The competition was hot on Saturday as 68 teams went head-to-head in a bid to take out the Taranaki Manawatu FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year and AgriKidsNZ titles.

After a chilly start in Feilding, William Russell and Levi Fleming from Feilding High School took out the 2022 Taranaki Manawatu FMG Junior Young Farmers of the Year.

Meanwhile, the Huntley Hill Lovers made up of Jonty Skerman, Alex Jamieson and Tom Gilbertson from Huntley School took out the crown of 2022 Taranaki Manawatu AgriKidsNZ winners.  

Both the Taranaki Manawatu AgriKidsNZ and FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year contests were held alongside the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Contest on Saturday at the Feilding High School Dairy Farm.  

FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year winning team teacher Kain Nixon said the pair a lot of effort into their preparations for the Regional Final.

“They have done a lot of study over the past week, going over notes and preparing for the theory side of the competition,” he said.

The hard work will continue in the lead-up to Grand Final, with Nixon explaining that the team will work on both their practical and theoretical knowledge, utilising industry organisations to upskill.

Under the red-light system, each event was held separately and capped at 35 teams on rotation to comply with the 100-person capacity limit.  

In second place for the Taranaki Manawatu FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year was Jade Askin and Nikki Baker from Feilding High School and Palmerston North High School.

The AgriKidsNZ runner-up spot was taken out by team Huntley Hurricanes made up of Hugo Skerman, Fred Whisker, and Fergus Amon.

Following in third place was the Hiwinui Hunterways team, made up of Logan Rod Baker, Tabitha Fern Askin, and Cooper McKenzie.

The top two FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year teams and top three AgriKidsNZ teams have been invited to the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final in Whangarei this July.

The FMG Young Farmer of the Year Contest Series would not be possible without support from its family of sponsors: FMG, Ravensdown, Worksafe, Ministry for Primary Industries, Environmental Protection Authority, Honda, STIHL, Massey University, Lincoln University, New Holland, and PTS Logistics.