Dairy Manager highly commended as Young Dairy Farmer of the Year at Cream Awards 2026

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Alice Sault, right, receives her award - pic credit: Cream Awards/ Grant Pritchard

The new Dairy Manager on Harper Adams University’s Future Farm has been Highly Commended as Young Dairy Farmer of the Year at this year's Cream Awards.

The annual awards celebrate the best in the UK’s dairy industry - and Alice Sault is celebrating after being chosen as one of the best young dairy farmers in the country.

She said: “It was a huge honour and something I am delighted to have achieved – it was a very proud moment!

“It is nice to have my hard work recognised – and I am very grateful to all of the people around me who supported me. I love the variety the job brings - my favourite part is that no two days are the same.

“I also really enjoy the hands-on side of the job and getting to know the cows as individuals.

“There are challenges and plenty of decisions to make every day, but it’s really rewarding seeing the cows doing well.”

Award judges commended Alice for her work combining the various roles the Future Farm plays, noting it not only operates as a commercial enterprise, but also holds wider roles in both teaching and research.

They noted: “Alice and her team manage a high-performance herd of over 400 milkers through a 40-point rotary parlour, three times a day.

“Alice has proactively looked to develop her own skill set to become an effective leader of this dairy farm, seeing it through significant and positive change for the future.

“It’s not easy managing an educational farm and so judges were impressed with what has been achieved - for both now and the future.”

Alice - who was appointed to the position of Dairy Manager on the farm last month– is a Harper Adams alumna herself. She added: “The farm was a valuable part of my time at Harper, as it gave us the chance to get outside and put what we were learning into practice rather than it being purely theory-based.

"Being on the other side now, I have a much greater appreciation of the challenge of balancing the operation of a working farm while giving students that practical experience and learning opportunities.

“I try to be approachable and explain my decisions to students – while also showing the good and bad of farming – it’s important to keep things realistic!”

Alice recommends students following in her footsteps should ask questions and take every opportunity, so they gain as much experience as possible – but also adds: “Don’t worry about having everything all mapped out and, most of all, enjoy it!”

Future Farm Director Paul Kelly added: “Alice has impressed me in my short period at the Future Farm, she stepped up to manage the dairy herd in January and has since become the permanent Dairy Manager, also covering youngstock.

“She works very hard with her team to maintain and improve the herd health and welfare, and I am incredibly proud that she was nominated and Highly Commended in the Young Dairy Farmer of The Year category at this year’s Cream Awards.

“She is a worthy winner, and I look forward to supporting her in running the dairy herd at the Future Farm.”