Mayfield farmer David Clark won the supreme award at the first ever Mid Canterbury A&P Wheat Competition.
Competition organiser and Methven A&P farm produce convener Nicola Pace said the Methven A&P Association had held a wheat competition for local farmers since 1995.
However, this year they decided to open the competition to the other Mid Canterbury A&P associations with sponsorship support from Bayer Crop Science.
“In the last 10 years the competition has become more scientific,” Pace said.
An awards evening was held at the Hotel Ashburton on Thursday.
This year the Methven, Mayfield and Ashburton A&P Associations each held a local wheat competition, attracting a total of 46 entries from Mid Canterbury farmers.
The top five from each area were selected and their points were collated to find the top wheat grower in Mid Canterbury.
The awards are based on a scientific calculation of yield, Pace said.
David Clark from Valetta Farm won the supreme award.
Tied in second place were the Henderson’s from Limewood farm in Methven and Mayfield’s Gregory Partnership.
Fourth place went to Methven’s Pam and Dave Grant while Mayfield farmer Gary Wilson came in fifth.
Pace said the Mid Canterbury wheat competition would definitely be an annual event.
It attracted a lot of interest from farmers, both in terms of entries and in farm visits to see how other farms are run and managed, she said.

• By Sharon Davis