By Jack Bosworth, Director, FJ Bosworth & Sons. Published 14 October 2024.
I hope everyone is well.
A ploughing match, 63 years on
We were pleased to host our local ploughing match at Spains Hall on 21 September, a very well-organised and well-attended event.
The last time it was at the farm was 63 years ago, so I think our turn in hosting was definitely due. Community moments like that matter. They are part of what keeps farming a connected industry rather than a series of isolated businesses.
A wet welcome the next day
The rain joined us the day after the match, and the wet conditions have not really left us since. 110 mm over the last three weeks means we are not quite as far through the drilling as we would like.
We are pleased to have:
- Finished slurry applications.
- Got nearly 90 per cent of the winter cereal land sprayed off.
- Got the Sumo Trio through all the land where we had the ploughing match.
That last job was not a comfortable one, I must say.
The Farmers Weekly Awards
We attended the Farmers Weekly Awards earlier in October, having been a finalist for the Mixed Farmer of the Year category.
We did not win the award on the night. We were genuinely delighted, though, to have been nominated and to make the final three. That is down to the hard work of everyone working with the business. The recognition is theirs as much as it is the family’s.
Those of us who went had a fantastic and enjoyable evening, meeting some great people during the process whom we hope to keep in touch with.
Congratulations to Nick and Lucy Tyler on a very worthy win of the award, and congratulations to all the other winners and finalists. It is the kind of occasion that reinforces what a wonderful industry we are all proud to be part of.
AHDB’s Environmental Baselining Pilot
Elsewhere, we are thrilled to have been selected as one of the pilot farms for AHDB’s Environmental Baselining Pilot.
As a business, we want to see how we can:
- Improve our sustainability.
- Reduce our environmental impact.
- Understand in more detail how different practices affect the bigger picture.
Measuring properly is the first step toward improving anything. We are looking forward to starting that journey, and to sharing what we find with those who are interested.
Editor’s note (May 2026)
In addition to the Mixed Farmer of the Year finalist position covered in this article, FJ Bosworth & Sons went on to win the National Pig Awards Sustainable Farming Award 2024 and was a finalist for National Pig Awards Pig Producer of the Year 2024. Full details on the Awards and Accreditations page on this site.
About the author
Jack Bosworth is a fourth-generation farmer and Director of FJ Bosworth & Sons, an arable and pig farming business at Spains Hall, Willingale, Essex. The farm has been in the family since 1919, and Jack farms alongside his father Stuart Bosworth, who was named Farmers Weekly Pig Farmer of the Year in 2011. The business is Red Tractor assured and runs an integrated farm-to-fork model, with home-grown cereals milled on site using solar-generated electricity.
You can follow Jack’s articles on fjbosworth.com, or get in touch via the WhatsApp link on the site.
Fourth-generation farmer at Spains Hall, Willingale. Runs the contracting team and writes most of what appears here.