For thirteen years, the British Farming Awards have shone a light on the best in British Farming. During this annual event, Britain's farming industry comes together to celebrate the achievements of its contemporaries.
Created in collaboration with Farshad Kazemian, founder and CEO of The Ethical Butcher, to recognise the growing importance of regenerative agriculture, this award recognises individuals who take proactive steps to reduce their carbon footprint while enhancing soil health, biodiversity, and water management.
Whether through the adoption of regenerative agricultural techniques, responsible stockmanship, or the use of renewable energy, these finalists have demonstrated a commitment to farming in harmony with nature.
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Finalists
Colin Chappell - North Lincolnshire
Colin Chappell runs Chappell Farms, a 485-hectare arable farm in North Lincolnshire, combining owned and tenanted land on heavy clay loams. Adopting regenerative and conservation principles, Colin has transformed the farm with minimal soil movement, cover crops, and diverse rotations, including milling wheat for Warburtons, feed and biscuit wheats, OSR, peas, beans, and maize. A quarter of the farm is dedicated to wildlife and environmental stewardship, while 31ha is in Miscanthus.
Six years ago, a poorly farmed block prompted Colin to focus on soil health and nutrient efficiency. Techniques such as carbon-wrapped nitrogen, renewable phosphate, and strategic catch crops have cut inputs dramatically while maintaining yields, reducing CO₂ emissions by 100 tonnes, and improving soil structure.
Family-run with two full-time employees, Colin also educates 400 schoolchildren annually on sustainable food production. His work balances productivity, resilience, and environmental stewardship, showing that regenerative farming can be both economically viable and ecologically responsible. Through innovation, collaboration, and careful management, Chappell Farms demonstrates the transformative potential of modern regenerative agriculture.
Craig Livingstone - Hampshire
Craig Livingstone manages Lockerley Estate & Preston Farms, a 2,000-hectare Hampshire enterprise combining owned and contract-farmed land. The business spans 1,300ha of regenerative arable cropping, 7ha vineyard producing award-winning sparkling wine, 300ha woodland, 230ha agri-environment schemes, and 45ha solar arrays, alongside miscanthus, conservation land, and livestock grazing.
Inspired by regenerative principles and a desire to work in harmony with nature, Craig adopted zero-tillage systems, diverse rotations, cover crops, companion cropping, and mob-grazing over 500ha, significantly reducing fertiliser, pesticide, and fuel use. Soil biology monitoring and tailored nutrition strategies have improved soil health, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity, supporting species including stone curlew and nightingale.
Craig works with a skilled team and partners, including LEAF, Wildfarmed, and Matthews Mill, to supply premium crops, while also sharing knowledge through workshops, farm visits, and collaborations. Through meticulous measurement of soil, crop, and carbon data, Lockerley Estate demonstrates that regenerative farming can deliver profitability, sustainability, and environmental stewardship. Craig's approach shows how innovation, observation, and evidence-driven management can transform land into a resilient, productive, and ecologically vibrant farm system.
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David Finlay - Dumfries and Galloway
David Finlay manages J Finlay and Son, a 330ha tenant farm in Dumfries and Galloway, set in rugged upland terrain. The farm is certified organic, with 200ha of permanent pasture and 130ha of woodlands, scrub, and rough grazing. David runs a 120-cow cow-with-calf dairy herd alongside youngstock and 300 breeding sheep, all finished or sold directly from pasture.
Motivated to farm in harmony with animals and the planet, David has pioneered regenerative practices for 25 years. These include zero ploughing, low-impact composted manure application, stitched herbal seed mixtures, agroforestry with over 35,000 trees, wildlife pond creation, and an on-farm micro-anaerobic digester to capture methane for energy. He has phased out chemical fertilisers and reduced antibiotics and pesticides by 90%.
These measures have restored soil productivity, increased biodiversity, and created a net-zero farm, while boosting resilience and profitability. David actively shares his approach, inviting buyers for farm tours and engaging the public on social media to raise awareness of ethical, regenerative farming.
