Making farming connections is essential

We like to think we're a pretty hardy bunch in the shire; a few drops of rain won't stop us from enjoying ourselves and we laugh in the face of gale-force winds, writes Rural Affairs Editor Nathan Rous.

Of course, Mother Nature did her best to test our resolve at last weekend's Wet Mid Shower, as the West Mid Show shall now be renamed.

After all, a carousel ride is a pleasant enough experience but when the horses are real it takes on an altogether more frightening complexion.

After a sodden opening day, marquees strained their ropes as the winds took hold on Sunday. A couple of tents fell victim to the storms but even though the weather prevented the Red Devils from attempting their daring fly-past it didn't deter the crowds of onlookers from piling through the gates.

Even the monster trucks with their snarling engines and stiffened chassis cowered in the corner as the wind and rain took hold.

"It's a bit slippy," squeaked the driver, who had earlier been revving up the crowd with mighty tales of how these legendary machines could tackle any terrain.

Yet it is testament to the grit and determination of the organisers that the Wet Mid Shower continued, unabashed, through to its Sunday evening conclusion.

In many ways we shouldn't have expected anything less, for the West Mid Show has become an important symbol of fortitude and innovation for rural life; the myriad exhibitors proving that just as much talent and creativity exists in the shire as it does in the city.

It gives everyone a chance to show that the countryside matters and no amount of wind or rain was going to dampen that spirit.

But the agricultural society in charge of the show is entering unchartered territory: chairman David Tudor, who has so ably dealt with biblical weather conditions and the threat of disease and pestilence during his post, will step down in September and hand over to Annie Home-Dodd, the first ever female chairman in the society's history.

Not only that, but Viscount Newport was inaugurated as the youngest ever president of the Shropshire and West Mid Agricultural Society at the tender age of 27.

Both new arrivals will have to devote a great deal of time and energy if the show is to continue being a success - come rain or shine - and they have a big pair of size 10s belonging to one D. Tudor to fill.

Speaking to them both I have no doubt that the West Mid Show is in safe hands, regardless of how brave the step may seem.

Yet it is a progressive step and a welcome one, given that the countryside appears to face new challenges on an almost weekly basis.

The West Mid Show has always been a fantastic day out for all the family, but while monster trucks and aerobatic fly-pasts have got the pulses racing there has to be a greater connection to the humble farmstead if we are ever to hammer home its importance.

With the show's proliferation of fairground rides, centre-piece attractions and ornate stalls, visitors could easily spend a weekend at the showground without seeing a cow, a sheep or a pig.

Yet our reliance on farmers and their produce can never be understated, particularly given the instability of the economic markets which have pushed food prices up and up in the last 18 months.

Our children need to understand the connection between their surroundings and our dinner plates if we are ever to protect the food chain in the face of such global panic.

Tip-toeing around the issue, rather than shouting about it from the showground's main ring, won't help anyone.