Harvest Lunch and Service 2025 Round Up

Welcome to this special summary post, bringing together all the highlights from last week’s 2025 Harvest Lunch, held at Stationers’ Hall, London.

It was a packed and lively afternoon celebrating the best of agricultural journalism and communications, complete with our annual harvest service at St Brides Church, awards, networking, excellent food, and a glass or two of fizz.

Keep reading to find a write-up of guest speaker Richard Negus’s call to action – urging agricultural communicators to tell farming’s story beyond the farm gate. You can also relive the moment Farmers Weekly’s Philip Clarke was named the 2025 Netherthorpe Communicator of the Year, explore our photo gallery to spot yourself and friends, and find out how to secure your ticket for next year’s lunch at this year’s price.

Whether you were there in person or catching up from afar, scroll on for all the stories, pictures and links – and make sure you don’t miss your chance to join us next year.

Guest speech by author Richard Negus

‘Tell agriculture’s story beyond the farm gate,’ Richard Negus tells BGAJ Harvest Lunch

Guest speaker Richard Negus urged Guild members to “take back the narrative” and help bridge the divide between town and country. In a witty and thought-provoking address, he reminded us that audiences are ready and willing to reconnect with food, farming and nature – they just need the countryside explained to them.

Awards

Alongside good food and great company, members gathered to celebrate the very best in agricultural journalism and communications. A huge thank you to all our award sponsors for their continued support — your generosity helps ensure we can keep recognising and rewarding excellence across the industry.

Netherthorpe Communicator of the Year

Philip Clarke wins Netherthorpe Communicator of the Year

Farmers Weekly News and Opinion Editor Philip Clarke has been named the 2025 Netherthorpe Communicator of the Year – the Guild’s most prestigious honour recognising an outstanding and sustained contribution to agricultural communications.

Caroline Drummond Award

David Rose’s long-term commitment to improving environmental and human health proves a winner

Nottinghamshire farmer, David Rose’s long-term commitment to improving environmental and human health proves a winner for the 2025 Caroline Drummond Celebrating and Communicating Farming Excellence Award.

Omnia Digital Farming

Toby Whatley wins the 2025 Omnia Digital Farming Award

Farmers Guardian head of machinery Toby Whatley has won the 2025 Omnia Digital Farming Award. Sponsored by Hutchinsons Omnia, the award recognises articles on the use of technologies and digital tools that help improve productivity, sustainability or profitability across any farm business in any sector.

Podcast of the Year

Farmers Weekly Podcast wins BGAJ Podcast of the Year Award

The Farmers Weekly Podcast has won the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists Podcast of the Year award for 2025.
Sponsored by specialist rural podcast production agency RuralPod Media, the award celebrates podcasts produced by Guild members.

BGAJ Agricultural Journalism Awards

Agri-Hub journalists and freelancer Andrew Watts scoop the three BGAJ Agricultural Journalism Awards

Agri-Hub journalists Danusia Osiowy and Olivia Cooper, along with freelancer Andrew Watts, are the winners of the 2025 BGAJ Agriculture Journalism Awards, sponsored by ABP.
In total, 59 articles or broadcasts were entered by journalists writing or broadcasting across 20 different publications.

Mike Evans Award for PR Communications

Gary Hartley wins 2025 Mike Evans Award for PR Communications

Consus Communications’ agri-science writer Gary Hartley has been named winner of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists’ Mike Evans Award for PR Communications 2025 for his outstanding work on behalf of Phytoform.
The award is kindly sponsored by Oxtale Communications.

BGAJ Photography Awards

BGAJ awards celebrate the best of agricultural photography

John Eveson, Eilidh MacPherson and Nigel Akehurst have been named winners of the 2025 BGAJ Photography Awards.
The three categories — arable, livestock and environment — drew an impressive range of entries, showcasing the very best of agricultural photography.
With diverse approaches ranging from dramatic aerial shots to livestock portraits, the judges said they were impressed by the thought behind all of the images, which highlighted the many aspects of farming.

John Deere Training Award

Farmers Guardian journalist wins Guild's coveted John Deere award

Tom Ryder, Farmers Guardian interim deputy digital editor, has won the BGAJ’s John Deere Training Award, with his article titled: Profitable upland farming: How Shropshire farmers are making the environment pay.
The John Deere Training Course has been running for more than 30 years and has an extraordinary track record in helping journalists, public relations (PR) professionals and marketeers enter the industry.

Event photography

Harvest Lunch event photography

The drinks flowed, laughter echoed, and the conversation never stopped. Take a look through our photo gallery by photographer Ruth Downing to relive the afternoon at Stationers' Hall, and see if you can spot yourself or your tablemates.

Loved this year’s Harvest Lunch? Don’t miss out next time. Book early for the 2026 event and lock in this year’s ticket price.

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Lead sponsor

Church sponsorship

Choir

Pre-dinner drinks

Venue sponsor

Table wine

After-party drinks

Harvest produce display