Finalists announced in South Island Farmer of the Year award

27 October 2011

Finalists announced in the South Island Farmer of the Year awards

Four finalists have been named for the 2011 South Island Farmer of the Year competition.

Farmers from Southland, South Canterbury and Mid Canterbury are in the running for the Lincoln University Foundation’s showcase event – the South Island Farmer of the Year.

Lincoln University Foundation chairman Neil Taylor says the competition rewards innovative, efficient and sustainable farmers and farming methods.

“This year’s entrants were all of a high calibre and it was difficult to narrow them down to four finalists,” he says.

Lead judge Bob Simpson says the finalists are all very successful farmers and businessmen and yet are quiet and unassuming.

The finalists:

Stephen and Tracey Cullen work to the strengths of their Oreti River flats farm in Southland grazing sheep year round and wintering dairy cows and play to their economic strength by leasing properties.

David and Pam Gardner farm Kelso sheep and shorthorn cross cows using a four-wire electric fence system on their Melford Hills farm inland from Waimate in South Canterbury.

Ray and Adrienne Bowan are arable farmers, in particular potatoes which they make into Heartland Potato Chips. They are increasingly wintering dairy stock on their Orari farms in South Canterbury.

Bill and Lynda Davey run an intensive cropping operation in Rakaia in Mid Canterbury supplying barley for Monteith’s Brewery and lease land to a Dutch company that grows bulbs.

The winner of the Farmer of the Year will receive a $15,000 travel award to be used to explore overseas farming systems and the runner-up will receive a $7,500 travel award. The farmer who best illustrates cutting edge implementation of innovation on their farm will receive a TM465 GPS system.

The Lincoln University Foundation South Island Farmer of the Year Finals

Where: Stewart Lecture Theatre, Lincoln University
When: 4 November 2011
Time: 4pm – 20 minute presentation from each finalist
5:20pm – final judging round
6:00pm – winner announced followed by drinks and nibbles
7:30pm – invitation only dinner (Lincoln University Dining Hall)

The judging panel comprises of:
• Neil Taylor, a former chief executive of the New Zealand Meat Board.
• Bob Simpson, a senior farm management tutor at Lincoln University and retired farmer.
• Barry Brook, the former chief executive of PGG Wrightson.

You can find out more about the Lincoln University Foundation’s South Island Farmer of the Year competition by visiting www.lincolnuniversityfoundation.org.nz.

ENDS

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