Adelaide, South Australia – Queensland vegetable grower Anthony Staatz has been presented with the prestigious AUSVEG Grower of the Year Award, proudly sponsored by Syngenta, at the Hort Connections 2017 National Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Wednesday 17 May.

AUSVEG CEO James Whiteside said that the award was in recognition of Mr Staatz’s outstanding work across all aspects of vegetable production, including his drive to provide his employees with innovative technologies and effective and efficient systems to improve productivity.

“Anthony’s enthusiasm for adopting innovative growing practices is renowned throughout the industry, and he’s leading the way in establishing new best practices for the vegetable industry,” said Mr Whiteside.

AUSVEG is the leading horticultural body representing Australia’s vegetable and potato industries, worth around $3.7 billion to the national economy.

The Grower of the Year Award is supported by Syngenta, which develops seeds and crop protection products for growers worldwide, and brings together the best in global agricultural research and development to help Australian growers to manage risk, drive productivity and to realise their crop’s potential.

Based in Queensland, Mr Staatz is the fifth generation of his family to farm in the Lockyer Valley and grows vegetables in a variety of locations to give the business climatic variability that ensures it can supply vegetables all year round.

Mr Staatz has also implemented a human resources program, specifically designed to suit the training needs of the business, to help foster a workplace environment that promotes a culture of effective teamwork to achieve the best possible outcomes for both the business and its employees.

The Syngenta Grower of the Year Award commends outstanding achievement across all aspects of vegetable and potato production, including growing, environmental management, staff management and quality of produce.

“The Grower of the Year Award is the highest accolade that can be bestowed on a member of our industry, so to reach such a level of recognition is an impressive achievement,” said Mr Whiteside.

“Anthony is constantly looking for new technologies and practices to adopt on-farm in an effort to increase efficiencies and improve productivity of his farming methods. He’s a great example of the value that adopting the latest innovations can offer growing operations, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for Anthony and the team at Koala Farms.”

The Hort Connections 2017 National Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner honoured growers and other members of the Australian horticulture industry for outstanding achievements. The dinner was the capstone event of Hort Connections 2017, which drew over 2,500 local and international delegates for the premier event in Australian horticulture.

For photographs or to request an interview with award winners, please contact the AUSVEG media representative below.

ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT: Shaun Lindhe, AUSVEG National Manager – Communications
Phone: (03) 9882 0277, Mobile: 0405 977 789, Email: shaun.lindhe@ausveg.com.au