SOUTH East mixed farmer Lachlan Seears was recognised for his contribution to the agriculture sector at a special awards ceremony at Parliament House.
Joining eight other farmers across the region, the Conmurra resident was the worthy recipient of the 2017 Kondinin Group Award for Excellence as part of the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards for 2017.
Wanting to remain efficient and competitive in the market, Mr Seears has used the latest advances in technology to take a traditional grazing operation and turn it into a value-adding irrigation, fodder and food crop enterprise.
Mr Seears currently uses Control Traffic Farming, tramline marking and auto-steer GPS, electronic identification on sheep and an auto weigh/drafting machine and has given his on-farm grain storage facility the capacity to store more than 6200 tonnes of grain.
This is all in addition to a range of software programs and Apps including the John Deere Link to monitor machines remotely, AgriWebb App to monitor and track livestock, Reinke ‘Rein Cloud’ to monitor and control irrigation and mapping software App AGRI plot, which allows quick and easy mapping of paddocks.
Member for Barker Tony Pasin congratulated Mr Seears and the other recipients for their contribution to farming and highlighted the importance of talking up the sector and celebrating success.
“This is a great example of ingenuity and leadership in the farm sector, which not only helps to secure a profitable future for their business and others in our regional communities, but also provides inspiration for others in the sector,” he said.
“That’s not only good for the farm and the immediate community, it’s good for the nation’s economic bottom line.
“It’s the thousands of family-run farms that make a significant contribution to the nation’s economy and they deserve the recognition awards like this provide.”
