Will Taylor Taranaki/Manawatu Young Farmer of the Year

MEDIA RELEASE

Saturday 24th February 2018

Will Taylor wins Taranaki/Manawatu Regional Final of FMG Young Farmer of the Year

A technical field representative for PGG Wrightson has been named the Taranaki/Manawatu FMG Young Farmer of the Year.

Will Taylor, 26, took out the title after winning the hotly-contested Taranaki/Manawatu Regional Final in Wellington tonight.

The event saw eight finalists from across the sprawling region tackle a series of gruelling modules, including a fast-paced agri-knowledge quiz.

“I’m completely surprised, I wasn’t expecting this,” said Will, who started his Fielding-based job with PGG Wrightson last August.

“I’m absolutely chuffed.”

The win has secured the Marton Young Farmers vice-chairman a spot in the prestigious FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final in Invercargill.

Will told the large crowd at tonight’s event at Wellington College that he plans to check out his competition before July.

“I think I’ll be taking a couple of trips to watch the regional finals in the South Island,” he laughed.

The former Palmerston North cocktail bartender won almost $12,000 worth of prizes, including an XR150 Honda farm bike.

Will grew up on a sheep and beef farm and spent three years driving tractors and combine harvesters in Western Australia.

“A couple of years ago a bought a bare block of land in Feilding, which I’ve fenced and now run breeding ewes and finish lambs on,” he said.

Second place went to Emma Dangen, who’s in her final year of a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at Massey University.

The 23-year-old also won the Massey University Agri-Growth Challenge.

Toko sheep and beef farmer Nick Brown took out third place and the coveted Ravensdown Agri-Skills Challenge.

Kieran McCahon, who recently completed a Bachelor Agricultural Science at Massey University, won the AGMARDT Agri-Business Challenge and the Meridian Energy Agri-Knowledge Challenge.

There was a draw in the Agri-Sports Challenge, with Michael McCombs and Lachlan Fee sharing the title.

Feilding High School took top honours in the TeenAg regional final, claiming the top three placings.

The contest saw 32 teams clash in front of a vocal crowd of supporters.

A trio from Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School won the hotly-contested AgriKidsNZ contest.

That event saw 16 teams tackle fun challenges testing their practical and theoretical skills.

It’s the 50th anniversary of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year - an iconic agricultural competition which started out as a national radio quiz in 1969.

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