The best of British farming was celebrated last night (27 October) at the 2008 Farmers Weekly Awards.

In a glittering, star-studded ceremony in London, the hard work and dedication of people from across the industry was recognised in front of the Awards ceremony’s biggest-ever audience.

The 1300 people in attendance were entertained by aerial gymnasts, opera singer Annette Wardell and comedy musician Rainer Hersch.

Awards presenter, BBC sports broadcaster Clare Balding, hailed the 15 award-winners as being “no ordinary people”.

And she particularly praised Scottish beef and arable farmer Adrian Ivory, who was crowned Farmers Weekly‘s 2008 Farmer of the Year.

Mr Ivory, who collected his award to a standing ovation, was described as a “rising star” of the industry.

• Read more about Farmers Weekly‘s 2008 Farmer of the Year
• See photos from the evening and add your own photos in the Awards gallery
• Leave your comments for the winners and share your experiences of the night in our guest book

Full list of 2008 Farmers Weekly Awards Winners

• Farmers Weekly Farmer of the Year: Adrian Ivory
• Arable Farmer of the Year (Sponsored by GrowHow): Andrew Ward
• Arable Adviser of the Year (Sponsored by Crops): Bryce Rham
• Beef Farmer of the Year (Sponsored by McDonald’s): Philip Heard
• Contractor of the Year (Sponsored by Michelin Exelagri): R & C Targett
• Countryside Farmer of the Year (Sponsored by Environment Agency): Ian Waller
• Dairy farmer of the Year (Sponsored by DairyCo): Charles Whittingham
• Diversification Farmer of the Year (Sponsored by James Miles-Hobbs): Mercer Farming
• Farm Manager of the Year (Sponsored by Claas): Matt Solley
• Livestock Adviser of the Year (Sponsored by Silotite): Mark Hawe
• Local Food Farmer of the Year (Sponsored by Farmshop.uk.com): Douglas Wanstall
• Pig Farmer of the Year (Sponsored by Waitrose): Andrew Freemantle
• Poultry Farmer of the Year (Sponsored by EB Equipment): David and Helen Brass
• Sheep Farmer of the Year (Sponsored by Footvax): Crosby Cleland
• Young Farmer of the Year (Sponsored by Massey Ferguson): Adrian Ivory
• Farming Champion (Sponsored by the NFU): Jimmy Doherty