Arable Ready To Celebrate Their Best

From a farmer experimenting with nitrogen-fixing faba beans to an agronomy veteran helping with world-record wheat yield attempts, the 2024 Arable Award finalists have been named.

"The awards are about celebrating all that’s good in our arable sector - the innovation, commitment and achievements of the best of us," Federated Farmers arable chair and event spokesperson David Birkett says.

"It hasn’t been an easy season for arable farmers, with rising costs and variable returns, so it’s great to see a strong crop of high-calibre award entries this year."

Birkett says the Positive Environmental Impact Award and Innovation Award are particularly significant.

"I’m excited about the finalists for those categories because they’re all people helping us to create a stronger and more sustainable arable sector."

One finalist for the Positive Environmental Impact Award is Ashburton farmer Angus McKenzie, who judges described as an articulate advocate for showing that environmental action on a farm doesn’t have to be a financial drain.

McKenzie is up against Feilding’s Tim Gorton and Waikato’s Daniel Finlayson.

The judging panel said Finlayson clearly regarded environmental stewardship as a farming foundation principle as opposed to a ‘nice to have’.

They noted Finlayson’s genuine iwi engagement and continuous efforts to find solutions that work, such as developing an anaerobic system for chicken manure to reduce volatisation.

Meanwhile, Gorton impressed judges with his "curiosity and passion", and an ambitious annual tree-planting programme for sediment control and biodiversity.

The Innovation Award finalists are Brent Austin, Anna Gillum and Dr Soonie Chng.

Austin, who farms near Ashburton and is involved with three Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) Grower Leading Change groups, often hosts on-farm demonstrations.

He’s been a leader in experimenting with nitrogen-fixing faba beans to see how much nitrogen these provide following cereal crops.

Gillum, who’s spearheaded PGG Wrightson Seeds’ cereal fungicide research for eight years, is "passionate about learning and adapting technologies from New Zealand and overseas and introducing them to agronomy packages for farmers," judges said.

Chng is also dedicated to understanding arable crop diseases and finding solutions for growers, such as sustainable management of ramularia leaf spots in barley crops.

Three finalists have been selected in each of the Seed, Maize and Wheat Grower of the Year categories.

The winner of one of those titles will also be named as Arable Grower of the Year, sponsored by Federated Farmers.

Agronomist of the Year finalists are 30-year arable veteran David Weith; Sam Sturgess, founder of a North Otago arable focus group; and Nicola Pace, who among other achievements involves herself with the Mt Hutt College agricultural programme, mentoring young people keen to get into the sector.

FAR general manager business operations Ivan Lawrie, who convened the judging panels, says a core ethos of the foundation is co-operation and striving together for excellence.

"That ethos is highlighted by the three Working Together Award finalists," he says.

Finalists in that category include the Oilseed Monitor Farms, a FAR and Pure Oil NZ collaboration which has achieved impressive yields of oilseed rape while reducing nitrogen applications.

The other two finalists are the Liquid Injection Arable Growth Group, which has shared knowledge gained on biological products and non-standard seed treatments; and a South Canterbury group that’s helped growers develop strategies to control herbicide-resistant grass weeds on their farms.

Lawrie notes the "elevated awareness of environmental impacts" shown by finalists across all award categories.

"Managing that impact has been paramount to everyone - and that’s really encouraging.

"There can only be one winner in each category, but I really encourage those who miss out to enter again next time.

"In all categories, the finalists were very, very close. It was hard for the judges to come to a decision; all of them are people we would happily have named as a worthy winner."

The awards evening is on 15 August at the Airforce Museum of NZ, Wigram, Christchurch, and ticket sales close on Monday, 5 August.

Birkett says sales are going well so far.

"It’s amazing how people are coming out to support this event even in a tough time, which highlights that arable is such a resilient sector."

Full details of the awards are at arableawards.co.nz

The full list of awards and finalists is:

Cereal Grower of the Year, sponsored by Bayer

Morgan & Karen Horrell, MKH Farming, Gore

Peter Hewson, Esk Valley Farming, Canterbury

Brad Lindsay, Arhee Farming, Southland

Maize Grower of the Year, sponsored by Pioneer

Mark Shera, Parkfields Farm, Ashburton

Alan Henderson, Cranleigh Agri-business Trust, Te Awamutu

Simon Nitschke, Arable Solutions, Marton

Seed Grower of the Year, sponsored PGG Wrightson Seeds Ltd

John McCaw, McCaw Farming Ltd., Methven

Tim & James Robinson, Robinson Farming Partnership, Methven

Scott Rome, Waifield Farm Ltd, Gore

Agronomist of the Year, sponsored by NZGSTA

Sam Sturgess, Catalyst Performance Agronomy, Oamaru

David Weith, Bayer, Timaru

Nicola Pace, RAGT New Zealand, Christchurch

Positive Environmental Impact Award, sponsored by FMG

Tim Gorton, Gorton Farming Ltd., Feilding

Angus McKenzie, Wairuna Farm Ltd., Ashburton

Daniel Finlayson, Methleigh Farms Ltd., Waikato

Innovation Award, sponsored by Barenbrug

Brent Austin, Austin Farming Ltd., Ashburton

Anna Gillum, PGG Wrightson Seeds, Lincoln

Soonie Chng, NZ Institute for Plant and Food Research, Lincoln

Working Together Award, sponsored by BASF

Grass Weed Control Arable Growers Group, South Canterbury

Liquid Injection Arable Growth Group, Ashburton

Oil Seed Rape Monitor Farms (FAR and Pure Oil NZ), South Canterbury

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