South Australian vegetable grower Daniel Hoffmann has been awarded the AUSVEG SA Young Grower of the Year Award at the 2019 AUSVEG SA and William Buck Vegetable Industry Awards for Excellence.
The Young Grower of the Year Award is proudly sponsored by the South Australian Produce Market and recognises excellent achievement and industry commitment by young vegetable growers throughout the state.
Over the past few years Daniel has been a strong advocate for growers seeking access to water on the Northern Adelaide Plains, often taking the initiative to present a public face for the campaign on behalf of his peers.
In addition to his strong advocacy track record, Daniel has supported many key researchers in areas such as the AUSVEG SA Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program and hosting field walks on his farm. He has also acted as a leader within the AUSVEG SA young growers group and worked with local growers to identify issues and solutions to regional problems, such as waste management and other concerns.
AUSVEG SA Chief Executive Officer Jordan Brooke-Barnett congratulated Daniel on the award, and said it recognised his hard work on-farm and his commitment to help advance the South Australian vegetable industry.
"Daniel is a strong and committed advocate for local growers and over the past year has spent weekends and his spare time walking door to door to collect grower applications for water access. Daniel puts in the hard yards on behalf of the industry and has earned the respect and commendation of his peers for his hard work and dedication on key issues," said Mr Brooke-Barnett.
"As a grower, Daniel has always focused on innovation and sustainability, and has effectively developed and delivered a low-spray IPM system. He is respected amongst his peers for his growing skills and ability to produce consistent and high-quality crops. We are so pleased to have presented Daniel with the Young Grower of the Year Award and can't wait to see what he continues to achieve."
Daniel will be nominated in the same category at the National Awards for Excellence, which will be held at the Hort Connections 2019 conference in Melbourne from 24-26 June.
AUSVEG SA is the leading horticultural industry body representing the interests of vegetable producers in the state and provides growers with a united voice and strong representation with all levels of government.
For photographs of the awards ceremony or to request
