Local Farming Hero Celebrates Open Farm Sunday 2009
Hugh McClymont describes himself as a guardian of the countryside. He has a lifelong passion for educating
children, who he sees as the consumers of tomorrow, about dairy farming and the importance of buying local
produce. Hugh is the Farm Manager at the Scottish Agricultural College’s Crichton Royal Farm, a 300 hectare
dairy farm set in the Dumfries countryside, where he has lived and worked for the past thirty years.
As a LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) farmer, Hugh is committed to farming in a sustainable manner
using the best of modern technology with the best traditional practices. This means that he works in harmony
with nature to protect the countryside and its wildlife whilst producing safe, wholesome and affordable food for
us all to enjoy.
Crichton Royal Farm is home to 485 Holstein Friesian Cows and 240 dairy young stock, which as a herd
produce on average over 4 million litres of milk a year for the First Milk Cooperative, and Hugh also grows
maize and wheat as feed for the cows. Alongside the cattle, a wealth of wildlife live in dedicated areas of the
farm which have been created in line with LEAF’s best practices.
Hugh encourages biodiversity on the farm with a wide range of measures. He estimates, for example, that
there are 2.5 kilometers of water margins, eight kilometers of hedgerow and five hectares of species rich
farmland, that together, provide an undisturbed home for animals, butterflies, frogs and birds such as Tree
Sparrows and Yellowhammer birds. Hugh also plants 20 hardwood trees a year on the farm.
There is also a one and a half mile farm walk at Crichton Royal Farm that includes information boards to
educate visitors of the many ways that modern farming practices conserve the environment. This is just one of
the educational activities that Hugh is involved in; he also welcomes school trips to the farm and regularly
visits schools to talk to the children about dairy farming. He even has a life size model cow so children and
adults alike can try their hand at milking a cow! Many people say that Hugh should have been a teacher, but
he says his role as a farmer is perfect as it allows him to perform a variety of roles that he is devoted to from
educator and producer to environmentalist and businessman.
Hugh will be opening the gates of Crichton Royal Farm for his fourth Open Farm Sunday on 7 June 2009 offering a fantastic opportunity for visitors to discover at first hand the story behind their food and its link with
nature.
- Ends -
To arrange a visit to Crichton Royal Farm or an interview with Hugh contact:
Naomi Barry
Amanda Wadlow
Open Farm Sunday Press Office
Open Farm Sunday Press Office
T: 01189 475956 M : 07920 098498
T: 01189 475956
E: naomi.barry@ceres-pr.co.uk
E: amanda.wadlow@ceres-pr.co.uk
Editors’ notes
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LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) www.leafuk.org is a national charity that helps farmers produce good
quality food with care for the environment, whilst working with their local community
The fourth annual Open Farm Sunday on 7 June provides a great opportunity for the public to get a behind-thescenes look at life on a farm and the nature it sustains