The Weekly Times Coles 2023 Farmer of the Year finalists revealed
The best and brightest of Australian ag have been honoured as finalists in The Weekly Times Coles 2023 Farmer of the Year Awards. See the nominees.
The best and brightest of Australian agriculture have been honoured as finalists in The Weekly Times Coles 2023 Farmer of the Year Awards.
The 18 finalists in the categories of beef, cropping, dairy, horticulture, sheep and innovation hail from NSW, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
The Weekly Times editor James Wagstaff said hundreds of nominations were received for this year’s awards, which honoured farmers changing the face of agriculture in Australia during 2023.
“Our farmers are not only resilient and imperative in feeding and clothing the country, they are also forging a more sustainable and innovative future for Australian farming,” Mr Wagstaff said.
“The Weekly Times Coles Farmer of the Year awards are our opportunity to recognise the farmers who have been doing incredible things in the past year.”
Judging is centred on the three key farming pillars of productivity, innovation and sustainability.
Winners will be announced at presentation at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, February 23, 2024 attended by federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt and Victorian Agriculture Minister Ros Spence and hosted by Herald and Weekly Times chairman Penny Fowler and Coles Group chairman James Graham.
Category winners each receive $5000 with the overall Farmer of the Year pocketing another $10,000.
BEEF FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
APELT FAMILY
COLLINGWOOD PASTORAL COMPANY
TARA, QUEENSLAND
A multi-pronged approach to farm management has seen the Apelt family’s beef business almost triple in growth in the past two decades. Developing properties to improve pasture and cropping potential, as well as zeroing in on genetics and eating quality, has set them apart and won them industry acclaim, including Meat Standards Australia’s Excellence in Eating Quality awards.
READ MORE ABOUT THE APELT FAMILY
CAITHNESS FAMILY
CAITHNESS PASTORAL
BAIRNSDALE, VICTORIA
Trevor Caithness’ success has not been by accident. His family has bought and renovated nine properties totalling 1800 hectares in East Gippsland in the past 20 years and has been actively involved with local farm research trials. They run 850 Angus, Hereford and crossbred cows to produce 700 calves a year for the premium Coles Graze grass-fed beef label.
READ MORE ABOUT THE CAITHNESS FAMILY
HASSALL FAMILY
GLENDARUEL PASTORAL
HOLBROOK, NEW SOUTH WALES
The Hassall family has managed to produce an extra 250,000kg of beef from the same number of cows over the past decade. Creating a checklist of changes in terms of feeding regimes and animal husbandry, they have increased the number of cattle sold each year by 342 and increased the kilograms sold per animal by 72kg, supplying top-tier markets including Greenham’s Never Ever brand.
READ MORE ABOUT THE HASSALL FAMILY
CROPPING FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
NIGEL AND VANESSA CORISH
NEW LEAF AG PTY LTD
CONDAMINE, QUEENSLAND
Nigel Corish is at forefront of the grain industry’s push towards sustainability. The 40-year-old has been working for years to retain moisture, improve the health of his soils and reduce his reliance on synthetic fertilisers, while improving the productivity of dryland wheat, barley, chickpeas, sorghum and irrigated cotton, and is now one of the first cropping farmers in Australia to develop a soil carbon project.
READ MORE ABOUT THE CORISH FAMILY
FOX FAMILY
MARRAR, NEW SOUTH WALES
A willingness to trial new approaches to farming is a big part of Dan Fox’s philosophy. Working alongside his father, and under the guidance of his grandfather, the third-generation farmer has overseen big changes to the family’s 2140-hectare property, including almost doubling its size in just 15 years. Overarching all of his decisions is the aim to be as efficient as possible with water, soil and fertilisers.
READ MORE ABOUT THE FOX FAMILY
HOLLAND FAMILY
YOUNG, NEW SOUTH WALES
Cropping is all about the numbers for the Holland family from southern NSW. While wheat crops of 10 tonnes a hectare in their district are now achievable, third-generation Broden Holland has a different figure in mind to measure his success – water-use efficiency.
That figure is a minimum 10kg of wheat for every 1mm of moisture, whether it be in the form of rain or stored in the soil.
READ MORE ABOUT THE HOLLAND FAMILY
DAIRY FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
JUSTIN AND STACEE STALEY
YARRAM, VICTORIA
Drive, passion and a love of dairy farming are fundamental components of the Staley family business but economies of scale, irrigation water and peak-performing pastures are what makes it prosper. The family business has grown exponentially since Justin’s parents, Neville and Michelle Staley, first bought the foundation 48-hectare property in 1990, milking 120 cows. The business is now run across 1755 hectares and is home to 1650 cows producing 12.5 million litres of milk annually.
READ MORE ABOUT THE STALEY FAMILY
WALPOLE FAMILY
M & K WALPOLE
YIELIMA, VICTORIA
The Walpole family milks about 2200 cattle in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley with a team of 27 employees. In an effort to ramp up productivity, the Walpoles recently installed a freestall barn housing 2000 cows and in July last year they moved to milking three times a day as they worked towards a target of increasing production by a whopping 16 per cent.
READ MORE ABOUT THE WALPOLE FAMILY
GREG AND KIM WILSON
IRREWILLIPE, VICTORIA
Greg and Kim Wilson rarely do things by halves. The southwest Victorian sharefarmers have built a thriving dairy operation from the ground up, starting with 700 cows and three staff on 700 hectares in October 2018. In five short years, they’ve grown the herd, boosted productivity and profitability, and recruited a cracking team. Their Oakhampton Dairies business now employs 11 full-time workers milking 1100 cows, which supply more than 700,000kg of milk solids a year to Coles.
