THE Northern Farmer Awards once more celebrated the best of agriculture in our region.

In front of an audience of 400 people at Pavilions of Harrogate, winners were announced in a range of categories from across the North of England.

The overall winners, who took home to Northumberland the coveted title of Northern Farmer of the Year 2020, were husband-and-wife team Andrew and Caroline Hunter.

The Hunters, of The Steel, Bellingham, had already won the Sheep Farmer of the Year category.

WI Suddes and Sons, of South Farm, Cornsay, near Consett in County Durham, were named as Arable Farmer of the Year, and David and Penny Evans, of Tree Bridge Farm, Nunthorpe, near Middlesbrough, winning the Beef Farmer of the Year accolade.

The title of Dairy Farmer of the Year went to Tom Neill, of Thornington Farm, Mindrum, Northumberland, while Stephen and Tracey Pepper, of Windle House Farm, Oxenhope, West Yorkshire, gained the Diversification of the Year accolade.

AJ Spilman and Son, of Church Farm, Sessay, were declared the Family-Run Farm of the Year, and the Farm Manager of the Year winner was James Marshall, of the Castletown Estate Farm in Cumbria.

The Outstanding Achievement of the Year accolade went to the Nicholson family of Cannon Hall Farm, near Barnsley, and the Young Farmer of the Year was Louie Van Geffen, of Raisdale Livestock, Alum Grange, Carlton-in-Cleveland.

The principal sponsor of the event was Mole Country Stores, and the category sponsors were Datamars (Sheep Farmer), the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (Family-Run Farm), NFU Mutual (Young Farmer), Harrowells Solicitors (Diversification), Lely Center Longtown (Dairy Farmer), East Durham College (Farm Manager), Pottinger (Arable Farmer), CF Fertilisers (Outstanding Achievement) and S&A Fabrications (Beef). Agriplus Ltd sponsored the champagne reception and Kettlewell Fuels sponsored the videos shown during the awards night and used in the judging process.