The Farmers Weekly Awards 2009 take place in London tonight. There are 45 nervous finalists waiting to see if they have won one of the 15 coveted prizes. Good luck to them all!

We'll be bringing you the names of the finalists as the night proceeds on the front page of FWi. I thought this thread might be nice for people to leave messages for the winners and for people to share their thoughts on the night if they were there to witness it all!

Well, what a night. I left at 1.15am and the party was still very much in swing. I rather suspect there are some very sore heads around this morning!

Really enjoyed the whole evening - meeting some forum regulars and putting faces to names. The highlight for me was comedian Mitch Benn who was brilliant. But presenter Julia Bradbury was also very good - that's one feisty woman!

Hear, hear Isabel, well done to FW for a great night! The food and company were equally excellent and Mr Benn certainly won the entertainer of the night award while Ms Bradbury clearly very professional had no fear on the night and filled her Jimmy Choo wellies more than adequately. Probably the wisest decision on the night was Alan 'voice of the balls' Dedicoat cutting the other Mr Benn off just in time to prevent an unnecessary long winded speech that he appeared to be about to launch into! Well done to all the winners, each category winner was selected from a shortlist of three nominees, I'd be interested to know how many entries were received in total from which these were shortlisted. Thank you again for a great night out!

I am a little disappointed Barack Obama didn't win farmer of the year.  Evidently the folks that pick the FWi awards are not as enlightened as the Nobel committee.  Next to what he has done for world peace, what he has done for farming in Britain and the world is pretty amazing, isn't it? 

OK, I am going back to bed, and hopefully will wake up back in the real universe rather than this alternate one I seem to have crossed into overnight.

Isabel Davies:

Really enjoyed the whole evening

Agree wonderful to see over 1,000 people together all positive, and celebrate the great and noble art of farming. I could n't stick it out quite as Long as Isabel, but on the walk back to my hotel I had some wonderful encounters with ladies and gentlemen making a lonely, overweight middle aged man many generous offers to share further entertainment with them or their establishments. I don't think they were in the same class as the bash at the Grovenour House.

Farmers Weekly are to be congratulated on putting on a marvelous show. It really did show farming at its best, and I see that I was at college with two of the winners. I just don't know were it went wrong I guess I went off the wrong platform all those years ago.

The biggest cheer of the night went up for the wonderful women from Wales and their take on TB, at least benn with the girls name could hear it first hand.

It is very good to meet up with some fellow contributors. A motley crew indeed, now that definitely does not include Isabel. No, lovely folk and wonderful company and excellent food. I could not get my head round the kitchens producing 1,000 cooked Duck breast at once, now that does taking some organizing.

I can absolutely recommend the event as something well worth attending, it is a shame that it is not put out to a wider segment of society.

However as usual the camera I fear has done its usual justice to my features. I concur that Benn with the guitar was excellent, quite enjoyed the way he smoked out our neighbours in the north! Nothing to say a bout Benn with the girls name who has finally woken up to the fact that farmers approval rating in society is way above his - too late mate. Should have thought more about agriculture and a little less about votes from the cacophony of lobbyists

How about an award for agricultural education next year?

 

Thoroughly enjoyable night out celebrating all that is good about British agriculture. Many thanks Isabel for the invite. It was highly entertaining meeting some more of the forum contributors and assorted tweeters - together suggests a formidable capacity to put the world to rights..........Right, where to start.......

Got to see the winners in the mag today (yes it is on time). Every one a champion. Congratulations to all.

Isabel Davies:

Well, what a night. I left at 1.15am and the party was still very much in swing. I rather suspect there are some very sore heads around this morning!

Really enjoyed the whole evening - meeting some forum regulars and putting faces to names. The highlight for me was comedian Mitch Benn who was brilliant. But presenter Julia Bradbury was also very good - that's one feisty woman!

1:15!

Must admit I had a terrible head this morning, and the early trundle to Kings Cross didnt help.

Very pleased to be invited and great to meet some other forum folk. Hopefully next year I will have a bit more perk.

My highlight was Caroline being suprised at how young I looked ;)

Forum regulars might be interested in these links in particular. By the way anyone know what happened to the beast? I last saw him making his way onto the dance floor, but it was my final sighting...

 

http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/photos/fwawards2009/forum-meet-up-133782.aspx

http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/photos/fwawards2009/forum-members-2-133783.aspx

http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/photos/fwawards2009/twitter-meet-up-133784.aspx

http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/photos/fwawards2009/forum-table-133785.aspx

http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/photos/fwawards2009/forum-table-133786.aspx

http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/photos/fwawards2009/forum-meet-up-133787.aspx

http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/photos/fwawards2009/forum-meet-up-133804.aspx

Tesla looks remarkably jovial, I can't help but think it is because of where he positioned himself in the pictures.  It is great to put faces and names together.  Hopefully someday I will get to one of these get togethers.  Maybe I could be the entertainment.  Once, some years ago, we were done with harvest by early October.  Maybe next year. 

the greenth:

Mr Benn certainly won the entertainer of the night award

the greenth - I presume you mean Mitch not Hilary

Yes, great night. Wasn't brave enough to go (or maybe drunk enough) to go on the bucking bronco, though...

