36 minute read
Young Farmers Contest
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Contest has come a long way
FMG 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 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 main competition where teams of two compete in modules and a quiz. The top two teams go on to compete at grand finals.
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.
Sarah Heddell YFOTY convenor
#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
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Eating the elephant
Regional sales manager Calvin Ball is preparing to compete in this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final in Christchurch. It’s his second time competing for the prestigious title and this time, he’s here to win.
GROWING up on a dairy farm in Northland, Ball says he had a typical upbringing in the dairy industry but has always had some big ambitions.
The 31-year-old completed a Bachelor of AgriScience at Massey University. During this time he was offered a scholarship which involved part time work with an agri-nutrient cooperative. This kick-started his career, which has seen him rise quickly through the ranks.
“I realised early on that I form relationships quickly and I’m quite good at networking, which is hugely important in any industry, but especially the rural sector,” he said.
A part-time role turned into a full time job opportunity when he graduated, starting off in Masterton as a nutrient specialist for sheep and beef farmers in the region.
“I’ll admit that was a challenge, coming off a dairy farm I had a bit to learn about sheep and beef systems. I must have done okay, because they offered me a key account position after that,” he said.
Another move to Tauranga saw Ball take up a short-term position in the company’s strategy team. Looking back he says his progression has been quick, but he’s not one to turn down a good offer.
Three years into his career and needing a bit of a break from the speed of his ladder climbing, it was time for an OE. He headed back to the UK, where he’d spent a year teaching before starting at Massey. The two-year working visa jaunt saw him working as a research analyst in London during the week, and travelling around Europe on the weekends.
Once back on home soil, his previous employer had an opening.
Having a good working knowledge of the company that kick-started his career, he applied and after a short while was offered his current position as regional sales manager for Northland.
“I guess I’ve come full circle to be working back in Northland now,” he said.
As for what the future holds, right now he’s not looking too far past July and the grand final.
That said, he’s got his eye on being involved in the primary industry at the farm gate level.
“A lot of land-use change has happened in Northland in recent years; we’ve got some irrigation schemes coming up here and as it becomes more ‘tropical’, there will be a wider variety of fruit and vegetables able to be grown, which we are already seeing, so I’m quite keen to look into that a bit more,” he said.
Young Farmers has played a huge role in Ball’s life and contributed greatly to his career successes. Having joined the local club wherever he was based for work, his professional and personal network now stretches right across the country.
“I’ve got so much out of Young Farmers. There are so many leadership and personal development opportunities that I’ve taken advantage of,” he said.
“The networking opportunities are endless. I’m at a point now where I’m really trying to give back where I can and support Young Farmers in the same way they’ve supported me.”
The FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition had always been something of a social occasion for Ball in the past.
“Grand finals was something we always went along to as a club. It was very inspirational when I was in my early 20s,” he said.
“When I started competing it was more to just have a go, rather than any ambition to win. It was a learning opportunity more than anything.”
This will be Ball’s second go at grand final, his first being in 2016.
“Despite being here once before, I was initially a bit overwhelmed when I won regionals. I was up against some good quality people and to be honest, I didn’t think I’d win. But, I backed myself and managed to scoop up the win,” he said.
“Now that the reality of grand finals has set in, I’ve realised it’s a big job. So I’ve started chopping it into little jobs, eating the elephant as they say.”
With a top notch idea for his innovation project and some annual leave booked before the competition in July, Ball says he’s feeling confident that he’ll pull out his best performance yet.
“I’ve got to nail down some practical skills and spend some time nosing the books, but I have tremendous support from my region, friends, family and work colleagues,” he said.
“I’m making no qualms about being here to win it and doing whatever it takes.”
Calvin Ball
Region: Northland Occupation: Regional sales manager Age: 31
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Grab the bull by the horns
First-time competitor Dale McAlwee is preparing to compete in this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final in Christchurch. It’s a huge year for the farmer, who is also taking on his first contract milking position just a month before the final.
