Arable Excellence Showcase Expanded With Three New Awards

New Zealand’s arable industry is once again gearing up to acknowledge and celebrate the innovators and leaders who drive progress in the sector.

"There’s a danger that with all the focus on costs and challenges our growers are grappling with, we lose sight of our significant success stories and all the hard mahi that underpins a sector that returns more than $1 billion in farm gate sales," Federated Farmers arable chair Colin Hurst says.

"The NZ Arable Awards on August 10 at Wigram Air Force Museum in Christchurch is time for some celebration and fun. We’re calling for nominations of deserving people and organisations now."

New Zealand’s arable sector is notching signification production gains, with 2.3 million tonnes of product sold in 2021 (a 31 percent increase since 2018), and within that seed production of 81,000 tonnes (a 41% increase since 2018).

While each of the organisations have awards stretching back multiple years, the 2023 event is only the second time Federated Farmers, the Foundation for Arable Research, United Wheat Growers and the NZ Grain and Seed Trade Association have combined to honour our industry stalwarts and rising stars.

Nine awards were presented in 2022; this year there will be 12 as the line-up is expanded to recognise the cream of our scientists/researchers and employers.

"The arable sector provides full-time employment for more than 11,300 New Zealanders. The new Arable Employer of the Year Award will recognise someone who has demonstrated exemplary employment practices, promoted positive workplace culture, employment retention and/or a progressive career pathway in the industry," Colin says.

The other two new awards this year are for Arable Researcher of the Year and for our top Plant Breeder/Plant Researcher.

"We haven’t secured our place in the world as a leader in seed production - 60% of the world’s radish seed, 50% of white clover seed and 40% of global carrot seed, for example - as well as underpinning our pastoral farmers with maize, feed and grass seed, without cutting edge research and development," Colin says.

Other awards cover growers of the year, innovation, emerging talent, agronomy, environment and sustainability and the hotly contested Arable Food Champion.

Full details of the 2023 New Zealand Arable Awards, including how to make

nominations, are at www.arableawards.co.nz

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