Forty Farms - Conversations about change in the landscapes of Cumbria

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The book has evolved into the Forty Farms Exhibition, offering a unique insight into the everyday lives, fears and hopes of 40 extraordinary farmers, through photography, products, film and words to create an immersive experience. The book reveals frank conversations about the financial challenges experienced by upland farmers; the tightrope balance of producing quality food in nature-rich protected landscapes; and the highs and lows of working in an area internationally famed for its beauty.

Nibthwaite Grange (‘Dodgson Wood’), Crake Valley near Coniston – Arts & crafts, beef, sheep, tourism In March 2020 Amy, a farmer and photographer, embarked on a journey to record the stories of 40 farms in Cumbria to produce a coffee table book. Over a year, Amy conducted frank conversations with the farmers about the financial challenge of farming; about the tightrope balance of producing quality food in a nature-rich landscape; and about the highs and lows of working in area, known, and loved internationally.

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Forty Farms offers a unique insight into the hopes, fears and everyday lives of 40 extraordinary farmers across Cumbria. Dalefoot Farm (‘Dalefoot Composts’), Heltondale near Penrith – Compost, peatland restoration, sheep Amy’s life through a lens came after having children. Having giving up her previous career to look after them at home on the farm, the camera went with her, capturing their early years along with farm life. She won British Life Photographer of the year and she is now a commercial photographer. This March experience a photographic exhibition documenting the stories of 40 Cumbrian farmers at Windermere Jetty Museum in the Lake District. I hope this exhibition will take you beyond the farm gate into the lives of farmers and change perceptions of how the countryside is managed. The rural urban divide feels wider than ever, and my hope is that this exhibition can play a part in narrowing the gulf between food producers, farmers and consumers.”

Cheese, gelato and weddings – Making a Family Dairy Farm Sustainable. Jen Lee shares her 10-year journey including creating Cumbria’s first organic and 100 per cent pasture fed dairy herd to producing Torpenhow Cheese and Three Hills Gelato. They provide so much, including food for our tables, accommodation for our visitors and, importantly, they provide care for the Cumbrian environment we all love. Over the course of a year, Amy conducted frank conversations about the financial challenge of farming in post-Brexit Britain; the tightrope balance of producing quality food in nature-rich landscapes; and the highs and lows of working in an area internationally famed for its beauty.The Forty Farms exhibition will be in the Gallery, Rheged, Penrith LA8 9NB from now until 4 January 2023.