Brown Takes Top Spot this Year

Cam Brown from Eketehuna had to settle for second last year at The National Bank Young Farmer Contest Regional Final for Taranaki/Manawatu. This year it was Cam’s time to shine - taking the win out over James Christensen meaning he will represent the Region at Grand Final in Masterton from June 29th to July 2nd.

Twenty seven year old lower order sharemilker Cam didn’t have much time to bask in his success though.

“I really wanted to step up this year so I was pretty stoked to win – but it was straight back to reality when I was up late carting hay on Saturday night.”

Cam came out of the practical day just 1 point behind James Christensen but managed to overtake during the question buzzer rounds.

“The question rounds were challenging – I made a few early mistakes in the first two rounds but I think I moved on much better than I have in the past. Experience has made me much more relaxed - It can be really nerve racking up there on that stage.”

Cam must have managed to keep the nerves at bay because he gained 51 points in the question rounds to take the win out over James by four points and already he’s thinking forward to the next big challenge: Grand Final.

“I’m already thinking that I’ve got a lot of work to do to move forward – it’s time to take another look at my weaknesses and work on those.”

While Cam is working on getting ready for Grand Final he’ll also be getting prepared for another big event in his life. Cam and wife Anna are expecting their first child in late May.

“There’s definitely going to be a few changes ahead – I’m really looking forward to it.”

James Christensen may have come second but he definitely put up a fight. 30 year old James was in first place going into the Evening Show having won the AGMARDT Agri-business Challenge and the Isuzu Agri-sports Challenge; he also gained 43 points in the question rounds and took out the speech section too.

Third place went to 27 year old Herd Manager Sam Humphreys who also took out the Lincoln University Agri-growth Challenge; coming in fourth was second-time Contestant Pete Fitzherbert.

Eighteen year old Daniel Tarbotton was also a winner on the night. Daniel’s a dairy farmer in Woodville, and was awarded a Scholarship for Excellence from Lincoln University at the Evening Show. District Finalists are eligible to apply for the scholarship which covers tuition fees for one year’s undergraduate or postgraduate study.

Daniel’s originally from the foothills of Mid Canterbury where the remoteness of his family farm meant he studied by correspondence; a little different from the Diploma of Agriculture and Diploma in Farm Management that he intends to study at Lincoln University.

The Christchurch Earthquake Memorial was held in Christchurch on Friday and the event was recognised at the Regional Final with two minutes silence at 12.51, the time the earthquake struck on February 22nd. The silence was followed by a prayer and The Road to Recovery Auction was also held later on at the Evening Show. Items had been donated by Honda, Echo, Ravensdown and The National Bank. Over $5200 was raised, bringing the total from the auctions to over $15,000 and all proceeds will go straight to the Earthquake Recovery Fund.

For those who couldn’t make it along to the Regional Final, there’s another chance to catch all the action when it screens on TVNZ 7’s Road to the Young Farmer Final on June 4th. In the meantime supporters can get involved by cheering on their favourite Regional Finalist at www.goyoungfarmer.co.nz by leaving a message of support.

South Makirikiri School dominated the AgriKidsNZ Competition with South Mak 1 coming in first followed by South Mak 3 and South Mak 2. The TeenAg top three were a bit more varied with the Makitikei Huntaways, comprising of Ben Pilet from Wanganui High and Brodie Grant from Palmerston North Boys’ High, taking out first place. They were followed by the Pumas from Tararua College and the Palmy Boys from Palmerston North Boys’ High. These six teams will all get the chance to head to Grand Final in Masterton.

ENDS

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