2004 Winners

2004 Gallagher Innovation Awards

There were three Innovation Awards presented:

1. Rose and Tim Chamberlain for effective uses of micro-organisms to improve soil quality, health, yield and quality of crops won the Chamberlains of Leeston an Innovation Award. Naturally occurring micro-organisms are applied as inoculants or sprayed onto crops.
2. Simon and Angela Osborne for Simon's design of direct drill machinery and turning waste products into an efficient energy source, e.g. using linseed straw for heating.
3. Jarman, Anne Saunders & Gerry McSweeney for the successful marriage of ecotourism to the Cora Lyn farming operation which has allowed a level of native habitat protection that would not otherwise be viable on a property of that scale.

2004 Comment from the Bench

Jim Cotman - National judging coordinator

What a farming season! Drought, fires, floods, good weather, poor weather, you name it - New Zealand farmers continue to have it thrown at them!

Why stay farming? What drives the appetite to continue farming? Maybe it is self-belief in ones' ability to provide a decent living for self or family, or perhaps the satisfaction of adding some real value to the New Zealand country around us. Perhaps it can be summed up by a farmer savaged by the lower North Island floods - "What am I going to do now? Gather myself together and get back into it. It's about passion for the land and respect for nature."

Whatever the reason, we who are involved in the BFEA are very privileged to be able to meet so many of these farming people. This year the coverage has grown, now across seven major regions of the country and along with this a growth in numbers of entrants who willingly (well, some need to be cajoled!!) put themselves up for peer review. The cross section is impressive - high country runs in Otago, dairy farms from Southland to the Waikato, drystock, sheep, beef or deer farms spread throughout the country and horticulture, viticulture or cropping properties across the regions.

To assist decision making, somehow sorting through the entries, to find the best of the best, takes a very real skill. This is where the regional judging teams deserve full credit.
I've had the absolute privilege of meeting the majority of judges around the country. I come home humbled by the talent and skill of these people - be they local farmers, financiers, sponsors reps, agribusiness advisors, from a research organisation, local veterinary practice or local government personnel (regional and district) - they may be Federated Farmers members, from QEII Trust, perhaps wear a DoC hat, have forestry expertise or come from Fish & Game, Forest & Bird or NZ Landcare Trust. Whatever their personal beliefs may be, they park these, as they assess each property, on what they see, on what they hear, seeking out the entrant's beliefs in sustainability.

It is a fun but serious task, and the judging teams unanimously report back that it has been a privilege to them, to have been hosted by the landowners who share a common vision of doing things as best they can!

Thanks to you all!

© 2007 Environment Canterbury