2009 Finalists & Winners
Arable Adviser of the Year Sponsored by Firestone
- Steve Cook, Hampshire
Steve is senior partner in Hampshire Arable Systems, offering technical, cross-compliance and environmental arable advice on over 8000ha (20,000 acres) across six southern counties. His clients describe him as a technically excellent agronomist, who provides a complete service - Chris Martin, North Yorkshire
Chris is an agronomist for Agrovista providing advice to over 90 clients in NE England. His advice covers legislation and soil management as well as chemicals. He is also heavily involved in organising specific trials for biofuel production in the north east - Peter Riley, Norfolk
Peter runs Prime Agriculture, which provides advice on over 90,000ha (222,000 acres) across East Anglia. His advice leads to better performance and new opportunities for his clients. He has also built up significant relationships with discussion groups, industry organisations and environmental groups
Dairy Farmer of the Year Sponsored by DairyCo
- Anthony Gotthard, Somerset
Anthony is the fifth generation to farm at Slough Court, a 160ha (400-acre) unit on the Somerset Levels to the east of Taunton, Somerset. Currently milking 366 dairy cows three times a day, most of the milk goes to Sainsbury's, though some is diverted to a fledgling farmhouse ice cream business - Robert and Jane Targett, Somerset
The Targetts are based at Park Farm, Castle Cary and run a high input, high output herd of 200 milkers, with a strong interest in cow breeding and showing. Close attention is paid to cost control, while premium prices are earned through the Waitrose contract - Scott Bagwell, Dorset
Scott runs 320ha (800 acres) at Field Barn Farm near Blandford Forum, having worked his way up from relief milker to farm manager over the past six years. There are about 300 pedigree cows producing 2.5m litres a year for Dairy Crest and the plans are for continued expansion
Arable farmer of the year Sponsored by GrowHow
- Ben Atkinson, Lincolnshire
Ben, in partnership with father John, oversees 2451ha (6000 acres) owned, tenanted and contract farmed growing winter wheat and oilseed rape, beans and sugar beet on mainly fen soils. He is a former Farmers Weekly Barometer farmer - Andrew Gloag, North Yorkshire
Andrew's family contract farming business has more than doubled in five years to cover 1792ha (4400 acres) of combinable crops on mainly heavy clay land. He is a former Farmers Weekly Barometer farmer - Nick Rowsell, Hampshire
Nick grows winter wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape, spring barley and poppies as owner, tenant and contract farmer on a total of 1700ha (4200 acres)
Diversification Farmer of the Year Sponsored by James Miles-Hobbs
- Anthony Curwen, Kent
Anthony runs Quex Park, a 728ha (1800 acres) estate producing beef and arable crops. As well as a farm shop and restaurant, the estate has diversified to include a garden centre, workshops and offices - Caroline and William Alexander, Kent
The Alexander's 450ha (1100 acres) beef and arable farm has expanded since the 1980s to include offices and The Hop Shop selling oils and foods made from farm-grown lavender, as well as beef and fruit - Tom Mellor, Yorkshire
Malting barley produced on Tom's 233ha (575 acres) of arable land is used to produce World Top Beer at his on-farm micro-brewery. The successful enterprise is also accompanied by a free-range poultry unit
Beef Farmer of the Year Sponsored by McDonald's
- David Baillie, Lanarkshire
David farms 650ha (1600 acres) in partnership with his father, running a mixed upland beef and sheep unit. The farm is home to 180 suckler cows, including a small pedigree Limousin herd, and 900 ewes and part of the farm forms an SSSI - David Lawton, Cumbria
David is a partner in Greystoke Farms, a 930ha (2300-acre) SDA/LFA farm carrying 285 suckler cows and 2500 ewes. David aims to keep fixed costs to a minimum and uses the unit's economies of scale to implement an NZ style ranching system - Alistair Bull, Norfolk
Alistair is livestock manager for Thelveton Farms. The Farm extends to 1566ha (3900 acres) and total cattle numbers are 1360, including a 325 cow suckler herd and a bull beef unit finishing Continental cross calves. Suckler cows are run on ESA marshland and parkland
Farm Manager of the Year Sponsored by Claas
- Nick Padwick, Leicestershire
Nick manages the 1755ha Stoughton Estate for the Co-operative Farms near Leicester with 1565ha (3860 acres) of cropping and the rest in environmental schemes and grassland. From his base at Oadby Lodge Farm he manages a series of contract farming agreements for a range of clients plus some rented land - Matthew Bowe, Cambridgeshire
Matthew oversees operations on a mixed estate including rare breed sheep and cattle, the UK's biggest fallow deer enterprise and an integrated on-farm butchery and processing plant. There is also over 1000 acres of arable cropping - Simon Beddows, Berkshire
Simon is farm manager at Phillimore Farms, a privately-owned 1000ha (2500 acres) estate near Reading, Berkshire. The arable area includes 800ha with a further 70ha contract farmed for a neighbour
Pig Farmer of the Year Sponsored by Waitrose
- Richard Hooper, Shropshire
Richard manages 232 sows with 116 gilts at Harper Adams University College pig unit. Richard's aim is to offer facilities for both students and contract research while also demonstrating profitable and commercial pig farming. - Rob Mutimer, Norfolk
Rob runs a mixed farm with an arable rotation, sheep flock and outdoor pig herd, as well as a farm shop. The farm is based around an outdoor sow unit of 600 sows. The majority of pigs go to Dalehead Foods for Waitrose. - Martin Barker, Staffordshire
Martin runs an integrated arable and pig operation called Midland Pig Producers. Running 3000 sows over seven farms, through intensive commercial production to optimise efficiency and keep production costs to a minimum.
