Grower, Pukekohe, New Zealand
growth awards 2015 winner: PRODUCTIVITY
Bryan Hart’s formative years were spent helping his family out on their property, where they produced kiwi fruit, potato and kumera while also raising beef cattle. This early experience instilled in Bryan a love of farming that he still has today.
For Bryan, the natural progression from school was to attend Massey University where he earned his Bachelor of Horticultural Science. Bryan’s mentor at university was leading post-harvest physiologist, Errol Hewett. Errol played an integral role in shaping Bryan’s thinking about managing product quality.
From university, Bryan moved into a role at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries – Technology Division. Since then Bryan has worked around the world with a focus on the United States and Canada. Bryan is particularly proud of establishing his successful consultancy business which he runs on the side while working with his innovative employer, Wilcox. Bryan finds his role at Wilcox very satisfying as it provides the opportunity to implement knowhow and production strategies in a practical hands-on way.
Bryan is a finalist in the Productivity category of the Growth Awards. His approach to driving ‘sold-tonnes-per-hectare’ is to have a deep understanding of each aspect of farm productivity to ensure it is driven efficiently.
Bryan’s productivity, however, is not at the cost of quality. Accepting that market dynamics and requirements change constantly, his years of experience in the potato industry have given him an appreciation of what each different customer needs. He uses this to consistently deliver high quality outcomes.
Bryan is pleased to have been nominated for a Syngenta Growth Award. He’s humbled by the recognition and sees the award as a good opportunity to network with other successful people in the industry.