News » FMG Young Farmer of the Year Underway!
News » FMG Young Farmer of the Year Underway!
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL MEDIA:
This year we will have all ongoing footage, photos and press releases available via our google dropbox (Images of contestants are available there now):
Download Google Dropbox at www.dropbox.com
Access Contest with this link: http://ow.ly/xiP330dghsB
FMG Young Farmer of the Year underway!
The nation’s top Young Farmers have arrived and the stage is set for the 49th FMG Young Farmer of the Year with competition beginning at dawn tomorrow morning at Massey University in Palmerston North.
The seven nervous grand finalists were briefed as soon as they arrived and were then taken to a technical briefing at a near-by farm before their technical exams begin in earnest early tomorrow morning.
Thursday will mark a gruelling mental day worthy of New Zealand’s top young farmers as they grapple with a number of theory exams, as well as an interview, a presentation on a research topic they have completed and the all-important Meridian Energy Agri-knowledge Quiz and Speech in the evening.
As if that wasn’t enough, the contestants will then back that up with a full day of physical torture on Friday with the practical day seeing them complete all manner of farm tasks as well as compete side by side in the Hynds Agri-sports challenge.
The Friday will also feature the first ever Trans-Tasman Olympic Ag Battle with current FMG Young Farmer of the Year Athol New taking on the might of Australia with Tasmanian Young Farmer of the Year Marty McConnon.
The pair will do a number of challenges side by side in a nail biting contest to see who is going to be named the Trans-Tasman champion for 2017!
Finalists include Lisa Kendall, from the Northern region, who is only the fourth female to compete at a Grand Final. She will be joined by Richard French from the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region, James Lawn from Taranaki/Manawatu, Hamish Best from the East Coast, Andrew Wiffen from Tasman, Arjan van’t Klooster from Aorangi and Nigel Woodhead from Otago/Southland.
The Friday will also feature the first ever Trans-Tasman Olympic Ag Battle with current FMG Young Farmer of the Year Athol New taking on the might of Australia with Tasmanian Young Farmer of the Year Marty McConnon.
The pair will do a number of challenges side by side in a nail biting contest to see who is going to be named the Trans-Tasman champion for 2017!
Con-currently, the AgriKidsNZ and TeenAg Grand Finals will take place with primary and secondary school teams from around New Zealand duking it out to take back to their school the coveted titles.
In another exciting development this year, the Contest will-be-featured in an online platform through the NZ Young Farmers You Tube channel and on the Contest Facebook page. For the first time views will be able to see a mixture of livestream and pre-recorded clips as the Contest progresses.
It will also be featured on Country TV on Thursday 13 July at 7.30pm.
How the FMG Young Farmer of the Year works:
400 contestants competed in 22 District Contest and Skills Day nation-wide.
56 contestants compete in seven regional finals from Northern, Waikato-Bay of Plenty, Taranaki-Manawatu, East Coast, Tasman, Aorangi, Otago-Southland from February to April.
The seven winners of the regional final will now compete at the Grand Final in the Manawatu this week.
In 49 years only four females have ever made the Grand Final:
Denise Brown who placed Seventh in 1981
Louise Collingwood who was Placed Third and Runner Up in 2001 and 2003
Katherine Tucker placed Seventh in 2012
Lisa Kendall in 2017
For more information, please call NZ Young Farmers Communication Manager Nadine Porter on 0212140703 or email nadine.porter@youngfarmers.co.nz