Community award for unsung farming heroes

Tammy and Luke Tuxworth’s announcement as winners at the Tasmanian Community Achievement awards in December completely shocked the popular Circular Head farmers.

"We definitely didn’t expect it," said Tammy. “We were excited just to be nominated and went along for a nice night. When they announced the winners of the agriculture award, I looked at Luke and asked, did they just say our name?”

The couple, who milk 740 cows as share farmers under 40 South Dairies, was rewarded with the Fonterra Australia agriculture award, which recognises the unsung heroes and high achievers working on land or marine farming.

"Winning the award was a nice finish to what has been a really tough year. We had many challenges with sick calves and the stress of feeding our animals when there wasn’t much grass. 

“Thanks to our employees and a lot of hard work, we’ve managed to come out the other side and be better for it,” said Tammy.

The Tuxworth’s challenges did little to deter their desire to promote dairy farming, particularly local students.

"It’s important to us that we do everything we can to promote dairy. There’s a lot of negatives about the industry in some areas, and we want to do what we can to promote and encourage the next generation of farmers.

The Tuxworths are on the committee of their local school, where they donate a calf that is reared by the teachers and students and sold at the end of the year, with all proceeds donated back to the school.

“We have three kids, and we love it when their friends come to visit, and we show them how good it is to grow up on a farm.”

“It was great to see the Tuxworths announced as winners,” said Darren Smart, Fonterra Australia Regional Manager, South.

“It was a fitting reward for the work they do promoting and supporting our industry.”