Arable Awards 2023: Innovation Award winners Jody and Blair Drysdale, right, with Michael Hales, Managing Director of award sponsor Barenbrug NZ. Photo / Neil Neil Mackenzie
Arable Awards 2023: Innovation Award winners Jody and Blair Drysdale, right, with Michael Hales, Managing Director of award sponsor Barenbrug NZ. Photo / Neil Neil Mackenzie
Doing things differently and striving for new ways to lift productivity and income were celebrated at the Arable Awards of New Zealand 2023 last night.
Twelve awards were presented at Christchurch Airforce Museum in front of an arable sector audience of more than 600.
Federated Farmers Arable Chair David Birkett said the turnout was almost double the ticket sales of the inaugural event last year.
He reckoned it was a testament to the good spirit and progressiveness in the sector, and an eagerness to “celebrate our best and brightest”.
Blair and Jody Drysdale of Hopefield Hemp won the Innovation title.
Judges said the Drysdales, third-generation farmers at Balfour in northern Southland, had the courage to review their traditional arable and beef production systems and step into the world of hemp growing, processing, manufacturing and marketing.
From early days when they would process hemp hand and body cream in a kitchen cake mixer, they’ve steadily upped production to now encompass a full range of hemp oils, balms and health capsules.
Meanwhile, last year’s Innovation Award winner took out The Arable Food Champion Award for 2023.
Rob and Toni Auld, of Auld Farm Distillery, decided to look beyond traditional farm income streams to start making a range of whiskies, gins and other spirits from the wheat, oats and barley grown on their Southland farm.
That was nearly 20 years ago - today Auld Farm Distillery is the third-largest whisky producer in New Zealand.
Arable Food Champions Rob and Toni Auld, of Auld Farm Distillery, accept their award. Photo / Neil Mackenzie
Arable Farmer of the Year went to Hugh Richie, whose perseverance impressed judges.
Ritchie runs 880ha of crops and 1120ha in stock finishing in Hawke’s Bay and his business took a huge hit from Cyclone Gabrielle.
However, the judging panel noted Ritchie had built a diverse farm system to cope with change and adversity.
“He’s always looking to do better, always looking to see what he can learn from,” they said.
“Hugh was proactive and supportive of the Cultivate Investments concept for the industry.”
Arable Farmer of the Year Hugh Richie, right, with Wayne Langford, President of the sponsor, Federated Farmers NZ. Photo / Neil Mackenzie
Three Grower of the Year awards were also presented.
Maize went to David and Adrienne Wordsworth from Northland; Small Seeds, to Andy and Jo Innes from Rakaia; and Grain, to Sam and Hannah Grant from Ashburton.
Judges found that common denominators across these top growers were strong yields, a willingness to use new technology and a deep connection to the industry.
The Researcher of the Year, Dr Richard Chynoweth from the Foundation for Arable Research, was credited with making an outstanding contribution to seed research, with his work on the mechanisms of ryegrass flowering revolutionising knowledge in this field.
The Environmental and Sustainability Award went to Timaru’s Andrew and Amy Darling, Federated Farmers members who, in the words of the judges, “walk the talk” on the likes of soil health, minimum tillage and precision fertiliser use.
The Emerging Talent Award went to James Abbiss of Silverton Pastoral, who judges said was also passionate about the arable industry in New Zealand.
Abbis, the operations manager on the family farm in Feilding, has filled leadership and governance roles at the Foundation for Arable Research and led a study tour to the UK aimed at what Kiwi growers could learn from overseas systems.
Other winners
Agronomist of the Year - Paul Johnston of Yara Fertilisers Ltd.
Plant Breeder/Plant Researcher of the Year - The Barenbrug New Zealand Plant Breeding Team
