A livestock adviser has been recognised at the Farmers Weekly awards.

David Howard, head of dairy at Wynnstay, was named a finalist in the Livestock Adviser of the Year category.

He was praised for his efforts in encouraging farms to adopt sustainable milk production practices.

Mr Howard has spent 18 years as a livestock adviser, with four years at Wynnstay.

In 2023, he worked alongside Kate Robinson, ruminant manager at Shropshire's Harper Adams University farm.

Ms Robinson said: "David can operate commercially in the academic environment of the university, acting as another manager for us.

"The next aim will be for David to help us move towards the goal of net zero by 2030."

Under Mr Howard's guidance, the Harper Adams farm has increased yields by 2,500 litres, reaching 11,400 litres per cow per year.

He achieved this without the use of soya in the diet, which is made up of 63 per cent maize, with grass and lucerne making up the rest.

He currently advises 26 clients across Wales, South West England, and the Midlands, with half of these clients having completely removed soya from their diets.

Sian Probert, head of marketing at Wynnstay, said: "We are so excited to be recognised in such a prestigious award."

She added that successes among farmers and the supply chain should be commended. 

This is not Mr Howard's first taste of success.

He previously helped Mark Lovatt at Oak Lodge Farm, Leicestershire, win the Feed Efficiency Award at the 2023 Cream Awards.

Mr Howard said: "I am passionate about helping farmers to increase herd productivity while managing volatile feed costs at the same time as meeting consumer demand over farming’s environmental footprint.

"It’s a constant challenge but scientific understanding of cow nutrition is improving all the time, and it’s a privilege to be able to pass that on to my farming clients."