Farmers from East Anglia are among the "talented and dynamic" finalists who have made the cut for a shot at national awards glory.
About 60 of the country’s best farmers will battle it out across 15 prize categories up for grabs at this year’s British Farming Awards in October.
Finalists include Nick Padwick, farm manager at the Wild Ken Hill estate near Snettisham in west Norfolk, who is shortlisted in the Arable Farmer of the Year category.
The estate has pioneered regenerative farming methods, alongside large-scale rewilding and traditional conservation, to boost farmland biodiversity and store carbon in the soils.
Mr Padwick said: "I am incredibly proud to have named a finalist for UK Arable Farmer of the Year.
"These are incredibly challenging times for UK farming and this recognition is testament to the regenerative agriculture we practice at Ken Hill and the wonderful team we have across the farm."
READ MORE: Norfolk farmer wins 2023 Timothy Colman Prize
Meanwhile Nathan Utting, of D-Agri-S at Homestead Farm in Bungay, is in the running for the Dairy Farmer of the Year title.
The 29-year-old runs the dairy venture within a family farm business which also includes agricultural supply, contracting and arable farming across 1,200 acres of land.
His hybrid cows spend eight months of the year grazing on grass pastures, and are milked in a £370,000 parlour, installed in 2020, which increased the efficiency and capacity of the dairy - currently milking 290 animals in 90 minutes.
Mr Utting, who took over the management of the dairy in 2014 after completing his apprenticeship with Easton College, said: "As a young dairy manager here at the family farm, it is a heck of an achievement for me to get on the shortlist. I feel really privileged to be there.
"I am very passionate about what I do, and I work very closely with outside professional help.
"I get a lot of advice from the farm vet, and one big thing that has driven us forward as a business is that historically our biggest financial cost was mastitis in the cows, but we invested quite heavily in a vaccine which has brought that down significantly.
"That is a big achievement and I am proud of that. We also put in a new parlour in 2020 and that has been a life-changer.
"We are driving toward a goal of having 350 milking cows on the unit and the parlour can milk up to 600, so we have future-proofed the dairy."
The British Farming Awards, organised by Agriconnect, parent company of Farmers Guardian, will represent all core industry sectors and also celebrate new entrants, farm diversifications, multi-generation family businesses, agri-tech innovators and social media influencers.
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