Lorna runs Waterhayne Farms near Honiton in East Devon with her husband Jim. They milk 300 cows across two farms and also have a retailing business, Daisy’s Dairy, to sell their milk – which has won several Taste of the West awards.
Interest in education
She takes a particular interest in education, taking part in the annual Farmwise event at Devon County Show, where several hundred primary school children come to learn more about farming, and Open Farm Sunday.
As well as her educational work, Lorna also finds time to run the Devon Women in Dairy group, which brings women together from across the county, and also actively promotes dairy farming through her Instagram page @waterhayne_cows.
Lorna wrote on Instagram: “I’m blown away to have won.
Farmers have a story to tell
“I believe all farmers have a story to tell about the food that they produce and the time which I can spare each week to share the story of my cows and their milk with school children is so rewarding.
“Thank you to @farmer_time_ and @nfueducation for providing links between farmers and schools to enable children to hear about how their food is produced and giving them the opportunity to ask farmers lots of valuable questions.”
The judges said: “Lorna is passionate about producing milk from grazed grass and clover, with their hardy, small crossbred cows being ideal for the farming system they operate.
“She dedicates her spare time to educating school children about food and farming and firmly believes that every farmer has a valuable story to tell about the food they produce.”
“Sharing the story of my cows and their milk with school children is so rewarding”
Lorna Burdge
The other nominees in the Farming Champion category, which was sponsored by the NFU and Crediton Dairy, were: Stephen Dennis, regional lead for South West FCN, and Justine Colton of Dartmoor Hill Farm.
The awards are organised by the Addington Fund and were presented on the eve of Devon County Show during an awards dinner held in the President’s Pavilion at Westpoint. Around £5,300 was raised for the charity on the night.
All the winners
The other winners were:
- Rising Star: Emily Peters, The Udder Stuff
- Agricultural Innovator: Helen Taverner, Orange Elephant Ice Cream Parlour
- Lifetime Achievement award: Peter Greig, Pipers Farm
A special award was given to Philip French for his outstanding contribution to farming on Dartmoor.
Our congratulations to all the nominees and winners.