Two young farmers from Cumbria have been described as ‘dynamite’ for the industry, after winning the top two places in the Young Farmer of the Year Award at NFYFC’s YFC Achiever Awards.
The Young Farmer of the Year Award, which is sponsored by The Farm Safety Foundation, is one of eight categories at the awards, which recognise the achievements of those involved in YFCs across England and Wales during the previous membership year.
Nearly 500 young farmers, supporters and alumni gathered at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham for the event, which was hosted by NFYFC President John Lee OBE DL, and supported by well-known names in agriculture.
This year’s Young Farmer of the Year was chosen by Kelvin and Liz Fletcher, stars of ITV series Fletchers’ Family Farm.
The couple, who were joined on the judging panel by Stephanie Berkeley from The Farm Safety Foundation and NFYFC’s Competitions Steering Group Chair Will Longmire, interviewed all the finalists before choosing 25-year-old Hector Meanwell from Tebay in Cumbria as the winner.
Hector who helps run his family’s regenerative upland farm, as well as managing Low Beckside farm for the Ernest Cook Trust, is eager to bridge the gap between the consumer and the farm.
He’s involved in launching a farm shop on his family farm and runs educational sessions at Low Beckside to engage schoolchildren as well as those from disadvantaged backgrounds about the opportunities in agriculture.
The judges were impressed by Hector’s ambition and his willingness to champion the sector – even taking on a member of the House of Lords who questioned the abundance of biodiversity on his farm.
Kelvin Fletcher said:
“All the finalists represent exactly what the industry is, what it can be and what it should be. They personify what the industry is. It’s varied, it’s for everyone, there’s opportunity and there’s optimism. It’s such an exciting time to be part of it.
“The unique thing about Hector is that people like him don’t come along very often. He’s an entrepreneur, he’s got spirit. He will do things on a huge scale. I’m buzzing about the future of farming if it looks like Hector. He’s hard working, passionate, willing to be transparent and open with people that doubt the integrity of his work and brings them on board. I think that’s fantastic.”
Hector, who collected his award at the ceremony in Birmingham, was delighted to have won.
Robbie Tuer, 27, a member of Raughton Head YFC in Cumbria, was announced as the runner up of the Young Farmer of the Year. Robbie, who is from a non-farming background, works as a ruminant sales representative for Aspatria, where he looks after a large number of farmers in north Cumbria.
He sits on various committees for agricultural shows and societies along with developing a network with his local parish council and lobbying with MPs. Robbie is the Vice Chair of NFYFC’s YFC AGRI group and is trained to deliver NFYFC’s farm safety and mental health workshops to clubs.
Kelvin added: “If farming is to say what it is and what it can be, there are no better spokespeople than Hector and Robbie – they are dynamite! They’re fantastic and the fact they are both from Cumbria as well speaks volumes about that county and the people.”
The Young Farmer of the year Award was one of eight awards presented on the evening, where members enjoyed a three-course meal.
Drew Bailey, Chair of NFYFC Council, said:
“We had an amazing evening celebrating some outstanding individuals involved in our organisation. From inspiring leaders and supporters to the young people who are boosting our rural economy – there was so much to feel proud about.
“Being part of a Young Farmers’ Club offers so many opportunities and our winners demonstrated what can be achieved from getting involved. Congratulations to them all.”
The awards, which were first launched in 2020, are a way of recognising and rewarding members of Young Farmers’ Clubs (YFCs) for the work they do in the community, for enterprising initiatives and for helping to develop other rural young people.
Top names from the farming industry were among the line-up of judges who helped to choose the 2024 winners. Judges included social media influencers and farmer, YouTuber and TikToker Joe Seels (@joeseels), farmer and social media influencer Ioan Humphreys (@that_welsh_farmer), farmer and co-founder of Agrespect Ben Andrews (@bentheoandrews) and best-selling children’s author Hannah Russell (@hannahrusselloutdoors).
Nominations for the YFC Achiever Awards 2025 will be open to YFC members and supporters again next year.
