Winner Specialist Crop Producer 2017.

We are celebrating after being crowned Farmers Weekly Specialist Crop Producer of the year, for our work in helping revive the fortunes for British Conference, which has been one of our major objectives, to enable us to compete directly with northern European growers.

Over the last two years, we have embarked on the largest programme of pear planting believed to have taken place in the UK for over 40 years. This has created a template for how conference pears can be sustainably grown in the UK in the future. We have also invested in ripening rooms to provide ripe and ready British Conference Pears to consumers who want to eat fruit on the same day as it is purchased.

Ross Goatham comments: “The team here at AC Goatham & Son are absolutely delighted to have won this award and to be recognised nationally in front of representatives from the whole farming industry. We have seen a significant interest from British consumers for British grown top fruit. We are continuously working with our partner growers and customers towards providing a secure and sustainable supply for the future. This will be done by securing more orchard sites and over time replanting apples and pears on new and more efficient growing systems. By 2020 we will have planted in excess of two million new fruit trees.”

The Farmers Weekly Awards are entered by farmers and farm businesses from across the UK and showcase the very best of British farming.