Garth Wickson
Syngenta Technical Services Lead – Application Specialist
With a Bachelor of Applied Science, an MBA and a number of application courses under his belt, Garth’s agricultural experience began when he grew up on a farm in-between Bathurst and Orange, NSW. In addition to his full-time role at Syngenta where he is responsible for managing a number of Syngenta demonstration trial sites (aka Syngenta Learning Centres) and extending technical knowledge to Syngenta’s customers, he manages his own small farm in Coolamon, NSW and carries out all spraying activities on the property. He has spent the last 16 years working with application technology and assessing the impact of application on the performance of crop protection products.
Garth said this year he is looking for entrants to show that they are technically capable of spraying in a sound and responsible manner, but is also hoping to see some applicators moving beyond the basics and highlighting the innovations (big or small) they have developed to improve spray application.
This is the third straight year that Garth will be a judge in the SPRAY Awards.
Associate Professor John Kent
School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga, NSW
With over 30 years experience in the correct management of agricultural chemicals and spray application technology, Associate Professor John Kent has taken a leading role in the development and delivery of a number of national industry training programs including the ChemCert Farm Chemical User Training Program, advanced spray application technology in cotton, grains and viticultural industries, and stored grain biosecurity and quality management. He has recently retired from the position of the Head of the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at Charles Sturt University.
John said that he is delighted to be part of the Syngenta SPRAY Awards because they promote best practice in farm chemical management and recognise the excellence of outstanding operators. He will be looking at how well entrants follow best practice like good record keeping, following legal obligations and conducting risk assessments, good chemical storage practices, high quality equipment and adjustment of that equipment for the application situation, a good understanding of the principles of application technology and protection of the environment and people, and the steps taken to further their knowledge and expertise.
Dr Andrew Hewitt
Director, University of Queensland Centre for Pesticide Application and Safety, Gatton, QLD
Dr Hewitt holds a PhD in ground spray technology and an MSc in aerial spray technology. He currently runs a spray application technology centre at University of Queensland, conducting research and training for spray-related work for diverse clients.
Dr Hewitt is passionate about application technology and the need for optimised spraying. In this year’s competition he is looking for someone who is keen to use the best available application systems for their specific application needs – not necessarily the most expensive sprayer or nozzles, but rather the best spraying technique for their application type which might be a focus on how and when to spray (and when not to spray) to achieve top performance.
Dr Hewitt first became involved in the SPRAY Awards as a judge in the 2010 competition.
Matthew Cawood
Science and environment writer, Rural Press
Matt gained hands-on experience with agricultural spraying in broadacre farming in WA and NSW.
He hopes that this year’s competition will highlight best practice in the field and provide some positive stories about how spray applicators are using the best technology and information available to improve their performance.
He’s looking for entrants who can demonstrate an advanced understanding of how to maximise the benefits and minimise the negatives of spraying.
2011 is Matt’s first year as a SPRAY Awards judge.