TOUGHENED but far from beaten - that's the theme among finalists in The Weekly Times Farm Business Awards.

The awards, run in conjunction with the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, honour last year's best farm businesses.

Some of the finalists vying to be the 2008 Weekly Times Farm Business of the Year:

 
Finalists are selected for dairying, sheep, beef, cropping, horticulture, alternative farming and young farmer of the year.

The judging panel said entries showed the innovation, resilience and creativity of farmers during yet another dry year.

For Gippsland dairy farmers Peter and Judy Johnson, strong communication helped them tackle the tough times.

The Johnsons are continuing to grapple with the peaks and troughs and on-going drought.

Drought can also show the strength of a farming operation, as Kerang lamb producers Ron and Deidre Schlitz have shown.

During the peak of the drought they produced heavy but lean prime lambs and they did it in tough conditions.

The couple sold the lambs for a premium and the result won them first and third prize in the The Weekly Times-RAS export lamb carcass competition.

Southern NSW beef producer Marc Greening, from Ladysmith near Wagga Wagga, said the drought had been pivotal to understanding the possibilities of his business.

For organic farmer Nathan Billing, from Yenda, the drought has been a steep learning curve.

Michael Bannon's experience is double-edged.

As farm manager for Gippsland Water's 12 properties, he has water available to irrigate crops. But much of the 12,500ha he manages is dryland and has been subjected to some of the worst seasons on record.

Heathcote winemaker Ian Rathjen describes himself as a minimalist, which has held him in good stead during the drought.

Ironically this has meant using more, rather than less, water for his vines in recent dry years.

Finalists are competing for prizes in the seven categories plus a major award. The major prize - the Farm Business of the Year - is worth $10,000.

The sponsors - RAS, Genetics Australia, Bayer CropScience, the Department of Primary Industries and Rural Finance - will provide a total prize cash pool of $28,000.

  • The winners will be announced at a luncheon on Friday, May 8,  at the Melbourne Showgrounds.