Canterbury-based dairy enterprise Synlait Farms has won the Lincoln University Foundation's South Island Farmer of the Year competition.
The competition's chief judge said Synlait Farms' blend of family-based traditional farming practices with modern corporate innovation and management systems made the multi-farm company stand out.
The winners receive a $15,000 travel award to study farming overseas.
Runners-up in the competition were Ashburton farmers Deane and Joanna Taylor, who run a specialist mixed arable property.
