Arable farmers considering putting their farm forward for the AgriScot Arable Farm of the Year have just three weeks left to apply.
Sponsored by SoilEssentials, and organised by AgriScot and AHDB, the Award aims to demonstrate best practice in sustainable crop production and farm business management.
Previous winner Aberdeenshire farmer Peter Chapman will be judging this year’s entrants alongside farmer and past AgriScot Chair Andrew Moir.
“I would really recommend applying,” he says. “It gives you the chance to step back and have a close look at your business, assess your strengths and weaknesses, and of course it is nice to get a wee bit of recognition from your peers.”
While farmers can nominate their own business for the awards, other farmers and those working in the arable industry are also being encouraged to nominate farms they feel deserve to win the prize this year.
The recipient also gets a bespoke precision farming package from SoilEssentials which will give them the opportunity to analyse vital data with the most up-to-date technology.
For project facilitator Gavin Dick the Award not only aims to showcase some of the industry’s best farms but supports the drive towards a more resilient arable sector.
He says: “We want to encourage businesses to future proof themselves in an increasingly volatile environment, to adopt tools such as benchmarking to get a more in depth understanding of their business, and make informed decisions which will ensure they are sustainable long-term.
“Awards like the AgriScot Scottish Arable Farm of the Year which highlight best practice, and demonstrate the benefits of adopting new tools and techniques, help drive our industry forward.”
Farmers interested in nominating their farm for an award will need to fill in an application form by 21 September.
Once the judges decide on their shortlist of three farms, they will visit each in the autumn before making their final decision. The recipient of the award will be announced at AgriScot on Wednesday 21 November.
Farmers interested in nominating their farm should contact Gavin Dick or Claire Hodge for more information; gavin.dick@agri-epicentre.com / Claire.hodge@ahdb.org.uk.
