Tag: Pen and Plough

The Farmer of Myddfai

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Reblogged from the Pen and the Plough

This piece by Pen and Plough researcher Dr Pippa Marland is based on her interview with Hywel Morgan (https://thepenandtheplough.wordpress.com/2022/05/17/an-interview-with-nature-friendly-farmer-hywel-morgan-pippa-marland/) and published with his permission. Illustrations by Katie Marland.

Above the village of Myddfai, Escairllaethdy Farm stretches over 150 acres. The farm, which lies on the western edge of the Brecon Beacons at the foot of the Black Mountains, has been in Hywel Morgan’s family since his grandfather bought it after the Second World War. It’s an upland livestock farm, and Hywel also has grazing rights on the common land on Mynydd Myddfai for his sheep, horses, and, more recently, cattle. He describes himself as a hill farmer, and one who is especially passionate about the hills.

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Uncommon Ground – Jack Thacker

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Reblogged from the Pen and the Plough
Photo © Trevor Rickard (cc-by-sa/2.0)

The hearse stopped at the crossroads – two lanes folded like ribbons. It was left or right to either end of the hamlet. The left lane led to the church, now decommissioned, while the right made its way to the family farm.

‘Why has it stopped?’ I asked from the back seat.

There was a brief pause. My mother said: ‘They’re giving him one last look.’ And then the hearse turned left towards the graveyard.

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An Interview with Patrick Laurie

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Reblogged from the Pen and the Plough

Patrick Laurie is a hill farmer and writer from Galloway. He is the best-selling author of the Wainwright Prize-nominated Native, and his ‘Bog and Myrtle Peat’ blog attracts around 30, 000 visitors a year. He is currently a mentor on the Pen and Plough creative writing programme for land workers. This interview with Dr Pippa Marland took place by email in April 2021.

Native recounts your return to Galloway to farm cattle after being involved in a number of other lines of work. Can you explain a bit about what made you decide to do this?

It was really important for me to make a life in Galloway, but it’s not easy finding work here. I trained as a gamekeeper when I left school, and that gave me a real taste for practical, hands-on conservation. Looking around me, it became clear that many of the most worrying declines in wildlife are closely linked to agricultural change, so it made sense to get stuck into an industry where I could really make the biggest difference. Despite strong family connections to agriculture, I began as a relative novice almost eight years ago and I’ve been on a very steep learning curve since then.

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