Meat the Need expands offerings
Farmer-led charity Meat the Need has expanded its offerings, following a new partnership.
Nominations are open for the 2015 Lincoln University Foundation South Island Farmer of the Year competition, and organisers are hoping for another record year.
Foundation chair Ben Todhunter says last year it received record entries, then the best-attended winner's field day in the history of the contest: at least 400 people turned up to tour Patoa Farms.
The top prize is a $20,000 travel grant towards farm study or to fund farm business opportunities, plus four $5000 awards for the best performers in resource management, consumer awareness, innovation and human resources.
Lincoln University Foundation and the competition sponsors find that a "key to getting good numbers and a high quality of entries is nominations," Todhunter says.
"Traditionally it has been hard to get farmers to put their own hand ups, but when they're nominated that seems to take the 'tall poppy' factor out of it and they let their nomination go forward.
"We're looking for leadership, innovation and farming excellence, which can be found equally in small family-owned farm businesses and in large commercial agricultural entities."
Todhunter says previous entrants are also encouraged to re-enter.
An independent report, prepared for Alliance farmer shareholders is backing the proposed $250 million joint venture investment by Irish company Dawn Meats Group.
Whangarei field service technician, Bryce Dickson has cemented his place in John Deere’s history, becoming the first ever person to win an award for the third time at the annual Australian and New Zealand Technician of the Year Awards, announced at a gala dinner in Brisbane last night.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
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