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OLD HALEIANS

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Brad Egan (2008-12)

This year will be one Brad Egan will remember, and for good reason. He
was named Australia’s Young Farmer of the Year for 2022 and is also the
recipient of the 2022 Award for Excellence in Innovation. The awards, co-
founded by the ABC and the Kondinin Group, recognise best practice and
excellence in agriculture. Nominations are provided by the community,
with winners selected by a panel of judges comprising respected
Australian agricultural industry leaders.

Brad grew up on his family farm in Scaddan, approximately 60 kilometres
north-east of Esperance. From a very young age he established a love
of the land and broadacre cropping. Brad completed his Agribusiness
degree at Curtin University in 2016 and credits his undergraduate
degree with providing him with a different perspective on
traditional farming practices and the data analysis skills required
to successfully “convert gut feel into data-driven decisions” on the
family’s 8,400-acre farm.
He has introduced a range of data-analysis tools and believes hours
of data crunching has paid dividends on the farm’s results, not only in a
business economic sense, but also on environmental sustainability.

Brad said,
“Since returning to the farm, I’ve had a large part in
implementing innovative farm management practices
into the business. I manage the ag-data on the farm,
which helps to better characterise soils, understand
production constraints and gain valuable
insight into the farm’s financial position.”

Keen to share his ideas and experience with other
young farmers in the region, Brad is the Vice Chair of
Southeast Premium Wheat Growers Association’s
(SEPWA) Youth in Ag and is often seen speaking
at field days and industry events. As a keen
supporter of local business, the family
farm also supplies grain to the local
brewery in Esperance.

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