Consider a career in hort
OPINION: As the fourth generation of my family working in horticulture, I’m proud to be continuing the legacy and honoured to do so carrying the current title of the Young Grower of the Year 2024.
It was the women who dominated at the 2022 Bay of Plenty Young Grower of the Year competition earlier this week, taking out first, second and third place.
Laura Schultz from Trevelyans was named the first place winner, taking home a prize package which includes an all-expenses paid trip to Wellington to compete for the National Young Grower of the Year title as well as $1,500 cash.
The competition took place on 20 July at Mount Maunganui College, where eight competitors tested their skills and ability to run a successful horticulture business in a series of challenges. These were followed by a speech competition titled ‘What I’ll be growing in 2050’, at a gala dinner.
Schultz excelled in the individual challenges, and impressed judges with her speech on providing the best quality produce by adapting to climate change to grow crops which meet the changing environment.
Yanika Reiter came in second place, while Emily Woods was third.
Schultz grew up on her family orchard in the Bay of Plenty. After a diverse career across different countries that has included studying fashion design, yoga instruction, and working as a snowboard instructor, she returned home three years ago and realised her interest lay in growing avocados.
Since then, she ha leased the family orchard and now takes full responsibility for it, alongside her work with the avocado improvement group at Trevelyans.
Erin Atkinson, chair of BOP Young Growers says this year’s contestants were outstanding.
“This year’s BOP Young Grower contestants have shown the great talent we already have within our horticulture industry,” Atkinson says.
“The competition has been perfect to test their knowledge and I hope that it sets the bar for other young talent coming through our industry.”
New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc. (NZKGI) chief executive Colin Bond says that competitions like the Young Grower of the Year show appreciation for the need for skilled careers in the horticulture industry.
“As a horticulture industry, we can focus on knee-jerk reactions required for the current season. But in order to continue to produce effectively into the future, we need to ensure we have young people with the right commercial, technical and scientific skills.
“The 2022 BOP Young Grower competition is a great way to celebrate the high calibre of people coming through the industry to make us future fit.”
The 2025 South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) chairman, Rangiora farmer Andrew Stewart, is predicting a successful event on the back of good news coming out of the farming sector and with it a greater level of optimism among farmers.
WorkSafe New Zealand is calling on farmers to consider how vehicles move inside their barns and sheds, following a sentencing for a death at one of South Canterbury’s biggest agribusinesses.
Now is not the time to stop incorporating plantain into dairy pasture systems to reduce nitrogen (N) loss, says Agricom Australasia brand manager Mark Brown.
Building on the success of last year's events, the opportunity to attend People Expos is back for 2025, offering farmers the chance to be inspired and gain more tips and insights for their toolkits to support their people on farm.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser SustaiN – which contains a urease inhibitor that reduces the amount of ammonia released to the air – has now been registered by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). It is the first fertiliser in New Zealand to achieve this status.
Precision application of nitrogen can improve yields, but the costs of testing currently outweigh improved returns, according to new research from Plant and Food Research, MPI and Ravensdown.
OPINION: Henry Dimbleby, author of the UK's Food Strategy, recently told the BBC: "Meat production is about 85% of our…
OPINION: For the last few weeks, we've witnessed a parade of complaints about New Zealand's school lunch program: 'It's arriving…