Feds arable chair Colin Hurst says his work with the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) and in innovation and information sharing made him an outstanding candidate for this year’s award.
The Arable Farmer of the Year Award recognises a member who excels at arable farming, acknowledging the standard of excellence they set for the industry.
“Success in the arable industry typically flies under the radar in New Zealand, that’s why Federated Farmers created this award to acknowledge a farmer who balances production and profit requirements against environmental, sustainability and other compliance requirements,” Hurst said.
Grant crops a 750ha property at Methven in a self-described “traditional system”, taking in herbage crops, cereals and seed crops.
The operation also winters 800 cows and up to 3000 finishing lambs.
Grant has served for 13 years as a board member for FAR NZ and FAR Australia.
He is innovative in developing and using new technology and willingly shares knowledge with other farmers, conducting trials on his property, including some complex multi-year trials.
Fellow Mid Canterbury grower Graeme Bassett won the Biosecurity Farmer of the Year, recognising a member who is focused on protecting their property from the risks posed by unwanted pests, weeds or diseases, and has done biosecurity related advocacy work on behalf of all growers.
Bassett was one of the first farmers to put procedures and protocols in place, including processes for contractors coming onto farms with seed contamination being a key priority.
Grain Grower of the Year went to Southlanders Morgan and Karen Horrell.
The Horrells farm at Wendonside in Southland and grow wheat, barley, milling oats, peas, ryegrass seed and forage brassicas.
They achieve constantly strong crop yields across the board using a no-till farming system.
South Otago growers Craig and Anna Whiteside won the Seed Grower of the Year award.
The Whitsides crop a large-scale operation, including cereals, peas, vegetable and herbage seeds, and use 5% of the farm for their own trials of new crops.
The lone North Island winner was Waikato grower Paul Hunter who took out the Maize Grower of the Year award, recognising a grower with outstanding maize silage or grain yields balancing production and profit requirements against environmental, sustainability and other compliance requirements.
In his 25 years of crop farming, Hunter has constantly been involved and supportive of industry research and development.
He is a member of a group of northern North Island growers who have embraced trying new concepts and he has made his own successful three-year conversion from conventional to strip till.
The Champion Wheat Grower for 2021 award went to Craig Muckle who farms at Dorie in Mid Canterbury.
Muckle also won the Premium Milling Wheat award and the United Wheatgrowers (UWG) Bayer Wheat Grower of the Year award.
Judge Richard Grigor said entries in this year’s UWG awards were exceptional and it speaks highly of the industry to be this spoiled for choice to find an award winner.
Bill and Nick Davey of Springdale Farming won the Mauri Mills milling wheat section, while Brian Leadley of Ashburton won the RuralCo Gristing Wheat award.
The Viterra feed wheat section was won by South Canterbury growers Warren and Andrew Darling, with fellow South Canterbury growers Mike and Lynn Porter taking out the Farmers Mill biscuit wheat category.
The inaugural Agronomist of the Year award went to Kerry Thomas of Luisetti Seeds.
Sponsored by the NZ Grain and Seed Trade Association, association grains and pulses chair Ed Luisetti says the award recognises an agronomist who has an endless knowledge of crop production and goes above and beyond to make sure the best possible crop is produced by growers.
“The agronomist becomes invested, treating each crop as if it were their own and both parties gain enormous satisfaction when the crop performs well and with ever-increasing environmental parameters to be met, the agronomist-farmer relationship is now more important than ever,” Luisetti said.
