Black is Aorangi Young Farmer
Christchurch-based Cameron Black won the Aorangi Young Farmer of the Year regional final in Waimate on Saturday.
The 25-year-old took out the title, securing himself a spot in the national FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final in Invercargill in July.
Black, a former Ashburtonbased banker and a member of Hinds Young Farmers, said he was stunned and excited to win the award.
‘‘I’ve got a good support crew who came from all over the country to be here.’’
‘‘It’s a good way to test yourself against some pretty sharp contestants,’’ Black said.
Contract milker Josh McAtamney placed second in the event, while Ashburton arable farmer Stephen Blain came third.
William Green, the farm manager of an 840-cow dairy farm in Fairlie, took out the Agri-Growth Challenge.
Young Farmer of the Year contest board member Cole Groves said all of the competitors were pushed to their limit on Saturday.
‘‘Cam Black put a lot of work in before the event.
‘‘The younger competitors are putting in a lot of effort and there’s a huge following for Young Farmers. I’ve been with Young Farmers a long time and there’s been a real shift in the standard of competition,’’ Groves said.
Meanwhile, Geraldine High School (GHS) showed its dominance in the TeenAg competition. The event saw 38 teams - 19 of which were from GHS - go head-tohead at the Waimate Showgrounds.
GHS duo Ben Chambers and Jakob Stachurski won the Aorangi TeenAg regional final and have qualified for the TeenAg grand final in Invercargill.
Stachurski, 16, said he was looking forward to the finals.
‘‘This is our second year doing TeenAg, and we plan to put in heaps of work before the grand final,’’ he said.
Geraldine’s Patrick FoleySmith and Jacob Price took out third place in the competition.
Mikayla Binney and Quinn Foley-Smith, both of Geraldine, also took out awards. Binney won the Aorangi Regional TeenAg competitor of the year award, while Quinn Foley-Smith won the Aorangi Regional AgriKid of the year award.
Waimate High School trio Eliane Craig, Charlotte Hurst, and Ruby Shortus won the AgriKidsNZ competition and also qualified for the grand final. All finals will take place alongside the Young Farmer of the Year grand final.