Dr Johnny Wake - Northamptonshire
At Courteenhall Farms in Northamptonshire, Dr Johnny Wake is blending heritage with innovation across a 570-hectare mixed estate. Stewarded by the Wake family for over 350 years, the farm integrates regenerative arable, livestock, poultry, stewardship, and renewables within a whole-systems approach.
Arable fields on Hanslope clay are managed with minimum tillage, cover crops, precision technology, and zero insecticide use. A 340,000-bird poultry unit, powered by ground source heat pumps and advanced HVAC systems, links directly with arable rotations by recycling poultry muck in place of synthetic fertilisers. Traditional Herefords, certified Pasture for Life, graze extensively, restoring biodiversity and soil health, while Berkshire pigs have been reintroduced to enrich habitat.
Courteenhall also leads on community engagement: the upcoming "The Knot" farm shop and restaurant will champion local food systems, apprenticeships, and education. Under Johnny's leadership, the estate has won the Bledisloe Gold Medal (2023), achieved Wildlife Estates England Level 2 (2025), and helped pioneer collaborative landscape management through the Tove Valley Cluster.
Graham Parks – Cheshire
Graham Parks manages a 125ha tenant farm in Cheshire, specialising in regenerative beef production. He buys 300 spring-born Aberdeen Angus and Hereford calves from a single dairy herd, rearing them on a 95% grass-based diet using rotational grazing, herbal leys, and minimal concentrates. Calves are carefully weaned, grazed on managed pastures, and finished with a combination of outwintered bullocks and housed heifers, ensuring animal health and high-quality beef.
Motivated by a passion for wildlife and sustainable farming, Graham has introduced practices such as stream fencing, hedgerow planting, soil testing, dung beetle protection, and water harvesting, reducing environmental impact while boosting efficiency. These measures have cut his farm's carbon footprint by nearly 9% and improved productivity, profitability, and resilience.
Recognised for his achievements, Graham has won multiple Cheshire Farms Competition awards, serves as President of the British Grassland Society, and supplies regenerative beef through Grassroots Farmers. He actively hosts farm walks and promotes sustainable beef, educating buyers and the public on the environmental benefits of regenerative agriculture while securing the long-term future of his land and business.
Hugh Carter - Durham
Hugh Carter runs a 450ha owned farm in Durham, running a fully integrated regenerative arable and poultry enterprise. All arable crops are grown to feed 124,000 laying hens, creating a circular system where poultry manure returns nutrients to the soil. In 2024, Hugh completed a state-of-the-art 64,000-bird unit with an integrated feed mill and manure drier, helping him become the first UK farm to receive the British Standards Institute Carbon Neutral Kite Mark for egg production, achieving just 0.2 kg CO₂ per kg of egg.
Sustainability is embedded in every decision. Hugh has planted 7,500 trees, 4km of native hedgerows, and manages 50ha under Environmental Land Management and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes. Renewable energy, conservation agriculture, and a soya-free diet for his flock reduce external inputs, improve soil health, and enhance biodiversity.
Hugh actively educates the public and buyers through school visits, farm tours, and shows, championing regenerative practices and demonstrating that profitable farming can be low-carbon, circular, and environmentally responsible.
Neil White - Berwickshire
Neil White of W.O. White & Son farms 231 hectares at Greenknowe, Berwickshire, where his family has worked the land for over a century. Running an arable enterprise with a strong focus on soil health, Neil grows a rotation of winter and spring crops for premium markets, including barley for brewing and whisky, oats for Quaker, and beans for pigeon feed.
Since 2017, he has transitioned to direct drilling with a Mzuri strip-till system, cutting fuel use by 60%, reducing establishment costs by 70%, and steadily improving soil structure and organic matter. Cover crops, companion planting and livestock grazing have further boosted fertility and biodiversity, with hares, grey partridge and barn owls now thriving across the farm.
Sustainability underpins his system, from a biomass boiler using homegrown oilseed rape straw to solar energy powering the farmhouse and grain store. Neil actively shares his experiences through open days, grower groups and industry forums, helping champion regenerative practices and create new markets for low-carbon cereals.
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Taking place on 16 October at The VOX in Birmingham, the event will welcome industry professionals from across the country to celebrate British agriculture and the successes it has had this year.
