This Week in Farming: Awards, AHDB levy and Massey review

Hello and welcome to a special edition of This Week in Farming where, in addition to bringing you the latest news, we give you a rundown of this year’s Farmers Weekly Awards winners.

It was another spectacular celebration of the best of the whole farming industry at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel this week, with close to 1,200 guests partying into the small hours.

Trophy winners

It was a night to remember for Claire and Craig Grant, who took home the biggest award of the evening – Farmer of the Year.

They reached the top spot after also securing the Mixed Farmer of the Year award.

Farmers Weekly reporter Emma Gillbard, who helped judge the category, had this to say about the couple, who hail from north-east Scotland:

“Their inspiring team spirit, shrewd costing analysis and farming passion across each aspect of their mixed farming business prove expansion and commercial farming can be achieved in a truly sustainable fashion.”

Decades of service to the sheep industry meant a richly deserved Lifetime Achievement Award for former NSA President John Thorley, while the remarkable fundraising efforts of Andy and Linda Eadon saw them collect this year’s Farming Champion Award.

A full list of other category winners can currently be found on the Awards website.

In other news:

AHDB levy increase proposal

Farmer-funded levy board AHDB, which earlier this year revealed that its spending power has fallen 40% in a decade, has revealed the proposed price increases that it says will be needed to maintain and bolster the services it offers.

These include an increase of 15p per fat lamb sold to 75p and an extra 12p/tonne of grain sold to 58p/tonne.

Our story has the full list of increases by sector, along with early industry reaction.

In my editorial this week, I note that the timing of this could scarcely be worse because of the increased costs farmers are facing across the board, but critics of the increase will also have a tough job explaining how they would do things better.

Mogg brain fog

Of all the things to be cross about this week, Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg chose the few last remaining strands of protection clinging to the British beef industry, specifically the ban on imported Australian meat from cattle treated with growth-promoting hormones.

In comments at the Conservative party conference this week, libertarian-leaning Sir Jacob backed the ban being lifted, saying it would bring down the price of beef for consumers.

Needless to say, this prompted an immediate backlash from NFU president Minette Batters and others in the farming community.

Same size, more power

What’s the maximum power you can sensibly pack into a smaller-sized tractor?

That’s the question Massey Ferguson has set out to answer with the 7S.210 as it, like other manufacturers, looks to get ahead of the plethora of after-market options for operators to squeeze more horsepower out of their steeds.

We review the 210hp machine for ourselves as well as speak to a contractor who has already put 1,000 hours through it.

Good week/bad week

Who else is up and who is down this week? Well, there have been celebrations over at the UK arm of Chinese-owned grain trader Cefetra, which has seen a massive surge in profit in its latest set of company accounts.

In the other corner, it’s been an embarrassing week for everyone at Powys County Council involved in what appears to be plans for a clandestine sale of one of its county farms.

For the sake of the tenant, Andrew Thomas, and the taxpayers in the area, full transparency would be welcome so that the deal can be scrutinised appropriately.

Listen to the FW Podcast

Don’t forget the latest edition of the Farmers Weekly podcast with Johann Tasker and Hugh Broom.

Listen here or bring us with you in the cab by downloading it from your usual podcast platform.