More than 600 farmers and industry representatives gathered last night at the Chateau Impney Hotel in Droitwich, Worcestershire.
Now in its fourth year, the British Farming Awards is organised by the owner of Farmers Guardian, Briefing Media Agriculture, and rewards farmers and growers who have made their business a success through innovation, determination, grit and foresight.
Olympian Sally Gunnell OBE, a farmer’s daughter who hails from Chigwell, Essex, attended as the guest speaker
Among the winners were two North West regional NFU members – Robert Sims was named Dairy Innovator of the Year while Jonathan Fell was named Digital Innovator of the Year.
Other NFU members rewarded on the night were Matt Redman, who picked up the gold award in the Contractor Innovator of the Year category, and Jonathan Boaz who was awarded the prize for Arable Innovator of the Year.
In the NFU-sponsored New Entrant category, the winners were Michael and Laura Trayte, who run M&L Dairying Ltd in Staffordshire. The couple won a 10-year farm business tenancy with Staffordshire County Council in 2015, supplying Muller milk and ingredients on a standard contract.
The Cumbria Farming Flood Action Group picked up the Farmers Guardian Farming Hero award for its work following the devastating floods caused by Storm Desmond in December 2015 which wreaked havoc on the farming community (read more here).
The group comprises of the NFU, Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute, Farmer Network, Westmorland Agricultural Society, Farm Community Network (FCN), Addington Fund, Forage Aid, Cumbrian Chaplaincy, Federation for Common Land, Cumbria Commoners Association and the CLA.
The 2016 inaugural award for Outstanding Contribution to British Agriculture was awarded to Lord Don Curry.