James Robbie competing in the FMG Young Farmer of the Year East Coast regional final.
James Robbie’s first shot at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest turned into a golden ticket to the grand final, when he won the East Coast title on Saturday.
The 25-year-old sheep and beef farmer from Puketoi Young Farmers took out the East Coast regional final after a tough day of practical and theoretical challenges at Solway Showgrounds in Masterton.
“I went into the weekend with no expectations, I was just there to have a crack and enjoy it,” Robbie said.
“So to come away with the win is pretty unreal.
“I’m stoked to be representing the East Coast.”
Lack of experience was both a challenge and an advantage for Robbie.
“I had no idea what to expect going in but in a way, that worked in my favour.
“I went in with a mindset of just having fun and meeting some awesome people, so to walk away with the win makes it even more special.”
Robbie edged his way to victory by clocking up the most points on the day, defeating Dannevirke Young Farmers member Samantha Thomson.
Connor Richardson, also from Dannevirke Young Farmers, secured the final spot on the podium.
Now in its 57th year, the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition showcases the best talent in New Zealand’s food and fibre sector.
Participants enter one of three categories based on age, ranging from the AgriKidsNZ competition for primary school pupils, Junior Young Farmer of the Year for high school students, and the Young Farmer of the Year category, where just seven contestants battle it out for the top spot.
Contestants were tested on a broad range of practical skills, technical know-how, and their ability to cope under pressure, with several individual challenges thrown at them, including a head-to-head, general knowledge “buzzer-style” quiz, and sponsor-led modules.
Robbie said he enjoyed the farmlet challenge.
“It was a solid test of a whole bunch of different skills, which made it really interesting.”
However, the quiz turned out to be his favourite.
“It’s not something I usually do on the weekend, but I was just enjoying the challenge,” he said.
“I went in sitting second, got a good run of questions, and managed to pick up 30 points to take the win.”
Robbie said the Agri-Sports challenge was “a bit of a beast”.
“With so much going on at once, you really had to have a game plan.
“Sam [second place] had competed before, so she knew exactly how to tackle it, which definitely helped her out.”
With the grand final in July, preparation for Robbie starts now.
“I’ll be focusing on handling pressure,” he said.
“I know I can do everything, I just need to sharpen my speed, time management, multitasking, and strategy.
“I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”
Robbie said people had already reached out with advice and offered to help him prepare.
“I see myself as a bit of an underdog and everyone loves an underdog, so I’ll be putting in the work and hopefully I can surprise a few people and bring the East Coast its first win since 2007!”
The AgriKidsNZ competition was another crowd-favourite.
After a busy morning with over 100 primary school children challenged on their industry know-how, Matthew Soltau, Hudson Bauckham and Peyton Hunt from Havelock North Intermediate emerged as the region’s victors.
Grayson Cammock, Cooper Charmley and George Baxter from Ruahine School placed second, just ahead of Maggie Trotter, Maggie Jefferd and Greta Bradley from Tikokino School.
Meanwhile, it was a battle of the Napier schools in the East Coast Junior Young Farmers of the Year, with Liana Redpath and Kaela Brans from Napier Girls’ High School taking out the title ahead of Liam Leonard and Jack Dearden from Napier Boys’ High School.
Along with Robbie, the top AgriKidsNZ and Junior teams will now compete in July’s grand final in Invercargill.