FW Awards: Nominate your 2025 Farming Champion

Ex-rugby referee Nigel Owens, farmers Andy and Lynda Eadon, and the “agrarians” of Ukraine all have something in common – they are former winners of Farmers Weekly‘s Farming Champion of the Year Award.

This honour is given annually to one person, a couple or a group who have worked selflessly to help British farming over the previous 12 months.

It recognises people who have gone over and above the call of duty in their endeavours to back British farming and the families involved in it.

See also: Farmers Weekly Awards 2024: Farming Champion of the Year

Our current Farming Champion, Nigel Owens, became a household name as one of the most respected rugby referees in the world.

After retiring from the game he spoke up for farming, in tandem with running his Carmarthenshire farm. 

Andy and Lynda Eadon won FW’s 2023 Farming Champion Award © Telling Photography

In 2023, Andy and Lynda Eadon were awarded the accolade for the profound difference they have made to the way people in the countryside think about mental health and for raising a vast amount for charity after their son Len took his own life.

In 2022, the award went to a whole nation’s farmers – the farmers of Ukraine – who had shown courage, resolve and ingenuity since the Russian invasion.

Ukraine farmers won FW‘s 2022 Farming Champion Award © Adobe Stock

What they’ve done and how they’ve achieved it could be varied.

In the past this award has recognised farmers for their educational work and for lobbying supermarkets.

They might not be well known, either – often the award has been scooped by an ordinary person doing an extraordinary thing.

So let us know if you have a relative, friend, neighbour or colleague who could fit the bill.

You can even nominate yourself. All we need is a name and a line or two about why they – or you – are worthy of the title (you can nominate anonymously if you’d like) and we’ll take it from there.

If you’re nominating someone else, it might be a person you know, but it’s equally fine if you’ve never met them.