Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development David Basham is urging people to nominate their favourite agricultural town before entries close on Monday.

“Nominations for the 2021 Ag Town of the Year close this Monday, so if you haven’t visited the website and nominated your town, I’d encourage you to do so promptly” Minister Basham said.

“It’s an easy process that only takes a couple of minutes so head to www.agtown.com.au to nominate your town.”

Minister Basham said the award recognises the fact that agriculture is the backbone of regional communities.

“Our Ag Town of the Year award recognises the key role of primary industries to our state, including field crops, horticulture, meat and livestock, dairy, grape and wine, forestry, plus fisheries and aquaculture,” he said.

“The award also celebrates the communities that support these industries and gives regional communities the opportunity to reflect on their contributions to South Australia’s economic and social fabric.”

Nominated towns will then be put to a public vote to help select five finalists who will vie for the title of 2021 South Australian Agricultural Town of the Year.

The winner will be announced in November at the 2021 Regional Showcase Awards, the annual celebration of the state’s regions run by Solstice Media, the publisher of InDaily, SALIFE, CityMag and The Lead South Australia.

Jim Plouffe, the Publishing Editor of The Lead, said these stories are important to tell for many reasons.

“The regions have done it tough in the past few years and there are amazing people doing wonderful things to pull their hometowns through,” Plouffe said.

“We tell these stories to inspire others and recognise the work – often of volunteers – that goes into making vibrant communities.

“We also want the urban population to understand what’s happening in the rest of the state and better understand that there is no economy without the regions in South Australia.”

Minister Basham said Cleve on the Eyre Peninsula was the inaugural winner of the award in 2019, with Mallee town Pinnaroo winning in 2020.

“Both towns have spoken about how winning the Ag Town of the Year has driven great community pride,” he said.

“Our regions matter – they contribute around $29 billion per year to the South Australian economy across a range of industries including farming, fishing, mining, manufacturing and tourism.

“This is why our government is investing record amounts in regional South Australia to build key infrastructure, drive economic growth and create jobs.”