DLG Agri Influencer Award 2026: Finalists Announced

The DLG (German Agricultural Society) has announced the finalists, who hail from Austria, France, Ireland, Turkey and Germany for the DLG Agri Influencer Award 2026. The award honors social media profiles that present agriculture in an authentic, professional, and relatable way while making an exceptional contribution to the sector's public outreach efforts. The initiative aims to strengthen dialogue between agriculture and society at large. The first, second, and third-place winners will be announced on 12 November at the award ceremony held at the Young Farmers Party at EuroTier 2026, the leading exhibition for livestock technologies.

 The DLG agricultural influencers typically take their followers behind the daily scenes of modern farming, offering practical insights from the field, animal housing, and the tractor cab while engaging with the public, industry stakeholders and the media.

With the DLG Agri Influencer Award, DLG seeks to increase public awareness of the original work of these content creators, thereby supporting their communication efforts in the farming sector, DLG’s core focus. The international award has been presented annually since 2022.

"The fact that we are presenting the DLG Agri Influencer Award for the fifth time highlights just how important digital communication has become in agriculture," says Theresa Günther, Social Media Manager at DLG, a non-profit society dedicated to knowledge sharing among farmers. "For the DLG and the industry as a whole, the award sends a strong message: those who speak openly, honestly, and professionally about practical agriculture deserve recognition and support. We look forward to celebrating these profiles that inspire others to engage online and show what farming is really like."

The DLG Agri Influencer Award attracts a range of candidates from around the world.

"Once again, the jury has been impressed by the outstanding quality of the applications," says Heike Zeller, Chair of the Jury and managing director of aHEU. "It’s particularly encouraging to see how agricultural influencers and their followers connect across borders through social media, learning from and supporting one another. All applicants share the common goal of presenting agriculture as authentic, innovative, and full of opportunities, both to their own communities and to audiences with no agricultural background."

DLG Agri Influencer Award 2026 Finalists for the international category

(listed in alphabetical order)

Barış Aldemir @barisaldemir_

Barış Aldemir is a young farmer from Turkey who runs the family farm in the third generation, keeping dairy cattle and beef cattle. Across his channels, he shows his work with calves, cows and robots in the barn, as well as feed production and agricultural machinery. He often films his daily tasks with a GoPro, so his followers see his perspective and are right there with him, for example when ear tagging, hitching up implements, during a calving, or when inspecting animals from the feeding trough. He cares about two things: passing on knowledge to other farmers and consumers, and person-to-person exchange.

Barış says: "My goal is to offer transparent, educational and reliable content that shows the reality of food production. I want to build trust between farmers and consumers, raise awareness of the importance of agriculture for a sustainable future, and inspire younger generations to get involved in farming."

The jury particularly highlights the engaging content and his down-to-earth, friendly personality, which creates closeness and invites people to dive deeper into his feed.

Barış Aldemir comes from Denizli, Turkey, and under @barisaldemir_ he currently has a combined 99,300 followers on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Thierry Bailliet @AgriculteurdAujourdhui

Thierry Bailliet and his sons run a farm growing specialty crops, doing arable farming, producing energy, partly farming organically, and offering agritourism. The ups and downs of the farm are addressed openly, along with real figures and technical details. On his social media channels, Thierry has developed various formats, for example following his products from the field to the plate, or crowning the most beautiful farm in France. He also offers an app for agricultural experiences and an account on agricultural machinery, through which he addresses his two main target groups: farmers and consumers.

Thierry says: "I film successes and failures with the same camera, and the rule is simple: the farm is not a backdrop, it is my business. First and foremost I am a farmer, and only second a creator. Even after more than ten years, my rule still applies: what I wouldn't say at my kitchen table, I don't say in front of the camera."

The jury stresses his charismatic personality and his close connection to the farming community.

