British Guild of Agricultural Journalists’ director Olivia Midgley has been appointed as editor of Farmers Guardian (FG).
Olivia, who has been a member of BGAJ for the last 12 years, has served as a council member since 2018.
FG owners Agriconnect said the appointment came amid a senior restructure that seeks to drive the business forward online, in print and with its allied events.
She replaces fellow BGAJ member and former chairman Ben Briggs, editor for the past seven years, after he stepped up to become the Agriconnect group’s editor-in-chief and publisher. Olivia said: “It is a privilege to lead a brand with such a rich heritage, at a pivotal time for agriculture, when the world’s eyes are on the sector like never before. “As well as serving our print and online audience and helping farmers navigate the changes and opportunities coming down the track, our team of award winning journalists will continue to shine a light on the issues affecting rural businesses every day and effect change where we can. “We have a track record of communicating farming’s story to the wider public through our campaigns such as FarmingCAN, #ThisIsAgriculture and Take the Lead and with our soon-to-be-launched new digital offering, I am confident we can push this messaging even further afield.”
In his new role, Ben will oversee the Agriconnect publishing portfolio of FG, Dairy Farmer and Arable Farming from a strategic and business perspective, as well as forging closer ties with Agriconnect’s superb events portfolio, which includes the likes of LAMMA, British Farming Awards, Croptec, Farm Business Innovation and Future Farm Expo.
Alex Black, formerly FG head of business and also a BGAJ member, will take over as head of news and business, after working for the company for seven years.
