Nominations put the spotlight on agriculture and rural communities

Rimfire Resources Managing Director Mick Hay, past Growth Awards winner Ray Harrington, and Syngenta Australia-New Zealand Territory Lead Paul Luxton.

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THE Syngenta Growth Awards will in 2018 put the spotlight on some of Australia and New Zealand’s most talented and dedicated individuals within agriculture and their rural communities.

A quality field of nominations has been received for the awards, now in its fifth year, and includes growers across broadacre and horticultural crops as well as advisors and community leaders who support their regional communities.

These nominations have come in from Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and across New Zealand’s growing areas, from which the judges will pick their regional winners, in the categories of productivity, sustainability and community/people.

Researchers at Syngenta’s Jeallot’s Hill R&D facility welcome the winners of the 2017 Good Growth Awards.

The awards support the goals of Syngenta’s Good Growth Plan, which addresses the challenges of producing more with less, protecting the viability of farmland and promoting prosperous rural communities.

Under the plan, Syngenta has made six specific commitments designed to increase crop productivity, improve land fertility, enhance biodiversity, empower smallholders, train farm workers on safe use and strive for fair labour conditions across the entire supply chain.

“Today, Australasian agriculture is facing greater pressure to produce more from less, in a sustainable way,” said Syngenta’s Australia and NZ territory head, Paul Luxton.

“It’s inspiring to see how our regional nominees continue to push themselves in their quest to open up new domestic and international opportunities for industry participants and better tell the story of Australasian agriculture.”

Regional winners will be chosen based on a rigorous selection criteria for each category.

Touching and feeling what the Royal Farms is all about on the study tour.

Each of the 20-plus winners will become finalists in their category. An independent judging panel will pick seven overall winners who will be named at the 2018 Growth Awards gala dinner in Sydney on December 5.

These seven winners will then have the opportunity to participate in a world-class study tour to the United Kingdom and Europe in 2019.

The awards are presented in partnership with Fairfax Agricultural Media.

This is article is advertiser content for Syngenta.