NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, announced a beef and potato farmer from Dorrigo, a Goulburn turkey grower and a beef cattle producing couple from Quirindi as the finalists in the 2014 NSW Farmer of the Year Award.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“NSW clearly has some of the best farmers in the world, and this no doubt led to a very difficult task of the judges to single out just a few of them as finalists,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
“The difficulty was compounded not only by the quality of the field, but the diversity of the applicants coming from across the livestock, cropping and horticulture industries.
“These finalists are leaders in their fields – pushing the boundaries through innovation and vision in regards to all aspects of their enterprise including production, supply chains and marketing.
“They are great ambassadors for the NSW agriculture sector, displaying the know-how and energy needed to run profitable enterprises while managing their natural resources.”
The finalists are:
• Derek and Kirrily Blomfield, who operate “Colorado”, a beef cattle grazing farm near Quirindi on the Liverpool Plains. They produce steers and heifers for sale direct to consumers under the brand “The Conscious Farmer”. “Colorado” is managed with the aim of improving and regenerating soils, pastures and biodiversity while optimising profitability.
• Scott Beaumont, who runs a diversified farming enterprise spread over three Dorrigo-region properties, producing yearling cattle from a breeding herd, 700 tonnes of crisping potatoes a year and a contract planting business.
• James Mifsud, who operates “Trilla” at Goulburn, an intensive 50,000-turkey farm growing birds under contract for Inghams Enterprises. The turkeys are raised in open sheds. Biosecurity, animal welfare, energy efficiency and industry best practice are key priorities.
NSW Farmers president, Fiona Simson said the applications highlighted the impressive range in the scale of operations and the different industries represented across agriculture in NSW.
“These are quality individuals, indicative of the healthy state of our industry,” Mrs Simson said.