Farming is in Marcus Preston’s blood and it is said that his family can be traced back to the Domesday book where their occupation was listed as “farmers”.He graduated from working on his father’s farm on Silsden Moor to starting his own from scratch.After buying three fields from his dad, Meadmore, and investing in some sheep, he grafted hard in a variety of other jobs, including digger driving and shearing, to build up his land and his flock.It was so far, so good until it came to applying for permission to build a farmhouse.Living on the farm was absolutely vital but the planning authority refused the application on the grounds that he should have at least 50 to 60 acres and so it was that a caravan had to do for 14 years until hard work and dogged determination to get more land paid off and Marcus and his wife, Lisa, were able to construct their beautiful, five-bedroom home.
Don’t be mistaken if you should venture to little Muker Show in Swaledale on Wednesday. It may seem like a quaint All Creatures Great and Small affair but look closer and you find a day full of concentration, commitment and competition.