"Excellence in land-based business" is the category for the 2003 Lincoln University Foundation/Rabobank Farmer of the Year competition.
"The trustees of the foundation have thrown the field wide open for 2003," says co-ordinating judge Neil Gow, Senior Lecturer in Farm Management at Lincoln University.
"To survive, all farming businesses have to be efficient and the fact that so many farmers are surviving and actually doing quite well in spite of the recent downturns in commodity prices is a tribute to their management, both physical and financial.
"It's an appropriate move then in these times and in this the 25 th jubilee year of the Foundation to make the category as open as possible.
"We want to identify those farmers who are showing all-round excellence in their businesses and give them an award to travel overseas and bring something back to New Zealand."
The Lincoln University Foundation was formed in 1978 at the time of the then Lincoln College's centenary. The primary objective of the Foundation is to encourage and facilitate the flow of people to and from New Zealand who can contribute to the development of the country's land-based businesses.
An annual Farmer of the Year award was seen as a way of furthering this aim among South Island farmers.
The award for 2003 is a $10,000 travel grant and two other awards of $3000 and $2000 will also be made.
The top award for the category will be made to that person or persons demonstrating the best overall financial and management performance in their land-based business over the past five years.
The competition has broadened over the 25 years from specific categories of farms to the more agribusiness aspects of farming and the Foundation acknowledges the on-going support of Rabobank for the event.
Entry prospectuses for the contest are available from Errol Costello at Lincoln University, phone (03) 3253 832 or email or any branch of Rabobank, phone 0800 722 622. Entries close on Friday 29 August 2003.
For further information contact
Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury
Tel: (03) 3252811 ext 8549.
Email: Ian Collins