Flahavan’s has launched its Oat Grower of the Year Award competition for 2023.
This prestigious award recognises the outstanding efforts and dedication of both conventional and organic oat growers in producing top-quality oats.
The Waterford-based family food business, which has been producing porridge for more than 200 years, will evaluate its growers based on overall grain quality, considering factors such as kernel content, bushel weight, moisture levels, aroma, flavour, colour, and cleanliness.
The shortlisted growers from each category will then undergo a review by independent agronomist, Jim O’Mahony, who will narrow down the field to three finalists in each category.
Oat Grower of the Year
The finalists will then be reviewed in more detail by Jim O’Mahony to assess overall grower excellence, which will encompass cereal knowledge, farm practices and techniques, as well as environmental and sustainability efforts.
Based on these evaluations, Jim will select the overall winner in each category.
Johnny Flahavan, operations manager at Flahavan’s, expressed his excitement about launching the awards again this harvest, emphasising the crucial role that growers play in delivering high-quality oats to Flahavan’s customers.
He explained that the competition serves as a platform to recognise their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence.
Flahavan’s source its conventional oats from within a 60-mile radius of the mill at Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford.
Additionally, the company has been able to fulfil its annual organic oats requirement from within the Irish market since 2021.
Previous winners
Last year’s winners of the Flahavan’s Oat Grower of the Year Awards were Ned Morrissey from Co. Waterford and Donal Keane from Co. Meath.
Ned Morrissey’s exceptional expertise and dedication to oat cultivation earned him the title in the Conventional Oat Growers category, while Donal Keane’s remarkable efforts in organic oat farming secured him the prestigious recognition in the Organic Oat Growers category.
Both growers demonstrated outstanding grain quality, extensive cereal knowledge, and a commitment to sustainable farming practices, according to Flahavan’s.
Each finalist will be rewarded with a luxury Flahavan’s hamper, while the overall winners will receive the prestigious title of Flahavan’s Oat Grower of the Year 2023, along with a Waterford Crystal trophy and a monetary prize.
The winners of the Oat Grower of the Year Award will be announced in late September 2023.