Autumn 2026
IMPORTANT DATES ANNOUNCED FOR 2027 The Yorkshire Agricultural Society is delighted to announce the dates for the 2027 Yorkshire Farming Conference and next year’s Great Yorkshire Show. Following a successful first-ever Yorkshire Farming Conference at the start of the year, the event will return on Wednesday 27 January 2027, at The Great Yorkshire Events Centre. Tickets will go on sale in October priced £26 + VAT. Ticket prices include a breakfast sandwich and a cup of tea/ coffee. Save the date for a day of inspiration, insight and connection, as we celebrate and strengthen the future of farming across Yorkshire, with in-depth discussion and insight across topical industry issues that bring all aspects of the Society’s charitable work together in one place. More details will be announced when tickets go on sale and at yorkshirefarmingconference.co.uk as we countdown to the event.
Looking further ahead, the Great Yorkshire Show will be held on Tuesday 13 – Friday 16 July 2027. The Show, which is the largest agricultural event in the country, will continue to be held over four days. Tickets will continue to be sold in advance only and visitors are encouraged to buy sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment. As part of our farmer ticket initiative to give farmers greater access, our online farmer tickets will continue to provide further flexibility for those wanting to attend. Membership numbers will continue to be limited and a renewal reminder will be sent with the next newsletter in January 2027. Tickets and YAS Membership will go on sale in November this year.
TUESDAY 14 - FRIDAY 17 JULY 2026
The 167th Great Yorkshire Show took place on Tuesday 14 – Friday 17 July and attracted unprecedented demand, with tickets for Wednesday selling out two weeks before the Show opened. In response, 2,500 extra tickets were made available for each show day, and all 150,000 tickets, which were available to purchase in advance only for the successive sixth year, sold out the day before the gates opened to visitors. Show week brought four warm-weather days, near perfect conditions for the very best of British agriculture to be celebrated, with 8,500 animals exhibited in pursuit of prized rosettes. The present and future of the industry was showcased in the machinery lines, upgraded machinery demo ring and the Agri-Innovation Village – expanded for 2026 and hydrogen-powered in a GYS-first. In the Main Ring, The Bolddog FMX wooed visitors with their highflying jumps as they made their first appearance at the Show since 2019. Elsewhere, both Woodcrafts and Showjumping enjoyed record entries.
New additions this year saw Harrogate BID take over an avenue of the Showground, attracting local businesses to fill a ‘Harrogate High Street’, and the Hardy & Free photography exhibition, displayed on Wednesday to Friday in the building next to the Ariat GYS Stage. Created by award-winning photographer Carolyn Mendelsohn, the exhibition explored the relationship between 12 contemporary women and the natural world, including Show Director Rachel Coates. New entertainment saw Boot Scootin’ Cow Girls from The Dance Studio Leeds getting visitors to join in with line dancing performances on Friday on the Sheep Shearing Stage, interspersed with energetic performances from Knaresborough’s award-winning Knot Another Choir. High-profile guests included the DEFRA team. The then Secretary of State Emma Reynolds said she was “hugely impressed” by the Show after taking a tour with Farming Minister Steven Morgan and Paul Kissack, Defra’s Permanent Secretary. Once again, the Show enjoyed the welcome prestige of hosting national livestock shows, this year for Charolais cattle and Zwartbles sheep. The Charolais National Show was won by heifer Brailes Violet owned by Mr and Mrs M
Alford of Cullompton, Devon. The Zwartbles National Show champion was a shearling ewe owned by Mrs H Jackson from Dumfries. The Supreme Beef Champion was an Aberdeen Angus cow, Blelack Princess Carina, with calf at foot, owned by Devon-based Mr and Mrs Mike Alford, while the Supreme Dairy Champion was first-time GYS exhibitor Duncan Horsley and his Holstein Intermediate cow, Bartinney Duplo Swizzle 2. Duncan also won the Margaret Chapman Dairy Pairs with the same cow and with junior cow Ingleview Sc Ruth. It was a poignant show for all who knew the late Margaret Chapman, our former Chief Cattle Steward who gave so much to the Show throughout her life. As a fitting tribute, the Blythewood Pairs competition has been renamed the Margaret Chapman Pairs. Margaret introduced the competition to the Show in 2008. The Margaret Chapman Beef Pairs saw the Native champions picked out as Herefords, with Miss E Hodge’s bull, Rm 1 Blade, and Mr S Hartwright’s cow, Spartan 1 Victoria’s Secret, and the Continental Pairs went to British Simmentals, with Mr JHVG Wood’s bull, Denizes Nugget 22, and cow, Popes Princess Lumi.
