Welsh hill farmer named Farming Woman of the Year

A fourth-generation Welsh hill farmer and lecturer in agriculture at Bridgend College, whose passion for farming and education shone bright, has won this year’s Farming Woman of the Year award.

Katie Davies, whose family has farmed at Nantymoel Farm in the Ogmore Valley for more than 90 years, was praised by the judges for her advocacy for farming, such as her recent speeches at the Senedd and during the Save our Family Farms campaign.

See also: UK’s first Women in Agriculture Awards celebrates winners

Speaking to Farmers Weekly, she said:

“It was a privilege to be shortlisted let alone win in a room full of incredibly talented and passionate women.

“As a woman farmer and teacher, I strive to be a role model, proving that passion, willingness to learn and hard work transcend gender.

“I hope my successes ignite passion in the next generation and inspire them to create a sustainable farming industry for the future.”

She added that she would endeavour to look beyond the farm gate and continue championing British farming.

The awards 

This year’s National Women in Agriculture Awards, which were held in London on Tuesday (6 May), saw a total of 12 women who are making their mark on the agriculture industry recognised.

The awards were judged by a panel of female food and farming leaders and the evening was hosted by comedian Rachel Parris.

The judging panel was chaired by Chloe Ryan, editor of Poultry Business magazine.

“At such a tumultuous time for agriculture, this scheme is shining a light on the brilliant women and businesses steering the industry through and highlight all the role models younger women can look up to,” she said.

Other winners

The Lifetime Achievement award – Teresa Wickham

Teresa Wickham © Jamie Hodgskin

Her achievements include declaring war in the 1970s on French apples and co-founding the women’s farming union.

By 1990, she was the first woman divisional director of UK retailer Safeway and then became an adviser to Sainsbury’s on its £1bn corporate responsibility programme.

Since then, she has held numerous roles managing and developing areas of business, primarily in food, agriculture and the retail industry, including governor of the Royal Agricultural College, chairman of the Oxford Farming Conference and non-executive director of New Covent Garden Market Authority.

The Training and Education Woman of the Year award – Anna Jones

Anna Jones © Jamie Hodgskin

She runs Just Farmers, an education organisation about empowering farmers to tell their stories.

The Sustainability Champion award – Megan Hudson

She works for Fenland SOIL, where she is part of a dedicated team with farmers at its core, aiming to tackle climate and environmental issues relating to agriculture and climate change in the East Anglian Fens.

Supply Chain Woman of the Year – Jodie Bolland

She is Myton Food Group’s UK agricultural sourcing director and in the past year, has been instrumental in the developing the company’s protein and ingredients business.

The Rising Star of the Year – Emily Mee

She single-handedly built her family farm’s social media presence and developed an online business selling excess fruit direct to consumers during the pandemic.

The Influencer of the Year – Rebecca Wilson

A fifth-generation farmer, she uses her social media following of 50,000 and her podcast for real leverage, sparking conversations on mainstream media programmes and at industry events.

Machinery Engineer of the Year – Poppy Borough

She has been promoted several times since joining JCB as an apprentice and is now a sales support specialist for JCB Agriculture, providing technical and commercial support.  

The Agricultural Advisor of the Year – Mary Jane Lawrie

She is a senior agricultural consultant with SAC and is also a farmer, who set up a series of farming women’s networking groups in 2017. By securing funding from the Scottish government they have now blossomed into 12 groups across the country.

Agricultural Ambassador of the Year – Milly Fyfe

She has dedicated her career advocating for food and farming in numerous and varied ways including through Young Farmers, being a director of the Oxford Farming Conference and the Shorthorn Society.

Business of the Year – Envirosystems

The judges were hugely impressed by this family business founded in 2001 by Liz Russell, a dairy farmer’s daughter turned entrepreneur, who has a deep-rooted passion for animal nutrition, cow health and sustainable soils.

The Innovator of the Year – Jilly Duncan Grant

She is the co-founder and CEO of Herd Advance, an agri-tech company dedicated to helping cattle farmers adopt innovative digital technologies.