A YOUNG farmer from Llanerfyl picked up a major prize from the British Farming Awards, just a few years after a family tragedy.

On Thursday, October 20, Morgan Tudor was awarded the Silver Prize I the category Dairy Farmer of the Year at the 2022 British Farming Awards.

The ceremony saw over 800 people gather at The Vox Venue, Birmingham to celebrate the most “inspiring, progressive farmers within agriculture”.

Morgan’s recognition at the British farming Awards comes after a tumultuous few years, both personally and professionally.

Following the death of his father, Richard, in 2020, Morgan Tudor took on the running of his family’s dairy farm at the age of just 17.

The farm was just four weeks into its first calving season at the time, having recently made the decision to convert from a beef and sheep farm to a block-calving dairy unit.

Morgan had just returned to the farm after his time in college and had been working on a dairy farm to gain some experience ahead of the changes to the family farm, only to find himself having to take up running the operation.

Despite the hardships, his work to run the manage the farm has proved to be successful, with the British Farming Award Silver Prize being his second major recognition, after being named as one of the finalists in the BBC Countryfile Young Countryside Champion award.

The British Farming Awards noted his success, with a spokesperson saying: “These improvements are down to Morgan’s strategies regarding paddock grazing, careful muck and slurry use, reseeding, the use of break crops to break up weed burdens and the introduction of nitrogen fixing clover and grass mixes.”

Looking ahead, Morgan is considering the environmental aspects of his family’s business and has started to reduce fertiliser usage, is considering renewable energy options, and he aims to become self-sufficient in terms of feed.

He also wants to expand the business in the future, but on a short term basis he is focussing on his aim to ensure the home farm is run as efficiently as possible.

Morgan said: “I have no fear of the future and I look forward to it directly and the challenges it will bring.”