Farmer of the Year Awards: One of 18 finalists to be named Australia’s best
The best farmers in the fields of beef, sheep, cropping, dairy, horticulture and innovation have been announced. See all the winners here – including the overall Farmer of the Year.
A dairy farming couple who moved to Victoria from New Zealand five years ago and have since increased turnover a whopping 10-fold have been judged Australia’s best farmers.
Brendan and Nicole Saunders, from Maffra in the heart of Gippsland’s dairying region, took out the top gong at The Weekly Times Coles Farmer of the Year awards in Melbourne tonight.
The Saunders, who milk 1600 cows across three properties totalling 780 hectares, have gone from sharefarmers to farm owners in the past five years, dramatically boosting production and turnover.
They now employ 15 staff with production expecting to hit a whopping 800,000kg of milk solids this year, for a turnover of more than $9 million. Passionate about farming they have a pick-your-own strawberry paddock in the works, to be planted next to their on-farm café, The Berry Dairy, due to open in October.
“To be able to achieve what we’ve done, we are really happy with ourselves and it shows that we are really a strong team and are excited about what the future holds,” Ms Saunders said.
Finalists hailed from every state, with Queensland farming families taking out three of the six categories.
The Tommerup family from Kerry were named Innovative Farmer of the Year for their diverse operation that centres on a small dairy herd of 20 Jersey cows, prioritising quality ahead of quantity.
The Jurgens family of VJK Produce, at Bowen, was named Horticulture Farmer of the Year, while Jeremy and Julie Shaw of JS Grazing at Injune took out the beef category.
NSW grain growers David and Jenny Thompson won Cropping Farmer of the Year while the Thompson family from Moojepin Merinos in Western Australia triumphed in the sheep category.
Coles chairman James Graham and Herald and Weekly Times chairman Penny Fowler presented the awards at an event hosted by Olympian Giaan Rooney.
Mr Graham said the awards winners “enhanced Australia’s reputation as a leader in food production and agribusiness”.
“Family run farms, like this year’s winners, remain the cornerstone of our agricultural sector, providing exceptional quality produce to the nation,” Mr Graham said.
Mrs Fowler said The Weekly Times and News Corp Australia in partnership with Coles were “proud to shine a light on these outstanding individuals who contribute so much to Australia’s economic wealth and prosperity”.
6PM TONIGHT:
The agriculture industry’s best and brightest are descending on Melbourne to find out who will be crowned Australia’s best farmer of 2022.
The Weekly Times Coles Farmer of the Year awards — now in their 11th year — have just kicked off in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens, where 18 finalists, representing every Australian state, are vying for awards in six categories.
The awards celebrate the best in beef, cropping, dairy, horticulture, innovation and sheep farming for the 2022 calendar year.
Every Australian state is represented among the finalists, with four short-listed from both Queensland and Victoria, three each from South Australia and NSW, and two each from Western Australia and Tasmania.
The Weekly Times Editor James Wagstaff said hundreds of nominations were received for this year’s awards, with judging centred on the three pillars of productivity, innovation and sustainability.
“Australian agriculture has gone through a renaissance of sorts in recent years and these awards are an important opportunity to recognise the best of the best,” Mr Wagstaff said.
“These awards are about celebrating those who too often shy away from recognition but who play a huge role in feeding and clothing the world.”
The gala event kicks off at 6pm, with the awards hosted by Herald and Weekly Times chairman Penny Fowler and Coles Group chairman James Graham, and MC’d by Olympian and TV personality Giaan Rooney.
The finalists are:
BEEF FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Colin and Karen Henke, Lakala Pastoral Company, Mumbannar VIC
Run 1000 Angus cows as part of their Lakala Pastoral Company spread across 1000 hectares at Mumbannar, near the South Australian border in far southwest Victoria.
Manning family, Davilak Pastoral Company, Mansfield VIC
A beef powerhouse that comprises a herd of 2000 high-quality breeders run across six properties near Mansfield, in North East Victoria.
Jeremy and Julie Shaw, JS Grazing, Injune QLD
Have vertically integrated a feedlot into their business to garner more control over the supply chain and inevitably make more money. Their steers now command a whopping $10 a kilogram.
CROPPING FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Konzag family, Konzag Grains, Mallala SA
A 2500-hectare family dryland cereal, pulse and oilseed farm at Mallala, 60km north of Adelaide.
Tracy and Kristen LeFroy, Cranmore Farming, Moora WA
Have increased cropping to 70 per cent of the business, growing 2547 hectares of wheat, 1401 hectares of canola, 670 hectares of barley and 373 hectares of oaten hay.
David and Jenny Thompson, Bethungra Park, Illabo NSW
The southern NSW mixed farmers operate across 2230 hectares, of which 1200 hectares is cropping, consisting of canola, wheat and barley.
DAIRY FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
James and Sophie Greenacre, Rosemount Agriculture, Cressy TAS
Milk 1300 spring-calving Holstein, Jersey and Scandinavian Reds which produce seven million litres of milk annually.
Joann and Craig Morgan-French, Montagu TAS
Run more than 2000 dairy cows across two properties in northwest Tasmania with teamwork, camaraderie and uncompromising standards at the centrepiece of their business.
Nicole and Brendan Saunders, BNS Ag, Maffra VIC
A dairy enterprise run across three properties, milking 1600 cows in the heart of Gippsland dairy country. Starting as sharefarmers in 2018, Nicole and Brendan have expanded their herd dramatically, made production and profit gains, and boosted turnover by 10-fold.
HORTICULTURE FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Donovan family, Donovan Family Investments, Bundaberg QLD
Farm 110,000 trees across 650 hectares producing a whopping 6000 tonnes of avocados annually.
Jurgens family, VJK Produce, Bowen QLD
Farms more than 800 hectares near Bowen in the Burdekin Valley in Far North Queensland, producing certified organic vegetables under vertically integrated business VJK Produce.
Damien Manno, Quality Harvest Pty Ltd, Kudla SA
His Quality Harvest business produces about 20,000 bunches of basil and 15,000 bunches of Asian vegetables a week.
INNOVATIVE FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Dennis family, Tarndwarncoort, Warncoort VIC
Have developed a multi-pronged business where tourism, 2000 free-range chickens and the sale of wool spun from their Polwarth sheep generate a range of income streams.
Tommerup family, Tommerup’s Dairy, Kerry QLD
Run a diverse operation on 80 hectares at Kerry in southeast Queensland, with heritage breed pigs, beef cattle and free-range chooks, centred around a herd of 20 Jersey cows.
Wheal family, Beachport Berkshires, Beachport SA
Run a mixed livestock and cropping operation across 1400 hectares near Beachport in South Australia and have diversified with two value-adding enterprises – Beachport Berkshires and Beachport Brewing Co.
SHEEP FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Bruckner family, Gnadbro Pastoral Company, Collingullie NSW
Gnadbro Pastoral Company spans a massive 20,000 hectares in the sheep breeding heartland of the NSW Riverina, and has made producing first-cross sheep an art form.
O’Connor family, Oxton Park, Harden NSW
The innovative agriculture business, in the rolling hills between Harden and Young in southern NSW, is run by 14 permanent workers across 8000 hectares spread over 18 properties with 40,000 dual-purpose Merinos last year producing a whopping 22,279 lambs for a hefty lambing rate of 128 per cent.
Thompson family, Moojepin Merinos, Badgebup WA
The Badgebup-based stud in Western Australia’s Great Southern region has a flock of 2300 stud Merino ewes and a 1400-ewe commercial flock run on 3000 hectares.
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