Having provided high performance tyres to the agricultural sector in the U.K. for 70 years, Goodyear has been engaged with new technology in the sector for some time, making them perhaps the most appropriate company to present such an award.
The award has been introduced to provide a suitable showcase for the knowledge and development of Britons in agriculture, and is looking to find the 2008 Goodyear Farming Innovator. The prize, which will include £3,500-worth of Goodyear farm tyres, is set to be awarded by Harper Adams from a shortlist of three contenders chosen by Goodyear from entries on the mygoodyear Web site.
The university is the only institution in the U.K. to offer full courses in agricultural engineering and off road vehicle design to degree level and is the UK’s home of the Centre for Rural Innovation. It has a long history of association with Goodyear, having featured the tyre manufacturer in a newsletter dating back to 1954.
Goodyear’s Andy Morris, who directs the company’s OTR tyres division, stated: “In talking to Harper Adams about their progression over the last 50 years it was obvious that a partnership with them would enable us to run the competition and discover true farming innovations in practice. We are so pleased that they have agreed to help us and hope that we can celebrate farming throughout the decades with the best in the industry.” (Tyres & Accessories/Staffordshire, U.K.)
