Young farmers to descend on capital
Aformer cocktail bartender, an award-winning contract milker and a drone-flying drystock farmer will face off in the Taranaki/Manawatu Regional Final of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year.
Farmers will descend on Wellington on February 24 for what is believed to be the first regional final held in the capital.
Winners of the seven regional finals will go on to the grand final in Invercargill in July.
Toko sheep and beef farmer Nick Brown is the oldest contestant in the Taranaki/ Manawatu Regional Final.
‘‘This will be my last chance at winning,’’ said the 30-year-old, who has a Diploma in Agriculture from Lincoln University.
Brown and his wife, Sophie, use a drone to make video blogs about life on their eastern Taranaki farm.
Brown’s friend Dylan Brunton will be competing in his first regional final.
‘‘My strengths are probably any modules involving machinery like tractors and quad bikes,’’ he said.
The 25-year-old has a Bachelor of Science, majoring in ecology and zoology, from Massey University and is a herd manager on a 500-cow dairy farm at Cardiff.
Guy Harvey contract milks 220 cows in nearby Kaponga.
‘‘I really enjoy the networking side of the contest. It’s a great opportunity to meet people,’’ said Harvey, who was born on the farm behind the Tui Brewery at Mangatainoka.
They’ll go up against Kieran McCahon, who grew up on a 1000-cow dairy farm near Dargaville and recently completed a Bachelor Agricultural Science at Massey University.
‘‘In 2017, I was one of two New Zealanders to attend a youth summit organised by Syngenta examining issues facing smallholder farmers in Vietnam,’’ the 21-year-old said.
Vet student Emma Dangen hopes her study at Massey University will give her an edge.
‘‘Competing has always been a dream of mine,’’ the 23-year-old said.
Kimbolton contract milker Michael McCombs, who was named Taranaki Dairy Trainee of the Year in 2015, is competing in the Taranaki/Manawatu final for a second consecutive year.
A volunteer firefighter, McCombs spent six months mustering cattle in the Australian outback.
‘‘I’d hardly ridden a horse before I got there, but I knew enough not to come off too many times,’’ he said.
McCombs is one of three finalists from Marton Young Farmers. The club’s vicechairman, 26-year-old Will Taylor, is a Feilding-based technical field rep for PGG Wrightson.
Taylor spent three years driving tractors and combine harvesters in West Australia and also worked as a bartender at a cocktail bar in Palmerston North.
His clubmate Lachlan Fee is in his second season managing a
600-cow dairy farm at Opiki and was happy to finally win a district contest, after placing third twice.
‘‘It seemed like I was always the bridesmaid, never the bride,’’ the
26-year-old said.
The regional final will be held at Crawford Green, Miramar on February 24. The evening show, hosted by Te Radar, is at Wellington College.