READ MORE ABOUT THE WILSON FAMILY
HORTICULTURE FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
SCIACCA FAMILY
PACIFIC COAST ECO BANANAS
MOURILYAN, QUEENSLAND
Frank Sciacca’s love of the environment led him to create a world-first innovation helping to restore farm ecology. Having known the vitality of the Great Barrier Reef and then its subsequent decline with coral bleaching over multiple decades, Frank, a commercial banana grower, became aware of just how important ecosystems were at sea and on land. It set him on a path to develop a system that could change farming for the better.
READ MORE ABOUT THE SCIACCA FAMILY
STEEMSON FAMILY
LITTABELLA PINES
YANDARAN, QUEENSLAND
The Steemson family is proof that embracing change can have unimaginable benefits.
In 2002 when they planted their first pineapples as a drought strategy on their 1200-hectare property, John and Linda Steemson had no idea that two decades later Littabella Pines would become the biggest supplier of canned pineapples in Australia. The Steemsons produce 7000 tonnes of pineapples a year and constantly evaluate how they can farm more efficiently.
READ MORE ABOUT THE STEEMSON FAMILY
BUCKLEY FAMILY
BUCKLEY FARMS
PLEASANT PARK, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Small potatoes to big business has been the growth trajectory for South Australian farmer Terry Buckley and his family. The fifth-generation spud grower has transformed their enterprise to build a potato powerhouse that pumps out more than 24,000 tonnes of spuds a year grown across 445 hectares. With a laser-sharp focus on soil health, the Buckleys optimise yields using every tool at their disposal. That includes a huge workshop of bespoke machinery, a state-of-the-art Dutch storage system and planting design that makes best use of every drop of water and fertiliser.
READ MORE ABOUT THE BUCKLEY FAMILY
INNOVATIVE FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
BIGNELL FAMILY
BREAM CREEK DAIRY
BREAM CREEK, TASMANIA
Value over volume. That’s the motto of the Bignell family who farm with a passion and a taste for quality Australian-made dairy with a strong sense of provenance. For the family – spanning three generations, three families with six adults, six children, and multiple districts – making the move from a traditional dairy supplying milk to processors to also producing their own brand of artisan cheeses was a task in diversification and value-adding. Two million litres now goes directly into the dairy’s own brand of cheese and dairy products.
READ MORE ABOUT THE BIGNELL FAMILY
TINA AND BRUCE McPHERSON
TINABERRIES
WOONGARRA, QUEENSLAND
In the labour-intensive and market-challenged field of strawberry growing, Tina and Bruce McPherson have been fortunate to find their sweet spot. Beginning with 20,000 plants in 2006, their Tinaberries business grew to a peak of 300,000 plants in 2018 but in the past five years has been strategically reduced to 80,000 to 100,000 plants. At the same time, the McPhersons have begun value-adding waste product by freezing fruit, producing ice cream on site and allowing customers to pick their own strawberries from the field.
XAVIER AND KIMBERLEY PRIME
CHOOKS AT THE ROOKE
COROROOKE, VICTORIA
Xavier Prime’s pasture-raised chickens are winning national awards for taste. They’re also winning customer loyalty from Australia’s top chefs. So, it’s a surprise that the free-range meat birds were destined to live just one short day, with no chance of scratching, pecking, clucking – nor hitting a plate – until the young farmer stepped in. Male cockerels are now an exciting and successful part of the free-range egg and poultry meat business Xavier runs on his 65-hectare property. At any one time, he tends about 6000 chickens – 3000 hens and 3000 roosters.
READ MORE ABOUT CHOOKS AT THE ROOKE
SHEEP FARMER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
FISCHER FAMILY
ASHMORE RAMS
WASLEYS, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Objective performance measurement and being conscious of their return on investment has allowed Troy and Nette Fischer to significantly expand their operation. In the past seven years they have more than tripled the area they farm and doubled their sheep numbers, all with the same labour force. This has been achieved with a strong focus on planning their operations, using simple proven systems, doing things on time and making sure everyone is working towards the same goals.
READ MORE ABOUT THE FISCHER FAMILY
HOWELL FAMILY
HOWELL PASTORAL
AMPHITHEATRE, VICTORIA
When it comes to innovation within the sheep industry, the Howell family are considered among the top of the chops. Their thriving prime lamb enterprise turns off 8700 lambs a year, supplying exceptionally well marbled meat to a farmer-founded export company that is introducing the best Australian lamb to the world. Scott Howell’s enthusiasm for change has definitely generated excitement, and inspired 24-year-old Daniel, who has been farming alongside his dad for the past six years.
READ MORE ABOUT THE HOWELL FAMILY
ROBERTS FAMILY
RIDGEHAVEN POLL DORSETS
CUDAL, NEW SOUTH WALES
It’s no accident that when Isabele Roberts sends a load of lambs to the abattoir, they more than hit the grid targets. For Isabele, who’s a key decision maker in the genetics development for her family’s Ridgehaven Poll Dorset stud and livestock manager for the commercial prime lamb flock, those kill sheets provide critical feedback. She will pore over them carefully, knowing the information she gets back on the lambs will feed in to the breeding strategies for the stud and have the capacity to influence up to 100,000 prime lambs, including their own.
READ MORE ABOUT THE ROBERTS FAMILY
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