THE winners of the British Farming Awards are set to be announced this evening (October 19). 

Finalsists of the awards were announced in august and eight of them are from the South West. Farmers will be battling it out across 18 categories, from Beef Farmer of the Year to Digital Innovator of the Year. 

A farmer from Somerset is up for the Sheep Farmer of the Year Award. Andrew Smith of Lodge Farm, T.H. and J.P. Case, Somerset, will be battling it out to win the title at the awards ceremony. 

A further three special recognition awards – Outstanding Contribution to British Agriculture, Farmers Guardian Special Recognition Award and Farmers Guardian Farming Hero – will be announced during the awards evening. 

Now in its 11th year, the British Farming Awards is the industry’s leading event showcasing hundreds of British food and drink producers undertaking fantastic work across the sector. 

The awards night is taking place tonight at The Vox Conference Centre. 

Finalists in the South West include: 

  • Arable Farmer of the Year, sponsored by Kramp: Ed Horton, S.S. Horton and Sons, Gloucestershire
  • Contractor of the Year, sponsored by Kuhn: George and Jonathan Fraser, A. and R. Fraser, Wiltshire and Kevin Heywood, A.J. Heywood and Sons, Cornwall 
  • Farm Worker of the Year, sponsored by Isuzu: Holly Atkinson, Carswell Farms, Devon and Nick Tucker, Wastenage Farms, Devon 
  • New Entrants Award: Against the Odds, sponsored by Massey Ferguson: Alex Crawley, Grazing Management, Gloucestershire and Jason and Amelia Greenway, Springwater Farm, Devon
  • Sheep Farmer of the Year, sponsored by SAI Global: Andrew Smith, T.H. and J.P. Case, Somerset

For the full list of finalists visit the British Farming Awards website.