FW Awards 2026: Meet the finalists
The finalists for the 2026 Farmers Weekly Awards have now been selected.
Discover more about the 42 outstanding individuals on this year’s shortlist, including innovative farmers, business-minded contractors, knowledgeable advisers and dedicated students.
Judging is now under way, with category winners – along with the overall Farmer of the Year – set to be revealed at the awards ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House hotel on Thursday 1 October.
See also: 3 ways artificial intelligence can improve pig health
Ag Student of the Year
1. Elizabeth Battarbee, Goosnargh, Lancashire
Agriculture graduate Elizabeth plans a career in dairy genetics and breeding, helping farmers improve productivity and sustainability through more efficient farm systems.
2. Emma Burgess, Quendale, Shetland
After four years studying Agriculture, Emma hopes to bring new knowledge back to the family dairy farm, combining traditional and modern approaches.
3. Rhian Griffiths, Llanddewi-Brefi, Ceredigion
Despite significant personal challenges, Rhian has excelled in her Agriculture degree and aims to build a career shaping Welsh agricultural policy, backed by strong practical experience.
Arable Adviser of the Year
4, Joe Cluley, Indigro, Broadway, Worcestershire
Independent agronomist Joe advises on almost 9,000ha across England, using regenerative, nutrition-led agronomy to improve soil health, cut input use and improve crop performance and profitability.
5. Steven Mears, Crop Management Partners, Sherborne, Dorset
Steven advises on 9,300ha across Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset, combining independent agronomy, nutrient management and regenerative practices to help growers maximise profitability and sustainability.
6. Gabe Mellor, Huntapac, Barrow upon Humber, Lincolnshire
Gabe leads agronomy for Huntapac’s national root crop business, driving autonomous farming, precision weeding and AI-powered crop management across more than 100 grower partnerships.
Arable Farmer of the Year
7. James Chapman, Hill farm, Rollesby, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Fourth-generation farmer James manages about 690ha of arable cropping within the family business. Crops include winter wheat, winter barley, spring barley, sugar beet and vining peas.
8. Colin Chappell, Gander Farm, Brigg, Lincolnshire
Fourth-generation Colin manages a carbon-neutral farm in North Lincolnshire producing crops destined for the human market including milling wheat, milling oats and marrowfat peas.
9. Robert Drysdale, Delab farm, Monymusk, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
Robert overseas 1,570ha of combinable cropping, including winter wheat, winter and spring barley and OSR. Since 2000, he has increased winter crop yields by 20% and spring malting barley by 30%.
Beef Farmer of the Year
10. Hawes Farms, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Hawes Farms runs a closed herd of 230 spring-calving Stabiliser suckler cows. Progeny is finished for Morrisons from a home-grown diet of forage and peas and beans for protein.
11. Peter Lowe, Market Drayton, Shropshire
After starting on a small county council farm in 2012, Peter is now farming 213ha across multiple tenancies and finishing about 80 store cattle per month.
12. Graham Parks, Macclesfield, Cheshire
Graham rears 250 dairy-cross native beef calves annually. Strict vaccination protocols, alongside regular weight monitoring, have reduced finishing times to 27 months on grass and forage. Mortality is 0%.
Contractor of the Year
13. Dean Farming, East Mere, Lincolnshire
Careful costings and quality work are central to the long-term business approach taken by Dean Farming, based just south of Lincoln. It runs a modern fleet of machinery for combinable crops, sugar beet, potatoes and onions.
14. ND Harper, Cloud Hill Farm, Cheshire
Nigel Harper caters for the muck and slurry, silage, crop establishment, combining and spraying needs of 90 Cheshire dairy farmers. Expansion has been driven by his keen eye on costs and a nose for a good machinery deal.
15. Horsleys of Abbeytown, Old Junction Yard, Cumbria
The three-generation Horsley operation looks after 120 dairy and arable customers spread up to 35 miles from its base near Wigton. A well-equipped workshop helps keep the kit purring through catchy weather.
Dairy Farmer of the Year
16. Julian Courtier Gooseford Farm, Devon
A 450-cow autumn-calving herd, producing 8,500 litres, and milk vending enterprise have replaced crops on Julian’s 283ha farm. There is further investment in infrastructure plus ambitions for a second unit.
17. Rupert Major, Castle Hayes Park, Staffordshire
Fourth-generation tenant Rupert focuses on being a great employer alongside self-sufficient, profitable milk production. His 650-cow spring-calvers average 5,908 litres and 498kg milk solids. Successful succession planning and expansion are next.
18. Ian and Cath Ratcliffe, West Webbery Farm, Devon
Relocating from Cheshire, Ian and Cath established 370-cow herd calving in a nine-week block plus a milk bottling enterprise for local sales. They are passionate about cow health and welfare.
Diversification Farmer of the Year
19. Balmaud Distillery, Turriff, Aberdeenshire
The distillery, founded by the Strachan family, produces whisky and gin using cereals grown by them on their 700ha farm.
20. Penllyn Estate Farm, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan
Andrew and the team run a large mixed farming estate with cereals, breeding ewes, pigs and poultry, alongside a state-of-the-art farm shop, holiday cabins and commercial units.
