SOUTH Australian onion grower, Darren Rathjen, will fly to San Francisco as part of his prize for winning a national photography competition.
Mr Rathjen's photograph featuring an onion crop, tractor and spray rig applying fungicide all set in front of a dramatic sky was judged the top entry in the competition which was conducted by Corteva Agriscience, the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont.
The fifth generation farmer who runs Delta Produce at Wall Flat, SA, will fly to San Francisco, USA to attend the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in March, as part of the prize valued up to $12,500.
“The day this photo was taken, I was on the tractor with one of my daughters, spraying Zorvec Enicade fungicide on onions before the expected bad weather arrived," Mr Rathjen said.
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"My daughter suggested the scene would make a great photo for the Corteva Agriscience competition to show how nature and science work together hand-and-hand.
“I am stunned and thrilled to have won. And my daughter thinks she is pretty clever as well. It’s a remarkable opportunity to travel to the US and attend the world agri-tech innovation event, learn about new technologies first-hand and then bring that knowledge back home for the Australian onion industry.”
Corteva Agriscience marketing manager for horticulture and insecticides, Nicholas Koch, for said the photography competition was a way to inspire creativity, whilst showing how nature and science work together on farms.
“We wanted to encourage farmers and growers, regardless of their skills and equipment, to get out and about observing and experimenting with their photography,” Mr Koch said.
“Our panel of judges looked for an original photo that captured the essence of sustainability: how nature and science co-exist in producing food.
"We put the call out across Australia for growers to submit their best pics and we were thrilled with the response. We’re now looking to run and expand the competition in the future.”
The competition was mainly promoted to growers by local Corteva Agriscience representatives, such as Darren’s representative Nick Weckert, who immediately saw the benefit for growers.
“The opportunity to go overseas and learn first-hand about innovations from world leaders in farming is invaluable," Mr Weckert said.
"I’m delighted for Darren and know he’ll gain a wealth of knowledge and experience from the trip to bring back to his farm.
- To see the all competition winners, visit www.alliancewithscience.com.au