LINCOLN University alumni Dale McAlwee is having a whirlwind of a year. From competing in the FMG Young farmer of the Year competition for the first time, to making it to the grand final and starting his first contract milking position in June.
“I knew from a really young age that I wanted to be a farmer. I grew up on the family farm just south of Timaru,” McAlwee said.
The farm was originally a sheep and bull beef farm but when the dairy industry grew, his parents sold up the sheep and bulls and started grazing dairy cows. Partway through his studies at Lincoln, they converted the farm to dairy.
The family farm has been in the family for generations, with the original part of the farm purchased back in 1890.
McAlwee, 26, says his dad was “hot on his case” for him to get a tertiary education, so packing his bags and heading off to Lincoln was the next logical step after high school.
“Dad was really keen for me to go because he never did and he regretted that. I enjoyed my time there immensely and I honestly don’t think I would have got as far in the competition without my degree. It’s also been a really important base to have for my farming career,” he said.
After graduating in 2017, with some encouragement from his mates, he headed to the US to do the harvest and a bit of travelling. Once home, he took up an opportunity on a friend’s family mixed-arable farm before he landed his role as assistant manager at Singletree Dairies.
The 600ha property milks around 2500 cows and employs 11 staff. It’s a big operation that played a large role in setting McAlwee up for success in his career.
“My biggest learning from Singletree has probably been dealing with a whole lot of moving parts. It’s a large operation and there’s a lot of people to interact with. Working on some smaller farms and growing up on a family farm, it was a real change for me to adjust to,” he said.
He says he grew a lot during his time in the role, experience he might not have got on a small farm. With his ambition always to get into farm ownership, McAlwee says he’d been on the look out for a while for his next opportunity.
He began contract milking cows on June 1.
“It’s that first step on the road towards farm ownership so I’m excited for it,” he said.
“It’s going to be good to be selfemployed, while also dealing with employment and the business side of things where I’m the one responsible for everything rather than only focusing on operational objectives.
“I’ve been working towards this for a long time, so when the opportunity came I had to grab the bull by the horns”.
The Pendarves Young Farmers Club member started his relationship with Young Farmers while at Timaru Boys’ High School, but took a hiatus while at university and working in America.
“I regret not joining a club when I was at university. You meet people from all walks of life, you can always rely on turning up and being able to speak to someone who can help you if you’ve got an issue or an idea you want to float. I landed my contract milking role through contacts I made through Young Farmers,” he said.
With a lot on his plate already, McAlwee is often asked why he decided to enter the competition. He says he entered to support his local club in the district final, and never dreamt he’d end up in the grand final, but it’s an opportunity he’s grateful to have.
“Honestly, I don’t think the surprise factor has worn off yet. I’m viewing it as a period of personal development and a chance to really test my skills and learn some new ones,” he said.
It’s going to be a challenging time preparing for grand finals and starting contract milking but you have to make the most of what life gives you.”
Dale McAlwee
Region: Aorangi Occupation: Dairy farmer Age: 26
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In it, to win it
ANZ relationship associate Jake Jarman is preparing to compete in this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final in Christchurch. And he says he’s in it, to win it.
THE past few months have been non-stop for Jake Jarman. After taking the Taranaki/Manawatū region by storm by swooping up the win, the first-time competitor has been focused on settling into a new career and preparing for the grand final in July.
“I’m a very competitive person. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself and set myself to a really high standard,” Jarman said.
“When James Robertson won the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition I think it really went to prove that age isn’t a barrier in this competition.”
At just 24, Jarman has a decent resume to his name. With a Bachelor of AgriCommerce and a Masters in AgriScience from Lincoln University and Massey University respectively, up his sleeve he’s had plenty of options when it comes to career choices.
“I opted to go down the commerce route for my studies because it’s always been something I’ve found interesting. When I did my masters we looked at the financial aspect of the farm system change we investigated, which was something I really enjoyed,” he said.
While his rural roots have always been strong, he says there was a time he was planning on studying meteorology.
“I really enjoyed science and maths, but my love of agriculture classes won out,” he said.
