Entries open for 2013 Ballance Farm Awards

Media Release

10 August 2012

Entries open for 2013 Ballance Farm Awards

Entries are now open for the 2013 Canterbury Ballance Environment Farm Awards.

The Awards, which have been running in the region for 10 years, celebrate responsible land stewardship and sustainable farm management practices.

Jocelyn Muller, the Canterbury Regional Coordinator for the Ballance Awards, said the awards continue to go from strength - to - strength in Canterbury.

“The Awards recognise and celebrate that best practice on-farm management is good for business and good for the environment.

"By entering the Awards, farmers have the opportunity to have their farms assessed by a team of skilled judges, all with expertise in their particular area.

“Many farmers believe the judging process itself makes entering the awards a worthwhile experience.

“Farmers can use the judging process to discuss their ideas and business practices with the team of highly experienced and knowledgeable judges.

“It also provides an opportunity for farmers to benchmark the sustainability of their farm practices and see where they can make improvements”, she said.

Mike Chaffey, a past winner of the Environment Canterbury Water Efficiency Award in 2009, said the judging process was very valuable for his and his wife’s dairy support and cropping operation at Rakaia.

“I enjoyed the whole judging process and awards night. I’ve stayed involved now as a member of the organising committee because I think the awards are a valuable way of generating good publicity for farming,” he said.

The period for entering the Canterbury awards is open until 1 October 2012, with the awards evening to be held in March 2013.

Entry forms for the 2013 competition are available from the NZFE website at www.bfea.org.nz .

The website also includes information about past-winners, representing a range of farming sectors, including details of their farm management practices.

The award categories for 2013 are:

LIC Dairy Farm Award

WaterForce Integrated Management Award

Massey University Discovery Award

Environment Canterbury Regional Council Water Efficiency Award

Environment Canterbury Habitat Improvement Award

Hill Laboratories Harvest Award

Ballance Nutrient Management Award

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award

PGG Wrightson Land and Life Award

Donaghys Farm Stewardship Award (new in 2013)

Meridian Energy Excellence Award (new in 2013)

ends

© Scoop Media