Innovation comes first with Goodyear
Leading tyre innovator, Goodyear, announced the winner of the Goodyear Farming Innovation Award 2008 at the British Ploughing Championships on the 11th October.
Patrick Bowden-Smith an Environmental Management Consultant and farm owner based near Anstruther, North East Fife is the lucky winner of the award and £3500 worth of Goodyear farm tyres.
His innovation, a solar and wind powered stock drinker and electric fencer, was selected as one of three finalists from a wealth of entries via the mygoodyear.co.uk website in September. The finalists were presented to Harper Adams University College to select an overall winner.
"Patrick’s innovation really stood out, renewable energy is a very relevant topic in today’s climate and we really felt that this innovation was the most marketable. It shows true innovation with the use of modern technology, which is an area we are constantly investigating with students at the University" said Jim Loynes, Head of Engineering at Harper Adams University College.
After being presented with the Farming Innovation Award Patrick commented "I am amazed to have won the award, it is such a pleasure. I was honoured to have been selected as a finalist and I feel so privileged to have won. After reading the other innovations in the final I didn’t think I had a chance. Winning the award and the £3500 worth of Goodyear farm tyres will give me the impetus to develop further innovations in the future."
"I hope that the publicity of our innovation will encourage other farmers to experiment with renewable energy as it has benefited our farm through cost saving and also a reliable supply of energy. I would like to thank Goodyear and Harper Adams for recognizing the innovation and hard work put into it." Patrick continued.
"I would recommend that other farmers enter the competition next year, it is an amazing accolade and fantastic prize!" concluded Patrick.
Goodyear will be running the Farming innovation Campaign in 2009 where they will once again search for the UK’s latest farming innovation. Go to www.mygoodyear.co.uk to find out more.
