The Baker No-Tillage team has won one of six sections in the Manawatu Business Awards announced at a gala dinner on Thursday 18 September 2008. The "GENERATING" section was described as "CELEBRATING CHAMPIONS OF THE MANUFACTURING, INDUSTRIAL AND PRIMARY SECTORS".

Company GM Bill Ritchie had the following to say about their success:

"The award is wonderful for the staff who have worked hard with limited resources. It is also great recognition for all the company's supporters and their families as well as our farmer clients and our suppliers. Some farmers have supported us in the face of a lot of criticism. We are pleased their confidence has been rewarded and acknowledged.

He also thanked the individuals and institutions that had provided recent financial investment. "Their decision to financially support us is vindicated and acknowledged by this award. It is a very significant award for us at a very significant time in the growth of the company."


Foundation BNT staff Dr John Baker (CEO), Dave Robinson (Chief Design Engineer) and Bill Ritchie (General Manager) with the Manawatu Business Awards trophy.

Canterbury mixed croping farmer, Mr David Ward, has won the inaugural New Zealand Farm Environment Award Trust and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Study Scholarship. David and Hilary were winners of a Ballance Farm Environment Supreme Award in 2007. The $15,000 scholarship will enable Mr Ward to study the use of lucerne (alfalfa) for in-situ dairy cow grazing and cut and carry systems. The Wards have been using Cross Slot no-tillage on their Mid-Canterbury property since 1995.

Our sincere congratulations to David and Hilary for their continued success with farming in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner. Farmers using Cross Slot no-tillage have now won environmental awards in New Zealand (4), USA and Germany.

The first Cross Slot in the Baltic Countries is now operating near Polva in Estonia. The Tobreluts family received their 4.6m folding drill (25 openers) in late March and have already seeded over 100ha with peas and spring wheat. Brothers Taavi and Lauri said the drill "saved their lives" as they have dramatically reduced the amount of tractor hours required for crop establishment.

Keep watching as we bring you another progressive cropping sequence using Cross Slot no-tillage - this time from a northern hemisphere farm.