A western NSW pig farmer has been recognised for his extraordinary produce in this year's awards.
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Michael Hicks, owner and founder of Extraordinary Pork, Eumungerie, has been named as a state winner in the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards.
Extraordinary Pork's Pasture Raised Free Range Pork is a state winner in the paddock category, alongside Wellington's Grassland Poultry for its Grassland Poultry Sommerlad Chicken.
The produce awards is now in its 15th year and entries is via nomination by a recognised leading Australian chef.
Mr Hick's said he was very excited to find out that Extraordinary Pork was a state winner.
"It's very flattering, it's very humbling," he said.
"We've been operating our business now for seven years now and part of that has been selling produce into Sydney and Dubbo... we get this really nice feedback from people... I always thought we were on the right track based on the feedback we were getting from customers, but to get an award like that is the icing on the cake," he said.
All winning products will go forward to be judged nationally to be tested and tasted before the winners are announced later this year.
Mr Hicks said they are up against tough competition as every producer vying for the title has great produce.
The central west farmer said he is often asked what is the reason for his tasty product, but explained that it was very simple.
"There's no secret to it, it's the little things we try and focus on trying to do really well every day," he said.
This includes moving the pigs into a fresh paddock every one to two weeks, good animal nutrition and high animal welfare.
"When we combine those three things they work really well together," Mr Hicks said.
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