Sheep Farmer of the Year Sponsored by Farmplan
- Andrew Elliot, Borders
Andrew manages mixed upland farms at Newhall and Blackhaugh running 1200 low input ewes based on the Hill North Country Cheviot breed on 600ha (1500 acres) - Hefin Llywd, Devon
Hefin owns a beef and sheep unit running a 700-strong commercial flock of Mules, Lleyn x Mules and Romneys alongside a pedigree flock of 340 Lleyn breeding ewes - Chris and Caroline Hodgkins, West Sussex
Chris and Caroline run 3000 pure Romney Ewes, and 24 pedigree Hampshire Down ewes on 570ha (1400 acres) of which 485ha are in the South Downs Environmentally Sensitive Area
Young Farmer of the Year Sponsored by Massey Ferguson
- James Price, Oxfordshire
This ambitious and business astute young grower has expanded his interests and grown margins year on year with his father through arable, composting and precision farming. Diversification has been a significant part of his success - Edward Clark, Buckinghamshire
The core of this business is combinable crops with a successful suckler herd and beef finishing unit, which allows labour to be used throughout the year. The 34-year-old manages 400ha (990 acres) of which half is owned and the rest tenanted and contract farmed - Tom Rawson, Yorkshire
Tom Rawson and his wife Catherine run a 300-cow diary business called Clever Cow Organics and have started a herd advisory service, which is opening up all sorts of interesting opportunities for the future.
Countryside Farmer of the Year Sponsored by Natural England
- Guy Smith, Essex
In the past 20 years, Guy has doubled his landholding to 430ha (1060 acres), all farmed in hand, while adding fishing lakes and a golf park - Nicholas Watts, Lincolnshire
Nicholas farms 850ha (2100 acres), including 100ha organically, while running a bird seed business set to turn over £2m this year - Richard Bramley, Yorkshire
Richard farms 190ha (470 acres) with holiday lets near York, managing to generate a profit for two families despite limited opportunities to expand
Livestock Adviser of the Year Sponsored by Silotite
- Dick Sibley, Devon
Veterinary surgeon Dick is committed to achieving better health, production and welfare in the livestock industry. He has also founded and developed myhealthyherd.com, a web-based herd health management programme - Robert Mintern, Somerset
As dairy adviser for Kingshay, Rob is committed to maximising cow comfort and profitability. His main role is delivering the HowsMyHerd service, a complete farm assessment providing low cost solutions to high cost problems - David Hendy, Essex
Rumen development and rumen management is at the heart of David's independent beef and sheep consultancy business. He is focused on maximising production and reducing costs
Local Food Farmer of the Year Sponsored by Asda
- Ian Jalland, Leicestershire
Ian opened Brockleby's farm shop in 2005 as a showcase for regionally-produced food and drink. Famed for its hand-made Melton Mowbray pork pies, the shop also sells meat from Ian's flock of 600 Hebridean sheep - Steve & Heather Tucker, Somerset
A downturn in the pig industry in the 1990's was the catalyst for Steve and Heather to establish White Row Farm shop. Since opening, it has grown significantly, but the pair still aim to produce as much as possible of what they sell - Roland Watkins, Carmarthenshire
Roland regards the recent opening of Cwmcerrig farm shop & grill as the next step in creating a profitable future for the 100ha family beef and sheep farm. It promises visitors a "traditional Welsh shopping experience with a modern twist"
Poultry Farmer of the Year Sponsored by E B Equipment
- David Speller, Derbyshire
David rears 180,000 broilers for Moy Park at his unit in the Peak District National Park. He has adopted the latest innovations such as under floor heating, a novel odour control system and in shed CCTV. - Elwyn Griffiths, Shropshire
Elywn and his brother Gareth run the Shropshire egg unit with a focus on bird welfare, housing birds in a colony system. Not only do they sell shell eggs, they also supply egg products, such as liquid egg - Dan Wood, Devon
Dan Wood is the second generation of the Wood family to manage the business, which his father established 30 years ago. The company supplies eggs to over 700 customers including independent shops and aims to be fully free range by 2012.
Green Energy Farmer of the Year Sponsored by British Sugar
- John Ibbett, Bedfordshire
John is chairman of Bedfordia which farms 2226ha (5500 acres) of mainly arable land and rears 23,000 pigs a year. The company has a large anaerobic digestion (biogas) plant that uses slurry from the pigs and food waste - Richard Gedge, Devon
Richard runs a 81ha (200-acre) mixed livestock farm, with all farm heating and hot water supplied by biomass boiler and all electricity from a wind turbine. The farm supplies wood fuel to local residents with wood-chip boilers and operates a food waste composter - Russell Armstrong, Cambridgeshire
Russell runs the Co-op's 1480ha (3657 acre) Coldham Estate, growing arable crops and vegetables. The farm has a comprehensive energy-saving plan and hosts eight 2MW wind turbines, with planning permission for seven more
Contractor of the Year Sponsored by JCB
- Charlie Baker, Oxfordshire
Charlie operates a range of forage, stubble-to-stubble, slurry and waste management contracts. He also works with the RSPB to manage conservation plots. - Peter & Richard Burbage, Northamptonshire
Brothers Peter and Richard offer clients complete forage packages, as well as slurry and manure spreading options. They use GPS mapping and autosteer to control costs. - Andrew & Michael Stapleton, Yorkshire
Andrew and Michael run their own dairy herd and forage in excess of 8500 acres of grass and maize. They have expanded to provide slurry management, forage contracts, drainage work and fabrication services.
