Two Mid Canterbury farmers are finalists in the upcoming Zimmatic Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation Awards.

Ben and Shannon Johnson from Bodiam Dairies south of Ashburton and Eugene Cronin from Kilmurry Farm north of Ashburton will be up against two North Island farmers when the awards are announced in Wellington on November 6.

The Johnsons are no strangers to awards, having won the Water Efficiency Award at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards in 2012.

"We entered the Ballance Awards at the time because we were always trying to do better and improve," Ben Johnson says.

"We haven't entered anything since because I wanted to have some different improvements to talk about, and I feel like we have chipped away and made some pretty solid improvements over the last ten years, so we thought we would give the Irrigation Awards a go.

"We thought it would be good to see how we got on against everyone else and showcase the good work we are trying to do."

Finalist Eugene Cronin said that farmers generally do a "good job" irrigating and that people should be made aware of that.

"You see a lot of good stuff happening, and we are quite poor at letting everyone know we are doing those things."

Cronin immigrated to New Zealand 19 years ago after initially coming on a working visa.

He enjoyed the experience, decided to stay longer, and then met his wife, Sarah.

"I just ended up not going home, basically."

Cronin is a farm supervisor for Dairy Holdings and is sharemilking under the name Kilmurry Farms at Falstone Farm for David and Sonia Molloy, supplying Synlait.

Cronin said the more efficient farmers become with water, the less harm they do.

"We are trying to reduce over watering, because that has a tendency to leach water from the soil, which can be damaging to groundwater.

"Irrigation efficiency goes hand-in-hand with good environmental outcomes; the two align with each other.

The Zimmatic Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation awards were launched in 2020 to showcase outstanding achievements in sustainable irrigation.

The awards spotlight farmers who demonstrate leadership in responsible irrigation techniques, innovative water management strategies, and environmental stewardship.

The Awards are held bi-annually, alternating between Australia and New Zealand.

The awards include four categories: Supreme Award Winner, Sustainable Irrigation Management Award, Farmers Weekly NZ Community Award, and the Judges Choice Award (awarded at the judges' discretion). On-farm judging begins in October.

Each category winner will receive a valuable prize pack, which includes travel vouchers for attending future Trailblazer international irrigation study tours.

Awards Coordinator Sarah Elliot said that since their launch in 2020, the Awards have sparked important conversations about smart practices and cutting-edge technologies available to farmers to enhance irrigation efficiency and freshwater conservation.

"The goal of the Awards has always been to seek out farmers deeply committed to water management and provide them with a platform to share their experiences and insights with peers and broader audiences.

"This year is no exception.

"We have been blown away by the quality of the entries we have received.

"We are proud to champion the leadership of our 2024 finalists within the agricultural sector and wish them the best of luck."

By Claire Inkson