Farmers Weekly Awards 2024: Farmer of the Year

Mark Means is Farmers Weekly Farmer of the Year 2024.

Turning around an arable and potato business requires a strong vision and an ability to make bold, radical changes, and this has been a key part of Mark Mean’s winning formula.

He has tackled potato storage energy use, refocused the business on potato quality as well as targeted soil health by reducing cultivations and minimising compaction risk, with controlled traffic farming and low-pressure tyres.

See also: Farmers Weekly Awards 2023: Farmer of the Year

These bold changes have paid off, resulting in a more sustainable arable and root cropping business on the challenging, high-silt soils reclaimed from the sea.

Mark has gained a reputation for being an early adopter of new technology and growing top-performing crops, including a 124t/ha of sugar beet and milling wheats, with double-digit yields.

Technology is helping him make better use of fertiliser inputs, as well as solving another problem – the lack of natural water sources for irrigation.

Mark has installed a unique water recycling system, using slightly saline groundwater.

Mark has turned around the loss-making potato enterprise. Cutting the area and a focus on potato quality means he is now a price maker, supplying Waitrose, Marks and Spencer, and Asda.

Using technology in the potato store has resulted in substantial cuts in energy use, down 28% and, combined with using renewables, has put the potato enterprise on a sustainable footing.

But what is remarkable is that potatoes and sugar beet are being grown without compromising soil health.

He strives to nuture soil, with soil organic matters getting close to 4% and no compaction in potato wheelings. 

He is showing that by getting the biology right and adding plenty of organic matter, from muck and sewage sludge, he can mitigate the impact from potatoes.

The lack of compaction is evident in the high-vining pea yields of 6t/ha, a crop that hates tight soils. He is regularly in the top five in the HMC Peas grower rankings.

The wider community is also benefiting, as Mark helped raising money for the local hospice and donated potatoes to the local food bank. He has a highly motivated team who are involved in decision-making when investing in tech.

Environmentally, he is a firm believer in land sparing, maximising production from productive areas leaving room for wildlife, with about 5% of the area dedicated to nature.