The Supreme Sheep Champion went to a Kerry Hill yearling gimmer shown by Ellie Owens from Leominster, Herefordshire, while a three-year-old Large Black shown by Jack Holroyd of Preston was crowned Supreme Pig Champion. Dalestone Britney, a British Saanen owned by Mark Bond from Catterick was crowned Best Goat in Show, and the Supreme Pigeon Champion was a four-year-old English Long Faced Tumbler hen from Sean Morrow of Durham. The Price Equine Supreme In-hand title went to North Yorkshire breeder Jane Strickland, of Appleton Wiske, with her home-bred Irish Draught mare, Appleton Aristocratic Lady. Everyone around the Main Ring was on the edge of their seats for the Ripon Select Foods Cock O’ The North. The world-class action, featuring the best showjumpers around, saw a tense finale as the much-decorated local hero John Whitaker, on Equine America Unick du Francport, took the trophy at the age of 70 – and claimed his seventh Cock O’ The North victory. John narrowly beat nephew James who was riding Just Call Me Henry.
NEW MILESTONE FOR CHEESE AUCTION Cheese loving visitors to the Great Yorkshire Show have now helped raise an incredible £70,000 for good causes over the years, with Field Nurse and Saint Michael’s Hospice set to benefit from the latest support for the Show’s ever-popular Cheese Auction. The milestone comes after prize-winning cheese went under the hammer in the Great Yorkshire Food Hall on the Thursday of this year’s Show. Visitors bid for their favourite cheeses, raising a grand total of £8,315, guided by the expert auctioneering of Ted Ogden and Sam Bradley. Chief Steward of the Great Yorkshire Show’s Cheese and Dairy Section, Caroline Bell from Shepherds Purse Cheeses said: “For the Cheese Auction at the Great Yorkshire Show to have raised £70,000 over the last 14 years is quite simply phenomenal! A huge thank you to show visitors for their
generosity and to all the brilliantly talented independent cheesemakers across the UK whose cheese was kindly donated for the auction.” Field Nurse employs registered nurses to provide physical and mental health and well-being advice to farmers and those living in rural communities. Their health check trailer is brought to the Show where, this year, their nurses gave over 300 free health checks. Field Nurse operates out of seven livestock auctions in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria. Saint Michael’s is the local hospice care charity supporting people affected by terminal illness across the Harrogate district. It is part of independent charity North Yorkshire Hospice Care, a family of services which includes Herriot Hospice and Just ‘B’.
YAS AWARDS + RABI AWARD Beyond the celebrations in the show rings, the Great Yorkshire Show is the perfect opportunity to appreciate the contributions of people who give incredible service to the Show as well as the wider agricultural industry. Almost 8,000 people are involved in delivering the Show every year, including nearly 400 volunteer stewards as well as judges and staff. People who have been working to make the Show a success for decades are recognised in the Yorkshire Agricultural Society Awards and this year they were awarded to: Edwin Thorpe, Jimmy Fitton, Norman Jackson, Richard Jackson, Henry Chadwick, Kate Mallender, John Fenton and The Rev Canon Leslie Morley. The Society and Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) make an award each year to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the Yorkshire rural community and this year’s went to Tom Carlisle. Tom Carlisle, aka The Dales Farmer, has built a significant audience by sharing the realities of day-to-day agricultural life. New for this year’s show was the Best Young Farmer Award, organised by the Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs and won by 22-yearold Emily Fretwell of Penistone. The new Award was donated by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.
CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES AT THE SHOW Show time gives the Society opportunities to further its year-round charitable work, by hosting events, competitions and talks to bring the farming community together, share knowledge and champion the industry. The Society’s Farming Networks and Education team delivered just that throughout the week, not least in the Agri-Innovation Village, organised by the Farmer Scientist Network and sponsored by the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and Greene Tree, and supported by key partners, including energy management company Energy Oasis and the Royal Agricultural Society’s Farm of the Future team. The future of farm fuels was a key theme to inspire forwardthinking, with TCP Group using hydrogen to power the Village in what was a first for any agricultural show in the UK. Other ‘firsts’ on show was the Bennamann Biomethane refueller, shown alongside one of the first production models of the New Holland T7 270 methane power tractor, a prototype Toyota Hulix H2 Fuel Cell vehicle and a hydrogen refuelling unit, installed for the first time at a farming event. The GYS Innovation Awards 2026 overall winner was Bennamann’s biocycle upgrader which upgrades biogas produced on farms into transport grade biomethane fuel.
