The awards, run by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust, recognise innovative Kiwi farmers focusing on sustainability.
"Farmax is thrilled to be supporting the awards which showcase some of the country's most sustainable and profitable farmers - many of whom are Farmax customers and simply excellent at what they do," says Farmax chief executive Gavin McEwen.
"The awards align with the core belief of Farmax, which is that profitable and productive farms are not mutually exclusive from sustainable ones."
With Farmax's support this year, all award entrants will know their greenhouse gas emissions numbers and mitigation options thanks to the GHG and sequestration features in Farmax 8.1.
Carbon sequestration was one of the most requested features by Farmax customers, who can now use the tool to calculate and monitor their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as identify opportunities to decrease emissions and calculate the carbon sequestered from their forestry or indigenous bush blocks.
"Farmax is the only farm planning tool that accurately calculates pastoral farms' greenhouse gas emissions alongside production and financial outputs, aligning with the He Waka Eke Noa Farm Planning Guidance which supports farmers in learning the greenhouse gas emissions of their farms," says McEwen.
Current BFEA Otago Regional Supreme winners, Anna and Ben Gillespie from Two Farmers Farming, appreciate what Farmax can do in their farm planning.
"It is an essential tool in our farming operation. Using Farmax we were able to scrutinise our farm system to closely align feed demand to feed supply. This has helped us with our goal of maximising feed eaten in situ, reducing reliance on supplements.
"Using Farmax to predict timing of stock purchases is crucial, ensuring feed is adequate while staying ahead of markets."
Applications for the 2022 awards are now open, with separate awards for each region of New Zealand. More information about the Ballance Farm Environment Awards can be found at https://nzfeawards.org.nz.
"Entries are of such a high calibre each year and we are looking forward to seeing the applications for the 2022 awards round," says McEwen.
