Find out why this Peterborough farmer used 62 straw bales to make a tractor

Thorney-based farmer Michael Sly took top honours at the contest with a 10-feet long tractor and trailer made from 62 bales of straw.

Mr Sly and his team from Park Farm won a £1,000 donation for the charity of their choice - The Thorney Society, which runs a heritage museum educating visitors about the importance of local food and farming.

Mr Sly said: “We’ve been growing wheat for Weetabix for nearly 70 years and this competition was a great way to celebrate the connection between our fields and the Weetabix that ends up in breakfast bowls across the country.

“We hope our tractor and trailer will raise a smile for all the visitors to our farm.

Charlotte Hunt, Senior Brand Manager at Weetabix, said: “The structure really stood out – we loved its ingenuity, and the result is iconic.”

“We’re very proud of our relationships with local British farmers and we’ll continue to work with them to guarantee the quality, consistency, traceability and environmental sustainability of each harvest.”

The panel of judges, was chaired by Weetabix managing director Sally Abbott.

The competition was launched to celebrate the 10th harvest under the Weetabix wheat protocol, which promotes sustainable farming practices and sees the Weetabix Food Company source its wheat from farms located within a 50-mile radius of its mills in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire.

Over the last decade, over 350 local farmers have participated in the scheme, growing approximately 75,000 metric tonnes of wheat each year across around 4,000 acres, equivalent to almost 3,000 football pitches.

In the UK, Weetabix sells more than £150 million of products a year.