10 October 1997 Foundation's Farmer of the Year finalists named

Five finalists have been named for the 1997 Lincoln University Foundation/Rabobank Farmer of the Year Award to be made at Lincoln University on 21 October.

Representing districts from North Canterbury to Southland they are:

David and Cathy Jones of Temuka, Lloyd and Kathy McCallum of Winton, Graeme and Jan Sutton and Colin and Adrienne Sutton of Culverden, John and Joanne Van Polanen of Ashburton and Adri and France Verbakel of Oamaru.

Selected from 16 entrants spanning the South Island from Collingwood to Otautau, the finalists are the cream of an outstanding line-up of dairy farmers, says co-ordinating judge Neil Gow of Lincoln University's Department of Farm and Horticultural Management.

• David and Cathy Jones of Ballymoyle Farm purchased their farm in 1989 and for the 1995-1996 season (the period used for the judging) they milked 270 cows on 103 hectares producing 402kg of milk solids per cow giving a rate of l 053kg per hectare.

• Lloyd and Kathy McCallum of ‘Broadlands’, Southland, converted their home sheep farm to dairying in 1992 and their figures for the 1995-1996 season were 305 cows on 120 hectares producing 420kg of milk solids per cow and 1068kg per hectare.

• The Sutton brothers Graeme and Colin of Richmond are from a well-known Nelson dairying family. They converted ‘Inneskillen’ at Culverden to three dairy units totalling 520 hectares under border-dyke irrigation in 1993. In the judging period 1995-1996 they milked 1400 cows producing 382kg of milk solids per cow giving a figure of 1023kg per hectare.

• John and Joanne Van Polanen of Central Canterbury bought and converted their current farm in 1989. For the 1995-1996 season they produced 398kg of milk solids per cow off 450 cows giving a rate of 1002kg per hectare. John was an AC Cameron Award winner for Aorangi in 1996.

• Adri and France Verbakel of North Otago bought and converted their farm in 1989. Milking 440 cows in the 1995-1996 season, on 183 hectares, they produced 386kg of milk solids per cow giving a rate of 927kg per hectare.

The five finalists have been through the on-property judging stage of the competition and now face the ‘university presentation’ step in which they will address an audience, detailing the various aspects of their respective operations and answer questions from the floor.

This happens at Lincoln University in the Stewart 2 Lecture Theatre on Tuesday 21 October starting at 9.30am. Interested members of the public are welcome to attend and the venue will be sign-posted from the Springs Road-Ellesmere Junction Road roundabout near the University.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand