30,287 copies distributed monthly – to every rural mailbox in Canterbury and the West Coast
April 2019 Edition
INSIDE
THIS EDITION Rodeo rebuttal
p10 Rural Games
p17 Dairy farms fined
Final bound: North Canterbury’s Georgie lindsay shows off her skills on her way to becoming the first woman to qualifying for the grand final of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest from the Tasman district.
A cut above the rest
A North Canterbury shepherd has made history after qualifying for the prestigious FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final.
p26 Forestry market
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❚ by Kent Caddick Georgie Lindsay, 23, won the fiercely-contested Tasman regional final in Culverden last month, beating seven other contestants. She’s the first woman from the Tasman region to make it through to the grand final in the contest’s 51-year history. She is one of only five women nationally to ever qualify for the contest’s grand final Lindsay, who was competing in her first regional final, said the win was a big shock. “It was definitely a challenging competition that put us all under a lot of pressure, which was awesome,” she said. Lindsay’s win netted her $12,000 worth
of prizes, including an XR150 Honda farm bike. She also picked up the innovation award. The Amuri Basin Young Farmers member is a shepherd at Marble Point Station south of Hanmer Springs. The property is 2400 hectares and runs 3600 ewes and 380 Angus breeding cows, plus heifers. She grew up on a sheep, beef and deer farm in Dipton and has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours) from Lincoln University. “I’ve had a lot of support in the lead-up to this event, especially from my family and my employers.” The Culverden event saw finalists from Golden Bay, Westport and across Canterbury
tackle a series of gruelling modules, including a fast-paced agri-knowledge quiz. Jonny Brown, 28, who is an assistant manager on a 1000 cow dairy farm at Rakaia came second. He was named the most techsavvy contestant and picked up the prize for outstanding leadership. Alex Knowles, 26, who’s an agri manager for Ravensdown, placed third and won the award for championing environmental best practice. Lincoln University student Peter O’Connor, 20, who’s from Westport, picked up the award for showcasing food production. This year’s grand final is in Hawke’s Bay in July.