State's top farming excellence award finalists announced
A pork and saltbush lamb producing couple from Temora, a mixed livestock and grazing property manager from Holbrook and a wrinkle free merino breeder from Yeoval have been named the finalists in this year’s NSW Farmer of the Year award.
Those selected for their outstanding farm management skills include:
- Kim and Stephen Roberts, who run a small piggery ‘Bundawarrah Free Range Pork’ and produce saltbush lamb;
- Chris Mirams, who together with wife Jacinta manages ‘Woomargama Station’ near Holbrook with a sheep, cattle and grass production; and
- Nigel Kerin, who together with wife Kate runs a cell grazing operation at Yeoval with sheep, wool, and cattle trading enterprises.
Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said the judges faced the difficult task of selecting finalists from an extremely competitive field.
"The fact that all of this year’s finalists, as well as most of the overall applicants, are battling the drought and other financial pressures but are still tackling environment challenges is indicative of the determination and talent across our State’s farming sector," Minister Macdonald said.
A vegetable producer from the Sydney basin and a merino sheep breeder from Molong have been named as the finalists in this year’s Young Farmer of the Year awards.
Tally Matthews, a vegetable and turf producer from Ebenezer on Sydney’s outskirts, and Ben Watts, a merino sheep producer from Molong in the State’s Central West, have been selected as the 2008 Young Farmer of the Year finalists.
"These two finalists are particularly outstanding, they are showing strong commitment to both production and environmental challenges facing farmers today," Minister Macdonald said.
"They are innovative, self starters, who have shown great passion for their industries and worked hard to achieve good production at a relatively young age."
NSW Farmers’ Association President Jock Laurie said the finalists represented a diverse range of farming enterprises, but shared a strong commitment to achieving profitability and sustainability in spite of current drought conditions.
"These farmers and their families have impressive stories to tell about innovative ways to approach challenges like climate change, consumer demands and product marketing," he said.
The finalists were also selected for their ability to demonstrate innovation, marketing and risk management skills, as well as involvement in industry groups and their local communities.
The successful ‘Farmer of the Year’ will be awarded $10,000, with the ‘Young Farmer of the Year’ taking home $5,000, and will be announced on 30 July at the NSW Farmers’ Association Annual Conference Dinner.
The annual awards are coordinated by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and NSW Farmers’ Association, and supported by Rural Press and the Royal Agricultural Society.