increase font size
The Fieldays Innovation Awards winners have been announced.
The Fieldays Innovation Award winners have been announced with Auckland’s Ruminant Biotech taking out the Prototype Award.
The award is for slow-release bolus, Emitless, which the company says delivers over 75% methane reduction in cattle for 100 days from a single treatment.
Head Judge Peter Dowd says this year's winner has not only demonstrated strong underpinning science and a thorough product development process but also a solid understanding of the market and regulatory environment that their product will be entering.
“Their IP is well considered, and effective implementation of their solution will have a drastic impact on New Zealand's emissions profile”.
Oamaru’s Alps2Ocean Foods Tapui Ltd won the Early-Stage Award supported by Map of Ag with its product Mīti, which transforms surplus dairy calves into a world-first, shelf-stable, functional protein snack.
Head Judge Shane Dooley stated that this idea provides a game-changing solution, transforming bobby calf waste from the dairy industry into a high-value, low-carbon protein product.
"By addressing a long-standing social license challenge, they're helping reshape the wellbeing narrative around calf management in New Zealand," says Dooley.
CropX, from Wellington won the Growth & Scale Award and judges noted that CropX stood out for its exceptional ambition, strategy, and execution. They were impressed by the development and introduction of the Evato1 evapotranspiration sensor, a transformative addition to the CropX platform.
Head Judge Brendan O’Connell said, “This innovation significantly enhances the insights available to global growers, positioning CropX at the forefront of agritech solutions that enable smarter, more sustainable farming”.
Hamilton’s St Paul's Collegiate School’s KiwiPrune team won the Fieldays Young Innovator Award for entrants 19 years old and under. KiwiPrune was designed and developed as part of coursework for the AgriBusiness in Schools program, to simplify the labour-intensive task of removing the plastic clips used to secure the Kiwi fruit vine. The device is designed to remove clips from kiwifruit vines on orchards, improving productivity, reducing strain, and enhancing sustainability.
Steve Chappell programme manager, New Zealand National Fieldays Society says the five short-listed finalists in each category had their entries judged by a panel of 18 sector experts on Wednesday.
"It is always exciting to see who has taken out these awards; it takes commitment and perseverance for innovators to put themselves out there to be critiqued", he says.
"This year, we have seen entries that combine impact, innovation, and industry leadership; there are some true standouts," says Chappell.
An agribusiness, helping to turn a long-standing animal welfare and waste issue into a high-value protein stream for the dairy and red meat sector, has picked up a top innovation award at Fieldays.
The Fieldays Innovation Awards competition has attracted a diverse and impressive array of innovations from across the primary industries, highlighting the growing importance of technology shaping the future of farming.
Fieldays and its renowned Innovation Awards are celebrating their 57th year, marking a longstanding tradition in the agricultural calendar, with the latter delivering a platform for problem-solvers to showcase their innovation to the primary industries.
Growing up on a South Waikato sheep and beef farm, Penny Ranger has firsthand experience on the day-to-day challenges.
Product design and development consultant Blender says as part of its commitment to fostering innovation in agriculture and technology, it’s sponsoring the prototype category of the Fieldays Innovation Awards for the third year in a row.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says the 2025 Fieldays has been one of more positive he has attended.
A fundraiser dinner held in conjunction with Fieldays raised over $300,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
An agribusiness, helping to turn a long-standing animal welfare and waste issue into a high-value protein stream for the dairy and red meat sector, has picked up a top innovation award at Fieldays.
The Fieldays Innovation Award winners have been announced with Auckland’s Ruminant Biotech taking out the Prototype Award.
Following twelve years of litigation, a conclusion could be in sight of Waikato’s controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1).
OPINION: The Greens aren’t serious people when it comes to the economy, so let’s not spend too much on their…
OPINION: PM Chris Luxon is getting pinged lately for rolling out the old 'we're still a new government' line when…
