Grassland Farmer Of The Year
Grassland Farmer Of The Year
How To Enter
The competition is open to all full BGS members and affiliated local society members. The entrant can be based anywhere in the UK, providing they go through the correct application procedure (detailed below).
- The first stage of the competition requires the local society to judge and put forward the winning farmer from their society for regional judging. The winner must complete Sections A and B of the entry form (click here to download the entry form ). Full BGS members can also enter at this stage by completing Sections A and B of the entry form. Copies of the form should be sent to the relevant Regional Council Member and to the competition organiser (sandra.pattinson@britishgrassland.com).
- The Regional Council Member (click here for full list) will arrange to judge each of the local society winners within their region (this may only be one) and any full BGS members from their region who have entered. The regional winner is then put forward for national judging and must complete the entry form in full (click here to download the entry form) and submit it to the competition organiser (sandra.pattinson@britishgrassland.com).
- There can be a maximum of eleven regional entrants, which may vary year to year. The four national judges, plus the previous year’s winner will individually review each entrant based on their entry form.
- The judges will evaluate and agree on the final three which they will visit. Only at this stage will the national judges visit the farms.
Download the full scoring criteria matrix here.
If you reach the final three of the competition you will not be allowed to enter the competition in the following year.
What are the important dates?
Dates for 2024
| Local entries submitted to BGS and notified to Regional Council Member | Friday 21 June |
| Regional Council Members to notify BGS of regional winner | Wednesday 17 July |
| Deadline for regional winners full entry forms | Monday 29 July |
| National judges select the three finalists | Friday 2 August |
| National judges visit finalists farms | 27 August – 3 September |
Local societies in Wales must use the forms and deadlines set out by the Federation of Welsh Grassland Societies (FWGS) to find their local winners and Wales regional winner.
The Awards Evening will be held in the autumn. More details will be provided nearer the time.
The Winner’s Farm Walk takes place in May/June.
Grassland Farmer of the Year Sponsors
Germinal
Germinal are specialists in grass and forage seed, working at ground level to share knowledge and expertise with customers, distributors and partners across agriculture and amenity. Germinal is a privately owned firm that works closely with IBERS at Aberystwyth University, funding near-market work for forage grass, red and white clovers. Germinal also conducts extensive trials via its research facility. The majority of Germinal’s grass seed is produced in the UK via a network of contract growers. However, it also works with international seed breeders to offer a broad range of species (such as chicory, kale and maize) and varieties.
X: @wearegerminal @GerminalUKAgri
Visit the Germinal website
X: @wearegerminal @GerminalUKAgri
Visit the Germinal website
YARA
Yara grows knowledge to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet, to fulfil our vision of a collaborative society, a world without hunger and a planet respected. To meet these commitments, we have taken the lead in developing digital farming tools for precision farming and work closely with partners throughout the whole food value chain to develop more climate-friendly crop nutrition solutions. In addition, we are committed to working towards sustainable mineral fertiliser production. Founded in 1905 to solve the emerging famine in Europe, Yara has a worldwide presence of about 17,000 employees and operations in over 60 countries.X: @Yara_UK
Find more information about grassland nutrition on the Yara website
Find more information about grassland nutrition on the Yara website
Nufarm
Nufarm is the UK’s leading manufacturer of grassland herbicides, insecticides and growth enhancers. Grassland is a core part of Nufarm’s business and we are proud to have weed control solutions for every grassland situation, including clover swards, reseeds, silage and grazing systems. Our herbicides are manufactured in the UK at our “state of the art” global production plant at Wyke in West Yorkshire and supported by a dedicated grassland technical team. The Nufarm range offers best return on investment to maximise profit from grass.
X: @NufarmUK
Visit the Nufarm website
X: @NufarmUK
Visit the Nufarm website