Farmers Weekly Awards 2026: Farm Manager of the Year

Will Jones of Albanwise Farming, North Yorkshire, is Farmers Weekly’s 2026 Farm Manager of the Year. 

Will has taken on a great deal of responsibility in just a few years, in a business that has also expanded significantly over the same timescale.

Now responsible for Albanwise Farming’s Yorkshire operations, he combines strategic thinking with practical delivery in managing a farming operation with diverse and growing interests.

See also: FW Awards: Meet the 2026 Farm Manager of the Year finalists

The enterprises include large-scale combinable cropping across several sites, environmental schemes and initiatives, energy and property interests, alongside several joint ventures he has set up – so far in pigs, sheep and potatoes.

He also has responsibility for a 75,000t commercial grain storage operation.  

The joint ventures enhance the use of assets and spread risk, and there are more collaborations to come. He is also planning to improve the estate’s property portfolio to offer a higher standard of accommodation and so improve rental returns.

Responsible for both the strategic direction and day-to-day operations, he counts his biggest achievement so far as the merger of two farming units across multiple holdings into a single management structure, introducing block cropping across geographically spread landholdings. This has brought efficiencies in labour, machinery use and crop planning.

Staff management

Building a strong team culture among the 18 people he manages has been a key part of this, bringing together not just the farming staff, but also the building services and commercial grain storage teams.

This has encouraged better communication, accountability and collaboration, with regular operational meetings, aligning cropping and machinery strategies.

Staff work across seven farming sites, which at their extremes are 27 miles apart on varying soil types. Health, safety and welfare are priorities, and Will rules out any “hero hours”.

Team members get two free meals a week in the pub owned by the business and tractors are equipped with mini ovens and freezers stocked with ready meals.

Wide business strategy

Environmental delivery is also a key part of the business strategy, including extensive wetland habitat restoration, which is expanding under Will’s management.

Premium markets are targeted to add value to combinable crops, while local direct sales are planned, with a 4ha onion trial this year, expanding to 20ha next year.  

Strong relationships with merchants, marketing groups and processors are cultivated, to track changing specifications, premiums and market opportunities, including those that reward improvements in soil health, biodiversity and water management.

Will is a champion for the Voluntary Initiative and an AHDB Monitor Farmer at Hall Farm near Beverley.

He has a strong interest in what developing technologies can offer farming, particularly the potential for artificial intelligence, robotics and precision farming to boost efficiency and sustainability at scale. FW

Low Mowthorpe held its first Open Farm Sunday in 2025 and this year’s event welcomed about 1,000 visitors.

On the evening prior to this, a barbecue was held for neighbours, partners in the joint ventures, as well as suppliers, customers and anyone associated with the business. 

What the judges say 

Will’s keen interest drives him to make use of every acre and asset to generate income. His straightforward and collaborative approach underpins a desire to expand the business and build a positive reputation that incorporates technology, efficiency, and staff welfare.