Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year: Put your skills to the test
Are you ready to put your spraying skills to the test? Enter now for a chance to become Britain’s spraying champion
Sprayer operators have come a long way since the first Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year competition a quarter of a century ago.
Every year the bar is raised a little higher to meet ever-stricter public, operator or environmental safety regulations. Today’s top operators are consummate professionals, using products safely and efficiently to get the most out of the crops entrusted to their care.
They have embraced self-regulation through the Voluntary Initiative scheme and continual professional development through the National Register of Sprayer Operators. This clearly demonstrates to the regulators that the industry is keen to police itself, keeping heavy-handed regulation to a minimum.
This voluntary approach was hailed by Brussels, when it reviewed application procedures earlier this year, as an example for other member states to follow. It has produced sprayer operators who are, arguably, the best in the world.
Farm foreman Nick Stevens from Wiltshire was last year’s Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year, thanks to his meticulous approach and ingenuity
The Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year competition, organised by Syngenta and Farmers Weekly, highlights this professional approach and helps encourage improvements throughout the spraying community.
| WHAT YOU CAN WIN |
The first 50 correct entries will receive a free ticket to Cereals 2009, held at Vine Farm, Wendy, Cambridgeshire, on 11 and 12 June. Eight regional finalists will receive an expenses-paid trip for two to Cereals.
For the overall winner, the top prize is an expenses-paid study tour to France, plus the coveted Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year trophy.
You don’t have to have the latest, biggest kit. We’re looking for operators who know their stuff, who can demonstrate safety, efficiency and ingenuity when it comes to agrochemical application, and who deserve to be recognised as the best.
All you have to do is complete the Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year entry form in Farmers Weekly magazine (21 November) p51.
Or to enter online click on link at top of page
Closing date: 10 December 2008
Competition rules
1 Entry is free, but entrants must be bona fide farm sprayer operators in England, Wales or Scotland, involved with arable crops or field-scale vegetables. No account is taken of product allegiance.
2 Completed entry forms, in ink, must arrive by Wednesday, 10 December 2008.
3 Shortlisted entries will be assessed on-farm. In the event of a tie, preference will go to new entrants. Past winners are not eligible.
4 Entrants must agree to attend the Cereals 2009 presentation.
Judges will be appointed by the organisers. Their decision shall be final.
5 Entries that are late, incomplete, illegible, mutilated, altered or which do not comply with the rules and instructions will not be taken, nor will entries delayed or lost in the post.
6 Proof of postage will not be taken as proof of delivery.
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