Wee Waa grower among regional winners in agricultural awards

The future of agriculture in Australia and New Zealand is in sound hands, according to Syngenta managing director and country head ANZ Paul Luxton, who announced the regional winners of this year’s Syngenta Growth Awards, which recognises growers, advisers, and innovators for their contribution to the industry.

Wee Waa grower James Kahl and Moree adviser Rob Long were named NSW winners in the sustainability category, and the pair are now finalists in the same category but at a national level.

The 23 regional winners, selected from a list of impressive nominations, will progress to the final stage of judging, decided by a panel of independent industry specialists.

The regional winners will gather in Sydney later in the year for the national gala dinner, where national winners will be awarded in each category, and participate in a series of business workshops prior to the gala on agtech advancements and sustainable farming to extend their skillset.

The Syngenta Growth Awards program was launched in 2014 with productivity, sustainability, and community and people categories. The innovator category was added in 2020.

“We had an incredibly strong pool of nominees this year, reflecting the huge amount of talent, commitment, and sheer hard work in our industry.

Choosing regional finalists was a difficult task – as it always is – but it’s such an honour to recognise individuals who are leading the way through exemplary practice, innovation, collaboration and passion for the industry,” Mr Luxton says.

“The list of regional winners covers a broad range of careers, locations and achievements – because excellence can be found everywhere in this diverse sector.”

Mr Luxton says the impact of the awards program goes beyond the award winners.

“While we’re celebrating individual achievement with this program, we are also seeking to empower regional and agricultural communities, which are sometimes undervalued and underestimated.

“Our agriculture industry is world class and deserves its time in the spotlight.”

The national winners in each of the four categories will be offered the opportunity to attend an international study tour next year, and will also join an alumni of previous winners, who remain connected and continue to add value to their communities.

The Syngenta Growth Awards supports the goals of Syngenta’s four ambitious global sustainability commitments to reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint and help farmers deal with the extreme weather patterns caused by climate change.

The four commitments include accelerating Syngenta’s innovations to provide solutions for farmers, striving for carbon neutral agriculture, partnering with stakeholders across industries for impact, and lastly helping people stay safe and healthy by training eight million farm workers and striving for fair labour across their entire supply chain.

The Syngenta Growth Awards regional winners are listed below.

Innovator category: Clayton Donovan, Rocklea, Queensland; Nick Bloor, Varsity Lakes, Queensland; Fiona and Liam Mann, Eradu, Western Australia.

Community and People category: Allan and Nell Dawson, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand grower; David Manktelow, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand adviser; Cam Conboy, Lake Bolac, Victoria adviser; Andrew Gawith, Murtoa, Victoria grower.

Productivity category: Broden Holland, Young, NSW grower; Edward (Ted) Langley, Bordertown, South Australia grower; Martin Lovegrove, Verran, South Australia adviser; Scott Paton, Fremantle, Western Australia adviser; Daniel Andrews, Echuca, Victoria adviser; Bill Campbell, Geraldton, Western Australia adviser; Craig Brown, Perth, Western Australia adviser; Darren Best, Toodyay, Western Australia grower; Bruno Capogreco, Mandurah, Western Australia grower.

Sustainability category: James Kahl, Wee Waa, NSW grower; Rob Long, Moree, NSW adviser; Hamish Marr, Methven, New Zealand grower; Murray Kelly, Christchurch, New Zealand adviser; Lawrence DiBella, Ingham, Queensland adviser; Nigel Blieschke, Barossa Valley, South Australia adviser; Jurie Germishuys, Greater Adelaide, South Australia grower.