Haybaling in Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards Canterbury

The Ballance Farm Environment Awards are sponsored by:

Regional Partner:

Visit Environment Canterbury


National Partners:

Visit Balance

Visit PPCS

Visit LIC

Visit Gallagher

Visit Hill Laboratories

Visit Wrightsons

 

About us

The Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA) find and celebrate role models who show how an environmentally sensitive approach can be part of a profitable farm business and can inspire and motivate others by example.  BFEA judges look for farmers with strategies that:

  • Support healthy soil, pasture, stock, waterways and financial bottom lines
  • Manage effluent, chemicals, fertiliser and "waste" successfully
  • Protect natural features and special plants or animals
  • Reflect what stage their farm is at and where they want it to go
  • Work towards a vision of what their farm will be like in a 100 years.

The awards are about having measurable, physically and financially, sustainable goals which contribute to a strong vision.

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What do previous entrants say about the awards?

PDF File Click here to find out what previous Canterbury entrants thought about their experience of entering the awards File Size 138kb


BFEA History

The Ballance Farm Environment Awards were established in 1993 as a joint initiative between the Waikato Conservation Board and Environment Waikato. In 1995 an independent Trust was set up to administer the awards. Since then the awards have been run annually in the Waikato and have significantly promoted sustainable farming practices throughout the region. The Waikato region had 41 farms entered in their 2001 competition and over the last 10 years over 400 farmers have entered the awards. The year 2002 saw three regions running their own awards - Waikato, Wellington and Southland. The 2003 year welcomed the Canterbury and Bay of Plenty regions into the Awards.

Whilst 2004 saw two more regions join the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, Otago and Manawatu-Wanganui. In 2005 the Northland region has joined the awards program. This brings the total number of regions running their own awards to eight.

In the 2006 awards 32 Canterbury farmers entered, with one supreme winner for the region singled out, and eight additional awards made across a range of different categories.

Co-ordinator of the Canterbury awards, Jenny Bond, believes the success of the BFEA program is that it is based on awards, not competition.
"Entering the awards offers farmers the opportunity to receive constructive feedback from their peers. This includes a comprehensive report on their operation. All entrants have their photos displayed at the awards night and will be recognised for what they have achieved."

Find out about the Award categories
Find out about the 2006 Winners
Find out about the 2005 Winners
Find out about the 2004 Winners
Find out about the 2003 Winners


Sponsors

The sponsors for the Ballance Farm Environment Awards are:

Principal Nationwide Sponsor: Ballance Agri-Nutrients Limited
National Partners:  LIC, PPCS, Hill Laboratories, Gallaghers, PGG Wrightson
Regional Partners: Environment Canterbury, Environment Waikato, Greater Wellington, Environment BoP, Horizons Manawatu, Otago Regional Council.

© 2007 Environment Canterbury