A POTATO producer from Kangaroo Island has been named the 2016 Rabobank Potatoes South Australia and Ruralco Industry Award winner.
Recognised as a future leader in the potato industry, Peter Cooper took out the prestigious award which includes a scholarship to attend Rabobank’s Executive Development Program.
Raised on Kangaroo Island, Mr Cooper runs Parnlee near Parndana with his wife, Meg.
To establish the seed potato arm of the business in 2009, Mr Cooper initially leased land from his parents.
He produces about 800 tonnes of seed potatoes a year, complemented by a prime lamb and merino sheep operation.
Potatoes SA chief executive officer Robbie Davis said Mr Cooper was highly deserving of the industry accolade.
“Peter is highly regarded as a potato producer not only on Kangaroo Island, but across the industry as a young farmer who has gone out on his own to start up their own seed potato business,” she said.
Mr Cooper had transformed the family sheep enterprise into a more diversified operation, which now produces 12 seed potato varieties for the mainland.
“The foresight Peter has shown at just 30 years of age is extraordinary, and we are delighted to formalise his role as an ambassador for the industry,” she said.
“As someone with a collaborative approach, who openly shares his successes and failures with other producers, the whole industry is set to benefit from his attendance on the Executive Development Program as he shares learnings and innovative ideas.”
The third recipient to receive the annual industry scholarship, Mr Cooper said he was looking forward to starting the program in August, to help develop the strategic direction for his business, and to interact and learn from other like-minded farmers.
“I have a lot of goals I want to achieve, but there may be better or more efficient ways to achieve them, and I hope the course will give me some insights into how I can work smarter, rather than just harder,” he said.
A relatively new seed potato production region, Kangaroo Island had “emerged as a hub for next-generation production” over the past decade, Mr Cooper said.
“Due to the Island’s geographic isolation and strict quarantine measures, we don’t seem to get the diseases and viruses that producers on the mainland contend with, as it restricts the potential flights of aphids,” he said.
“However, we do face the challenge of higher freight costs, due to the shipping involved, so we need to focus on high value commodities, which is another reason the seed potato industry is well suited to the Island.”
In addition to a small number of regular part-time staff, Mr Cooper employs around 10 to 12 seasonal worker at peak times throughout the year.
Holding a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree from the University of Adelaide, Mr Cooper said he had done no formal training since he graduated in 2006, but had been interested in applying for the Executive Development Program for some time.
“I recently went to a potato conference in Mount Gambier and heard from a young farmer who had done the Rabobank program and, after hearing what it did for him and his enterprise, it really resonated with me.” he said.
