A DALES farmer has brought a new meaning to diversification, by taking up nude modelling at the age of 37.

But Mr Andrew Watson, who farms a 490-acre arable and sheep holding at Brignall Farm near Barnard Castle, shed his clothes in aid of charity and has no plans as yet to give up the day job.

Mr Watson, whose wife, Sue, is a teacher at Teesdale school, agreed to appear in the buff in a Meat British Beef 2001 calendar to support British farmers and raise awareness of the crisis in the industry. The couple have a daughter, Sally, and another baby is due in January. He appears as Mr August, wearing nothing but a smile atop a Claas combine harvester. The picture has the caption "In a class (Claas) of his own".

The calendar was the idea of farmer Ms Nicola de Pulford, aged 45, who runs a smallholding near Totnes in Devon. She diversified into photography after hitting hard times, taking pictures of farmers she knew for the first calendar produced last year.

Orders flooded in and 15,000 were sold. For this year's models she chose names at random from the calendar's mailing list and Mr Watson was one of those she contacted. He had seen the advertisement for the 2000 calendar in Farming News and had sent for one for his wife, little realising he would end up as a pin-up himself.

"I was not going to do it at first," he said. "But it's for a good cause so then I thought, why not?" He has the full support of his wife.

He has managed to keep his nude modelling quiet so far but is expecting some good-natured ribbing from his friends when they read this article.

"When the photograph was being taken my in-laws called round and my wife kept them away from the shed. We have been having bets as to who would find out and you are the first to call, but I expect you'll be one of many," he joked.

Sales of the first calendar, which featured all men, were so good that Ms Pulford decided to do His and Hers versions this year, with the For Him copies featuring photographs of 12 women from the Devon farming community. She is pictured as Miss October. The male farmers are from all over Britain. Some 10,000 of each have been printed and are for sale at £4.99 plus 80p postage and packing from Meat British Beef, Murtwell Farm, Diptford, Totnes, Devon TQ9 7NQ or from the website e only the