LEADING THE WAY: Houhora avocado growers Tony and Angela Payton.
The Far North has two finalists in the field of five for this year's Ballance farm environment award.
Broadwood beef farmer Laurie Copland and Houhora avocado growers Tony and Angela Payton will line up against Pakotai dairy farmers Greig and Rachel Alexander, Pataua beef/forestry farmers Sandy and Ian Page, and
Kiripaka avocado grower Leonie Batt.
Tickets are selling now for the awards dinner, at Waitangi's Copthorne Hotel and Resort on Wednesday March 18, which will culminate in the naming of the 10th Northland supreme winner.
Nine contenders from Houhora o Whangarei entered the 2015 competition, from which the final five were selected via an initial round of judging at the end of last year. They have now been through a second round of judging, by Waikato farmer (and past supreme award winner) Wynn Brown, Agribusiness consultant Aaron Baker and Whangarei management consultant Bob Cathcart.
"Entering the awards is a great way to get a fresh set of eyes to look at your property, and it's a chance to feel proud about what you have achieved to date, while stepping outside your business to look back at it objectively," Northland awards management committee chairman Shayne O'Shea said.
