2025 Nominees: Young Grower of the Year

2025 Young Grower
of the Year

2025 Young Grower of the Year Craig Dingle from Kalfresh Vegetables, Queensland

Robots, smart tech and softer landings earn Queensland grower top award

Queensland vegetable grower Craig Dingle has been named the 2025 Corteva Agriscience Young Grower of the Year, after spearheading on-farm innovations that have boosted yields, improved shelf life and helped position his employer at the leading edge of Australian horticulture.

The 31 year old was presented with the coveted honour at the Horticulture Awards for Excellence held in Brisbane as part of Hort Connections.

Read the full story

2025 Nominees

Congratulations to all the 2025 nominees. Learn a little more about our next crop of Australian Growers and how they plan to grow the future of Australian horticulture.

A dedicated grower committed to sustainable farming practices who has developed two growing regions for FreshGro Australia, in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley and Richmond, Tasmania, to keep Tasmanian-grown salads in Tasmania. Bryce was a nominee at the National Awards for Excellence in 2022 in two categories: the Industry Impact Award, and the Environment and Sustainability Award.

Oliver stepped into a leadership role at a young age at his family’s business with a vision to create the most progressive farming operation in the country. He has brought experience in transport logistics and added it to his passion for growing crops and prioritises sustainability and long-term improvements over short-term yield gains. He’s worked to develop a strong work culture among his team, which is reflected in a low turnover rate.

Craig Dingle – Kalfresh Vegetables, Qld

Craig Dingle has already risen to become Head of Agriculture at Kalfresh, where he oversees more than 2000 acres across three farming regions. He has led the trials of in-field robots as part of the Queensland Smart Farms Initiative and introduced cushioned bin-loading trailers and in-field graders for the onion harvest which reduced handling and touch points by up to 80 per cent.

Starting as an 18 year old in the packing shed, Travis has worked many roles at his family business, and now, at age 28, oversees 560 hectares of mostly apples and pears, and manages 23 full-time team members and 150 seasonal staff during peak harvest periods. He has a commitment to innovation and agronomy in the areas of IPDM and organic production.

_{Photo: Abram Rasmussen, ARC Media}

Coby was only a teenager when tragedy struck his family. His father’s death in 2019 has required Coby to steward the business, Badcock Agricultural, through difficult times and in a testament to his character, perseverance and talent, it has emerged as a thriving producer of potatoes, poppies, carrots, onions, beef cattle and sheep.

Cherry Creek Estate is driven by a bold idea – to eliminate the dumping of avocados in Australia. In the first 12 months of operation, the business has achieved national and international awards success for its premium avocado oil range and estimates it has saved growers from dumping over 2000 tonnes of avocados.

Jack was named AUSVEG SA Young Grower of the Year for 2024. He joined the family business in 2018 when his uncle could no longer work on the farm due to a rare neurodegenerative disorder, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). His father credits Jack with turning the business around and increasing marketshare in their heirloom tomatoes by 200%, while more than doubling the growing area from 1.7 hectares of greenhouses to four hectares. He was also instrumental with understanding the Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) outbreak in South Australia last year, and helped other growers understand the testing protocols.

As an agricultural ecologist and entomologist specialising in pollination ecology, Chris plays a key role in stewarding 5,000 hectares of macadamia orchards in the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park catchment. He is also a national figure in pollinator stewardship through his work with the Bee Friendly Farming Initiative – an international program supporting habitat creation and sustainable pest management – and was awarded the inaugural Bee Friendly Farming Sustainability Award.

Anthony is a fourth-generation vegetable grower from Adelaide and exemplifies the spirit of community engagement and industry development that is critical to the industry’s ongoing success. As both General Manager and Sales Manager he is active from planting to sales, while frequently volunteering at local universities and hosting farm tours to provide students with real-world experience.

Ty is the co-founder and director of April Sun Farms and has a particular interest in energy efficiency and critical process systems, to push the boundaries of food security systems that produce more with less. The business was recognised as a top four finalist in two categories at the 2024 Vertical Farming World Awards.

With the family business transitioning the next generation, Paul works alongside his brother Jack and father Emmanuel, to lead future growth. Paul is responsible for much of the production side of the business, bringing advanced climate control techniques including Vapor Pressure Deficit management. He is also an early adopter of digital agriculture and was an influential voice during the ToBRFV outbreak in 2024.

Work on the farm began at age 11 during school holidays for Dean Gazzola before the call of duty saw him spend five years in the Australian Navy. Since his return, Dean has become farm manager, introducing new business processes and seed trials to identify the best genetics, along with working with chemical companies on seedling drenches to help improve the seedling soil biome.

Young Grower of the Year

Corteva Agricience are proud sponsors of the annual Hort Innovations Young Grower of the Year award, highlighting the breadth of young horticulture talent in Australia. Meet the nominees and past participants.

2024

2024 Young Grower of the Year, Zeke Zalsman from Oldbury, Western Australia, was recognised for his commitment to sustainability and a zest for innovation that has propelled him into new ventures.

Meet the 2024 Nominees

Past Nominees

Corteva has been a proud sponsor of the AUSVEG Young Grower of the Year award since 2018. See the long list of talented alumni who have vied for the prestigious title.

Meet Past Nominees

Country Selector

2025 Young Grower of the Year

Robots, smart tech and softer landings earn Queensland grower top award

2025 Nominees

Bryce Henderson, FreshGro Australia, QLD

Oliver Rennie, Pacific Ag, NSW

Craig Dingle, Kalfresh Vegetables, QLD

Travis Georgopoulos, GV Independent Packers, VIC

Coby Badcock, Badcock Ag, TAS

Salvatore Leonardi, Cherry Creek Estate, QLD

Jack Cafcakis, Cafcakis Produce, SA

Dr Chris Cannizzaro, Macadamia Farm Management Pty Ltd, QLD

Anthony De leso, Thorndon Park Produce, SA

Ty Dickson, April Sun Farms Pty Ltd, VIC

Paul Cafcakis, Cafcakis Produce, SA

Dean Gazzola, Gazzola Farms, VIC

Young Grower of the Year

2024

Past Nominees

2025 Young Grower
of the Year