In July 2023 arable farmers and brothers from Cambridgeshire, Matthew & Lloyd Smith, were announced as the winners of the award reflecting the impact of their farming philosophy on people, planet and profit.
Together they farm 450 acres in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire and grow a wide range of crops from wheat, barley and potatoes to sunflowers, canary seed and millet. The diverse rotation supports their strategy to reduce the farm’s high black-grass weed pressure, improve soil organic matter and provide diversity within the landscape, while their bird seed business and sunflower walks give them opportunities to engage with the public.
“Winning the Rawcliffe Bridge Award has been about recognition and confidence,” says Mat.
“It’s expanded our view of the industry and our network.”
For Mat, the opportunity to attend the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) was a personal highlight of the prizes.
“I’ve always wanted to go but would never have done so. Some conferences attract the same people and the same voices but OFC was different. It brings together different people from inside and outside the industry – individuals I wouldn’t have otherwise come across - and offers a broader perspective on the challenges and opportunities.”
A surprising side-effect is that Mat finds that conversations change when people know he’s won the award.
“I’ve just been to a Paludiculture Conference, and it was noticeable that being able to say that we’ve won an award for sustainability took the conversation to another level – it gives us credibility in discussing farming’s potential with those that are not farming’s’ natural partners.”
Alongside the usual three pillars, this year’s award will have an added emphasis on resilience.
“Resilience, from a farming perspective, is about having a little breathing space so that you can afford to try something different and to make mistakes,” says Mat. “It’s about being able to cope with shocks – whether that is the weather or something else – and gives us the opportunity to look to the future.
“Mental health is an important aspect of resilience. Working in a partnership with Lloyd means we can lean on each other, bounce ideas around and get away from time to time – whether that is to conferences or for a break. Neither of us live on-site which, for us, is also really important. It means we can close the gates and get proper down time – something which I see, too often, others struggling with.”
Like Colin, Mat and Lloyd have sown all their winter crops and are looking forward to a strong start to 2025.
“For the first time in a few winters, we’re in a positive position - it’s nice to not be that grumpy farmer that I never wanted to become, for once.
“We have completed autumn drilling and got pre-em herbicides on. The wheat’s coming on with the warmer weather we’ve had this autumn and while there will be, no doubt, challenges with aphids and slugs to come, we’ll have got a crop that will have over-wintered well to look after next spring.”
