Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Top Young Farmers on Show at CD Field Days

Top Young Farmers on Show at CD Field Days

The National Bank Young Farmer Contest will be adding to the action at the Central Districts Field Days this week. Eight of Taranaki/Manawatu’s best Young Farmers will be fighting for the right to represent the Region at Grand Final in Masterton from June 29th to July 2nd.

The Practical Day runs from 8am on March 18th at the Field Days and is followed by the Evening Show at the Palmerston North Convention Centre from 6.30pm.

The Practical Day will consist of four Challenges designed to test on and off-farm skills. First up is the AGMARDT Agri-business Challenge; a written exam designed to test the Contestants theoretical business skills. During the morning contestants will complete a series of practical Challenges known as Ravensdown Agri-skills that will test all sorts of farming skills and disciplines. The Contestants will also be grilled by an interviewing panel during the Lincoln University Agri-growth Challenge and then to finish it all off there’s the Isuzu Agri-sports, a fast paced race made up of various agricultural tasks.

The Contestants then get a few hours to write a speech that will be presented at the Evening Show and from 6.30pm it will be all go at the Palmerston North Convention Centre. Here the winners from the Challenges will be announced and Contestants will have the chance to pick up more points during question buzzer rounds until finally the Taranaki/Manawatu Regional Final winner will be announced.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Some of the Contestants have a bit of extra pressure on them this year, with the cut-off age for Contest being 31. As a new Contestant this will be Andy Short’s first and final chance to make it through to Grand Final level. Thirty year old Andy is a brand new member of the Opiki Club and is a dairy farmer in the Manawatu. James Christensen is another Opiki Club Member and will be feeling the pressure too; this is his fourth time competing at this level and the 30 year old Rural Contract Manager will be hoping for his best outing yet.

Twenty Five year old Pete Fitz-Herbert is the only other returning Contestant at Regional Final level. This will be the sheep and beef farmer’s second time competing.

First time Contestant 23 year old Richard Ridd is a dairy farmer and belongs to the Marton Club. He’ll be joined by fellow Marton member James Rogers, a 25 year old sheep and beef stock manager.

Samuel Humphreys and Cam Brown are both 27 year old dairy farmers and this will be their first Regional Final. They’re members of the Central Taranaki and Fitzherbert Clubs respectively.

Rounding off the field is 24 year old Daniel Joho who is new to New Zealand Young Farmers and the Contest. Daniel is in the Fonterra Graduate Programme and recently started up the Alton NZYF Club in South Taranaki.

Not only will one of these eight be announced as Taranaki/Manawatu’s Grand Finalist they’ll also take home a generous prize pack worth $10,250 including a Honda XR125 two-wheeled farm bike valued at $4000, a $1500 Lincoln University Scholarship, $1000 cash and $500 towards a capability development programme from AGMARDT, a weekend hunting trip courtesy of Isuzu valued at $1000, Ravensdown quality fertiliser products worth $1000, a range of Swanndri clothing valued at $750 and The National Bank will provide $500 cash.

Since the Christchurch Earthquake, the Road to Recovery Auction has been run during the Evening Show. A two wheeler farm bike has been donated from Honda along with goods from The National Bank, Echo and Ravensdown. So far nearly $10,000 has been raised for the Earthquake Recovery Fund and that total is set to grow with the auction taking place on Friday night too.

AgriKidsNZ and the new TeenAg Competitions will also be taking place at the Field Days on the Saturday which gives spectators a chance to watch the big guys on Friday and the future farmers the next day. Preliminaries begin at 9am and later on in the morning the top seven teams from each Competition will be announced. These teams will then compete in the Race-offs at 1pm – all vying for a spot at Grand Final in Masterton from June 29th to July 2nd.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.