A schoolboy from the Eden area whose hard work kept his family farm going at a time of crisis has received national acclaim.
Archie Steel, from Low Hall, Little Musgrave, near Kirkby Stephen, took on much of the responsibility for looking after a dairy herd and his own flock of 50 sheep after his father, Andrew, was injured in a farm accident a year ago.
The Kirkby Stephen Grammar School pupil, now aged 14, showed what his mum, Ruth, described as “quite remarkable dedication and passion” as he took on the task — and the judges of the new Young British Farming Awards clearly agreed with her.
This week they named Archie their Young Farming Hero in the 2024 awards scheme, which have been introduced as part of the prestigious British Farming Awards. The new awards celebrate the next generation of British farmers and the remarkable contributions they are making to the industry.
And “remarkable” certainly describes what Archie did after his dad suffered a serious knee injury which put him in hospital, meant he could not leave the house for weeks after he was sent home and still gives him pain now, as well as restricting his movement.
Archie already did a lot of work around the farm — happily looking after a flock of 50 sheep for which he is solely responsible, managing breeding, lambing and day-to-day care, and helping with calves from the dairy herd, which comprises 240 Holstein-Friesian cows and 140 heifers.
He is responsible for the youngstock from birth, taking responsibility for vaccinations, colostrum testing and growth rate for the calves.
And with his father unable to work, Archie took on huge additional responsibilities, from 5am milking to assisting with vet visits and managing the day-to-day running of the farm. Things were further complicated when Low Hall’s full-time farm worker, who had also stepped up to the mark, had to take sick leave.
Alongside milking, scraping out, bedding and feeding the cows and sheep, Archie works closely with artificial insemination technicians to select the best bulls for the herd — all while maintaining good grades at school and ensuring he never takes a day off from studying.
The judges said Archie works tirelessly on the farm before and after school, supporting his family and the farm, and that he does this quietly, without seeking any praise.
After the awards ceremony, held at Cannon Hall Farm, South Yorkshire, Archie said: “I’m very proud and happy to have won. I would have been proud even if I hadn’t won, but I hope that I can inspire others and encourage more young people to get into farming.”
His mum was also delighted, saying: “We’re just so proud and very emotional. He works incredibly hard and does it behind the scenes. He’s very self deprecating, so to have this recognised is wonderful.”
She pointed out that while Archie had done much of the work since Andrew’s accident, his young sister Olivia, aged 11, had also helped out, particularly with the sheep at lambing time.
Andrew added: “We are both incredibly proud of Archie and hope his amazing passion and commitment to farming continues and goes from strength to strength.”
