Judging has taken place for the first Northern Farmer magazine awards which celebrate the best farming practices.

The magazine is a sister publication to the Wharfedale & Aireborough Observer and Ilkley Gazette.

A panel of high-powered figures from the agricultural industry gathered at the headquarters of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society in Harrogate to sift through more than 60 nominations across ten categories.

Shortlists of three have been drawn up in each category. The category winners will be revealed at the awards night, compered by Pam Royle of ITV Tyne Tees, at the Pavilions on the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, on March 6.

The judging panel was chaired by the editor of The Northern Farmer, Malcolm Warne. He said: β€œIt was very difficult to whittle the entries down. In some categories there were many quality nominations and it was hard to pick just three for the shortlists.”

He thanked the judges for their time and thoughtfulness in reaching their verdicts and also the Yorkshire Agricultural Society for providing the facilities for the judging panel to meet.

The overall Northern Farmer of the Year was selected from the ten category winners. The winner will also be revealed on March 6.