After completing his studies, Jarman headed home to work on the family farm in Inglewood. He’s the fifth generation to work the land.
“I loved being home and working with my parents; it’s a privilege in many ways to work land that’s been in the family for so long,” he said.
Alongside working on the farm, Jarman was working part-time as a farm systems research graduate with Dairy Trust Taranaki, working closely on their Living Below the Fat Evaluation Index supplementary feeding research project, which seeks to compare alternatives to feeding PKE in an attempt to lower the fat evaluation index of the milk.
Earlier this year, Jarman landed a job within ANZ’s rural lending team as a relationship associate. The job sees him working alongside relationship managers, helping customers to start, grow and maintain their rural businesses.
“Since day one it’s been a challenge and a steep learning curve, but I’m really enjoying it and feel like this is where I’m meant to be for now. I want to make a positive impact and add some value to the sector,” he said.
Jarman has his eye on farm ownership and raising a family on the land, just like his parents.
“Having that family environment on a farm would be incredible. I really enjoyed my childhood and the opportunities that came from the farm. I want to provide that for my family when I reach that age and stage in life,” he said.
For now, he’s keen to stay in the rural professional space, save his pennies for his long-term goals and be as involved in the industry as he can.
Despite this being his first year competing, Jarman has been involved in Young Farmers since university and has lapped up every chance to take advantage of what the organisation offers.
“Young Farmers is a lot about networks and a lot about meeting like-minded people. I’ve been a member of four clubs as I’ve moved around the country, so I have friends in all parts of the country now,” he said.
While he would have liked to try his hand at competing earlier, his university schedule never quite lined up with the district competition so entering this year was more about giving it a go, rather than aiming to win. That said, once he obtained a grand final spot, his competitive nature kicked in and he’s in it to win it.
“The last few months preparing for grand finals has been hectic. So much goes on from interviews to filming to workshop days, it’s all outside my comfort zone, but that’s where I like to be. If you’re not out of your comfort zone, you’re not really growing,” he said.
With just weeks to go until game day, Jarman says he’s focusing on brushing up on all things non-dairy-related to broadening his knowledge base and making sure his practical skills are sharp.
Jake Jarman
Region: Taranaki/Manawatū Occupation: Relationship associate Age: 24
Best of both worlds
Solutions and development specialist Kieran McCahon is preparing for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition, and says this time around he plans to make the most of it.
THERE was a point in time when 25-year-old Kieran McCahon wanted nothing more than to be a goat farmer.
Unluckily for the goat industry, his career path went in another direction.
“Growing up, I was quite a small lad. My first day of school happened to be pet day, and I’d reared a goat to take along (and) from that day on, and for a long time, I wanted to be a goat farmer. Although that didn’t quite pan out, many of those early memories ended up influencing my ultimate career decisions,” McCahon said.
Spending his childhood on a 760ha property on the West Coast was like growing up on one big playground for McCahon. He says he had fond memories of helping his parents out on-farm and spending lots of time with extended family.
McCahon says that his parents always encouraged their children to try other things and explore different career pathways outside of farming.
As a highly academic person, McCahon settled on civil engineering and studied subjects to help get him there. It wasn’t until a university open day that he learned more about the industry and had second thoughts.
“I think I was influenced, to an extent, by expectation – a feeling that if you were smart, you were going to study engineering or medicine. The open day opened my eyes to what was involved and it didn’t feel like a good fit. I started looking at other options,” he said.
With his sister heading off to Lincoln University, McCahon took a closer look at agricultural studies. While going to the same university as his sister wasn’t overly appealing to either party, Massey University felt like a good fit and was a bit of a family tradition.
“Mum and dad both went to Massey, so there’s a family link. During that time, I think I realised that I wanted the lifestyle aspect of farming,” he said.
With an agriscience degree under his belt, McCahon went on to complete a Masters degree through a DairyNZ scholarship, which eventually paved the way to a full-time job within the company.
Now working as a solutions and development specialist, McCahon says he’s the link between science and extension. Neither a researcher nor a consultant, but enjoying the best of both worlds.
