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Contest has come a long way F MG Young Farmer of the Year (YFOTY) is the flagship event for New Zealand Young Farmers and is held in high esteem among the rural community. Attracting around 200 contestants every year, the competition is in its 53rd year and is “NZ’s ultimate rural challenge inspiring excellence, showcasing innovation and growing human capabilities”. The idea behind the contest emerged from a quiz show at an agricultural university in California. The show was conducted in a semi-slapstick style with a cow on stage, and eventually, the idea made its way to NZ, where it was turned into a successful and prestigious event. The first regional final was held in 1969 in a small hall at the former Lincoln College and broadcast live on radio. The hall was packed, and contestants from throughout Canterbury answered questions about a bemused sheep that was on stage. Practical field activities were later added to the contest to ensure the competition represented all-round farming ability and skills. The very first winner was Gary Frazer of Tasman. He won a prize of return airfare to Australia and $500 cash. Today, contestants vie for over $100,000 in prizes from a strong family of 11 sponsors. The contestants are put through a diverse range of practical, theoretical and technical farming challenges. The Grand Final itself is a
EVOLVED: The Young Farmer of the Year contest has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1969. Today, contestants vie for over $100,000 in prizes and are put through a diverse range of practical, theoretical and technical farming challenges. full-on two-day event, including the practical day, which includes a hands-on competition, plus technical elements such as a project, interview and an HR challenge. The last challenge is the famous, fast-paced quiz where they battle it out in six rounds of agricultural and general knowledge questions. The 2021 contest season has been highly anticipated after the cancellation of the 2020 season due to covid-19. While a disappointment to all, it gave the organisation time to review, change and implement some operational matters, including the governance of the contest. This
saw the establishment of a new contest subcommittee to ensure the contest continues to go from strength to strength. Outgoing winner James Robertson made history with his 2019 win. He said that it has been a pleasure to represent New Zealand Young Farmers and the contest for the past two years. “People often joke that covid has helped me become the first ever back to back FMG Young Farmer of the Year – maybe one day this will become a quiz question,” Robertson said. This year, the seven grand finalists come from a range of backgrounds, showing that there’s
something in agriculture for everyone. The 53rd season grand final will be held in the garden city from July 1-3. “This is a really exciting opportunity to highlight the important role Canterbury plays in our agri-food sector,” convenor Sarah Heddell said. Running alongside the FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final will be the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year and AgriKids grand finals. The FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year is a competition for high school-aged children and is run in a similar fashion to the
This is a really exciting opportunity to highlight the important role Canterbury plays in our agri-food sector. Sarah Heddell YFOTY convenor main competition where teams of two compete in modules and a quiz. The top two teams go on to compete at grand finals.
#webackyou Hey you, the supporters crew! It’s YOUR enthusiasm that keeps us going at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year practical day. That’s why we’re saying thanks with $1,000 for your school or young farmer region. For details on how to enter during practical day, check out rav.link/webackyou Terms and conditions do apply, for full details visit ravensdown.co.nz/webackyou-tc
0800 100 123 ravensdown.co.nz
