A BRECON farmer has been shortlisted for a prestigious Marks and Spencer award.
He will find out if he has been crowned winner on the first day of this year’s Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells on July 18.
Richard has been nominated for the Innovation award for the methods his farm has adopted in the farming of beef livestock that he provides to M&S.
Richard, alongside wife Helen, runs Newton Farm after joining the family business back in 1984 after he attended agricultural college in Aberystwyth, and has grown the farm from 220 acres to over 650 where he manages cows and ewes.
The judges were impressed with Richard’s commitment to sustainable farming, which has seen him adapt his farming methods to ensure that his practices are environmentally friendly.
This includes switching his farming system to forage based to make the most of the land available, which in turn has built active partnerships with local wildlife trusts to restore grassland in the area.
M&S Farming for the Future is a programme of initiatives which champions sustainability and innovation. The programme is designed to help farmers identify opportunities for improvement, increase their profitability and provide a sustainable supply chain that can continue to deliver quality and innovation for the long term.
Steve Mclean, M&S Head of Agriculture and Fisheries, said: "We are continually impressed with the commitment and passion our suppliers show towards sustainable farming practices and with such strong talent emerging within the industry, the judging process for our Farming for the Future Awards becomes more challenging every year.
"In what is my ninth year of presenting the M&S awards, I’m looking forward to once again honouring some of our top suppliers at the Royal Welsh Show next month."