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Maize Farmer of the Year Simon Nitschke (left) and Federation Farmers President Wayne Langford attend the Arable Industry Awards ceremony in Christchurch on August 15, 2024.
photo: Photo courtesy of Paul Petch
New Zealand’s top grain and seed grower, vital to the country’s bread and animal feed supplies, has been recognised in Canterbury.
Rangitikai farmer Simon Nitschke was named Maize Farmer of the Year and overall winner at the 2024 Arable Industry Awards in Ōtautahi on Thursday night.
The third-generation farmer manages around 200 hectares of maize and barley on the family farm in Mattoon.
Nitschke was praised for its yields, which judges described as “extremely high by industry standards” – thanks to careful variety selection and effective management of soil fertility.
He said he was surprised by the win.
“It’s kind of surreal really. I definitely didn’t expect to win a championship, so it’s pretty surprising,” he said.
“It’s going to be really nice to celebrate with the team and it’s definitely going to be a hometown hit.”
The family-owned Arable Solutions is a fully integrated business that sells its products to Nestlé and its barley malt to dairy and poultry farms in Europe and across the island.
Nitschke said it was gratifying to be recognized with the award after several challenging seasons.
“The end of the corn season is never a good thing for anybody,” he said.
“A lot of food prices have dropped dramatically, and that’s hurting a lot of people, a lot of growers.”
To keep pace with rising input costs, prices need to rise in the upcoming season.
“We really need to see a big rally in the market like we did before for this to sustain. Given all the things that went into it, all the costs have not been recouped yet.
“I know it’s a challenging time at the moment so hopefully everyone can weather the price drops and eventually see sales rise.”
Federation Farmers cropping president David Birkett said the cropping industry often flew under the radar, but growers were vital to domestic staples, seed export markets and the supply of grass seed and animal grains the agricultural sector relied on.
Burkett said that despite this being a difficult season, the resilience and innovative spirit of growers continued to shine through.
Timaru farmer Peter Hewson was named Cereal Grower of the Year for his success in managing water loss in low-lying dryland crops through good tillage practices, sowing dates and careful planning.
Scott Rome of Gore, who hails from the South, was honored as Seed Grower of the Year for farming with his parents, Steven and Helen Rome.
Rome is involved in local catchment groups and recently became a representative for the Federation of Farmers Southland Forage Seed Group.
David Weith of Bayer Group in the Mid and South Canterbury region was named Agronomist of the Year.
The longest serving director of the National Wheat Growers Association, Syd Worsfold of Mid Canterbury, has been inducted into the new Arable Hall of Fame.
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