Registrations were rolling in from throughout New Zealand for the day at the Fairlie property of winners Lyn and Neil Campbell, with participants keen not only to get information on the unique success story of the Campbells' farm business but also wanting to mark the occasion as the competition came to an end, foundation chairman Ben Todhunter said.
After 30 years of recognising the highest achievers in the South Island’s farming community, the foundation decided to call time on the competition and shift its resources to increasing scholarships for young farmers and other agriculturalists to study at Lincoln University.
“The foundation is moving from identifying farming excellence to creating farming excellence.
“The competition has been a wonderful medium to promote farming excellence and we are very proud of what it has achieved. But the foundation now wants to focus more on the scholarship side of our programme to achieve our purpose of growing excellence in NZ’s primary industries.
“We believe the most gain will be through increasing the number of young people who can enter university to study agriculture and bring that knowledge into NZ’s primary industries.”
Todhunter said it would be hard to find a more fitting farm to showcase as the last winner’s field day. The innovative success story of the Cambells' operation was one that would add value to any farmer looking for ideas on how to optimise systems and maximise efficiency and profit in their farm business.
The couple operate Campbell Farms in Middle Valley north of Fairlie in South Canterbury. They run sheep, beef, bulls and deer and grow arable crops.
“Throughout their career they have been quick to adapt the most modern tools to create the systems that allow them to generate the most profit at the most effective point of time.”
The foundation intended to make sure it was a celebration of all that had been achieved in the past 30 years.
The field day would start at 9:30am at the Fairlie Community Centre, 53 Main Street, Fairlie. The day’s programme would include a vehicle tour of the property and presentations by the Campbells and agricultural specialists on subjects such as succession planning, growing equity, growing leadership in agriculture and the NZ deer industry.
Registration was essential.
