Some of the nation’s best dairy farmers have been recognised at this year’s ForFarmers Excellence in Farming Awards.

The award winners, which were announced at a presentation ceremony on Thursday (November 22) at The Farmers Club in London, include:

  • Tim Sinnott, who farms near Nuneaton, Warwickshire;
  • The Bradley family from Hallworthy, Cornwall; and
  • Richard and Claire Sainsbury, based in Pitton, Wiltshire.

The three winners won the national awards for Dairy Feed Efficiency, Youngstock Producer and Forage Manager, respectively.

Tim Sinnott impressed judges with his attention to detail and constant drive to improve business performance and feed efficiency. Tim’s cows produce an average of 12,700L of milk, of which 30% comes from forage.

ForFarmers marketing director, Henry Verwaijen, who judged this year’s Excellence in Farming Awards finalists said:  “Tim has taken a very open-minded approach and looked at all the small changes that can be achieved on the farm, which when added together, make a big improvement to performance.

“His own drive and enthusiasm is clear to see, and this definitely helps to attract good quality staff and keep them motivated.”

Best Youngstock Producer

As winners of the Youngstock Producer category in this year’s awards, the Bradley family have demonstrated a dedicated approach to rearing large numbers of healthy, high-quality calves from their herd of 900 Holstein Friesian cows.

“The youngstock rearing setup is excellent and it is clear that the whole Bradley family are passionate about what they do,” explained Verwaijen.

There is a clear and consistent approach to working with youngstock, which is essential when rearing calves on a large scale.

“Transition cow and colostrum management are particularly good and the whole calf-rearing process is very well managed.”

Top Forage Manager

Richard and Claire Sainsbury run a 215-strong dairy herd and are achieving strong milk yields from forage, with an average of 4,000L out of the 6,792 that their cows produce a year, coming from forage.

The couple’s simple, but highly productive grass-based system really impressed the ForFarmers judging team.

“The system at Roundbarrow is relatively simple, but is incredibly productive and makes excellent use of available labour,” Verwaijen added.

“Richard and Claire have a clear strategy for the farm and stick to it, resulting in a very high output of milk for their grazing-based dairy herd.”

As well as receiving their reward at the London presentation event, each winner wins two places on an organised study tour in Europe.