Young farmers raring to go
Two South Canterbury farmers are ready to take the bull by the horns in their quest to land the title of Aorangi Young Farmer of the Year.
Adam Judd and William Ellis, both 28, will take on each other, and five other competitors, in the contest at the A & P Showgrounds in Oamaru on Saturday, and have been busy preparing for the competition which includes ‘‘adrenalin-pumping challenges’’.
Ellis, a Timaru dry stock farmer, is confident of a bold showing but is worried that he has not done enough studying for the quiz section.
‘‘You give it a go so you’ve got to be confident,’’ he said.
The globetrotter, who has also spent time planting canola, wheat and barley across the Tasman, said he was preparing for Saturday by doing some last-minute study.
‘‘I’ve been trying to study and I’ve been talking to people for more information.’’
He is also a qualified builder and was named the Registered Master Builders Carters Apprentice of the Year for Hawke’s Bay/East Coast in 2014.
He has competed in four district Young Farmer contests and this is his second time in a regional final.
Meanwhile, Judd said his preparation had involved ‘‘practising the things I’m able to’’.
‘‘Farming is so diverse that you can never be prepared for everything they could throw at you,’’ he said.
Judd said he was ‘‘nervous excited’’ about the competition.
‘‘Its really hard to know how you’ve done until they read out the scores. I’m definitely going to finish in the top eight.’’
Ellis advises young farmers thinking about competing in the contest to just go for it. ‘‘It is really good fun and you meet people,’’ he said.
New Zealand Young Farmers communications manager Brad Markham said competitors will go head to head in a series of adrenalin-pumping challenges.
‘‘In previous years contestants have had to start a chainsaw, carve a gumboot out of a wooden log, put in two posts and hang a gate, then fit a tyre to a Honda quad bike.
‘‘Contestants are penalised for safety violations, so the aim is to work quickly, but carefully.’’
Markham said the Junior Young Farmer of the Year and AgriKids NZ events also attracted attention on the day.
The Aorangi event is the second of seven regional finals across the country from February to April with the regional winners facing off at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final in Hawke’s Bay in July.
The Aorangi final will be held at the Oamaru A&P Showgrounds with the quiz at the Loan and Merc.