A FARMING calendar that was inspired by the British beef ban in 1999, is still going today - and has raised thousands for charity over the years. 

The Farmers Calendar features a range of photographs of people in the farming community, without their clothes on. The farmers are perfectly poised to protect their modesty, and there are a range of different agricultural backgrounds featured in the photos. 

This year, money made from calendar sales will go to Farms For City Children. 

The calendars are the brainchild of Nicola de Pulford, who has a smallholding in Devon. Nicola has always been a livestock farmer and took over her family farm in Wiltshire when she was just 17. 

In 1989, Nicola and her sister both moved to Devon to work on different farms. Nicola bought her smallholding and kept sheep and milked goats. Sadly, Nicola decided to sell all her livestock this year. 

As well as this, up until last year, she was involved in running a 200-acre farm with cattle, sheep and goats. 

Nicola has always had a passion for taking pictures, and she used to do some local and press photography and a lot of farming weddings. 

She was photographing a wedding at Dartington Hall in 1999, she met a London artist and writer. 

"He took me to a lovely pub in the village called the Cricket Arms and we were talking about the beef ban," said Nicola.

From 1996 until the end of 1999, the export of British beef was banned due to the threat of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or 'mad cow disease'. 

"A young local farmer called Paul Westlake with a cracking sense of humour joined us and I just said if they won’t have our beef they can have our boys in a naked calendar and you can be the first model," she added. 

"He agreed and I took the picture on his farm the next day!

"Between us, we rounded up 11 more local chaps and the pictures were finished within a couple of weeks."

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After a bit of press coverage, Nicola had enough money to print 10,000 calendars and they raised £5,000 for RABI with the 2000 calendars. 

To buy the 2025 calendar, click here. 

"It wasn’t meant as a diversification just to raise some money for RABI and for farmers at this difficult time," Nicola added. 

"I think I knew that the calendar could be a success if I did a good enough job with the pictures: it’s all about fun and real farmers, and haven’t we had some laughs.

"Up until COVID I travelled all around the UK to photograph farmers on their farms, most of whom had contacted me to be in the calendar. Over the years that’s around 600 photographs!

"There are no professional models and I take all the pictures. I have met some amazing farming families and we get on because I have always farmed. I am still in touch with many of them.  

"When I take a picture, I have a large towel for the men and a dressing gown for the ladies and between us we decide the location and pose with all hidden. I turn my back and the model takes off the towel etc and throws it out of the picture. They tell me when they are ready and I turn around and take the picture. All the models are paid and I do not publish the photo until they have seen it and approved."

Nicola has also written five non-fiction books including Behind the Hedge with co-author John Hitchis and Sigma Press. She is hoping to write a fiction book about farming in the future.