A WEST Oxfordshire farm has been named as one of the best in the North Cotswolds ahead of the area’s top agricultural show on Saturday.

The Smith family, who run Kingham Hill Farm, near Chipping Norton, have been honoured by the Moreton Show Society, which organises the annual Moreton-in-Marsh Show, just across the county boundary in Gloucestershire.

The Smiths won the champion grass crop award and the best one or two-year grass ley category, and took third place in the best medium farm category.

Alan Smith, 48, said: “It’s quite a privilege to have won the awards.

“There are a lot of good farmers in the area and it’s always good to go against them, and occasionally beat them.

“Entering the competition is just something that’s bred into me. My dad has always done it and we enter them just to see how good our crops are compared to other people’s.”

Mr Smith runs CW Smith & Son, which his family has owned since 1984, with his wife, Anne, and son, Richard.

They grow grass to produce silage and hay and also harvest wheat and oil seed rape crops.

The Moreton Show Society awards recognise farms within a 40-mile radius of Moreton-in-Marsh, with 38 farms in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and War-wickshire competing this year.

The ley and grass crop competitions are judged on the yield of crop, cleanliness of crop and how disease-free the crop is.

The Smith family were not the only West Oxfordshire farmers to win prizes in the competition.

Manor Farm, in nearby Cornwell, won the best permanent pasture award, came third in the best long-term ley and the best one or two-year ley.

The Moreton-in-Marsh Show is a traditional agricultural and horse show and is one of the biggest one-day shows in the UK, attracting more than 20,000 visitors.

The show society’s chairman of farms and crops, Ros Allen, said: “The competitions take place during the spring and summer, and then it all culminates in Moreton Show.

“The Smiths are a very, very good professional outfit. They’re a very good farming family and whatever they do, they do well.”

She added: “Moreton Show is a very nice traditional, family-friendly show. We get a lot of farmers here, because it still concentrates on farmers and farming.”

  • The gates at the showground in Batsford Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, off the A429, open at 7.30am on Saturday and close at 6pm.

Moreton Show tickets cost £16.50 for adults, £6.50 for children and £42 for a family of two adults and up to three children if bought at the gate on Saturday.

Discounts are available for anyone showing a train ticket vaild for travel to Moreton-in-Marsh on the day of the show, or on tickets bought in advance at Lloyds TSB Bank in Burford High Street, or Tayler & Fletcher estate agents, in New Street, Chipping Norton.

For more details and information about all the attractions during the day, see moretonshow.co.uk