TeslaCoils:

My highlight was Caroline being suprised at how young I looked ;)

She'll say anything after one or two of these... 

TeslaCoils:

My highlight was Caroline being suprised at how young I looked ;)

Ha ha, glad I flattered rather than offended!

It was really great to meet some forum regulars, I hope you all enjoyed the night as much as I did (though I hope none of you have a headache like I have right now!)

motley:

The biggest cheer of the night went up for the wonderful women from Wales and their take on TB,

Yes, that was a lovely moment, wasn't it... they both looked so pleased at having won. Richly deserved.

TeslaCoils:

My highlight was Caroline being suprised at how young I looked

My hightlight was that Caroline remembered me and even gave me her cheek to kiss. (which I did) All, in all another very good evening and thank you to Isabel, Caroline and all the FW staff.

A highlight was meeting fellow members of the forum, although I missed Jacobus and Allyr in particular. Last year Ally bought the whisky and so this year it was my turn. So, unfortunately when I meet him next year it will be his turn again.

I enjoyed the entertainment despite the noise but particularly liked the bit where Hilary Benn was cut off just as he was about to launch into his speech. Unfortunately he might have been going to announce a badger cull and now, out of spite, will not do so. Shucks.

I do hope KF can come next year, but what of his offer to be the entertainment? Will he be solo or does he need a supporting act?

 

 

 

Peter Wells:

I do hope KF can come next year, but what of his offer to be the entertainment? Will he be solo or does he need a supporting act?

I'm imagining he'll be like Bruce Forsyth - able to sing, dance and tell jokes (not as old, though, obviously)

TeslaCoils:

Isabel Davies:

Well, what a night. I left at 1.15am and the party was still very much in swing. I rather suspect there are some very sore heads around this morning!

Really enjoyed the whole evening - meeting some forum regulars and putting faces to names. The highlight for me was comedian Mitch Benn who was brilliant. But presenter Julia Bradbury was also very good - that's one feisty woman!

1:15!

Must admit I had a terrible head this morning, and the early trundle to Kings Cross didnt help.

Very pleased to be invited and great to meet some other forum folk. Hopefully next year I will have a bit more perk.

My highlight was Caroline being suprised at how young I looked ;)

 

1:15 That was early I think it was 2:30 when I got back to the hotel.

So thats why you had a big grin on your face in one of the photos I have of the table.

Motley your hotel must have been up the shifier end as we didn't have that.

I have got to say I enjoyed it very very much and it was nice to meet up with everyone and enjoyed Mitch Benns songs

Though I was half hoping, half expecting and slightly disappointed that  H Benn didn't get jeered or slow clapped on to the stage that was glad the voice of the balls cut him off.

it sounds as if a very good time was had by all, maybe next year as they say?! =)

 You'll soon be 18 same as I said to Matty earlier and you'll enjoy it. Have been trying to talk/blackmail my dad in to paying for us to go next year but no such luck said its not his thing and he's too old.

 Excellent night, I was surprised how young all the regular contributers looked  except myself and Peter of course! Met some good old Yorkshire boys from my kneck of the wood so head still very sore. ps Isabell and Caroline are two very beautiful young ladies ( for those guys who havent met them yet)

Dick

 I think MattyS in a few years Will think he is in Heaven when he meets them and Emily and all the other FW ladies

sjk:

You'll soon be 18

 

 

errr, im 21!!! but you weren't to know, so i'l forgive you! its exceptionally busy here at home at the moment, between the farm, campsite and me getting ready to leave for Oz (2 weeks to go!!!!!!) so l had to pass this year.... =D

 ooooooooooooooo I thought it was you had put that you had a couple of years to go well then perhaps next year ^_^

Peter and Dick, you're my new best friends

Thanks FW and Isabel, that was a very good evening out. The outstanding points were the venue, event organisation ambience, menu and service, sound quality (!) and the Compere - his verbal put down of the man from defra and the assassination of same by lack of illumination was stunning - the NFU could not have done better. The man from defra's relative/namesake was excellent and brilliantly in our faces with his rendition of the african song.

It was of course a good news evening and well done to the winners especially messrs Gotthard (dairy), Tucker (local food) Speller (chickens) - all small, bold businesses. Messrs Jones and Glossop certainly deserved their award and let's hope thay move forward with good results on the TB front.

I was interested to learn that farmers are held in high esteem by the public, this is a sensational turnaround since a Mr Kendall of the NFU referred to them being perceived as "troublemakers and a pain in the backside" in a radio interview earlier this year.

Was there an indication at some stage that farming was profitable? Anyway, regardless, the banks must be delighted that farmers are flocking to take industry borrowing to record levels to keep the supermarket profits to  levels that comfortably exceed the English Single Payment budget. 

It was good to meet fellow posters - quite a range from cradle to wheelchair!