Farming

Farming is the biggest land use in the North York Moors National Park. The patchwork of fields with traditional sandstone farmhouses and miles of dry stone walls are an important part of the character of the North York Moors. 

There are about 1300 farms altogether and arable and pastoral farming covers about 40% of the National Park, that’s about 600 square kilometres. In areas which are suitable for arable farming, wheat, barley, potatoes and oil seed rape are most commonly grown.

Click on the links below to find out more.

• Farming in the North York Moors
• Tabular and Hambleton Hills
• Upland Dales
• Coastal Plateau
• State of the Park 2006 - Land Management
• Landscape Character Assessment 2003 - Central (Esk) Valley Descriptions of the landscapes, pressures on farming and predicted consequences of changes.  
• Landscape Character Assessment 2003 - Limestone Hills (Tabular Hills)
• Landscape Character Assessment 2003 - Limestone Dales (Hackness/Harwood Dale) 
• Hill Sheep Economic Study 2005 (PDF)
• Caring for farmed land
• Farm and Rural Community Scheme
• Farm Scheme
• Grassland Habitats
• Cornfield Flowers - back from the brink