Ryzo is incredibly proud to sponsor the 2025 Chris Russell Medal of Excellence, celebrating the outstanding research achievements of students in agriculture and natural resource management. Congratulations to this year's winner Harris Ledvinka!
At Ryzo, we believe the future of agriculture lies in the hands of its brightest new talents and we were incredibly proud to sponsor the 2025 Chris Russell Medal of Excellence, a prestigious award celebrating the outstanding research achievements of students in agriculture and natural resource management.
We extend a huge congratulations to this year's winner, Harris Ledvinka, for her exceptional project, 'A scalable, data-driven approach for predicting wheat phenological stages using a national dataset and machine learning’. Harris’s presentation demonstrates how technology and data-driven approaches can empower producers towards making better decisions.
Harris was presented with the medal by Chris Russell at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, and was awarded a cash prize along with an honorary 1-year membership to the AgriMinds Thinktank.
Special commendations to runner-up finalists Akash Gokhale (University of Sydney) and Hugh McCormack (University of New England), and Sean Burhop (University of Sydney) for their exceptional contributions.
Supporting the next generation of agricultural leaders, scientists, and innovators is a necessity for a thriving and sustainable industry. By bridging the gap between research and practice, students are paving the way for a more resilient and profitable future.
We are honoured to play a part in their journey and look forward to seeing the incredible impact they will have on our industry.
The Chris Russell Medal of Excellence is a Prestigious State Student Award for undergraduate and coursework masters students who are completing their agriculture, natural resource management and/or animal science studies and have undertaken a research project as part of their studies.
As part of the award, the AIA hosts an event where students present their research to an esteemed panel of judges. The event is an excellent opportunity for students to engage with industry professionals. The event is supported by Australian Food &Fibre (AFF) and Ryzo. If you would like to learn more about this award and the nomination process for 2026, check out the AG Institute website.