Mike Duxbury and Ness Shillito, co-founders of Inclusive Farm in Bedfordshire, with their pigs. Photograph: Alex Carl Turner/The Guardian
Mike Duxbury never let the loss of his sight hold him back. That’s why he has set up a farm to train others with disabilities for a life in agriculture
by Alexander Turner
Animals farmed is supported by
About this content
Fri 6 May 2022 01.45 EDTLast modified on Fri 6 May 2022 05.15 EDT
‘All I’ve ever wanted in life is to be a farmer,’ says Mike Duxbury, who lost his sight at the age of six through infantile glaucoma. Having grown up on the family farm, he was determined not to let the loss of his sight stop him chasing the only career he ever wanted.
In the late 1980s, Duxbury applied to every agricultural college in the country before being accepted by just one – Warwickshire College of Agriculture. He qualified as an animal nutritionist and graduated in 1990 with a degree in agricultural business management.
-
Mike Duxbury drives a customised golf buggy around the farm
“Even back then, prejudice was very high, but I learned at college to do the things I wanted to do. They gave [...]