The couple was presented with the 2019 award at the Ricegrowers Association of Australia conference last week in Corowa.
The award recognises innovation, new technology and latest research outcomes adopted in the rice industry.
Mr Burke said precision agriculture had underpinned a big jump in water efficiency and productivity, something that is important with water so scarce and prices so high.
“Our laser levelled bankless channel irrigation layout with Padman Stops ensures high flow rates of water when irrigating cereals and drill-sown rice crops,” Mr Burke said.
“Precision agriculture has improved our equipment efficiency and provided data to help make management decisions.
“We regularly grade our paddocks to remove variation and ensure uniformity of crop development and irrigation which helps with management.
"Water has made it hard. We've been buying water from previous years when it's cheaper, through forward purchasing and leasing, to remain viable."
The couple were one of five finalists in the running for the award.
"We were nominated by our agronomist and we had to answer a series of questions, which took two to three hours to complete," Mr Burke said.
"We sent it (the application) in and Rice Extension looked at the applicants and brought it down to five.
"They appointed a judging panel of three and they came out on-farm and we had an interview and showed them our set up as well."
The couple admitted they were caught off guard when the crop yield was mentioned.
The Burkes, who produced an average 2018/19 rice yield of 13t/ha, said it was "very nice" to be recognised for 22 years of hard work.
"We were extremely surprised," Mrs Burke said.
"We didn't prepare a speech at all," Mr Burke added.
"While we regard our practices as pretty good we are always thinking, someone is better than us," he continued.
"We were thinking 'it's not us' and then they read out the yield and that’s when we went 'oh my, that is us'."
Rice Extension coordinator Troy Mauger said the Burke's management is marked by industry-leading workplace health and safety and water use efficiency driven by recycling, on-farm storage and a move to drill sowing.
"In a difficult year, Peter and Renee Burke have achieved exceptional production results," he siad.
"It includes an average crop 2019 rice yield of 13 tonnes per hectare, which was 33 per cent above the Murray Valley five year industry average."
The Burkes, who run a 1280ha irrigation farm, said a possible reason for their success is their main business strength, which is making sure their agronomist, bank manager, insurer, accountant and water broker all work together.
The couple grew 220ha of Reziq rice this season, down from 700ha the previous year. They used 12.7 megalitres of water per hectare, to produce 2860 dry tonnes of rice.
They also used water to grow straw bales and grain by growing oats on the same paddock.
As a result of their win, the Burkes receive a prize pack including $2500 to spend on personal or business development, a position on the RGA Emerging Leaders Program, and a nomination for the Australian Farmer of the Year Award.
The Burkes were applauded by more than 250 growers, industry representatives and supporters at the conference last week.
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