You can still apply for the “Sower 2017” competition until June 1st.

The Ministry of Agriculture invites rural entrepreneurs, young farmers, as well as family farms to apply for the popular “Sower 2017” competition among farmers. Not only municipalities, non-governmental organizations of farmers and food producers, but also rural development consultants are invited to nominate candidates for the competition. We remind you that this year the competition participants will be evaluated in eight nominations and an award for lifetime contribution to agriculture will also be presented.

Participants in the “Sower 2017” competition will be judged in the following nominations: “Farm of the Year”, which will assess crop, dairy and meat production farms, “Food Production Company of the Year”, “Family on a farm”, “The Young Successful Farmer”, “Organic farm”, as well as “LEADER Project of the Year in a Local Action Group”Applications for participation in these nominations must be submitted to the consulting offices of SIA "Latvijas Lauku konsultāciju un izgītbilsības centrs" or to the regional agricultural departments of the Rural Support Service (RSS), or to the Central Office of the RSS in the Customer Service Department, Riga, Republikas laukums 2, by June 1, 2017.

This year, participants will also be judged in nominations. “Tomorrow’s Sower – the Little One” and “Science in practice, innovations”Applications in the nomination “Tomorrow's Sower – Small Troop” must be submitted to the association “Latvijas Mazpulki”, Riga, Ezermalas Street 28-2, LV-1014 by June 9, 2017, while in the nomination “Science in Practice, Innovations” – to the Latvian Academy of Agricultural and Forest Sciences (LLMZA), Riga, Akademijas laukums 1, room 204 by June 30, 2017.

The award will be presented for the eleventh year for a lifetime contribution to agriculture. Applicants for this award can be nominated by the Ministry of Agriculture and its subordinate institutions, non-governmental organizations of farmers and food producers, and the Latvian Agricultural and Food Industry Federation. To nominate candidates for the Lifetime Contribution to Agriculture Award, a written application (in free form) must be submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture Press and Public Relations Department, Republikas laukums 2, 23rd floor, room 2302, Riga, by August 1, 2017.

One laureate will be selected from each competition group and will receive the Sower of the Year Award (bronze statuette), a diploma and a cash prize, as well as recipients of incentive prizes. The competition participants will be honored at the closing event of the competition in the fall of 2017.

You can find the competition rules, evaluation criteria, application forms and other information related to the competition on the competition website. www.sejejs.lv.