long distances each day. Fast trains from nearby Market Harborough reach the heart of London in just over an hour, a journey of about 100 miles.
People who choose to live in villages for their rural charm and tranquillity can sometimes find it difficult to cope with the everyday messiness of farming. The pervasive smell from spreading slurry on fields, drifting smoke from burning stubble or mud spread by tractors on roads are all sources of potential dispute between farmers, who rely on the land for their living, and other residents.
My chance encounter with Martin arose from a domestic issue. The sheep in the neighbouring field would occasionally get into my parentsâ garden and munch merrily on flowers and foliage, much to the dismay of my mother and father. A single strand of barbed wire between field and garden was clearly inadequate. The only solution was to erect a sturdier fence, which is what I was doing when I noticed someone in blue overalls in the field. Martin came across when I waved my hand.
Martin explained to me that heâd just taken over the lease of the field and an adjacent one. I felt a little guilty about mentioning the sheep invasions since these were related to a previous tenant. He explained that âthe fence is the responsibility of the land ownerâ. His replies were courteous but wary. I sensed that he had other things of greater concern to consider. I wondered later about Martinâs response to a letter in the Clipston Newsletter some years ago which said: âIt is a terrifying prospect that land surrounding this lovely village could easily fall into the wrong hands.â The writer was fearful about a drop in the value of her house.
Martinâs demeanour changed when I told him that I also worked in agriculture. I pointed to my T shirt, which by chance featured a plant health workshop held in Rwanda. I asked him more about his job. âItâs difficult trying to get established as a farmer todayâ, he said. He was pleased to have a signed lease for the fields behind my parentâs house for his sheep for the coming year, even though the owner was selling up. He was renting other fields in another nearby village and I began to imagine the challenges of moving animals back and forward between different sites.
The sale of the land prompted some gentle mutterings on the price of land. In nearby Market Harborough housing estates are springing up all around the town. Farm land has become increasingly valuable, not only for housing but as an investment. The result is that itâs nigh on impossible for a new farmer such as Martin to own his own land. Leasing creates uncertainty, yet clearly Martin loved what he was doing and was willing to work hard.
I was surprised and delighted that Martin knew about a recent unexpected best seller on sheep farming, The Shepherdâs Life, written by James Rebanks, a shepherd in the north of England. Martin had been given this as a present and confirmed that the descriptions of sheep farming were spot on. âIâm not a big readerâ, Martin confessed, but clearly the book had caught his attention. âSheep farming is tougher up northâ, he added, âbut down here itâs also difficult to get establishedâ.
People take the gently rolling hills and the seasonal changes in farming for granted. Not far from Clipston is an outstanding farm shop, one of several that have flourished in and around Market Harborough as the population has expanded. Stuffed full of fine food from impeccable sources, much locally produced, it is easy to imagine that this renaissance in food retailing indicates a stronger, more vibrant agriculture.
My short meeting with Martin was proof that new farmers are willing to have a go but that it will be an uphill struggle. Commuters who move to villages bring new life to a fragile rural economy, but living in the countryside also carries a responsibility to take a wider interest in agriculture.
Talking to farmers reveals how hard they work. If commuters move to the countryside for the scenery, itâs worth remembering that farmers have nurtured that land for generations. Sometimes a bit of fence mending goes a long way.
Read previous blogs
Modern ideas for an ancient land
Further information and reading
Clipston village website. What farming delivers for Northamptonshire (NFU infographic).
Rowland Parker (1975). The Common Stream. (An excellent book on the enduring life of an English village.)