The search is on to find the very best farmers in the island as the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture invites nominations for this year’s award.
Now in its eighth year, the Tomorrow’s Farmers Award recognises and rewards farmers who are committed to the future of food and farming in the Isle of Man.
In order to keep supplying the demand for premium food products, farmers must keep rearing, growing and producing and constantly refining their businesses to focus on quality and efficiency.
Encouraging succession in the farming industry is vital to ensuring that skills are retained and that enthusiasm and innovation in the industry are maintained.
The Tomorrow’s Farmer Award, again sponsored by Shoprite, provides recognition for those who have chosen, not only to carry on the farming tradition, but to go the extra mile with ambition and imagination.
Each farm nominated will be visited and assessed by the panel of judges against criteria for farming efficiently and profitably, their focus on customers, their efforts to promote local food production, their plans to diversify their business and the conservation activity.
The entries will be whittled down to four finalists and the winner will be announced at this year’s Royal Manx Agricultural Show in August.
One of last year’s finalists won the Judges’ Special Award for a Young Farmer, David Collister, has demonstrated the hard work, commitment and farming knowledge necessary to succeed in a tough industry.
David farms at Southampton Farm, Santon, and farms 340 acres on a range of tenancies and has a milking herd of 190 cows.
The judges were impressed with his grazing rotation and the management of outlying fields for forage.
Leaving wide uncut field margins to provide stock cover and good ground has also created fantastic game cover/wildlife habitat as well as working well for the cattle.
Tim and Maria Johnston from Ballavarry Farm in Andreas was also a finalist and won the Tomorrow’s Farmer Award.
They farm almost 400 acres across two farms in a long term tenancy and have 205 Holstein Friesian dairy cows. They demonstrated a clear vision of the future for the farm, with plans to upgrade many aspects of the operation to reduce costs, improve efficiency and increase production.
Both of these farms supply Isle of Man Creamery with quality milk.
To make a nomination, send their name and address plus a brief explanation of why you think they are worthy of the award to Audrey Fowler, Marketing Officer, DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale, IM4 3AS or email audrey.fowler@gov.im before March 25.