Zanda McDonald Award finalists unveiled
The Zanda McDonald Award has announced its six finalists for the 2024 accolade.
Sam Vivian-Greer, a farm consultant at BakerAg in Wairarapa, has been named the winner of the 2021 New Zealand Zanda McDonald Award.
The award was presented in a dawn ceremony at Whangara Farms, north of Gisborne, last month.
The award, which is presented annually, recognises young professionals in the sector from Australia and New Zealand.
Normally, the Award would crown one winner from across Australasia but due to Covid-19 related travel restrictions, an Australian and New Zealand winner have been crowned for 2021.
"It's a huge honour, and I'm just blown away," says Vivian-Greer of his win.
"I'm really looking forward to spending time with top ag leaders in New Zealand and Australia, finding out more about how they tick, and how I can apply those learnings to my own career, and the ag sector," he says.
Zanda McDonald Award patron Shane McManaway says that Sam is a warm and professional person with a strong passion for agriculture who is having a positive influence on the sector.
"The judging team was really impressed with his dedication to his role, his leadership and spirit," says McManaway.
"We're excited to see what the future holds for Sam, and look forward to helping him calve out his path through the opportunities provided by the Award," he says.
As the winner of the award, Vivian-Greer will receive a professional development package which includes ana all-expenses paid trans-Tasman mentoring trip to high-performing farms and businesses in Australia and New Zealand. It also includes $10,000 to go towards further education and networking opportunities.
OPINION: Nothing it seems can be done in the short term to get Donald Trump to change his mind about removing the unfair 15% tariffs that he’s imposed on New Zealand exports to the US.
A charity that connects young people with farmers for two years of on-farm training is reporting 150 student applications for its 2026 intake.
It’s been a long time coming, but the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final is returning to the Naki for Season 58.
The Government has appointed three new members to the board of state farmer Landcorp Farming Ltd, trading as Pāmu.
North Canterbury pig farmer Steve Sterne has been honoured with NZ Pork's Outstanding Contribution Award, recognising his 27 years of dedication to excellence in the sector.
Hawke's Bay's loss is Canterbury's gain with the opening of a new state-of-the-art soil testing laboratory for the Ravensdown subsidiary ARL (Analytical Research Laboratories) at Rolleston.
OPINION: Sydney has a $12 million milk disposal problem.
OPINION: Canterbury milk processor Synlait's recovery seems to have hit another snag.