FMG Young Farmer of the Year: Northern regional final won by Caleb Eady

Northern Young Farmer of the Year Caleb Eady said he enjoyed the practical challenges in the regional final.

Northland farmer Caleb Eady has moved closer to clinching one of New Zealand’s top farming honours by winning the Season 56 Northern FMG Young Farmer of the Year title.

Eady, aged 30, was declared the winner on Saturday night after two days of intense competition at the Mangakāhia Sports and Community Complex near Whangarei.

His win secured him the only remaining spot in the grand final, set to take place in Hamilton in July, where he will face six other regional champions.

The weekend’s competition marked the conclusion of seven regional finals held across Aotearoa from February to April.

Eady said the final kept contestants on their toes.

“You always want to win, but I was just taking it one step at a time,” he said.

“I knew the other contestants well and knew they were tough, so making it to Saturday felt like a big win in itself.”

Eady is no stranger to the contest, after convening the Season 55 Northern Regional Final and being an active part of the Young Farmers community for many years.

“I’ll be ageing out of Young Farmers soon, so making it to the grand final is a pretty cool way to see out my time in the organisation.”

Eady operates a fencing business in Northland and leases a beef farm with dairy grazers and a small calf-rearing operation.

When asked about the best part of the weekend, Eady said he was excited about the practical challenges.

“The farmlet played right into my fencing strengths, as did building a gate and dealing with water issues in the head-to-heads.”

Franklin Young Farmers member Sam Waugh, 31, clinched second place by only two points, and Kaipara Young Farmers member Zarnie Fergusson, 30, secured the third spot on the podium for the third year in a row.

Northern Junior Young Farmer of the Year and AgriKids winners

Northern FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year winners Hanna Smith and Sophie Chandler.

The next generation was also out competing, with Hanna Smith and Sophie Chandler from Mount Albert Grammar taking out the Northern FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year title for 2024.

Last year’s Northern junior winners, Tessa Berger and Mary Innes from Mahurangi College, placed second.

Meanwhile, Grayson Putt, Dylan Ivey and Olsyn Yearbury from Kamo Intermediate School were the 2024 Northern AgriKidsNZ Champions.

Runner-up and third in the AgriKidsNZ contest were Alfred Neumann, Charlie Reed and Mackenzie MacDonald from Whangarei Intermediate School, and Rubee Mortensen, Kaia De Goldi and Amber Lironi-Irvine, who are homeschooled.

They have also been invited to July’s grand final.

New Zealand Young Farmers chief executive Lynda Coppersmith said this year’s grand final was shaping up to be one of the best yet.

“Every year, we continue to be blown away by the calibre of our FMG Young Farmer of the Year contestants, from our AgriKidsNZ participants through to those vying for the regional FMG Young Farmer of the Year title.

“Their knowledge, skills and passion for the industry are impressive, and certainly leave us excited for the future of our industry.”

Coppersmith praised the hard work of those behind the scenes.

“We simply couldn’t do it without the tireless work of our committees and volunteers.

“These are people who support us year in, year out, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has played a part.”

The FMG Young Farmer of the Year Contest is proudly supported by FMG, Ravensdown, WorkSafe, the Ministry for Primary Industries, Milwaukee, Woolworths, Honda, Lincoln University, Massey University, PTS Logistics, New Holland and Bushbuck.