Thierry Bailliet comes from Loos-en-Gohelle, France, and under @AgriculteurdAujourdhui he currently has a combined 172,600 followers on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Sophie Bell @sophie_bell__

Sophie Bell runs a dairy farm near Dublin with her family. On Instagram, she shows her everyday life in great variety, from changing tractor tyres and milking to attending events and sharing thoughts on living and working in agriculture as a young, publicly active woman from a small farm. She uses her reach to advocate for farming politically, and she takes her followers along honestly and with humour. She speaks not only to fellow farmers but, through her easy-to-understand posts, also gives non-farmers insight into her farm.

Sophie says: “I want to help other people in the industry, especially young people and women to show what’s possible and create better opportunities for them. I suffered with confidence in the industry and my farm was going to be sold when I was in school. I really want to demonstrate what’s possible if you are passionate.”

The jury was pulled into her feed by her varied topics and different types of content, all carried by skilful storytelling and a positive, strong personality.

Sophie Bell comes from Virginia in Ireland, and under @sophie_bell__ she currently has a combined 118,300 followers on Instagram and Facebook.

DLG Agri Influencer in German 2026 

Finalists in alphabetical order

Simon Donhauser @papi.donhauser

Simon Donhauser lives and works on his farm, where he runs a sow herd, piglet rearing and pig fattening. In his videos he covers technical topics such as feeding, animal health and barn technology, but also investment, bureaucracy and social expectations. He wants to reach people with no direct connection to farming as well as fellow farmers, explaining current issues to them and encouraging them to become visible online themselves. In recent months, he has deliberately positioned himself critically and in a niche, and has clearly addressed the issues that are a thorn in the side of pig farmers.

Simon says: "Animal husbandry in particular must not be explained in public only by organisations, campaigns or people who do not run a barn of their own. If we want to create a realistic picture of our work, we have to become visible ourselves and at least open our doors digitally."

The jury highlights the good mix of videos and info tiles, as well as his commitment to giving a face to the enormous pressure in his industry.

Simon Donhauser comes from Kümmersbruck in Bavaria, and under @papi.donhauser he currently has a combined 33,100 followers on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Stephan Kutscheid @stephan.landwirtschaft
Stephan Kutscheid and his family live in Central Hesse and run arable farming, grassland farming and cattle rearing. On Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, he shares his passion for farming with his followers. He has been active on social media for years and has developed a voice of his own over time. He says what some fellow farmers only think. For example, he has recently been engaging more with videos by non-agricultural creators about farming, responding to them with his own view of things.

Stephan says: "With my social media posts, I want to reach the consumer who uses our agricultural products every day. However, I also want to make other colleagues aware that they should do the same."

The jury is convinced that he is passionate about farming and that, even in acute stress situations such as a storm causing serious damage on his farm, he keeps calm and takes his followers along authentically.

Stephan Kutscheid comes from Dornburg-Frickhofen in Hesse, and under @stephan.landwirtschaft he currently has a combined 217,100 followers on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Katharina Schmitt @katharinastt

Katharina Schmitt is a student of agriculture, who works on two family farms in Styria with arable farming, specialty crops and direct marketing. She informs her followers about the challenges she faces, and she makes both farming as a profession and the women and girls in it visible. She reports directly from everyday farm life and quickly picks up social media trends, translating them into agraric, which allows her to reach people outside the green sector. She has a skilful visual style and knows how to convey a lot of knowledge in a way that is understandable, approachable and enthusiastic.

Katharina says: "I grew up being judged by people who know nothing about farming. I speak for young people in agriculture, show what our everyday life really looks like, and use my reach for something good! I also want to create a community for people from agriculture, where they can exchange ideas and benefit from one another."

The jury is impressed by the overall package and the high quality achieved through elaborate editing and varied camera angles; yet the film never comes across as a promotional piece, but rather feels relaxed and personal.

Katharina Schmitt comes from Groß Sankt Florian in Austria, and under @katharinastt she currently has 33,300 followers. 

This year's Agri Influencer Award is sponsored by Josera GmbH and Schippers GmbH.