A large portion of his job is taking research and new knowledge and helping to translate that into a form that can be used on-farm in the form of tools and resources.
“It’s a really varied role that covers everything from farm systems through to environment benchmarking,” he said.
Looking to the future, McCahon says he’d like to strike a nice balance between on-farm and offfarm roles. Having recently moved back to Northland to be closer to the family farm, he has the opportunity to be more involved in practical farming. He also has a strong desire to have a wider impact beyond the farm gate.
“I realise that I’m in a really privileged position to be deciding between getting started on a journey towards farm ownership or getting more involved in the science and research side of the industry. It’s a great position to be in, and I think it speaks volumes for the variety this industry offers,” he said.
Throughout his academic and career journey, McCahon has been an active member of Young Farmers clubs. They’ve been the way through which he’s made friends in new places and kept his toe in the waters of the practical side of farming.
“I’m a bit of a desk jockey most of the time, so Young Farmers has been a great way to make sure I can still do all those practical things,” he said.
First encouraged by David Kidd to enter the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition, McCahon is looking forward to giving the grand final his best shot and not letting the hiccups of previous competitions influence him again.
“At regionals one year, I massively over-thought a fencing module, which hurt me points-wise. I know that I have a tendency to do that, so going into this grand final, I’m just focused on looking at the bigger picture and taking things slow and methodical,” he said.
“I’m up against some seasoned professionals, but we all have different strengths and weaknesses, so anyone could snatch the win. I’ll be going out there and giving it my all.”
Kieran McCahon
Region: Waikato/Bay of Plenty Occupation: Solutions and development specialist Age: 25
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Background is no barrier
DairyNZ farm systems scientist Roshean Woods is gearing up to compete in this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final in Christchurch. She is one of a handful of women to have competed in the grand final.
ROSHEAN Woods is the sole female competitor this year. It’s a lot of pressure, but something she’s trying not to focus on too much.
“My approach going into this is to do my best, which is all I can do really,” Woods, 30, said.
“I’ve competed many times at district competitions, but it’s never been with the ambition to win, it’s been for the learning experience.”
Unlike her fellow grand finalists, Woods doesn’t come from a farming background, but she says that doesn’t run her at a disadvantage whatsoever.
Growing up she always loved the sciences and, coming up to her final year of high school, was trying to figure out what a future career could look like. A visit to her school from DairyNZ and a student liaison officer from Lincoln University proved to be just the thing to help her figure that out.
“They came around to all my science classes and spoke about the opportunities in the agricultural industry. They spoke on the wide variety of people needed in the industry and when they said they need researchers my interest piqued,” she said.
“When I pictured my career I never really saw it being full-time in a lab, I like being outdoors. Once I’d heard about the opportunities in the agricultural industry I could picture myself out in a paddock working with farmers in the science space. I probably didn’t really know fully what research was back then to be honest.”
As dux of her school Woods had the pick of a few scholarships, but ultimately decided that Lincoln University was where she was headed. A DairyNZ scholarship sealed the deal and she started her pathway into agriculture.
“Once I started my degree I just loved it even more. I did summer placements and took every opportunity I could to get practical experience both on-farm and in the research environment,” she said.
At the end of her Bachelor of Science degree she went on to complete an Honours year, focusing her research project on looking at greenhouse gas emissions from dairy shed effluent and what would happen if that effluent was applied to native plant areas.
From there she took up an internship opportunity with DairyNZ and AgResearch, which saw her do placements at each, working in technical roles around the country.
“I got to work with a lot of scientists and it confirmed my desire to do what they were doing, everything from project planning to experimental design, through to interpreting the results. It was an amazing chance to network as well,” she said.
Deciding she wasn’t quite done with study, Woods eyed up a PhD. Through contacts she’d made during her internship, she signed up to do her PhD within the forage for reduced nitrate leaching project. The collaborative multi-organisation project was a massive effort, and Woods’ three-year-long PhD “went by in a bit of a blur”.
