FARMERS in the Cotswolds have been praised for producing high-quality crops last year despite difficult growing conditions.

Two West Oxfordshire farms were among those picking up trophies at the Moreton-in-Marsh Show’s annual farm and crop awards presentation evening on Thursday.

Richard Smith, who runs CW Smith & Son, of Kingham Hill Farm, with his father Alan, collected the Trades-men’s Cup for the best small farm and a certificate for the best big bale silage in the annual farm and crop competitions run by the show.

The Smiths’ neighbour, Greg Dancer, of Manor Farm in Cornwell, picked up the Jack Watts Trophy for the best sample of seed hay and the BOCM Challenge Cup for the best sample of clamped grass silage, the second year running he had won both cups.

The awards recognise farms within a 40-mile radius of Moreton-in-Marsh, with 29 farms in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire competing last year.

The show society’s president, Anthony Colburn, told more than 100 guests at the event at the Fosseway Garden Centre in Moreton-in-Marsh: “We are looking at a year’s results which started with a pretty awful autumn in 2012.

“The fact that anyone produced any crops at all last year was probably down to rather more effort than usual.

“Many congratulations to those of you who are here picking up awards for crops, because it certainly wasn’t the easiest year.”