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2018 Omnia Precision Agronomy Award open for entries

By 30th July 2018July 27th, 2023No Comments
News

The Guild’s 2018 Omnia Precision Agronomy Award, sponsored by Hutchinsons’ Omnia Precision Agronomy, is open for entries.

Award entries are open to any Guild member who has had a feature on the use of precision farming technologies in arable agriculture or horticulture published or broadcast between 1 August 2017 and 1 August 2018.

There is a £1,500 prize for the winning article and £500 for the runner up, with the results to be announced at this year’s Guild Harvest Lunch in London on 11 October.

The award reflects the growing use and importance of precision farming technologies in growing crops, and the need for journalist members of the Guild to report on its intricacies and potential with clarity.

Last year’s winner was Louise Impey for her article detailing a futuristic robotics project with growers’ experiences of using precision technology for variable rate seed and fertiliser applications.

The piece, published in Future Farming and the arable section of Farmers Weekly, was commended by the judges for its eloquent coverage.

Runner up article was James Andrews for his article on tractor auto-steer guidance systems, published in the machinery section of Farmers Weekly.

Hutchinsons chairman David Hutchinson says.“To date, precision technology has been about collecting data – for example yield maps, soil pH and nutrient analysis – but there has never been a way to connect this data together in a way that it can be used to influence farm management decisions.

“We believe precision technology must offer a way for growers to measure and monitor their farm activities in such a way that it improves efficiency and productivity.

“The industry is facing a period of increasing uncertainty and anything that can be done to help farmers meet these challenges is an important role for members of the Guild.

“With this in mind, Hutchinsons is delighted to support the Omnia Precision Crop Management Award to promote and support the benefits of precision farming now and in the future.”

To enter, send a PDF of a print article, a link to an online article or the audio file or script of a broadcast, to Guild awards secretary Jamie Day at jamie.day@agritradenews.co.uk.

Your entry should state when and where the piece was published or broadcast.

Deadline for entries is Wednesday, 5 September 2018.

[Photo credit: Hands Free Hectare]