Xavier Toohey Tops Young Growers

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36-year-old potato grower Xavier Toohey from Wallace in Victoria has been named the 2021 Corteva Agriscience Young Grower of the Year.

The award, sponsored by Corteva Agriscience, was announced at the AUSVEG National Awards for Excellence held at the Hort Connections Gala Dinner in Brisbane. Hailed as the biggest honour for horticulture leaders of the future, the award celebrates outstanding young growers who champion industry success and show a commitment to innovation.

In a crop of 14 shortlisted nominees from across Australia, Xavier was recognised as the best in his field based on his achievements, commitment, ingenuity, and the active role he plays in horticulture.

Marketing Manager for Horticulture & Insecticides for Corteva Agriscience, Nick Koch said it was a thrill to announce Xavier Toohey as 2021’s Young Grower of the Year.

“Xavier’s tenacity and enthusiasm for producing potatoes are incredible. He’s just the sort of passionate grower our industry needs,” Mr Koch said. “At a time when other people were leaving the potato industry, Xavier committed to it and invested in it. He now has two farms, and it’s a real credit to him,” he said. Mr Koch said what made Xavier’s achievements more impressive is the fact he’s developed his business rapidly with limited external support.

“Not only has he built a successful and sustainable business in a short space of time, but he’s done it off his own steam,” he said. “A lot of young people have help to get them started in farming, but Xavier did it on his own through sheer hard work and determination. He’s also stepping up and taking leadership at an industry level as well, which is fantastic. “The Young Grower of the Year Award is about our industry recognising exceptional young growers like Xavier. “Although he couldn’t be with us in person tonight, due to the Covid restrictions, I’m sure he’s celebrating in Victoria, and we’ll certainly be catching up with him soon to say congratulations in person.”

Nick Koch said the work that all nominated young growers are doing is phenomenal. “They are Australia’s best and the brightest. What they’ve achieved and what they’re doing really showcases the depth of talent in the industry. We look forward to getting to know them all more as part of the Young Grower Alumni,” he said. AUSVEG, the industry representative body for the Australian vegetable and potato industries, manages the 2021 National Awards for Excellence, including the Young Grower of the Year Award.

Business	Xavier Toohey
Crop Focus	Potatoes, canola, wheat, lucerne, hay, lambs and cattle
Methods	Conventional – but we’re always trying new things.
Young Grower Challenges	Getting a start, that's the hardest thing. Pests and diseases, commodity prices and labour are also huge issues.
In 5 years I'll be	Still on the farm, hopefully a little less in debt and in the position to have a bit more family time.

Business	Thorndon Park Produce
Expertise	Growing vegetables!
Crop Focus	Bunch Line vegetables
Methods	Intense outdoor horticulture Commercial methods and others such as IPM

Business	CO Agriculture Pty Ltd
Crop Focus	Wheat, potatoes, carrots & fodder crops
Methods	Bio fumigation, strip tilling & biodynamic
Young Grower Challenges	The initial costs and opportunity of starting a farm on their own
In 5 years I'll be:	Running my own farm with my partner, introducing some new technology and hopefully will have found a niche crop to grow

Business	Busch Organics
Crop Focus	Celery, broccoli & cabbage
Methods	Certified Organic farming using regenerative farming techniques
Young Grower Challenges	Managing workload and labour shortages
In 5 years I'll be:	Seeing the business have improved structures and strong markets to keep up with the strong growth

Business	Zerella Fresh
Crop Focus	Potatoes, carrots, onions & cereal crops
Methods	Conventional farming with IPM
Young Grower Challenges	Availability of professional development through networking and face to face courses
In 5 years I'll be:	Working on different farming techniques to help better the industry and discovering more sustainable produce packaging

2021 Young Grower of the Year

Young Grower of the Year 2021

WINNER: Xavier Toohey, age 36, Grower, Wallace VIC

Anthony De Ieso, age 30, Adelaide, SA

Caitlin Radford, age 22, Grower and Director, Moriarty TAS

Kane Busch, age 33, Grower, Bairnsdale VIC

Renee Pye, age 26, Marketing and New Product Dev. Manager, Parilla SA

Jake Shadbolt, age 26, Grower, Swan Hill VIC

Marlon Motlop, age 31, Director and Farm Manager, Adelaide SA

Sam Spirili, age 29, Grower, Wandin North VIC

Jake Ryan, age 26, Grower, Manjimup WA

Justin Vanstone, Grower, Crowley Vale QLD

Mitchel East, age 28, Owner/Manager, Manjimup WA

Matthew Griggs, age 32, General Manager, Lucaston, TAS

Christina Kelman, age 26, Grower, Wallacia NSW

Jase Dobra, Grower, Gingin, WA

Xavier Toohey Tops Young Growers

Past Winners and Nominees

2019

2022

Business	Scotties Point Farms
Crop Focus	Beetroot, Broccoli, Onions & Pumpkins
Methods	Conventional Farming
Young Grower Challenges	Finding people who are young and hard working
In 5 years I'll be:	Married, with some children and fully running Scotties Point Farms in partnership with my brother

Business	The Native Co./Quality Harvest
Crop Focus	Australian native herbs, fruits & leafy greens
Methods	Nutrient Filmi Technique, IPM, Protected Cropping, climate-controlled greenhouse
Young Grower Challenges	Startup costs of creating a business and challenges to secure education and training due to funding
In 5 years I'll be:	Educating the community to use Australian natives through school programs & creating opportunities for Indigenous Australians

Business	Spirli Strawberries
Crop Focus	Strawberries
Methods	Mostly conventional with a large focus around IPM. Recently moved into hydroponic
Young Grower Challenges	Labour and working out how we can do things as efficiently and sustainably as possible
In 5 years I'll be:	Still learning and finding new challenges to keep the industry moving forward

Business	Three Ryans/Goodooga Farms
Crop Focus	Cauliflower, Broccoli, Kale, White Cabbage, Red Cabbage & Cereal Crops
Methods	Conventional and regenerative farming
Young Grower Challenges	Convincing the older generation to give young growers a go and difficulty for young growers to get started in the industry
In 5 years I'll be:	Trailling new ideas, in order to produce healthier and more nutrient-dense food and consulting to help farmers transition into regenerative farming

Business	Vanstone Produce
Crop Focus	Spring onions, Silverbeet, Broccoli, Broccolini & Pumpkin
In 5 years I'll be:	Exploring the possibility of exporting any of the products we currently grow and whether there is a market for them internationally.

Business	Willarra Gold
Crop Focus	Passionfruit, Avocados
Methods	Regenerative/Biological
Young Grower Challenges	Continuing to farm into the future with a changing natural environment. Meeting the demands of regulation and the market as it shifts to an environmental and ethical focus towards food production and consumption.
In 5 years I'll be:	Still farming, but on my own land with my partner. Developing agritourism and expanding our processing facility to utilise unsalable fresh food so we can build resilience in our land and our business.

Business	Lucaston Park Orchards
Crop Focus	Cherries, Apples, raspberries, plum, quince
Methods	Conventional Farming, IPM
Young Grower Challenges	High cost of entry to the agriculture industry. Finding quality managment teams and harvest crews to support young growers.
In 5 years I'll be:	I see myself leading a highly motivated multi-skilled team who share the common goal of producing the best possible fruit at a competitive price!

Business	Rita’s Farm
Crop Focus	Leafy greens, legumes, citrus, root vegetables and fruit-bearing crops including tomato, zucchini, capsicum and eggplant
Methods	Certified organic