Guy Smith has been awarded the Royal Agricultural Society of England's (RASE) Outstanding Communicator award. The award is presented to an individual judged to have made an outstanding contribution towards the advancement of public understanding and awareness of rural land use and agricultural practice in Great Britain.
RASE chairman of the awards committee, Humphrey Salwey, says: "Guy Smith is an exceptional and sometimes controversial speaker. He is a great independent voice for UK agriculture and the society is pleased to reward his efforts in the promotion of our industry."
Mr Smith is a popular person and communicates about farming on various platforms and in a range of publications from his village magazine to the national press. He is a Nuffield scholar and edited the farming information leaflet, 'Farm, Food and the Countryside'. Mr Smith has helped develop a public speaking training tool and promoted farming to the public at schools days, agricultural shows and other events.
He farms 1000 acres of combinable crops and 200 acres of conservation initiatives at Wigboro Wick Farm, St Osyth, Essex. Diversification on the farm includes a golf park, farm shop and airstrip. Mr Smith passionately believes that farmers must do more to promote their industry. He regularly takes groups around his own farm to show how he is taking care of the environment and creating habitat for wildlife. He is involved in the RSPB's bird aid project and works with the Hawk and Owl Trust.
