Rawcliffe Bridge Award - a catalyst for sustainable success

Guy Prudom, a tenant farmer from North Yorkshire, was the Rawcliffe Bridge Sustainability Award runner up in 2022.

He runs a suckler cow herd, finishing all the progeny and an arable enterprise that grows wheat, barley OSR and beans, alongside his parents. Shortly before entering the award, he’d seen the organic matter in soils increase by over 1.5%, by growing cover crops, switching to a strip tillage system and by better utilising fym.

“Recognition through the BASF competition has given me the confidence to try and push what we are doing further, and to put it out into the public domain,” he says. “It’s also shown the whole team - family, contractors, sprayer operators, agronomists and consultants – that we’re on the right track.”

Guy entered the award because he believes how he farms is sustainable. “Growing feed and bedding for livestock and letting the livestock’s manure feed the crops is something my grandfather, father and now I’m doing. I think it’s a good system and what sustainability is all about.

“Winning the award has given the system credence. It’s opened up one or two doors too.”

Guy has been used as a case study for the North Yorkshire County Council- funded through their Net Zero Programme, to explore how an increase in Regenerative Farming Techniques will impact on their Net Zero ambitions across the county. In May 2024 he was asked to speak at the Waitrose Farming Conference on the farm’s sustainability journey.

“Which was great, until I was told the head liner was Gabe Brown! He proved to be very down to earth and had some interesting insights on species selection in cover crop mixes to improve bacterial and fungal activity,” he says.

For Guy, the Rawcliffe Bridge Sustainability Award was just the beginning. In 2023, he got through to the finals of the Farm Sustainability Category at the British Farming Awards. In February 2025 he will be heading to London as a finalist of the National Arable and Grassland Awards in the oilseed rape and protein grower categories.

“We are constantly making minor tweaks. We’ve learnt that we can’t rely on direct drilling and strip tillage, sometimes it is right to get the plough out. This spring, following the plough, we’ve had some brilliant crops of spring beans, spring oats and spring barley. We have to be more adaptable to the conditions.”

Guy strongly advises anyone else who’s thinking about entering to crack on and do it. “There’s nothing better than being judged by your peer group,” he says. “Too often we’re isolated in what we do and there’s nobody looking over your shoulder telling you that you’ve done a good job….and it’s a great day out!”