Since 2006, AUSVEG has recognised fresh produce growers and future leaders in horticulture with the Young Grower of the Year award.

Winners of this award have championed the success of the industry and continue to show a commitment to innovation to help inspire the next generation of growers.

2011 Young Grower of the Year award recipient Andrew Bulmer shares what has changed since he received his award, what he is doing today, and his plans for the future.

Andrew Bulmer is Managing Director of one of Australia’s largest salad producers, Bulmer Farms, located in the East Gippsland township of Lindenow. A year-round growing operation, Bulmer Farms intensively crops over 10 farms totalling over 1,500 acres around and within the Lindenow Valley in Victoria.

Andrew received the Young Grower of the Year accolade in 2011. By then, he had been working full-time in the vegetable industry for over eight years.

“I believed I had done a lot to understand more about the industry and assist others to have a better understanding and impact. This was while promoting our growing region in Gippsland to gain greater recognition as a significant production region,” Andrew says.

Over the past nine years, Andrew has been a strong contributor to the Australian vegetable industry. In addition to his on-farm role, he is a director and Co-Deputy Chair of Food & Fibre Gippsland.

“Like everyone, my role in the industry is what you make it. I don’t have more or less of a right to contribute than anyone else,” Andrew says.

“I choose to participate in workshops, study tours, the Hort Connections conference and the East Gippsland Vegetable Innovations Days because I want to contribute to the greater good of our industry, share what knowledge I have, and see other leaders emerge within horticulture.”

A positive change that Andrew has witnessed over the past decade is industry collaboration.

“I believe the industry has made great strides forward to collaborate. You see this at grower level, with many people willing to share their practices and ideas. At a national level, there is no better example than Hort Connections, which sees great cross-collaboration within the horticulture industry,” he says.

Despite his personal achievements – which also include the 2017 ABC Rural and Kondinin Group’s Australian Farmer of the Year and 2016 AUSVEG VIC Grower of the Year awards – Andrew’s pride is watching his business grow and develop strong long-term relationships within the industry and across the supply chain.

“I have also taken a lot of pride in watching trainees and apprentices that the business has supported come through our system to become managers and great contributors to our business,” he adds.

Looking ahead, Andrew remains focused on embracing innovation, collaboration, and sustainability.

“In farming, we are all looking for greater security. We all want to be paid a fair price for what we produce, and be recognised for who we are in society and the role we play as food producers that feed the nation,” he says.

“It would be nice to consolidate the business over the next few years and enjoy some family time before the kids grow up too quick. But we should always focus on innovation, sustainability, and collaboration to stay at the top of our game.”

2011 Young Grower of the Year, Andrew Bulmer.

Click on each name to read the stories of five other previous Young Grower of the Year award winners: Danny Trandos, Erika Watson, Daniel Adams, Chris McLoghlin, and Daniel Hoffmann.

This article features in the spring 2020 edition of Vegetables Australia. Click here to read the full publication. 

Find out more

Hort Connections 2021 will be held from 7-9 June 2021 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

More details around next year’s Hort Connections will be released in the coming months, with registrations due to open in early 2021. For more information, please visit the Hort Connections website.