Blog Post
House of Lords reception
Milly Fyfe • 19 October 2023
Dedication to the betterment of Agriculture - collecting my associateship at the House of Lords
The English Panel of the Council for Awards of the Royal Agricultural Societies (CARAS) held an awards ceremony in the House of Lords on Tuesday 17th October, hosted by Lord Taylor of Holbeach CBE FRAgS and in the presence of DEFRA farming minister Mark Spencer MP FRAgS.
The Awards are a celebration by recognition of the remarkable personal achievements and contribution of individuals to the many sectors within the food and farming industry, as well as within society.
The Award recipients are commended for being head and shoulders above their peers in their contribution to the betterment of the food and farming sector in a wide range of ways through their leadership: by supporting charities, mentoring, adopting sustainable farming techniques, innovation in furthering research, advancing technology or holding voluntary roles which underpin the sector.
These people are the lifeblood of what makes and keeps our industry world leading through continuous striving for improvement, demonstrated as members advance from Associate to Fellow. Fellowship and exchange of ideas are encouraged through the programmes of events which are organised by the England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales Panels of CARAS.
Andrew Blenkiron FRAgS, Chairman to the English Panel said ‘28 individuals from across England have received a prestigious award today, all of whom are ambassadors for our industry representing organisations such as The Farming Community Network, Linking Environment and Farming, The National Farmers Union and the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs.’
‘We are delighted to be able to hold such a fitting ceremony to highlight individual personal achievement in such a historical British setting’.
The event was kindly sponsored by Juno (Plant Protection) Ltd. and director Nick Tapp commented ‘We are delighted to be able to support the event once again with such an extraordinary group of inspiring business leaders who have achieved and given so much to the farming industry’. ‘As leading suppliers of naturally occurring pesticides to the British potato industry, it is an important opportunity to be able to network and celebrate with the very best talent from across the sector.’
Host Lord Taylor of Holbeach CBE FRAgS commented ‘It is an absolute pleasure and honour to host this special occasion’. ‘What incredible people we have in our industry who work so hard; it is wonderful to celebrate and give thanks to them today’.
Individuals receiving Associate Awards in bold, submission title and sponsors are:
Claire Bragg, An Open Mind for Change, supported by Charles Bourns and Stephen Fell
Nicholas Bragg, Farming for Renewable Energy, supported by Melanie Squires MBE and Lord Cameron of Dillington
Malcolm Caithness, Persuading government to support farming and land management, supported by Baroness Byford and Alastair Leake
Fiona Dale, Encouraging Young People to get involved in Agriculture, supported by Geoff Vickers and John Summners
Stephen Dennis, The welfare of farmers and the farming community, supported by Ian Bell OBE and John Wibberley
David Exwood, Being a leading voice in Agriculture, supported by Sir Peter Kendall and Keith Charman
Milly Fyfe, Taking agriculture and rural affairs marketing, PR and engagement with the public to the next level, supported by Christine Tacon CBE and David Richardson OBE
Joanna Hilditch, Women in Agriculture – Prime Movers, supported by Patrick Wrixon and Ian Howie
John Joseph, Development and Implementation of regenerative farming methods, supported by Ian Howie and Cathy Meredith
Michael Lee, supporting Sustainable Agriculture through research and education, supported by Debbie Winstanley and Mary Quicke MBE
Mark Leggott, 25 years of representing Agriculture, supported by Nick Wells and Jack Ward
Catherine Look, Support of rural organisations, supported by Mary James and John Alvis
Karen Mercer, A lifetime of farming and community service, supported by David Bolton and Philip Wynn
Jon Regan, My input to Agriculture, supported by Oliver Doubleday and Martin Hole
Geoff Sansome, My personal contribution to the development of UK farming systems and agricultural knowledge exchange supported by Ian Howie and Cathy Meredith
Anthony Snell, A commitment to producing top quality products on a sustainably run farm, supported by Clive Gurney and Ian Howie
Suzie Wilkinson MBE, Supporting farmers in Somerset, supported by John Alvis and Howard Petch
Associates advanced to a Fellowship Award are:
Tina Barsby OBE, Contribution to Agriculture through leadership in crop science, supported by Tomy Pexton and Jim Godfrey OBE
Kevin Beaty, Raising the profile of dairy farming, supported by Richard Halhead and Mary Quicke OBE
Alan Bowe, Support for Cumbria Agriculture, supported by Andrew Humphies and Nuck Utting
Andrew Burgess, Growing and packing vegetables for the UK market, supported by Geoff Dodgson and Helen Browning
Robert Craig, Three decades of growth and development once the hard work is done, supported by Richard Halhead and Nick Utting
James Eckley, Supporting young people in Agriculture, supported by Poul Christensen and Gordon Gatward
Robin Milton, Uplands farming policy and practice, supported by Mark Thomasin-Foster and John Wibberley
Robert Shepherd, Progressive mixed farming, conservation and leadership development, supported by Chris Musgrave and Robert Cooper
Phil Stocker, Bringing Sheep farmers together for sustainability abd resilience, supported by John Geldard and Helen Browning
Richard West, Teaching, developing and helping, supported by John Alvis and Nick Green
The objective of the UK wide CARAS organisation is to recognise, through an Awards scheme, distinguished achievement in agriculture and related land-based industries.
The Awards embrace not only practical farming and the development of new husbandry practices, but also research, technology, economics, education, farming care, communication and administration.
A Fellowship (FRAgS) or Associateship (ARAgS) is a recognition of outstanding contribution by an individual to the understanding, efficiency and well-being of agriculture.
To date, over 1,200 individuals have been so recognised and there are currently over 800 Fellows and over 350 Associates.
Associateship (ARAgS – Associate of the Royal Agricultural Societies) is a recognition of meritorious contribution to the agricultural and land-based industries of the UK and is awarded to those who can demonstrate the required high level of achievement.
Fellowship (FRAgS- Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies) is the senior Award of the Council. Associates may be considered for advancement to Fellowship if they demonstrate a continuing significant contribution to agricultural and rural progress in the UK., Advancement is not automatic. Occasionally, the Council may award a Fellowship directly for exceptional achievement.
Holders of the Awards of ARAgS and FRAgS were recognised for a wide spectrum of activities. The Awards recognise personal achievement in a professional capacity and recipients are frequently individuals of influence within Agriculture. They range from practical farmers to academics, company directors, media practitioners, administrators, advisors and consultants.
Notes
For more information, please contact Milly Fyfe hon secretary to the English Panel of the Council for Awards of the Royal Agricultural Societies on 07752989544 or email hello@millyfyfe.com
Photos will be available after the event of individuals receiving their award and regional groups (North, West Midlands, East Midlands, East, South West, South East)
Other News / Blog Stories
Northamptonshire Farming Entrepreneur Milly Fyfe® ARAgS will head up a new radio show called ‘Tastes of the Shire; exploring Northampton’s food and farming scene from field to fork’ airs for the first time on Saturday 1st June. The show will feature a variety of interviews with grassroots farmers, producers, makers and foodies from Northampton and the surrounding countryside, to discover what is made, produced, sold and available to enjoy around the local area. Milly commented ‘I have a real passion for sharing amazing stories interviewing inspiring people who grow, rear, and process the food and drink we can enjoy, found right on our doorstep. I hope to take you all on a culinary journey exploring the people behind the farm gate, shop counter, restaurant kitchen and factory wall to discover what makes Northampton taste great.’ The show launch coincides with Northamptonshire Food and Drink Week , which is a campaign to bring people together to celebrate the food and drink scene across the county. Available on 106.9FM, NLive Radio is Northampton’s local radio station and hosts a variety of different music, business and specialist shows including Open4business, 90’s, R&B, rock and the Golden Hour. Station Manager Martin Steers commented ‘We are very excited to welcome a new food and farming show to our station, packed full of engaging conversations with local businesses, producers and food brands. Milly has really grasped the opportunity and we hope that many people tune in to learn more’. The Tastes of the Shire radio show with Milly Fyfe will air on the 1st Saturday of each month, 3-5pm on NLive Radio, the station that loves Northampton. Notes Who is Milly Fyfe ® ARAgS? Milly is from Yelvertoft ( Northamptonshire) and farms with her husband Andrew alongside their two young sons, where they rear beef cattle, sheep, arable crops a few pigs and a kitchen garden. Milly has a background in Marketing and PR and also founded a social enterprise called No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC , helping more people to cook from scratch using local, seasonal produce. In 2023, Milly was awarded an associateship from the Royal Agricultural Societies , farming’s equivalent of an MBE, for her work connecting consumers with UK food production. She is also the current NNBN Northamptonshire business person of the year, a silver Local Food Hero through Northamptonshire Food and drink awards, has a podcast called The Countryside Kitchen meets and was recently recognised by Small Business Britain as a top 100 female entrepreneur in the UK. You can find out more about Milly on social media using the handle @ MillyFyfe on Twitter and Instagram or @MillyFyfeOfficial on Youtube , Facebook and Tiktok . About NLive radio NLive Radio is the local radio station for all the people of Northampton, it operates under a not-for-profit community radio license from Ofcom which is held by and run in partnership with the University of Northampton. All the presenters are volunteers made up individuals from across the community, including staff and students from the University. The station broadcasts on 106.9fm across Northampton, online at nliveradio.com and it's on dedicated smart phone app, as well as on smart speakers via “Launch N Live Radio”
Somerset and former politician Neil Parish launches a new podcast today
A collaborative farming industry event taking place on 27th February at 1 birdcage walk with TIAH, CARAS, IAGRM, FCN and the Farmers Club under 35's
Here is is the 2 minute clip which was produced and shared across social media to highlight the harvest on our farm - Enjoy!
