Freelancer Mike Abram and Farmers Guardian’s Toby Whatley have been elected to join the council of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists.
Mike and Toby were voted onto the council at the BGAJ AGM, held at Alltech’s headquarters in Spalding, Lincolnshire, on 27 March.
The pair joined Caroline Stocks, managing partner of Consus Communications, and Andy Newbold, managing director of FarmSmart publishing and events, who were reelected back onto council having already fulfilled three years in their current council roles.
Freelancer Mike Abram
Farmers Guardian’s Toby Whatley
Mike, who was previously PR and communications manager for Bayer Crop Science and an arable reporter at Farmers Weekly prior to that, has been a freelance journalist since 2020.
He predominantly writes arable technical content for publications including Farmers Weekly, CPM and Direct Driller,
Having previously spent two years on council before he became a freelancer, Mike said he was particularly keen to help enhance the Guild’s awards programme, which was one of the reasons he joined the BGAJ in 2002.
Over the years Mike has won several of Guild awards, most recently the H L Hutchinson Omnia digital farming award for an article on how generative AI will change arable farming.
Meanwhile, Toby has been head of machinery and farm technology at Farmers Guardian since 2021.
He moved into journalism after initially establishing a career in agricultural engineering, working first at a dealership and then with manufacturers in engineering and product support roles.
He said he had found the Guild to be particularly supportive and welcoming when he moved into journalism, and was looking forward to bringing his experiences from both FG and his previous roles onto Council.
Caroline is managing partner of Consus Communications, an international communications agency that specialises in content journalism and science reporting for food and farming businesses around the world.
Currently BGAJ’s communications secretary, said she was looking forward to continuing the work the Guild’s been doing in improving member communications, ensuring members continue to benefit from everything membership offers.
Andy is director of FarmSmart Events and FarmSmart Publishing, which publishes several agricultural journals including Tillage and Soils.
Having worked as the Guild’s sponsorship secretary for the past three years, Andy said he was delighted to be reelected so he could continue helping BGAJ with its core aims of supporting its members and encouraging the professional network.
