Bowland Scrapbook | Page 6

Farming Life “We don’t own the land, we are just the custodians” was something which was said by more than one of the farmers we spoke to when we were researching this scrapbook. The landscape of the Forest of Bowland is composed of farms of different sizes and types from upland hill sheep farms to lowland dairy and beef farms. All these farms are looked after either by individuals or whole families, often with two or three generations working together. All of them work long hours, in all weathers and for unpredictable rewards to maintain this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for this and future generations, both for residents and for visitors. Farming practices have changed in the last 50 years and there is an increasing awareness of conservation and how it can fit in with modern farming methods. So many challenges have been weathered and overcome and the following pages show some of the changes over the past 50 years. Sheep on the fells