Shropshire Farming Talk: British Grassland Society

Our prestigious competition has been running since 2002, initially as the Grassland Management Competition before changing to the Grassland Farmer of the Year in 2013.

We ran a National Silage Competition from 1979 to 2002 before changing the emphasis to overall grassland management.

Judges are looking for a farmer who shows overall excellence in grassland management and is a successful contributor towards profitable and sustainable farming practices.

The competition is open to members of local grassland societies that are affiliated to BGS, but full BGS members may also enter if there is no local society in their area.

Local society winners/representatives go forward for regional judging.

Entry forms from all regional winners are then judged by the national judging panel, and they choose the three finalists.

The panel of judges includes Hugh McClymont (formerly of SRUC), Robert Black (2023 winner) and representatives from the competition sponsors – Philip Cosgrave (Yara), William Fleming (Germinal), and Brent Gibbon (Nufarm).

The judges visit the farms of the three finalists in late August and early September to choose their winner.

The local society of the previous winner hosts the Awards Dinner, so the winner of 2024 BGS Grassland Farmer of the Year competition will be announced at the The Park Hotel, Peebles in October.

More details of this will follow later in the year. The Winner’s Farm Walk is an important part of the competition.

On May 22, we will be visiting the Drochil Castle Farm, near Peebles, to hear from Robert Black about his beef and sheep systems. The competition is kindly sponsored by Germinal, Nufarm and Yara.

Tom Goatman, British Grassland Society