The winners of the 2022 British Farming Awards, which celebrated its milestone 10th anniversary this year, have been announced.

Over 800 farmers and industry specialists gathered to celebrate the winners at The Vox in Birmingham on Thursday (October 20).

“The British Farming Awards are a welcome reminder of the dedication and hard work demonstrated by UK farmers all year round,” said Sophie Throup from Morrisons, sponsors of the event.

One of this year’s winners is agri-influencer Tom Pemberton, who took home the title of ‘Farming Hero’.

Tom is a young farmer who creates YouTube videos depicting his daily life. His success has led to him presenting the BBC 3 show The Fast and the Farmer-ish, and writing his own book.

Also taking a notable award was Phil Stocker, National Sheep Association (NSA) chief executive, who was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to British Agriculture award.

On receiving the award, Stocker said he was incredibly grateful and humbled to win.

“Agriculture is one of the best and most fundamental industries in the world, producing food and looking after the countryside and the wider environment, and sheep farming is central to a growing interest in sustainable farming where we integrate the protection and enhancement of our natural environment with producing food and fibre,” he said.

“It’s easy for us, as farmers, to keep our heads down and get on with our work but awards such as these give us all the chance to sit back and celebrate the hard work of so many people who contribute to the future of farming.

“I also want to say that, while this award may have my name on it, there are a lot of people – colleagues and family – who are also responsible and who have given me huge support throughout my career,” he said.

The full list of the 2022 winners, excluding the above mentioned, is as follows:

  • Agricultural Student of the Year: Rhona Campbell-Crawford, SRUC (gold) and Lucy Hinch, Harper Adams University (silver);
  • Agri-tech Innovator of the Year: Florian Richter and Christopher Chavasse, Cobrey Farms, Muddy Machines, London and Gloucestershire (gold) and Will Dunn, Ag-drive, Yorkshire (silver);
  • Arable Farmer of the Year: James and Emma Loder-Symonds, Nonington Farms, Kent (gold) and Jonathan Hodgson, I.M. Hodgson and Son, Yorkshire (silver);
  • Beef Farmer of the Year: John Aynsley, Skelton Farming, Yorkshire (gold) and Edward Hawkins, Cutsey Farms, Somerset (silver);
  • Contractor of the Year: Tim Russon, P. Russon and Sons, Lincolnshire (gold) and Tim Carter, Tim Carter Cattle Foot Trimming Services, Devon (silver);
  • Dairy Farmer of the Year: Gordan Davies, Rivermead Dairy, Devon (gold) and Morgan Tudor, T. and A. and R. Tudor, Powys (silver);
  • Digital Innovator of the Year: Ewan Irvine and Emma Gray, Sheepdog School, Argyll and Bute (gold) and Ted Howard-Jones, CL Booking, Buckinghamshire (silver);
  • Diversification of the Year (Small to medium): Ewan Irvine and Emma Gray, Sheepdog School, Argyll and Bute (gold) and Emily and Luke Knight, Knight’s Care Farm, Devon (silver);
  • Diversification of the Year (Large): Chrissy and Arron Wells, Sarah Robinson and Caroline Tasker, South Brockwells Farm, East Sussex (gold) and Laura and John Lewis, Squirrels Nest Treehouse Retreat, Powys (silver);
  • Family Farming Business of the Year: The Mee family, Mee Farmers, Northamptonshire (gold) and the Davis family, Rivermead Dairy, Devon (silver);
  • Farm Worker of the Year: Melanie Jackson, Clive Soanes Broilers, Yorkshire (gold) and Amanda Thomas, KAT Farm Services, Yorkshire (silver);
  • Grassland Farmer of the Year: Andrew Brewer, F.G. Brewer and Sons (Farms), Cornwall (gold) and Andrew and Kirstie Baird, Auchnotroch Farm, Lanarkshire (silver);
  • New Entrants Award: Against the Odds: James Edwards, J.J. Livestock Solutions, Shropshire (gold) and Paul White, Paul’s Farm, Lancashire (silver);
  • Sheep Farmer of the Year: David Elgin, R.M. Eglin and Son, Warwickshire (gold) and Matt Chatfield, The Cornwall Project, Devon (silver);
  • Sustainable Farmer of the Year: Mark Means, J.S. Means (Terrington), Norfolk (gold) and Tom Simmons, Riviera Produce, Cornwall (silver).
BRITISH FARMING AWARDS NSA