Journalist Awards

2008 WINNERS

Journalists on Farmers Guardian scored a double in the Guild’s Yara-sponsored journalism awards in 2008.

The runner-up in the Environment category was Steaking his claim to great food, a feature by Farmers Weekly‘s Farmlife editor, Tim Relf, that introduced the Australian TV chef John Torode as the president of the Royal Agricultural Society England.

The judges described it as an exceptionally well-written article: "This witty, entertaining profile gives a great insight into the personality of the man who is making it his priority to communicate what's great about farming to the public and inspire a love of quality food,” said the judges.

However, the winning entry was an article by Alistair Driver, political editor on Farmers Guardian, whose three-page report into the effects of bovine tuberculosis highlighted the plight of farmers whose livelihoods are being blighted by the disease.


Tove Andersen of Yara presents the Environment category award
to Alistair Driver

Alistair’s piece detailed the human, animal and environmental cost of a livestock disease that many people, including politicians, would prefer to ignore, noted the judges. They added: "The focus on key farming concerns, the lucid writing style and the empathy with the publication’s target audience make it a more than worthy winner of the Environment section of the Guild’s Yara Awards."

Alistair’s article can be read online here

In the Grassland & Livestock category, the judges were impressed by the runner-up article on Bluetongue by Farmers Weekly livestock editor Jonathan Long, which was described as giving practical advice and a clear appraisal of the wider picture.

But an article on the use of video imaging for animal carcass analysis, by Howard Walsh, Farmers Guardian business editor, was declared the winner.

Howard Walsh.

The judges citation reads: "This was an incredibly thorough story that included a wide range of industry views. It covered all the pros and cons and came to a very balanced conclusion. We were impressed with the way a complex and not particularly glamorous topic was handled and by the way the article kept the reader’s interest right the way through."

Read an online version of Howard’s article here.

The judges’ comment that they were hugely impressed by the standard of entries in this year's Arable category is a great reflection on all Guild members working in this area.

“The quality of writing was excellent, and the articles all made for extremely interesting reading,” they said. “But two contributions did stand out.”

An article by Tom Allen-Stevens in Farmers Weekly on how individual farmers had pioneered ways to overcome soil-related problems was picked by the judges as the runner-up entry for both the high standard of information provided and the clear way in which it was presented.

However, the winning article, by freelance Peter Hill and published in Crops magazine, summarised the fuel-saving technology shown by tractor and implement manufacturers at this year’s Cereals Event.


Peter Hill receives the Arable category prize from
Tove Andersen of Yara.

The judges’ citation states: "With fuel prices hitting dizzy heights earlier this summer, the author could not have selected a more topical subject – and one that affects all UK farming businesses, big and small.

“What was particularly impressive was how a vast amount of technical information from a number of different sources was drawn together into a single, easy-to-follow feature. It was an enjoyable and entertaining read."  

Read Peter’s article from Crops here        Section 1

                                                                              Section 2

2007 WINNERS

Guild members writing for three different national agricultural publications took the top prizes in the Guild’s Yara-sponsored Journalist Awards.

They were presented at the Guild’s Harvest Lunch by Tove Andersen, managing director of Yara UK, the fertiliser manufacturer that continues to generously sponsor these high-profile awards and which are enthusiastically administered by marketing services manager Rosie Carne.

Livestock & Grassland
Joanne Pugh, Farmers Guardian livestock editor, took the Livestock & Grassland category award with her article: Grassland management advice helps increase forage intake and efficiency. This describes the benefits to a dairy farmer of getting on-farm advice of managing grass swards from several commercial sources.

The judges said: “it managed to combine technical writing with creative flair and engaged the reader from the beginning. Its style was clear and simple, enabling readers to maximise their knowledge gain from the article."


Joanne Pugh

Read Joanne’s winning article here.


Arable
Profi International editor Andrew Faulkner won the Arable category with a detailed analysis of the features and performance of a heavy-duty minimum tillage cultivator. The judges said they were looking for a writer who delivered the three Rs of good agricultural journalism - readability, research and relevance.

“Of the 13 entries, there was one that stood out on all three counts – from the opening sentence, Andrew Faulkner's test on the Gregoire-Besson Discordon cultivator grabbed the reader's attention, then eased the reader along with a pleasing turn of phrase and punchy style of writing."


Andrew Faulkner

Read Andrew’s winning article here.


Environmental & Rural Issues
Mike Stones won this category with his Global Assignment article Riding the rising tide of ethanol published in Farmers Weekly.

According to the judges, this article on the US biofuels industry was “well written, very informative and brought home the key messages of relevance to British farmers today. Indeed, some of the predictions have been borne out by the recent market highs for commodity crops."

Henry Fell's article: A Water Shortage? More than a hosepipe ban, which was published in The Farmers Club Journal, was highly recommended.

Mike Stones

Read Mike’s winning article here.

2006 WINNERS

For the first time in the 47-year history of the Guild’s Yara-sponsored Journalist Awards, entrants from the same publication – Farmers Weekly – won all three categories. The awards, administered by Yara UK marketing manager Rosie Carne, were presented by the company’s UK managing director Tove Andersen at the Guild’s harvest lunch at the Thistle Charing Cross Hotel, London.

Europe editor Philip Clarke won the Arable category for his story on European Union sugar production negotiations, the subsequent deal and its impact on UK growers. The judges described the article as a "well-researched, forward-thinking and valuable piece of writing, giving sugar beet growers a sound insight into the complexities of changes to the EU Sugar Regime and helping them to decide on their future cropping strategies."

Click here to view Philip's winning entry


Philip Clarke receives his Yara Arable category award from Tove Andersen, managing director of Yara UK.


Livestock editor Jonathan Long won the Livestock & Grassland category for his Vanishing Vets article, about which the judges said: "The impact and influence of this article went beyond readers in its original publication, making headlines in Vet Record. The winning article was based around a survey conducted by the magazine. It was unique and signalled the size of a problem that has hitherto been ignored. This article helped to quantify and pinpoint the reasons behind the exodus of farm vets from the industry."

Click here to view Jonathan's winning article


Jonathan Long won the Livestock & Grassland category for an article covering the exodus of veterinary surgeons from agriculture.


Farmers Weekly food miles campaign director Julian Gairdner was successful in the Environment & Rural Issues category with his article urging farmers to promote the food they produce. The judges said that of all the articles in this category it had "created the greatest impact, was topical and of interest not just to the farming community but to all consumers."


Julian Gairdner, winner of the Environment & Rural Issues category in the Guild’s Yara Journalist Awards.

2005 WINNERS

Andrew Blake’s article on one farmer’s approach to the Single Payment Scheme in Farmers Weekly earned him first prize in the Yara journalist awards arable section, Nancy Nicolson won the environment/rural issues section with a radio programme on Home Kill in Shetland and Debbie Beaton took the grassland/livestock section with a Farmers Weekly piece on slurry management.

Click here to see Andrew's winning article (Click for P2)

Click here to see Debbie's winning article


Andrew Blake and Debbie Beaton (both Farmers Weekly) won the arable class and grassland/livestock section, respectively, in the Yara 2005 journalist awards. Photo: Keith Huggett.