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Progressive Meats Managing Director, Craig Hickson is the 2012 Allflex/Federated Farmers Agribusiness Person of the Year.
Scientis Doug Edmeades was named as the Ravensdown/Federated Farmers Agri Personality for 2012.
The winners were announced at a gala dinner in Auckland on Thursday night.
"We are pleased to have such high calibre award winners," says Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers president.
"Preceding our awards was the Vodafone Cream of the Crop; the only occasion I believe where all of agriculture's major award winners assemble under the same roof. It is a privilege to have so many exceptional farmers in the same room at the same time."
It was a big decision for judges Andrew Newman, Christine Fletcher and Waikato University's Professor Jacqueline Rowarth.
As Hickson is attending the LambEx conference in Australia, Beef+Lamb NZ chair, Mike Petersen, accepted the award on his behalf.
Hickson runs a mixed 1200 hectare sheep, deer and beef farm in Hawke's Bay and in addition to Progressive Meats, is a member of the Meat Board. He is also a director of Ovation New Zealand and a number of other meat companies.
Wills says Edmeades has worked closely with Federated Farmers as an expert witness and has emerged as a scientific advocate for sensible farming practices.
"Doug is a scientist who argues in the media for solutions and not problems making him a very popular choice," says Wills.
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Federated Farmers says new legislation replacing the Resource Management Act will cut red tape, unlock investment and help grow New Zealand's export-led economy, after the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill passed their third reading in Parliament yesterday.
Leading figures from the major political parties will be questioned on their primary sector policies at the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, on 30 September.
Will the good times last? That's one of the key issues to come out of the latest Federated Farmers confidence survey.
When Northland leather worker Vernon Suckling started making horse saddles 50 years ago, quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles were unheard of.
Alliance Group has confirmed that eligible farmer-shareholders who supply and continue to back the business will receive up to $20 million later this year, following the strategic investment partnership with Dawn Meats.
With a general election under five weeks away, Rural News is asking major political parties about their policies and positions on key issues facing the primary sector. We will run their responses to each question over the next four weeks. The ACT Party and the Greens didn't respond in time.
The red meat sector is in great heart.
Dr Scott Champion, Foundation for Arable Research chief executive, says that everyone in the supply chain had a role to play in driving the sector's long-term success.
Entries opened on Monday, 5 October 2026 for the 2027 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA), which organisers describe as the nation's biggest celebration of excellence in the dairy sector.