While she was finishing up her PhD she met AgriMagic founder Charlotte Glass in Canterbury. She was looking for people to join her team and she’d spoken to Woods’ supervisor who’d mentioned her name.
“My role at AgriMagic gave me a chance to upskill my farm systems knowledge and work within an amazing team to support farmers to maintain resilient farm businesses as they respond to environmental challenges,” she said.
Over the coming weeks, Woods will be hard at work preparing for the grand final in July. Going into her regional final, she felt her biggest hurdle was going to be the practical elements, but her seven-year tenure as a competitor at district level has left her with a good foundation to work from.
With some help and encouragement from her husband, she says she’s ready to tackle whatever is thrown her way, but will be putting in the hours of practice and study just to be sure.
“I’ve only ever entered the competition to gain experience and learn, now it’s the real deal. So while I am taking it seriously, my main focus is enjoying the whole experience,” she said.
“I hope that through my urban background it will encourage others to have a go. I’ve learnt so much and I’m ready to tackle the grand final.”
Roshean Woods
Region: Tasman Occupation: Farm systems scientist Age: 30
Good luck to the 2021 Young Farmer of the Year Grand Finalists
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Embracing the challenge
Sharemilker Sam Hodsell is gearing up to compete in this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final in Christchurch. It’s a bit outside of his comfort zone, but he’s embracing it.
Sam Hodsell
Region: Otago/Southland Occupation: Sharemilker Age: 28
SAM Hodsell says that one of the best parts of Young Farmers is the sense of community, which has helped him get through some challenging times in his life.
“It’s a real community, everyone helps each other out during tough times and there is always someone to talk to,” Hodsell said.
“There’s certainly been times in my life where I’ve leaned on the mates I’ve made through the club. Having that support is huge when you work in an industry that is high-stress and long hours.”
Growing up in a farming family, there was little doubt in Hodsell’s mind of what his path in life would be.
“I was always going to be a farmer, I never wanted to do anything else,” he said.
After high school, he headed to Lincoln University to study a Bachelor of AgriCommerce, which was a massive decision for him.
“It was a bit of a toss up between going to university or not, and then which university I wanted to go to. I talked to a lot of people, but ultimately Lincoln was that bit closer to home. Looking back, I’m really glad I went there. It was a fantastic experience,” he said.
“I don’t know if I’d still be farming if I had started straight out of school. The people I met, the skills and knowledge I gained, it’s all invaluable when you’re out there doing it.”
Post-university, Hodsell, 28, skipped the country for a sixweek OE before getting started on his progression towards farm ownership. He first took up a job managing a 600-cow farm out of Darfield before going back to the family farm as manager and eventually contract milker.
“Somewhere along the way, I started to burn out. I was working too hard for too many hours with too few staff. I became a bit overfocused on my end goal, and I think I wasn’t even trying to get a good work-life balance going, something I know now is really important for longevity,” he said.
Around the same time, Hodsell had the opportunity to take up the 50:50 sharemilking role on the family farm. The three-year contract was appealing, but he felt he needed some time to recalibrate before he took that next step in his career. He headed over the ditch to do some tractor driving.
“I realised as a single guy in my 20s it was probably my last chance to get out to do something I really wanted to do. Driving tractors had always been on my to-do list, my brother had done it, the money was appealing and I needed something different,” he said.
In Australia, Hodsell worked on a sheep, beef and cropping farm, with stints in agricultural contracting and harvesting.
“The size of the operations over there is something we just don’t have here in New Zealand, so I’m grateful that I took up that opportunity. It’s hard work and you’re in charge of some pretty large, expensive machines, but it’s all experience, some of which I’m sure has helped me in the competition,” he said.
Along with his partner Jenna, Hodsell is now 50:50 sharemilking on the family farm. He says he’s much more conscious of the need to strike some kind of balance in life and get off-farm at times.
“Delegation is a big thing for me now, especially since I’ve got staff. I try to empower people, so instead of going out and fixing their mistakes, I try to help guide them through how to do it properly and teach them.
