Each year, the winning farmer will be given £4,000, a commemorative plaque and a package of support to help them promote their ideas to other land managers.
A "Highly Commended" accolade can be awarded along with a cash prize at the discretion of the Trustees.
What We Are Looking For:
The Award aims to showcase ways in which Scotland can produce food, fibre and wood products from farms and crofts in a commercially viable way while maintaining the natural capital of the land and minimising the ecological footprint of farming activities. Your ideas can incorporate nature conservation or leisure activities but there must be a core element of productive farming.
The Award is able to support a wide range of initiatives, for example:
- Managing soils to reduce flooding risks
- Cutting C02 emissions on farm and in the supply chain
- Improving stock quality
- Integrating native woodland management with grazing livestock
- Choosing crop varieties which are resilient to difficult weather conditions
- Productive and sustainable management of hill ground
- Running farm machinery on farm produced bio-fuel
- Creating conditions suitable for the growth of commercial wild plants
Other ideas are welcome (and there will be many) and anyone who is responsible for managing productive land in Scotland is eligible, whether they are an owner, tenant, crofter or employee. We are particularly interested in ideas which combine environmental sustainability with economic advantage.
Promoting:
You should have an interest in promoting your ideas to farmers, policy-makers and the media. The winner will receive support to do this for a year from a co-ordinator appointed by the Murray Trust.
Practical and sustainable ideas:
The Award seeks to promote practical organic and non organic innovative ideas for improving sustainability. This means that your ideas do not have to be new or unique so long as they work and you are willing to inspire others to try them.
Conditions of Entry
- Applicants should be responsible for managing productive land in Scotland as an owner, tenant, crofter or employee.
- Applications should be made in the name of an individual, but it is recognised that the applicant may be working in the context of a farming partnership, a business or a community group.
- If you would like to nominate someone else for the award just let us know about them and we will contact them asking for further information.
- Applicants should be willing, over the following year, to collaborate with a co-ordinator appointed by the Murray Trust to communicate the ideas being developed on the farm. These activities will be supported by a grant (at the discretion of the Trustees).
- The 2011 Future Farmer Award is now open for applications and closes on Friday 29th April.
Selection Procedure:
The co-ordinator will select a short-list of applicants, interview them by telephone and produce a report for consideration by a panel of experts. The farms of lead candidates will then be visited and farmers will be invited to an interview with representatives of the Elizabeth Murray Trust.
The decision of the committee is final, but unsuccessful applicants are welcome to re-apply in future years.
To enter an application for the award go to the top of this page and select the "AWARD" tab and then "APPLICATION" from the drop down menu.
Contact:
Michael Williams
Eaglescairnie Mains
Haddington
East Lothian
EH41 4HN
Tel 01620 810 491
Mob 0771 3333193