I used to be lucky sufficient to attend the Farmers Weekly Awards not too long ago. It’s not usually you get to social gathering with a whole lot of different farmers on Park Lane, within the very coronary heart of London.
I used to be actually struck by the magnificence of the venue, even when I felt barely misplaced surrounded by chandeliers as a substitute of farmyard floodlights.
It was a glamorous setting for a night of celebration, reminding us that in a world the place farmers are all-too-often criticised, it’s price sometimes coming collectively to recognise our particular person and collective achievements.
See additionally: Hannah Reddaway – diversification calls for time and endurance
In regards to the writer
Hannah Reddaway
Hannah Reddaway works part-time as a chartered structural engineer alongside engaged on her household’s South Devon dairy farm, the place she has began her personal sheep and meat field enterprises.
The occasion introduced farmers collectively from throughout the nation. Even on my desk, Devon, Suffolk and Perthshire have been represented.
I used to be captivated by the welcome recommendation of the 2023 Grassland Supervisor of the 12 months winner and a passionate sheep farmer finalist, gaining worthwhile insights into their achievements and receiving steering in each areas.
The farming neighborhood got here collectively in a heat, welcoming, and pleasant farmhouse ambiance, to rejoice success and recognise the very best in British farming.
It was additionally an opportunity to supply and absorb encouragement and hard-earned knowledge, alongside reinforcing our sense of belonging to a bigger shared agricultural household.
At a nationwide degree, farming generally is a lonely enterprise, not least as a result of so many livestock markets have closed.
One survey by the Farm Security Basis discovered that 92% of farmers underneath the age of 40 assume poor psychological well being is the most important hidden downside dealing with farmers, so coming collectively like that is essential.
With the room filled with business leaders, innovators, and trailblazers, it was additionally an opportunity to achieve insights into cutting-edge practices in several areas of farming.
With music filling the air, and each the dance ground and bar equally bustling, the occasion as soon as once more proved that hard-working farmers know the right way to have a great time, even when a few of the dancing was a bit questionable!
It was an evening to recollect, emphasising that in agriculture, success goes past yields. It’s additionally about bonds and shared pleasure, and the unimaginable energy and spirit of our neighborhood.
