Fourth-generation farmer James Chapman won the Farmer of the Year title at the 2026 Farmers Weekly Awards, as well as claiming the arable trophy.

As one of several winners from this region, he said the awards had "put Norfolk back on the map" - adding volume to the county's growing voice to shout about homegrown food.

Mr Chapman, who farms between Marsham and Rollesby, near Great Yarmouth, said his success was driven by "a passion for producing food in a sustainable way, but also doing it in the right manner to look after the wider countryside, while assessing opportunities and taking them if they're right to support your business".

He also paid tribute to his farm team of James Bailey, Sam Playford and Henry Gotte working alongside his wife Donna and 18-year-old son Toby, who has just begun studying at Harper Adams University.

Farmer of the Year James Chapman receives his trophy alongside his team at the 2026 Farmers' Weekly Awards ceremony (Image: Telling Photography)

"I am very proud and very, very pleased for everyone involved," he said.

"The close team on the farm are integral to everything we do, and that's why I pulled them up onto the stage at the end because they are such an important part of the business.

"I'm quite humbled we've got this award, but now I want to use what we've achieved to put something back into the industry by educating the general public about food and food security, but also by doing more farm visits for the local people.

"Helping the public understand where their food is coming from has always been quite important to me.

"It is more important than ever now that we have got to promote our industry somehow. We have got to promote homegrown food and the quality we produce is probably the best we could have - and I don't think people recognise that."

James Chapman, winner of the national Farmer of the Year title at the 2026 Farmers Weekly Awards, pictured in his grain store near Martham (Image: Denise Bradley)

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