The Future Farmers of Yorkshire network’s annual Breakfast Meeting discussed food trends and what they mean for farmers with Rufus Pilgrim of RS Cockerill, tenant farmer Eden Hill, Vanessa Adamson from AHDB and George Roach of Oakland Farms Ltd. The Women In Farming Network’s summer social celebrated the UN’s International Year of the Woman Farmer featuring a chat between County Durham farmer Emma Lawson, and successful farm shop owner Jenny Hutchinson, chaired by Kate Bush at Geo, who sponsored. The Society inspired the next generation at the Show. Thousands of schoolchildren attended as discounted group bookings and the Society made school visits even more accessible by teaming up with Asda, Co-op and McDonald’s who contributed to transport costs for some schools. The family-friendly Discovery Zone was the starting point for many visiting schools where children enjoyed free activities courtesy of the Society. Sponsored by National Grid, the Discovery Zone featured Little Seed Oil, new for 2026. At the Garden Show Stage the winning schools in the Society’s annual Veg Box Competition were revealed after a record 31 entries. This year’s theme was Waste to Grow and the overall winner was Chapel Haddlesey School near Selby. The competition was sponsored by Asda.
CELEBRATING CONSERVATION CHAMPIONS Now in its 17th year, the Society’s prestigious Tye Trophy award recognises the contribution of farmers to conservation and environmental improvement.
and their farm, encouraging an exceptional level of wildlife.
The overall winner of the Tye Trophy, presented at the Show by Society President Nick Lane Fox went to Cumbria area winners Ian Bell and Rebecca Dickens of Hallbankgate Farms, Brampton.
Congratulations to all the other 2026 regional winners: Rachel and Edward Jewson, East Knitsley Grange Farm, Consett (Durham, Tyne and Wear); Martin Stringer, Thorney Bank Farm, Nunburnholme (East Yorkshire); Edwina Miller, Cobble Hey Farm, Garstang (Lancashire); Charles and Gilda Brader, Thixendale Manor Farm, Malton (North Yorkshire); Shaun Maw Beaumont House Farm, Hexham (Northumberland); Alastair Trickett, Fortshot House Farm, Wike (South and West Yorkshire).
Ian and Rebecca breed sheep and suckler cows on their own farm and graze and help manage 6,500 acres on Coalfell on the RSPB reserve at Geltsdale. They have a pedigree Charolais cattle herd and a commercial herd of suckler cows, some of which overwinter in a wood without supplementary feeding. They have created more than 30 ponds across the reserve
The Tye Trophy covers farms in seven regions in the North, with a regional winner from each and one overall winner.
To nominate a farm for the 2027 Tye Trophy, email: tyetrophy@yas.co.uk
NEW YAS PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED FOR 2027
The Society is delighted to welcome its new President Rodrica Straker and to announce its new President Elect, HRH The Princess Royal, following Nick Lane Fox’s 12 months in this prestigious honorary role. Nick, who is continuing as Chief Steward of the Main Ring – a voluntary position he has held since 2001 – stepped aside at the end of his term as Society President, with huge gratitude from the Society for his service, as one of the 2026 Great Yorkshire Show’s final acts in the Main Ring, where he handed over to Rodrica. Rodrica, from near Beverley, studied Land Economy at the University of Cambridge before qualifying as a rural practice, chartered surveyor. After a brief spell in the industry, Rodrica returned to the family business in East Yorkshire which involves a holiday park, farming and forestry, and the Burton Constable Foundation charitable trust. Rodrica co-managed with her late husband their family farm in Northumberland. She continues to work full-time between both businesses. Rodrica is also involved in various charities and rural organisations. It has also been announced that HRH The Princess Royal will take up the honour of President, as Rodrica’s successor, at the end of the 2027 Show. The Princess Royal has been a regular visitor to the Great Yorkshire Show, first attending in 1992 and then subsequently in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. She becomes the first royal President since HRH The Duchess of Kent in 1972 and follows in the footsteps of the Show’s first female President, her great aunt Princess Mary, later The Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, who took the role in 1937, 1951 and 1957. HM King Charles III has been the Society’s Patron since 1998 and has also been a frequent visitor, attending in 1999, 2006, 2011, 2015 and 2021.
NURTURING THE NEXT GENERATION
Younger farmers who have successfully completed the Goodall Agri-Development Pathway enjoyed a celebratory reception at the Show, while the current Pathfinders met industry stakeholders to broaden their horizons. The programme has supported their professional development, setting them up for the next steps in their careers.The Pathway is a fully-funded training programme to develop farming’s next generation. It boosts young people’s skills and experience. Designed in consultation with farmers and supported by experienced industry professionals, the Pathway aims to help young people improve their performance and prepare
for enhanced responsibilities as their careers in agriculture evolve. This exciting opportunity is open to those aged between 23 and 40 who work in farming and allied industries in the North of England. For any questions about the Pathway prior to an application, please contact the Charitable Activities team at the Yorkshire Agricultural Society by emailing education@yas.co.uk To apply to take part in the 2027 Pathway please visit yas.co.uk/farmers for an application form. The deadline for applications is 20 November 2026.
PLENTY TO COME THIS AUTUMN As well as counting down to the Yorkshire Farming Conference on 27 January 2027, this Autumn is packed with events for those in farming.
heritage varieties, will have a go at making apple juice with Carr House Farm, and will make a baked apple to take home and cook for tea.
The Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s Women In Farming Autumn Gathering will take place on Tuesday 13 October at The Garden Rooms at Tennants in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. This annual occasion brings together a panel of women with inspiring stories to tell about their lives in agriculture.
Meanwhile, the Society is excited to be organising and hosting its brand-new Agritunity event, specifically to encourage secondary school children to consider career options in agriculture.
The Future Farmers of Yorkshire’s Autumn Debate will take place at Pavilions of Harrogate on the Great Yorkshire Showground on the evening of Thursday 22 October, kindly sponsored by McClarrons insurance brokers. Primary schoolchildren will be invited back to the Showground for Apple Day on Wednesday 21 October. A tour of the Showground’s orchard will be led by Fruit Works Co-operative. Pupils will enjoy tasting Yorkshire
Taking place at the Great Yorkshire Events Centre on Wednesday 7 October, this free careers taster day will explore agricultural science, skills and enterprise for school groups across Years 8-13. Agritunity will inspire and educate children and young people about the breadth of career options in the vastly diverse land-based sector. The event’s content is closely linked to the national curriculum and showcases cuttingedge STEM applications in agriculture to inspire the ambitions and academic progression of pupils of all abilities.
HARVEST THANKSGIVING SERVICE 2026 This year, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s Harvest Thanksgiving Service will be held at the historic St Mary’s Church in Beverley on Sunday 4 October at 2pm. YAS President, Mrs Rodrica Straker warmly invites all members to join us for this special service celebrating the fruitfulness of the land and the skill of our farmers. The Right Reverend Bishop James Jones, former Bishop of Liverpool will be our preacher. Proceeds from the collection will be divided between the Yorkshire Wildfire Response Team and Field Nurse. St Mary’s Church, North Bar Within, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire HU17 8DL | www.stmarysbeverley.org/about There is no parking at the church, but public pay and display parking is available nearby at the train station HU17 0AS, Ladygate HU17 8BH, or Grayburn Lane HU17 8JR. The church is a 13-minute walk from Beverely Station and trains run every hour from York.
High Tea Following the service, you are very welcome to join us for a traditional High Tea at the set price of £27 per person including VAT, payable in advance. The tea will be served in the church, and the catering will be provided by the renowned Tina Cerruti of ‘Cerutti 2’, Beverley. To attend the service and/or the tea, please contact the YAS Reception Team on 01423 541000 or email info@yas.co.uk Bookings for tea must be confirmed and paid for in advance no later than 12pm on Friday 25 September. Please include any dietary requirements with your booking. We will endeavour to seat people together in groups on their own table, but this is dependent on numbers and diners may be required to share tables. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer refunds or a reduced price for children.
WHAT’S ON AT THE SHOWGROUND SEPTEMBER Sat 12 - Sun 13
Harrogate Health and Healing Festival
Pavilions of Harrogate
01423 873259
Fri 25 - Sun 27
The Le Creuset Factory to Table Sale
GYEC
feverup.com
Sat 26
Leeds Children’s Hospital Charity Ball
Pavilions of Harrogate
leedshospitalscharity.org.uk
GYEC
protruckauctions.co.uk/auctions
Pavilions of Harrogate
yorkshirebabyshow.co.uk
OCTOBER Fri 2
Pro Truck Auction
Sat 3
Yorkshire Baby and Toddler Show
Sat 7
Agritunity - Free Careers Taster Day for Schools
GYEC
yas.co.uk/agritunity
Sat 24 – Sun 1
Harrogate Indoor Funfair
GYEC
indoorfunfair.org
Weds 28
Hush Sample Sale
Pavilions of Harrogate
finderskeepersclub.co.uk
Trade Event Only
rinevents.co.uk
NOVEMBER Thur 12
Rail Infrastructure Networking Event
Fri 13 - Sun 15
Harrogate Woodworking Show
GYEC
harrogatewoodworkingshow.co.uk
Fri 13 - Sun 15
Decorative, Antiques and Art Fair
Pavilions of Harrogate
cooperevents.com
Thur 26 - Sun 29
The Great Yorkshire Christmas Fair 2026
GYEC
ukgrandsales.co.uk
Sun 29
Harrogate Toy and Train Collectors Fair
Pavilions of Harrogate
dalesmandiecast.co.uk
Christmas Party Night 2026
Pavilions of Harrogate
01423 544544
DECEMBER Sat 5 & Sat 12
Note: The information is correct at time of publication. Please check with the organisers to verify details prior to planning your visit.
YORKSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY Regional Agricultural Centre • Great Yorkshire Showground • Harrogate HG2 8NZ • t: 01423 541000 • e: info@yas.co.uk Registered Charity No. 513238 • Company Reg No. 01666751 • VAT Reg No. 613 0480 81 • Registered in England as a company limited by guarantee