Bruce Heddle – Winner Ag Excellence Award
Local Minnipa farmer, Bruce Heddle was awarded the Inaugural Ag Excellence Perpetual Award for outstanding service to agriculture within South Australia at the recent 12th Ag Excellence Alliance Annual Forum held in Adelaide.
Nominated by the Eyre Peninsula Agricultural Research Foundation (EPARF), this Inaugural Award gave an opportunity to recognise an individual involved within a grower group who has made a significant contribution within their community.
Bruce farms with his wife Kathy near Minnipa, and has been an active and passionate part of his community and industry for nearly 3 decades. His voluntary contribution and dedication to progressing agriculture is legendary.
He has the unique ability to retain and process vast amounts of information, and interpret and share it in a practical manner. His analytical thinking is sought after by researchers, funding bodies and his peers. His ability to look for solutions has influenced many of the research and extension projects in low rainfall regions. He has been involved in formulating and shaping projects at regional, state and national levels, and has mentored most of the young researchers who have worked at the Minnipa Agricultural Centre over the past 20 years.
Bruce is the “go to man” for many researchers and agronomists who need to discuss ideas and observations. He has been a driving force behind the success of the farming systems projects on the Eyre Peninsula and a key resource in maintaining farmer group involvement. Bruce is generous with his time to share with others, a very worthy winner of the award.