Finalists for The Weekly Times Coles 2025 Farmer of the Year awards have been announced yesterday, honouring Australia’s best in agriculture across six categories: Beef, Cropping, Dairy, Horticulture, Innovation, and Sheep.
The Weekly Times Coles Farmer of the Year Awards – which have been running for 14 years – recognise Australia’s greatest agriculture industry leaders throughout the previous year on three key farming principles: productivity, innovation and sustainability.
This year’s finalists are pushing the boundaries of modern farming, transforming efficiency, sustainability and staff satisfaction across the industry, including:
● The multi-generational Candeloro and Ruffo families from Bacchus Marsh, Victoria using groundbreaking AI technology for weed control
● The Ainslie family from Cressy in Tasmania, leveraging Halter Smart Collar technology, collecting 1,200 data points per cow every minute
● The Grose family of Bukkulla, NSW using data-driven 3D Wagyu systems for further sustainability in their operation
Coincidentally, two finalists both hail from Young in NSW, and NSW leads the charge with the most finalists in this year’s awards.
From the finalists announced today, one winner will be chosen in each of the six categories, along with an overall champion to be crowned at an exclusive invitation-only event on Friday, February 13, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Editor of The Weekly Times James Wagstaff said the extraordinary work being done across Australia by farmers made selecting finalists more challenging than ever. “I continue to be blown away by our Australian farmers and how they rise to the challenge of keeping pace with our fast-evolving world, nailing efficiency, using AI and other emerging technologies across all aspects of operations – from data collection to reducing labour-intensive tasks for staff,” Wagstaff said.
“The excellence of our finalists this year is top-notch, with Australian farming practices continuously setting benchmarks worldwide.”
Finalists for The Weekly Times Coles 2025 Farmer of the Year Awards:
Beef Farmer of the Year finalists:
● Mactaggart family, Balcolmba Grazing, Duaringa QLD
● Grose family, 3D Genetics, Bukkulla NSW
● Barclay family, Mingawalla Ag, Beeac VIC
Cropping Farmer of the Year finalists:
● Ingold family, John Ingold and Co, Dirnaseer NSW
● Morshead family, Amberley and Co, Yenda NSW
● Thompson family, M&R Agriculture, Minlaton SA
Dairy Farmer of the Year finalists:
● Vagg family, Leongatha South VIC
● Hicks and Jacobs families, Hicks-Jacobs Dairies, Mt Compass SA
● Ainslie family and Compass Agri, Woodrising Dairies, Cressy TAS
Innovative Farmer of the Year finalists:
● Eather family, Bellevue Pastoral Co., Narrabri NSW
● Bolton family, Oasis Farms, Kununurra WA
● Wilson family, Murdeduke Agriculture, Winchelsea VIC
Sheep Farmer of the Year finalists:
● Bell family, Bellevista, Kangaroo Island SA
● Baldwin family, Bundilla Poll Merino, Young NSW
● Snodgrass family, Cudgell Creek Partnership, Young NSW
Horticulture Farmer of the Year finalists:
● Candeloro and Ruffy families, Tripod Farmers, Bacchus Marsh VIC
● Vandenberg family, Timmel Ridge Estate, Gol Gol NSW
● Prichard Family, Cudgen Road Farms, Cudgen NSW
Media Release: THE WEEKLY TIMES COLES
