Young Farmers vie for top honours in Invercargill

Date: 05.07.2018

FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final kicks off on Thursday, 5 July

The skills required to be successful in farming will be on display this week in Invercargill, as Young Farmers from around New Zealand battle it out for the prestigious title of FMG Young Farmer of the Year.

With regional competitions having already taken place around the country, the talented finalists now go head to head to win the top honours.This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic agricultural contest, which was first held in Auckland in 1969.

 A sell-out crowd of more than 1000 people are set to pack ILT Stadium Southland for Saturday’s quiz and awards night. "The 50th anniversary celebrations have given this year’s event an X factor," said contest board chairman Dean Rabbidge.

It’s the first time the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final has been held in Southland since 2010. The contest kicks off this Thursday with a technical day for grand finalists at the Southern Institute of Technology, and an opening ceremony featuring a tug of war being held in Queens Park that afternoon.

Invercargill’s Donovan Park will be buzzing for practical day on Friday, where the public will get to see this year’s seven grand finalists tackle gruelling modules designed to test their stamina. They also clash in the popular head-to-head and agri-sports challenges at 10.30am and 2pm.

There will also be national finals for the fencing, stock judging, clay target shooting and debating competitions. This year’s winner will take home a New Holland tractor, a Honda quad bike, cash, scholarships, equipment and clothing, with the overall grand final prize pool valued at more than $155,000.

Saturday’s quiz and awards evening will be streamed live on the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Facebook page. An edited version of the 50th grand final will be available on digital streaming service ThreeNow from July 14th.

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