21. Yester Farm Dairies, Haddington, East Lothian
The McCreery family operate a dairy enterprise which supplies an on-farm processing site, manufacturing a range of products including cottage cheese, mozzarella and yoghurts.
Farm Manager of the Year
22. Dean Broadberry, Haverholme Park, Lincolnshire
System changes made by Dean have cut fuel use on the 1,600ha arable operation by 50%, while maintaining profitability. His focus is on soil health, alongside plant health and nutrition.
23. Will Jones, Albanwise Farming, North Yorkshire
Aiming for improvements in efficiency, productivity and long-term resilience, Will has merged two large farming units, bringing their teams together. He is also responsible for delivering environmental schemes and new enterprises.
24. Cameron Knee, Emily Estate, Somerset
Cameron manages a large, diverse and growing mixed farming business including rare breed beef cattle and dairy water buffalo, supplying farm shops, hotels and restaurants, as well as nationwide online sales.
Livestock Adviser of the Year
25. Dan Humphries, Horizon Dairy Vets, Shropshire
Specialist dairy vet Dan delivers a full clinical service to progressive dairy farmers while running the Dairy Insights consultancy which focuses on dairy cow nutrition.
26. Mark Jagger, Pilgrims Europe, Suffolk
Mark is a fieldman for a large pig producer and processor which has 300,000-plus pigs growing on farms, with a focus on water quality and bringing new entrants into the industry.
27. Liz Lunn, Heifer Rearing Manager, Lancashire
Liz leads a team of specialists focused on youngstock for Advanced Ruminant Nutrition working with dairy farmers on herd longevity, sustainability and improving margins.
Mixed Farmer of the Year
28. Stephen Matthews-Jones, Upperhouse Farm, Powys
Steven operates a 32,000 layer unit and packing shed. The farm produces 1,000 lambs per year and runs a 30-cow suckler herd, focusing on premium supermarket outlets.
29. Edward Walters, PE Walters & Son, Berkshire
Edward runs a mixed arable, beef and turkey enterprise producing 16,000 turkeys each year. Beef achieves daily live weight gain of 2.2kg over a six-week period at grass.
30. JL White & Son, Manor Farm, East Yorkshire
Brothers Oliver and Christian, and mum Pam run a 250ha arable and beef farm, finishing 350 cattle a year. The family grow vining peas and have diversified into a caravan site and pumpkin patch.
Pig Farmer of the Year
31. Fred Allen, Newark, Nottinghamshire
Fred has transformed the pig enterprise at the mixed farm in Nottinghamshire, switching from a “challenged” outdoor system to a high-performing indoor, 850-sow, farrow to-finish pig unit.
32. North Farm Livestock, Holt, Norfolk
North Farm Livestock is the UK’s largest free-range pork producer. The family business, which currently rents land from over 45 landowners for its outdoor breeding and free-range farms, is going through a period of rapid expansion.
33. Molly-Anne Gimson, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Molly-Anne runs an outdoor breeding unit, with a closed herd producing 1,100 five-week-old piglets every two weeks. Breeding management and performance monitoring have been key since a full herd repopulation in 2020.
Poultry Farmer of the Year
34. Mark Gorton, Traditional Norfolk Poultry, Norfolk
Handling more than 100,000 free-range chickens a week and rearing over 350,000 speciality free-range turkeys, TNP has a focus on high-end poultry for the discerning consumer.
35. Will and Kate Martin, Treway Farm, Cornwall
Starting from scratch 10 years ago, the couple produce both turkeys and geese, selling to every corner of the UK with a focus on strong branding and customer service.
36. Robert Parker, Park Farm, Suffolk
Robert oversees a 500,000-bird intensive broiler unit supplying retailers and wholesalers with fresh chicken. High welfare and strong technical performance are his hallmarks.
Sheep Farmer of the Year
37. Neil Brown, New House Farm, Shropshire
Neil runs 800 North Country Mule and Suffolk-cross ewes on rotational grazing, producing finished lambs. He is collecting data on his Suffolk-cross ewes for the RamCompare project.
38. Ben Hughes, Goscombe Farm, Hampshire
Ben manages a mobile breeding flock of 1,200 North Country Mules put to Texel/Charollais tups. Lambs are finished off grass and cover crops to secure a premium price.
39. Alywn Phillips, Penygelli, Gwynedd
Alwyn operates two closed flocks, 200 Poll Dorsets lambing in January and 200 Texels in April. He produces performance-recorded Texel shearling rams off grass for prime lamb producers.
Young Farmer of the Year
40. Matthew Anderson, Layton Fields, Yorkshire
Third-generation dairy farmer Matthew, 22, has lifted cow performance, including fertility, in the four years since farming full-time, achieving an average services-to-pregnancy rate of 1.5 in the 120-head herd.
41. Joe Lyall, High Oaks Farm, Cumbria
At just 22, Joe has increased profitability in his family’s dairy farming business, securing a supermarket-aligned milk contract and valuable infrastructure grants, and lowering heifer age at first calving.
42. Iona Smith, Turnberry, Ayrshire
Iona was only 21 when she established a Shorthorn herd to run alongside her family’s pedigree beef cattle. Six years on, she now manages all breeding protocols and genetic improvements.