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For fourteen years, the British Farming Awards has shone a light on the best in British Farming. During this annual event, Britain's farming industry comes together to celebrate the achievements of its contemporaries.ÌýÌý

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The 2026 Agri-Innovation of the Year finalists are all accelerating the growth of an exciting sector, providing a wealth of support and solutions to farming practices.

The entrants may not have an agricultural background, but their innovative technologies are helping farmers and industry professionals find solutions, whether that be increasing crop yields, streamlining data, improving animal health or lowering carbon footprints for the farming sector.

Each of these finalists have highlighted a specific industry issue and created exciting pieces of technology to tackle it.ÌýÌý

Finalists for the Agri-Innovation of the Year award, sponsored by LAMMAÌýÌý

AgriStride, Lancashire  Ìý

Lancashire-based Wolfenden Concrete is tackling one of dairy farming's persistent challenges – lameness – with its innovative AgriStride Vario hybrid flooring system. Combining high-grip concrete with 40mm rubber inserts, the Vario is designed to provide traction, comfort and shock absorption while maintaining efficient slurry management.

Its patented, diagonal chevron design can span wider passages and suspended floors, supporting the demands of modern dairy buildings and heavier machinery.Ìý

Developed in response to farmer feedback, the Vario took more than two years to engineer, with structural reinforcement allowing the slat to be used in both directions. Interchangeable rubber inserts also mean worn components can be replaced without replacing the concrete base, reducing disruption and waste.Ìý

Wolfenden has invested around £600,000 in bringing the AgriStride range to market, with more than 30 orders secured since launch. The Vario has also won engineering and overall innovation awards at the Great Yorkshire Show, demonstrating industry recognition of its approach to high-welfare flooring.Ìý

MORE ON HOOF HEALTH: Why hoof trimming technique in pre-calving dairy heifers matters

Galebreaker, CalfHub, Herefordshire Ìý

Herefordshire-based Galebreaker has developed CalfHub, a purpose-built modular calf-rearing system designed to improve health, welfare and efficiency by controlling the environment from birth through to group housing.Ìý

Developed through the Innovate UK-supported CEVEC project with SRUC, CalfHub combines positive-pressure ventilation, automated curtains, heating, lighting, monitoring, drainage and practical calf-flow protocols within one integrated system.

The design focuses on fresh air without draughts, stable temperatures, hygiene and moisture control – addressing key environmental factors associated with calf pneumonia.Ìý

A 12-month commercial trial at High Skeog 51AVÊÓƵdemonstrated the system's potential, with CalfHub calves achieving average daily gains of 0.81kg compared with 0.69kg in hutches on the same milk allowance.

Labour requirements also fell dramatically, from around 15 minutes to 3.5 minutes per calf per day, while lung health and environmental stability improved.

Released commercially in early 2026, CalfHub offers a scalable, data-led approach to calf rearing, with modular three, four, six and eight-pen options.Ìý

MORE ON CALF REARING: The calf rearing basics that will pay you back for five lactations

Hej Harvester, Worcestershire  Ìý

Worcestershire farmer and company director behind Hej Harvester is developing a new approach to hedge cutting, designed to turn a traditionally costly operation into a productive biomass crop.Ìý

After years of paying contractors to cut farm hedges, the inventor saw the waste, fuel use, machinery costs and safety risks associated with conventional flail cutting as an opportunity for change.

Over nine years and with £140,000 invested, Hej Harvester has been developed to cut hedges more gently into uniform pieces and collect the material in a tractor-mounted hopper for transfer to a trailer.Ìý

The current prototype has already cut more than 500 metres of hedge, with a second version now incorporating improvements ahead of potential production. By producing a valuable biomass material for on-farm energy or sale, the innovation aims to make hedge management productive while helping farmers and landowners reduce inputs and contribute towards Net Zero goals.

The next step is bringing the cutting head to market, either as an attachment for existing power arms or through partnership with an established manufacturer, with ambitions for significant sales within two years.Ìý

MORE ON HEDGE CUTTING: Buyer's Guide: Long-reach hedge cutters – maximum flexibility for roadside, field and verge work

OptiGene Novus, West Sussex Ìý

West Sussex-based OptiGene is bringing laboratory-grade molecular diagnostics directly to the farm with Novus, a new platform designed to detect crop diseases, pests and pathogens before visible symptoms appear.

Developed with farmers, growers and agronomists, Novus combines a portable instrument with a single-use test cartridge capable of detecting up to eight targets from one plant sample. Using LAMP technology, the automated system delivers results in 20-30 minutes, without requiring internet connectivity or specialist laboratory equipment.Ìý

The ability to identify threats at a molecular level before symptoms develop could help farmers make earlier, more targeted decisions, supporting integrated pest management while reducing unnecessary chemical applications, fuel and labour.

OptiGene has invested around £3 million in Novus over the past two years, with field trials underway across six UK farms and technical partner networks. Manufacturing is already underway, with wider deployment targeted from 2027.

With further test cartridges, crop-specific guidance and farm management integration planned, Novus aims to make on-farm molecular diagnostics an everyday tool for British agriculture.Ìý

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Angus-based farmers John and James Fairlie are tackling one of agriculture's overlooked challenges – farm administration – with Yokit, a digital platform designed to replace paper records, spreadsheets and guesswork.Ìý

Founded in 2022, Yokit grew from the cousins' own frustrations with handwritten worklogs, complicated timesheets and the difficulty of accurately tracking the cost of individual jobs. The cloud-based system allows operators to record work, fuel use, acreage, machinery and time directly from the field, with information instantly available to managers through a desktop dashboard.Ìý

Contracting work can flow directly from worklogs into invoicing, while integrations with Sage and Xero help streamline administration and improve cashflow. More than 20,000 worklogs have already been recorded, with the platform now used by farming and contracting businesses including Stewarts of Tayside.Ìý

Self-funded with around £250,000 invested, Yokit is continuing to develop AI, safety, lone-working and predictive maintenance capabilities as it aims to become an essential operating system for the farm office.ÌýÌý

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