SOUTH East farmer Lachlan Seears was among eight national award winners recognised for the significant contribution made to the success of the agriculture sector.
Member for Barker Tony Pasin congratulated all the winners who received their awards at parliament house today saying it was important to talk up the sector and celebrate successes.
“The 2017 Kondinin Group Award for Excellence in Technology was awarded to Lachie as part of the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards for 2017 in recognition of his hard work and dedication to the sector and community,” Mr Pasin said.
Mr Seears, a mixed farmer at Conmurra, has taken a traditional grazing operation and turned it into a value-adding irrigation, fodder and food crop enterprise.
Managing nearly 3000 hectares, Mr Seears needed to look at what was available and what the latest advances in technology were so he could remain efficient and competitive in the business.
Mr Seears uses Control Traffic Farming, tramline marking and auto-steer GPS, Electronic Identification on sheep plus an auto weigh/drafting machine, and given his on-farm grain storage facility has the capacity to store more than 6200 tonnes of grain.
He has invested significantly in specific storage technology such as a computer-controlled aeration system to protect the grain.
This is all in addition to a range of software programs and Apps including the John Deere Link to monitor machines remotely, AgriWebb App to monitor and track livestock, Reinke ‘Rein Cloud’ to monitor and control irrigation and mapping software App AGRI plot, which allows quick and easy mapping of paddocks.
“This is a great example of ingenuity and leadership in the farm sector, which not only helps to secure a profitable future for their business and others in our regional communities but also provides inspiration for others in the sector,” Mr Pasin said.
“That’s not only good for the farm and the immediate community, it’s good for the nation’s economic bottom line.
“It’s the thousands of family run farms that make a significant contribution to the nation’s economy and they deserve the recognition awards like this provide.”