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Young Farmer of the Year Award nominee makes a mark on the industryAustralia - May 01, 2012
Fifth generation family farmer and one of this year's Young Farmer of the Year Award nominees, 27-year-old Jim Maitland along with family members, has established an innovative sideline business in an effort to add value to existing farm outputs. Jim joined the family farm in the Clare Valley, South Australia full time in 2007 after finishing a three-year Diploma in Farm Business Management at Marcus Oldham College. The total operation of 2,600 hectares includes the 1,200 hectare family farm along with leased land and a share farming operation based at nearby Auburn. Traditionally, the rotation consists of hard wheat, durum, canola, faba beans and oaten hay grown for the export market. Jim was nominated for the Young Farmer of the Year Award in recognition of his on-farm innovation in establishing a new business venture, Pangkarra Pty Ltd. The Young Farmer of the Year Award is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences in keeping with the company's commitment to attracting and retaining young people in the industry. This award is one of the Kondinin Group's Australian Farmer of the Year Awards. "Pangkarra Foods produces premium wholegrain dry pasta and stone milled wholegrain durum flour made from durum wheat grown on the family farm. It was established in an effort to diversify our current business beyond primary production and utilise the skill set of family members," explained Jim. With a current output of 12 tonnes of pasta and flour produced per annum, the business aim is to grow production to 50 tonnes per annum in the next two years. "If the venture enjoys long term success it will play a pivotal role as a risk management tool against the ever fluctuating commodity prices." The idea for the business grew in response to an ever increasing consumer awareness of the health benefits of wholegrain foods, explained Jim. "We also saw a gap in the market - that being the production of premium wholegrain pasta." With the produce marketed to gourmet retail shops and restaurants, a commitment to sustainable farming methods underpins the business strategy. "The dedicated Pangkarra cropping program receives chicken litter prior to sowing and is grown on the back of a legume (beans) crop, which increases the nitrogen levels in the soil. "The grain is stored chemical free in vertical, air tight, temperature controlled silos on the property and then sent to a miller in South Australia where traditional stone milling methods are used to grind the grain. This method enhances the health benefits by ensuring the flour retains all of the components of the grain itself including the wheat germ, the endosperm and the bran." Jim believes that awards such as the Young Farmer of the Year are critical in promoting careers in agriculture to more young people. "Winning the award would provide a fantastic opportunity for me to promote the business," said Jim. The Young Farmer of the Year award is open to all farmers aged between 18 and 35, with the winning applicant receiving the highest recognition from their peers for their efforts to build a sustainable and viable farming future. Dr Matt Cahill, Research and Development leader from Dow AgroSciences, said sponsoring the award is in keeping with their organisation's long term goals. "Our research aims to provide the industry with the best technology for faster, better and more efficient agriculture long-term, to feed the world's growing population," he said. "To do this, we need the best and brightest young minds to carry our agricultural industry further into the future. It's exciting to see people like Jim being nominated, as they highlight the wide range of innovation undertaken by young people across the sector. We expect it to be a tough competition as more nominations roll in over the coming months." Nominations for the award are open until Friday August 3. More information is available online at www.kondiningroup.com.au For Editorial Information:
Jim Phimister
Sharyn Casey |
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