Roshean Woods has been crowned Tasman FMG Young Farmer of the Year.
*First-time competitor Dale McAlwee has been crowned Aorangi FMG Young Farmer of the Year.*
Now heading to the Grand Final in Christchurch in July to battle it out for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year national title, Hodsell said "I set out to have a great day and enjoy the experience, so to take out the top spot is pretty great. "The eight regional finalists competed in eight modules and battled it out head-to-head in two time and point races at Donovan Park in Invercargill on Saturday6th March. A written exam and the famous FMG Young Farmer of the Year (FMG YFOTY) buzzer quiz also tested the regional finalist's knowledge. The 50/50 sharemilker took out the top spot with a knockout score of512points, beating out second place getter Blackmore by 14 points. This was Hodsell's second regional final, having come third in the 2016 regional final. "Having done a regional final before, I felt I had a pretty good idea of what to expect going into today. Obviously, COVID changed the way the competition normally runs, which is disappointing for those who organised it but did a great job putting on today's event, so credit to them"he said. Hodsell,28, spent a bit of time over the ditch in Australia expanding his agricultural experience on a sheep, beef and cropping farm before coming home to get stuck into his dairying career. "I really enjoy what I do. Agriculture is it for me. So doing this competition is an extension of what I love to do, so that's been my main motivation, I guess for this competition," he said. With the contest based around four strainers – technology and innovation, environment, people, food–finalists who earned the top points in each strainer also won awards. The Lincoln University Alumni took out three of the four strainer prizes along with the exam prize. He said while he's got some studying up to do in the leadup to the grand final, he is looking forward to the opportunity to test his skills against some of the country's best. The two head to heads had contestants racing against the clock to test their cooking, chainsaw, fencing and planting skills.
In response to last night's COVID-19 announcement and subsequent alert level changes, New Zealand Young Farmers have made some changes to the upcoming Otago/Southland FMG Young Farmer of the Year, FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year and AgriKidsNZ competitions.
Now heading to the Grand Final in Christchurch in July to battle it out for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year national title, McCahon, 24, said he was feeling a bit shell shocked but excited about his regional win.
Following Auckland's move to Alert Level 3 and the rest of the country to Alert Level 2, we have made the decision to postpone the Northern FMG Young Farmer of the Year Regional Final based on Government recommendations.
A duo from Rathkeale College have taken out the title for 2021 East Coast FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year 2021, after competing for four years in a row.
*Joseph Watts has proven he’s too hard to beat, taking out East Coast FMG Young Farmer of the Year for the third year in a row.*
*A first-time competitor has cleaned up at the Taranaki Manawatu FMG Young Farmer of the Year Regional Final.*
*Two talented young women from Feilding Agricultural High School have taken out the title for Taranaki Manawatu FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year 2021.*