Farmers Guardian journalists scoop major press awards

 FG's photographer Marcello Garbagnoli won the Photography Awards' livestock category with an image of Belted Galloways in the Lake District.

Judge, national press photographer Anthony Chappell-Ross, said: "Even when all the elements of a great picture are available, you still have to find them and create. Everything comes together in the picture, light, background and the stock front and centre lined-up as if requested to do so."

FG freelancer photographers Tim Scrivener and John Eveson won the arable and environment/sustainability categories for images published in FG, with Marcello also coming runner-up in the arable category. 

FG publisher Ben Briggs won the BGAJ Journalism Awards' livestock category for a feature on an AHDB-led trip to a Texan cattle ranch, with FG's head of news and business Alex Black coming runner-up with an analysis of the similarities between the pig crisis of 2022 and that which gripped the sector in the 1990s. 

Read the winning story: Couple put biodiversity first on Cumbrian hill farm

FG features and online editor Emily Ashworth clinched the runner-up spot in the environment/rural category with a feature on a couple focusing on boosting biodiversity on their Cumbrian hill farm.

FG's chief reporter Rachael Brown was named runner-up in the Leaf (Linking Environment and Farming) Public Engagement Award for her written article and podcast on rugby legend-turned farmer Nigel Owens.

Read the winning story: Nigel Owens: Swapping life on the pitch for life on the farm

Farmers Guardian editor Olivia Midgley said: "We have an incredibly talented team at FG and our success at the BGAJ Journalism and Photography Awards is testament to the time and effort they put in to developing quality, original content which keeps our audiences informed, inspired and entertained."

FG's sister title Arable Farming was also honoured, with freelancer Jane Carley's feature on in-field robotics winning the Hutchinsons Omnia Award, which reflects the importance of precision farming technologies in crop production. 

And Gloucestershire farmer Jake Freestone, who is estate manager at Overbury Farms, Tewkesbury, clinched the inaugural 

Caroline Drummond Award - Celebrating and Communicating Farming Excellence, for his dedication to improving the way he and others farm and sharing that passion with a wide range of public and farming audiences.  

The award honours the late Leaf chief executive Caroline Drummond and was supported by BGAJ, The Institute of Agricultural Management and Leaf. 

Mr Freestone said: "Caroline's legacy of farming innovation, caring for and helping others, telling our positive story will live on in this award and with so many likeminded people."

All the awards were presented at a ceremony at Stationer's Hall in London.