Yahoo News Herefordshire farmer in the running for coveted award
A YOUNG Herefordshire farmer has been shortlisted for a top farming award.
The 2024 Farmers Weekly Awards finalists have been chosen from 15 categories, with a total of 44 innovative farmers, entrepreneurial contractors, expert consultants and entrepreneurial contractors, expert consultants and hard-working students on the shortlist.
The judging starts now, and the category winners, as well as the overall winner of the coveted Farmer of the Year Award, will be named at the awards ceremony.
This year, it will be a special celebration to mark the 20th year anniversary of the flagship Farmers Weekly Awards and the 90th Anniversary of Farmers Weekly itself, which first published in 1934.
"The awards evening is set to be a spectacular night and we look forward to seeing you there," a spokesperson said.
In Herefordshire, Eleanor Lewis has been shortlisted for the Young Farmer of the Year award.
Chartered accountant Ms Lewis, of Tack Farm, Bromyard, has been recognised for her vision to put the family farm at the forefront of modern dairy practices.
The 28-year-old has a focus on cost control and consistency.
She is up against two other outstanding young farmers in the category.
Archie Evans, 24, of Keymer Brook Farm, Sussex, has developed Berries On Tap, a vending machine that delivers fresh fruit from the family's 10-acre farm, and is experimenting with growing gourmet mushrooms on old strawberry substrate.
And Tom Stinton, 24, of Cools Farm, Wiltshire runs the farm under a share-farming agreement, selling organic and regenerative beef and lamb direct from the farm.
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The other categories will find this year's top agricultural student, arable adviser, arable farmer, beef farmer, contractor, dairy farmer, diversification farmer, farm manager, grassland manager, livestock adviser, mixed farmer, pig farmer, poultry farmer, and sheep farmer.
The winners will be announced at a live ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on Thursday, October 3, 2024
Click here to book either an individual seat or a table and join in on the celebrations.
The Farmers Weekly Awards is the biggest night in the farming calendar. They recognise and reward farmers for innovation, hard work and commitment to the industry.
The awards celebrate the best farmers in the country by telling their stories, aim to spread best practice, inspire others and influence the public about the role that farmers play in today’s society.
The awards are now in their twentieth year and are sponsored by some of the biggest names in the industry.
Herefordshire's farmers are no strangers to the awards. Last year, Harry Davies, 22, of Hopes Ash farm near Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, was named agricultural student of the year after his success as a student at Harper Adams University and on a placement in western Australia.
And Nigel Edwards of Clehonger-based Whittal Poultry was named poultry farmer of the year 2023, with judges noting his attention to detail and use of modern technology combined with years of experience in the poultry industry.
