Brothers rewarded for ‘excellence’ in practical farming
James and Andrew Balaam with Rase's Al Brooks and Farmers Weekly's Philip Clarke © RASE Essex brothers James and Andrew Balaam have been recognised for their innovative and commercially astute approach to farming, winning the Royal Agricultural Society of England (Rase) “Excellence in Practical Farming” award.
Based near Clavering, the pair run an arable operation across 890ha of owned, tenanted and share farmed land growing wheat, oilseed rape, spring barley and spring beans.
See also: ‘Six of the best’ sustainable farmers receive Rase awards
“We have diversified our business to provide storage facilities for our contract share farming arrangements at our home farm,” said Andrew.
“We are also able to batch dry 7,500t in an on-floor drying system using a ground source heat pump with reservoir water as the heat source, and we have a grain-cleaning system with colour separating as a new feature for this year.”
As well as cutting costs and lowering their carbon footprint, the facilities enable them to measure protein on intake and segregate by quality, helping maximise market returns.
Previous Rase award winner and chief judge David Miller said: “We were also impressed by how James and Andrew have used public and corporate funding to develop the business, and have engaged with various SFI options where this does not jeopardise food production.”
Capital grants have also been used to construct a covered sprayer storage and washdown area.
Much of the installation work, as well as all the machinery maintenance, is done in-house, while the two families work closely towards common objectives, involving the next generation from an early age.
They are also very proactive in engaging with the local community, while willingly sharing knowledge and information with other farmers.
Water award
Among the other winners at the Rase Awards ceremony, held on Wednesday (23 September) at the Cowdray Estate in West Sussex, was Somerset beef and arable farmer Tim Smith.
He was the inaugural recipient of the Water Quality Farmer of the Year award from Rase spin-off Innovation for Agriculture, designed to recognise those who are protecting and improving water quality within their farming operations.
The award winners © RASE
In Mr Smith’s case, this includes maintaining a 6m grass margin alongside all watercourses, minimum field cultivations, and cover crops to avoid run-off.
He has also created a 1.3ha wetland with large sediment traps to reduce phosphates entering the River Yeo, and has constructed a new covered manure store, to eliminate the need for field heaps over winter.
Other Rase winners
The other 2026 Rase award winners are:
- Farm of the Future Award – James Newhouse, Meg’s Farm, Yorkshire. A new entrant to hill farming, James has co-founded a meat vending enterprise, enhanced biodiversity and engaged with the local community.
- National Agricultural Award – Rob Shepherd, Allenford Farms, Hampshire. As managing partner of Allenford Farms, Rob helped establish the UK’s first farmer cluster in 2013, then set up the Environmental Farmers Group to maximise the value of natural capital.
- Natural Capital Award – Andrew Mahon, The Bromborough Estate, Bedfordshire. By improving soils, restoring habitats, protecting resources and trading carbon credits, Andrew has shown how investing in natural capital can future-proof a farming business.
- Science and Technology Award – Prof Mark Stevens, British Beet Research Organisation. Mark’s research has been instrumental in meeting a wide range of complex crop-protection challenges, helping safeguard the future of sugar beet.
- Bledisloe Gold Medal – The Earl of Leicester, The Holkham Estate, Norfolk. Tom Leicester runs a highly diversified estate in Norfolk across 10,000ha, combining regenerative farming and conservation with precision farming and data analysis. The gold medal recognises outstanding land management and estate development.
