James Blair Named 2026 Young Grower National Champion
James Blair, an agronomist for AS Wilcox and the Pukekohe regional champion, has won the 2026 Young Grower national title.
He had listed artisan as one of the global food trends in an address to the Horticulture NZ conference in Nelson.
"If we get our minds around the fact that we have artisan industry, even the Zespri kiwifruit industry on a global scale is an artisan industry; we can create value by telling our stories, by linking our stories to the consumer and adding something to their lifestyle."
Asked about how technology such as robotics can fit with an 'artisan story', Proudfoot said he thought the back story of our products was about the people who produce our products, how they apply innovation, how they apply science, how they ensure they have a complete holistic approach to the their farming systems, how they look after their staff, land and water.
"If robotics is part of the solution of enabling us to bring that together then I see it as being completely consistent with an artisan story," he said.
