Ballance wins inaugural Smart Farming Award

Date: 22.03.2019

Just four days until South Island Agricultural Field Days kick off and the celebrations have already begun, with the announcement of the inaugural Smart Farming Award

The inaugural South Island Agricultural Field Days Smart Farming Award has gone to Ballance Agri-Nutrients’ breakthrough environmental planning tool, MitAgator.

Ballance Agri-Nutrients’ Erica Leadley (right) accepts the Smart Farming Award from SIAFD organising chair Rodney Hadfield (left) and AgriMagic director Charlotte Glass.

Backed by 30 years of independent science from AgResearch, MitAgator helps farmers reduce contaminant losses that impact water quality.

As agriculture has become more sophisticated, technology that allows farmers to work smarter has assumed greater importance. To acknowledge these changing times and the role innovation plays in helping farmers meet the demands they face, South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) has initiated the Smart Farming Award.

Sponsored by Canterbury consultancy firm Agri Magic Ltd, the Smart Farming Award was chosen by judges Toni Laming (BLINC Innovation), Sir Graeme Harrison (ANZCO founder) and Richard Green (primary sector business innovator) .

Judges said that MitAgator was a standout given that the key judging criteria centred on new technology that enables improved decision making and adds value to agricultural businesses.

Ballance Agri-Nutrients chief executive Mark Wynne welcomed the award as endorsement of MitAgator, a farming tool that has been 10 years in the making.

"MitAgator will change the way we farm in New Zealand for the better. It gives farmers a speedo on their dashboard that takes the guesswork out of ‘farming within limits’ by mapping hotspots for the four key water contaminants – nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and E.coli pathogens," Mark says.

"This tool is tailored for today’s farming because it shows where to invest to achieve the greatest environmental gain. Farmers know where the real risks are and where they can make the biggest impact for every dollar they spend, whether that should be fencing a stream or building a wetland."

MitAgator was developed by Ballance Agri-Nutrients with financial support from the Primary Growth Partnership. 

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