“It’s important to remember that farming is a long game. You can’t get hung up on short-term things. As a young person, you’re often motivated and don’t tend to look too far ahead. As you get older, you realise you have to. You also realise you have to take breaks and relax. Life’s not all about work.”
Having first competed in 2016, this is Hodsell’s first time in the grand final. While it was always a goal at every competition, he underestimated how much work is involved.
“I honestly didn’t know what I was getting myself into. This experience is pushing me out of my comfort zone. I know it will be good in the long-term, but I am starting to feel it a little bit,” he said.
“I think my biggest hurdle will be the mental game. It comes back to getting good sleep and doing all you can to prepare. I’ve been going to Toastmasters to get used to pushing myself out of my comfort zone.”
WHO ARE YOU BACKING?
GRAND FINAL SEASON 53 01-03 JULY 2021, CHRISTCHURCH
Unfinished business
Technical field representative Joseph Watts is preparing for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition. This is his second shot at the grand final title, and he’s putting in the hard yards to secure the win.
JOSEPH Watts is a former city boy turned agricultural advocate. While he’s only been involved in the industry for a short while, he’s come a long way from not being able to operate a quad bike.
“(During) my first ever district competition, I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to drive a quad or a tractor. I thought I could get through the rest of it,” Watts said.
“The first two modules were a quad bike and a tractor. So I spent the first half-hour of my first competition getting the judges to show me how to do two of the most common farming tasks.”
Now confident behind the wheel of a tractor, Watts, 30, says he can’t imagine working in another industry. But there was a time where he saw his future looking slightly different. While he had a keen interest in architecture at high school, squash made up a big part of his life and working in the professional sports world was where he thought he was bound to end up.
“In my last year at Palmerston North Boys High School, I started playing squash on the professional world tour. Over the next five years, I competed around New Zealand and Australia full-time, while also studying extramurally full-time at Massey University,” he said.
He completed a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Management. But, life had other plans for Watts, and when his then girlfriend-now wife Lucy landed her first vet job in Raetihi, Watts discovered a love for the land, the primary sector.
“I started doing casual jobs like shearing and started looking into different parts of the industry and then went back to Massey to do a Graduate Diploma in Rural Studies,” he said. While the primary sector wasn’t always part of the plan, I’d struggle not to be part of it now.”
Watts and Lucy moved to Waipukurau in 2016, and he as been working as a technical field representative for PGG Wrightson for the past three years. His job is to help farmers with their cropping and pasture needs.
He joined Young Farmers when they made the move to Hawke’s Bay to meet some like-minded people. He was also drawn to the competition.
“I didn’t know anyone on this side of the island, and I was still new to the agricultural industry, so I figured it was a good way to meet people,” he said.
“I’ve always been a keen competitor, so the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition was a big part of why I joined as well.”
Having qualified twice previously for the grand final, Watts lost out in 2019 by a whisker to James Robertson, and covid-19 meant missing out on the chance at the top spot.
He says his 2019 grand final experience taught him a lot.
While he has many things he would’ve done differently now, Watts says that he’s making a significant effort to incorporate the competition and what it entails into everyday life this time around.
“If I need to use a farmer’s tractor for something, I do the pre-start safety checks. If someone asks me a question about feed budgets, I run through it like I would if I was answering an exam question,” he said.
Looking ahead to his long-term career goals, Watts is keen to get some skin in the game and get into farm ownership. For right now, though, he’s enjoying this stage of his career and relishes the opportunity to learn from his colleagues and upskill in agronomy.
“The beauty of this competition is that it opens up so many doors. I’d love to go and manage a cropping and finishing operation and push the limits of what can be achieved, but right now, I have some talented people around me that I get to learn from every day, which I’m loving,” he said.
Come July, Watts will draw on his background as a professional sportsman and previous grand final experience.
“2020 saw me mount a bit of a comeback after missing out in 2019, so it was tough being told it was cancelled. So I’m really motivated to give this my best shot,” he said.
Joseph Watts
Region: East Coast Occupation: Technical field representative Age: 30
We’re stoked to support our next generation of on-farm biosecurity champions!
