Tasman Young Farmer of the Year Competition

Members from the Tasman Valley Young Farmers Club have had a blast competing in the Tasman Young Farmer of the Year competition, held at Amuri A&P Showgrounds in Rotherham. The competition saw contestants from Tasman, Canterbury and the West Coast go head-to-head and battle it out for a place in the Grand Final.

The competition showcases the level of skill and knowledge of young people in our food and fibre sector. The contestants competed in a range of theoretical and practical challenges, yet the two head-to-head contests were a major highlight. The first head-to-head saw contestants work side-by-side with only thirty minutes on the clock to install a strainer post, identify six native plants, strop down a large truck load of hay and complete it all by blowing up a balloon and then popping it!

The second, and last, head-to-head involved making your own wooden sheep gate and hanging it. Contestants were given the timber to measure and cut, the nails, nuts and bolts plus a picture of the gate with measurements. The gates were judged on how close to completed they were in the thirty-minute time frame, as well as the workman ship.

“It was full on, and not many gates were completed,” explains Blair Anglesey, a sheep farmer from the Sherry River and committee member of the Young Farmer contest “It was great fun and awesome to have all the clubs come together which doesn’t happen often.” Last year Blair was a contestant, this year he was on the committee “It was really interesting to be on the other side of it, I really enjoyed it.”

The contestants had a range of other tests such as a primary industries quiz, modules such as bee keeping, butchery and tractor driving.

Bryce Win, a young sheep farmer from Dovedale, picked up 4^thplace and says “The Tasman region put on a great contest. Everyone was competitive but at the end of the day we all had fun, I loved being part of it and hope to return next year.”

Amelia Marsden, a nutrient specialist for Balance Agri-Nutrients from Mapua, took 5^th place as well as the award for being the highest scoring female in the regional contest. “It was a great day with a wide variety of challenges that tested us all,” Amelia says, “my favourite part of the day was the butchery module where we boned out a piece of pork, something I had never done before!”

Nick O’Connor, who grew up on a dairy farm in Westport, was the overall winner for the Tasman region. He will compete in the grand finale, being held in Timaru in July.