The FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest is getting underway again and Lincoln is proud once again to be sponsoring it.
The qualifying rounds of the 2021 FMG contest start on the first weekend of October.
Sixteen district contests will be held throughout October and November to select the eight finalists for each region who will move through to the seven Regional Finals, early next year.
The 2020 senior competition was cancelled for the first time in the contest’s 52-year history due to COVID-19 restrictions, while Agri-kids and Junior Young Farmers, went online.
Lincoln sponsors the event as part of supporting the primary sector in New Zealand and contributes modules, or activities, to it and academic and liaison staff were attending the regional finals, which saw two alumni claim wins and automatic spots in the grand final.
Waitomo sheep and beef farmer Mitchel Hoare won the Waikato Bay of Plenty FMG Young Farmer of the Year title in Hamilton, while assistant business manager at Farmlands, Lisa Kendall, won the Northern Regional in February.
Lincoln Young Farmers members, and students, (pictured) Jeremy Kilgour, left, Jack Taggart, Becky Rickard and George Gill were all set to compete too.
New Zealand Young Farmers Chair (and Lincoln alumna) Ash-Leigh Campbell says the 53rd season will be the fiercest one yet.
“We’ve got a lot of competitors who are rearing to go and looking to compete for fun, to benchmark themselves and to test their practical and theoretical skills,” she says.
“COVID-19 gave us some time up our sleeve to review, change and implement a few operational matters including the governance of the contest.”
The 2021 Grand Final will be held in Christchurch in July, with a day of the final to be held on the Lincoln campus.
