Steve Mitchell, who handles the PR for John Deere in the UK has been announced as the winner of the prestigious 2014 Netherthorpe trophy as Communicator of the Year.

Announcing the award at the annual Harvest Lunch of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists (BGAJ), Guild chairman Jane Craigie said: "As the long term organiser of the BGAJ John Deere Training Award, to say that Steve has given a huge amount to many people in this room is an understatement. He has given them the all-important start to their careers in journalism or communications."

After leaving university, Steve spent almost 10 years from 1978 as an agricultural journalist with Morgan-Grampian Farm Journals, working on the monthly magazines Livestock Farming and What’s new in Farming, including a five-year spell as editor of the latter title.

He then moved into public relations as Press & PR manager at the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE), managing publicity for all the Society’s shows and exhibitions, including the Royal Show and specialist technical events, including Cereals and the Pig & Poultry Fair.

Steve joined specialist PR agency Pharo Communications in 1989, writing press releases and features, producing and editing a range of in-house magazines, newsletters and promotional material, and managing PR campaigns and special projects.

He and his wife Adrienne left Pharo to set up their own business, ASM Public Relations which was formed in April 2004 and looks after PR and event support for John Deere and John Deere Financial. Steve has organised the John Deere Training Award on the Guild’s behalf since it started in 1991.

"Huge thanks are due to course lecturer David Mascord, who after all is the key man, to all those past course members who supported my nomination, to John Deere for continuing to support the Award and my role in it, and of course to my wife/business partner/better half Adrienne," said Steve.

He told Service Dealer, "I'm still a bit in shock to be honest, especially when you look at the list of names on that particular trophy. Spookily the first Netherthorpe award was made in 1978, the year I started as an ag journalist on What's New In Farming; it was very appropriate that I was able to thank publicly my first editor, Peter Grimshaw, and my first PR boss, Sarah Peacock , who were both at the lunch, without whom I certainly wouldn't be doing what I do now.  Sadly Emma Penny, who nominated me wasn't there as it was Farmers Guardian's press day and she couldn't attend.

"Now all I need is to find a kind Farmers Club member to buy me a drink sometime so I can go and see the trophy in situ at the club bar..."