A third-generation Meriden farmer has been named as the inaugural winner of the Young Farmer of the Year award for Warwickshire.

Charlie Beaty, who works at The Dairy Farm, a family-run farm on Maxstoke Lane, is the first ever winner of the award given by Kenilworth and District Agricultural Society (KADAS).

The Young Farmer of the Year Award is supported by Brian Dalby and the Warwickshire Agricultural Society.

Charlie, 26, will be presented with the trophy and a cash prize at The Kenilworth Show on Saturday, June 4 2022.

It is Coventry and Warwickshire's largest one-day agricultural show and will take place on the grounds of the Stoneleigh Park Estate.

A panel of three judges hand-picked Charlie for the award after a nomination process which saw young farmers from all over the county put forward for the award.

The award recognises farmers under the age of 30 who have a great work ethic, demonstrate a real knowledge of their area of agriculture and are a positive ambassador for farming in the UK.

Charlie is a Harper Adams University graduate and since graduating in 2017 has spent time working in Australia and New Zealand.

She now works the farm in Meriden with her dad and uncle – who follow on from her grandad who initially took on the tenancy of the farm in 1958.

Since returning to Warwickshire, Charlie has been named Senior Member of the Year for the National Federation of Young Farmers. She is also a regular columnist for Farmers Weekly.

Charlie said: "I was pretty chuffed to find out I had won the award and I'd like to thank the judges for choosing me.

"We have a really strong farming community in Warwickshire and I'm proud to be an active member with the Warwickshire Young Farmers.

"This is a time of change for farming and agriculture, but every day is different and I love it. I'm committed to improving and continuing to improve the farming business we run in this big period of change.

"I want to make sure that what we are doing is the as efficient and profitable as it can be. This will help us to navigate the reduction in support payments for agriculture and aid is in our drive to meet the National Farmers Union (NFU) targets by 2040.

"We're all going to be tested in agriculture over the coming years and without a doubt what we are striving to achieve now will be completely different in 10 years' time.

"I'm proud to have won the award and with the young farmers we have coming through, I think agriculture has a strong future here in Warwickshire."

Sam Evans, KADAS & Kenilworth Show Secretary, added: "Charlie was an exceptionally strong contender for this award and the panel of judges were very impressed with her nomination.

"She is everything that you would want in a young farmer, she's enthusiastic, knowledgeable, forward thinking and is very approachable as well.

"Charlie deserves recognition for the fantastic work she is doing in the agricultural industry and is a much-deserved inaugural winner of our Young Farmer of the Year award

"This is a new award that the society launched this year in support of young farmers who are so important to the industry and it is an award that we see a great future for. We will be opening nominations again in the autumn and welcome nominations from across the Warwickshire agriculture committee."

To find out more about the Kenilworth Show visit the website here.

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