Established in 2012, the Emerging Rural Professional of the Year Award was created to celebrate and recognise passionate and innovative young people in Aotearoa’s agricultural industry.
Previously known as the FARMAX Emerging Rural Professional of the Year Award, following a merger and rebrand, the award is now sponsored by FarmIQ Systems Ltd. Despite a change in sponsorship title, the award recipient will still receive the same great package from previous years. This includes prize money to the value of $3,000 toward their professional development, such as a research project, an overseas study tour, professional development programmes/qualifications or research equipment.
FarmIQ COO, Gavin McEwen, says “it has been a turbulent and tough time for many in the farming sector, so it is paramount that we continue to support new young professionals to our industry – they are the ones who will have the innovative solutions and ideas to help our farmers and keep propelling New Zealand’s ag industry forward.
“The nominees from 2022 were outstanding – not only for their depth and breadth of agricultural and pastoral knowledge, but also for their passion for our industry, so I’m looking forward to learning more about this year’s nominees.”
Last year, nominees came from businesses such as Greenlea, AgFirst, BakerAg, Pamu, Zoetis, DairyNZ and Ravensdown amongst others. Not only did the category receive a record-breaking number of applicants, but judges also noted the calibre and diversity within the applications was unmatched to years before.
Blake Gunn, Forage Systems Specialist at Agricom, was the 2022 award recipient. He has put his award to good use and has spent a large portion of this year overseas attending conferences and spending time with his international teammates.
Agricom researches, develops and markets a range of pasture and forage crop seeds, and is part of global company DLF seeds, allowing Agricom NZ to have contact points across numerous countries.
“The Emerging Rural Professional of the Year Award really allowed me to step outside of the New Zealand market and engage with rural professionals overseas. It’s been interesting being exposed to diverse strategies, tactics and even additional revenue streams that could potentially suit our local market at home,” says Gunn.
“I’d encourage anyone to apply for this year’s award; not only is the prize fantastic, but FarmIQ and NZIPIM do an outstanding job profiling all applicants at the event, which creates valuable networking opportunities in itself.”
NZIPIM CEO, Jo finer, asserts “Not only is this award a fantastic way to celebrate our industry, it provides a great sounding board for those new in their sector to start thinking about their professional development in a more strategic way.”
More detailed information on this year’s award can be found on the NZIPIM website (here). Applications will be accepted through to 1 August with the lucky recipient being announced at this year’s New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management (NZIPIM) annual conference held in Christchurch on the 21st and 22nd August, 2023.
Media contact:
Kendall McEwen
Senior Marketing Specialist – FarmIQ Systems Ltd
kendall.mcewen@farmax.co.nz
About FarmIQ Systems Ltd:
Founded in 2010, FarmIQ Systems Ltd. is a New Zealand business that services the red meat, fibre and dairy industries in Aotearoa. FarmIQ Systems Ltd has two products under their remit: FarmIQ and FARMAX, and together they provide a complete farm management system solution, with both recording and predictive modelling functionality. Using both FarmIQ and FARMAX products provides a holistic view of the whole farm system, including not profit, production, sustainability, people, land and processes.
About NZIPIM:
The New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management (NZIPIM) is an independent peak industry body for the farm advisory and rural profession. The core purpose of the organisation is to expand the capability and knowledge base of members and provide a platform to build extensive networks across the rural profession.
