Organisers of the Future Farmer Award, which is funded by the Elizabeth Murray Trust and run in association with NFU Scotland are inviting farmers across Scotland to tell them which groundbreaking practices they are using on their farm. 

The businesses with the best ideas will find themselves in the running for the Future Farmer Award of £4,000 as part of a package of practical support to help them promote their ideas to other farmers and land managers.

The Award aims to showcase ways in which Scotland can produce food, fibre and wood products in a commercially viable way while maintaining the natural capital of the land and minimizing the ecological footprint of farming activities.

NFU Scotland President, Jim McLaren, who will help choose the winner, said:

“There is a multitude of enterprising and innovative Scottish farmers whose ideas and initiative are carving out the very future of the industry.

“Scottish farming’s survival will, in many respects, depend on the extent to which it is environmentally sustainable and I know that there are many farmers across Scotland whose ideas and techniques deserve to be recognised.  I would encourage farmers from every sector in all parts of the country to apply for this excellent award.”

The winner of the Future Farmer Award 2009 and NFU Scotland member, Denise Walton said:

“Winning the Future Farmer Award was a great confidence boost to us here at Peelham; as a diversifying farm business during an especially challenging economic period it confirmed our conviction that farming sustainably makes good business sense.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

• Applications for the 2010 award close on Wednesday 30 June.
• Your ideas can incorporate nature conservation or leisure activities but there must be a core element of productive farming.
• Anyone farming in Scotland who is keen to inspire others to try practical and innovative ideas  is eligible for the Award. Both direct applications and nominations are accepted.
• Conditions of Entry:
  • Applicants should be responsible for managing productive land in Scotland as an owner, tenant or employee.
  • Applications should be made in the name of an individual, but it is recognised that the applicant may be working in the context of a farming partnership, a business or a community group.
  • If you would like to nominate someone else for the award just let us know about them and we will contact them asking for further information.
  • Applicants should be willing, over the following year, to collaborate with a co-ordinator appointed by the Murray Trust to communicate the ideas being developed on the farm by: providing information for a 'case study' to be published on the web; giving interviews to journalists; speaking at farmer meetings (with the co-ordinator providing support in developing and/or delivering presentations); showing VIPs around the farm; hosting a farm walk for other farmers. The co-ordinator will select a short-list of applicants, interview them by telephone and produce a report for consideration by a panel of experts. The farms of lead candidates will then be visited and farmers will be invited to an interview with representatives of the Elizabeth Murray Trust and NFUS.
  • The decision of the committee is final, but unsuccessful applicants are welcome to re-apply in future years.
• Applications by email should be sent to: williams.eagles@btinternet.com
• Postal applications should be sent to: Michael Williams, Future Farmer Award, Eaglescarnie Mains, Haddington, EH41 4HN.  T: 01620 810491 M: 0771 3333193
• The organisers ask for a maximum of two sides A4 or 1,000 words and if you are applying by email please use Word for your narrative.  Short-listed candidates will be asked for further details in a telephone interview.
• For more information see www.futurefarmer.org.uk

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Contact Sarah Anderson on 0131 472 4108