Farmers across the UK put forward their finest straw sculptures for the 2019 Wheat Art competition, and it was a classic agricultural design that won the hearts of the judges.
A impressive 62-bale tractor and trailer took the top spot, winning Cambridgeshire farmer Michael Sly a £1,000 charity donation. His chosen charity was The Thorney Society, who run a local heritage museum that educates visitors about the importance of local food and farming.
Michael's 10-foot straw spectacle fought off tough competition, with runners up including a tower of multi-coloured farm animals and a straw sausage dog.
'We were inspired by our Open Farm Sunday event to build a tractor and trailer and hope it will raise a smile for all the visitors to our farm,' said Michael of Park Farm in Thorney.
'Winning the competition means that our chosen charity, the Thorney Society, will be able to continue its work of informing visitors to the museum of the importance of food and farming, past and present, within the Parish, which is a cause close to our hearts.'
The competition was launched by Weetabix to celebrate the 10th harvest under the company's wheat protocol, which promotes sustainable farming and sees the company source its wheat from farms located within a 50-mile radius of its mills in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire.
The panel of judges included MPs Philip Hollobone, Tom Pursglove and Chris Heaton-Harris, and was chaired by Weetabix MD Sally Abbott.
'Michael’s structure really stood out – we loved its ingenuity, and the result is iconic,' said Charlotte Hunt, senior brand manager at Weetabix.
'We’re proud of our relationships with local farmers and we’ll continue to work with them to guarantee the quality, consistency, traceability and environmental sustainability of each harvest.'
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