An innovative farmer whose conservation scheme led to a booming business, has received the most prestigious of the NFU's Farming Excellence Awards.
Nicholas Watts received the Daily Telegraph David Brown Award from Anna Brown, wife of the late Daily Telegraph agricultural editor David Brown in whose memory the award is made.
The award is made to the farmer or grower who stands out as an all-round shining example of farming excellence. This is exemplified by Nicholas's bird seed business which just five years after it started employs ten people in seed production, conditioning, packing and selling from the farm shop, through mail order and the internet.
NFU President Tim Bennett said: "Nicholas has dedicated nearly 40 years of his life to farming and is by all accounts a class act and the envy of his peers.
"Nicholas has moved with the times, establishing a hugely successful business in a remarkably short space of time by recognising and meeting consumers' needs.
"Not just a businessman, Nicholas has combined his commercial know how with nature conservation and is a staunch supporter of farm assurance.
"Nicholas uses every opportunity to improve the image of and people's perceptions of farming, hosting open days, writing for local newspapers and regularly appears on radio and television, a perfect role-model for today's farmers."
As part of his prize, Nicholas received a cheque for £1,000, a farm gate plaque and a certificate.
Daily Telegraph Editor Martin Newland said: " Modern farmers need to be skilled all-rounders. They must produce goods that people want to buy, market them successfully, run a profitable business in an ultra-competitive industry and of course, maintain their traditional role as guardians of Britain' s unique countryside.
"Nicholas is all of these things and appropriately for a winner of
> an award made in David Brown' s memory, he is an exemplary communicator and ambassador for his industry."
