A broad approach to environment
OPINION: As an on-farm judge for the Ballance Farm Environment Awards for many years, I’ve witnessed first-hand how dramatically New Zealand agriculture and horticulture has transformed over the past three decades.
The awards are designed to showcase New Zealand farmers and growers who are using innovative business practices that contribute to a sustainable future for the primary industries.
Jason Harvey Wills, Landpro chief executive, says the awards offer an opportunity for farmers and growers to gain constructive feedback from experts in the field and share ideas within the industry.
“We are strongly aligned with the BFEA through one of our core values ‘be your best’, which relates not only to our company and our staff, but to helping our farmers consistently work toward high performance in the environmental space,” he says.
He says the awards are a great way to showcase those who are contributing to the sustainable future of New Zealand farming.
Landpro’s involvement as a strategic partner will see them provide in-kind services to support the awards process.
The company’s key focus to date has been assisting in reviewing the Judging Assessment Framework, aiming to support judges with a more efficient site visit process.
Kim Reilly, national farm environment manager at Landpro, says BFEA have been “great” to work with so far.
“We have been helping them ensure their documentation reflects the most current regulations and issues, as well as reviewing their site visit process,” Reilly says.
She says improving consistency while remaining judges’ autonomy and flexibility are still an important part of the process.
“At Landpro, we are constantly working to educate our customers and partners on current regulation and best practice, which makes this a great fit for us.
“With the new documentation and processes, judges can more easily assess farming practices in relation to the most current challenges and goals we’re seeing in the farming industry here in New Zealand,” she says.
