Twentytwo-year-old Stuart Oates from St Martin, Helston has been named Massey Ferguson Young Farmer of the Year.

The farm machinery company selected Stuart as the winner from an international list of entries in this award designed to showcase the talents of young and motivated people who will play a major part in the future of farming. In the opinion of the judging panel, Stuart showed energy, innovation and vision' that made him stand out from his peers.

A graduate of the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, Stuart is now an integral part of his family's 250 ha Rosuick Farm on the Lizard Peninsula. Here, his enterprising ideas are giving a real boost to the business. Not least of these is his camel trekking project on the Goonhilly Downs which adds extra interest to the farm as a whole, as well as encouraging more visitors to their organic produce shop and holiday cottages.

"I am thrilled that my work on the farm and our diversification projects have been recognised by this prestigious award," he said.

The farm achieved organic status in 1999 and focuses on selling its homegrown beef, lamb and pork through the on-site farm shop. Arable operations include spring barley, triticale and some root crops - nearly all the output goes to feed the livestock. "We try to be as self-sufficient as possible," added Stuart.

"We are also passionate about working with nature and preserving the environment. Goonhilly Downs is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and we work closely with English Nature (formally the Nature Conservancy Council) and are members of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. We recently took on 100 ha of heathland from Natural England which we will manage on their behalf."

In a further move, Stuart is currently masterminding the installation of a biomass boiler to provide heat/power to the farm. This will be fuelled sustainably with wood chips from their 4 ha of woodland.

Stuart is now gearing up for his second season of camel trekking. His original seven Bactrian camels brought from Kurdistan have been augmented with the birth of three calves.

This season, wallabies are another addition to his collection of exotic animals. "The trekking went really well last year and we were out almost every day with parties keen to enjoy the dramatic landscape around here," he said.

"The extra people-traffic generated by the camels has had a big impact on the farm shop and we no longer have to advertise it.

"I didn't know anything about camels at the start of all this, but I've become a bit of an expert!" he remarked. "In feeding terms, we treat them like the sheep but in temperament, they are just like donkeys - extremely stubborn but very placid and friendly."

For his final year dissertation at college, Stuart chose the subject The future for sustainable tourism on the Lizard Peninsula'.

"Obviously, this is a subject close to my heart. Cornwall is a key tourist centre and we have to farm within that environment," he commented. "The livestock and cereals are the core part of our business. The rest of our activities - including our camels - are designed to drive that business forward."