Female innovators in agriculture will be among the trailblazers recognised in a revamped ag-tech awards program at the 2023 Henty Machinery Field Days. The resurgence of the Agri-Innovators Award aims to celebrate and champion the ground-breaking achievements in agriculture in NSW at the event, from September 19 to 21. This year the award program will encompass a wider range of agricultural sectors, showcasing the accomplishments of emerging innovators and introducing the Female Innovator of the Year. Henty machinery Field Days chief executive officer Belinda Anderson said The Land and NSW Farmer Association Farm Inventor of the Year competition had been a perennial favourite at the field days for 51 years until it was replaced by the Agri-Innovators Award in 2015. "The awards had provided the launching pad for scores of backyard tinkerers, budding entrepreneurs and enterprising visionaries, highlighting everything from the latest technical and commercial developments through to product releases," Mrs Anderson said. "These new award categories will complement the existing highly coveted HMFD Machine of the Year Award and Best Australian Designed and Manufactured Machine." The new categories include: Agritech Innovation of the Year; Emerging AgTech Innovation; Innovative Producer Award; and Female Innovator of the Year. For the past six decades, innovation has been at the heart of the field days but this year Henty will partner with Farmers2Founders to shine a spotlight on the opportunities available. Producers looking to adopt trailblazing technology on farm and benefit from improved sustainability, reduced costs and empower them with better decision-making capabilities can visit the TEKFARM Agritech Innovation Hub. The hub will showcase the best and upcoming innovative tech solutions available to producers across all agricultural sectors, offering cutting-edge tools and technologies to revolutionise their farming practices and enhance productivity. Farmers2Founders head of operations and partnerships Claire Pink said the TEKFARM Agritech Innovation Awards were open to tertiary and university students, farmers, backyard tinkerers and innovators from any state. "Entries can by any agribusiness invention, ranging from a mobile phone app or computer software program to the largest tillage machinery,'' Ms Pink said. Entries close on August 21, 2023, with entries to be judged prior to the field days and winners to be announced at the Henty Machinery Field Days at 10.30am on Thursday, September 21.
