The Farm Environment Awards were established in 1993 as a joint initiative between the Waikato Conservation Board and the Waikato Regional Council. In 1995 an independent trust was set up to administer the awards. Ballance Agri-Nutrients became the naming rights sponsor for the awards in 2002 and is working with the trust and regional councils to develop the awards throughout New Zealand.
The key objective of the awards is to display to farmers that profitability need not compromise environmental values. Indeed, past winners of the awards have shown that the environment can be both restored and enhanced under profitable farming systems.
The awards help farmers enhance their businesses in a number of ways. Past participants have highlighted the following benefits from taking part in the awards:
The awards look at whole farm systems and strongly promote the positive. All entrants to the awards receive detailed feedback from the judges, who are chosen for their knowledge of both farming and the environment. Regional winners are profiled in a wide range of media and events. The judges aim to celebrate the positive actions taken by entrants, rather than to criticise. Overall, the aim of the awards is to encourage other farmers to be more proactive in their resource management by providing them with role models for sustainable land management.
Read more about the awards at the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust's website.
Enter the Ballance Farm Environment Awards online.
The Ballance Farm Environment Awards are run in conjunction with the following national and regional sponsors.
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