FMG Young Farmer of the Year: Tasman regional final won by George Dodson

Tasman Young Farmer of the Year winner George Dodson, finishing his letterbox in one of the head-to-head challenges.

Dairy farmer George Dodson has been crowned the Season 56 Tasman FMG Young Farmer of the Year.

The announcement was made on Saturday evening, following two days of fierce competition in Christchurch.

Now, the Darfield young farmer is gearing up to take on six other regional finalists at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final, held in Hamilton in July.

The weekend’s event was one of seven regional finals happening throughout Aotearoa between February and April.

Details of what challenges would be thrown at the 22 contestants at the Tasman event were kept under wraps.

Dodson was humbled by the achievement and said the win was a surprise.

“To be honest, it hasn’t sunk in yet. It was such a shock. I can’t really believe it!”

Originally from Southland, Dodson is second in charge of a 430-cow dairy farm between Darfield and Dunsandel.

This is his third time competing in the contest, and the first time he’s earned a place at the grand final.

The weekend was organised by a local Young Farmer committee led by Lincoln Young Farmer Georgia Moody.

Dodson said it was “intense”.

“There was definitely some stuff in there that was beneficial to me, and it was great that Saturday was practical-based.

“The head-to-heads were a great challenge. I didn’t expect to be loading AI straws, so it was cool to be doing something different.”

Upon seeing his name at the top of the leaderboard going into Saturday night’s buzzer quiz, Dodson said the pressure came.

George Letham (left) placed second, George Dodson first and Eddie Millichamp third at the Tasman Young Farmer of the Year regional final.

“When I saw that I was leading before the quiz, my family said I went pale white,” he laughed.

“The pressure was on, but luckily I smashed the quick-fire round so could settle into it a bit more after that.”

George Letham, 26, a member of the Waihora Banks Peninsula Young Farmers, made his debut in the competition and clinched second place.

Meanwhile, Eddie Millichamp, 20, representing Lincoln Young Farmers, secured the last spot on the podium.

Now in its 56th year, the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition is dedicated to showcasing the very best talent in New Zealand’s food and fibre sector.

Dodson said he was looking forward to competing at the grand final and was excited about testing himself against the best of the best.

“I found the exam and some of the technical aspects of the weekend a bit of a challenge, so that’ll definitely be a focus for me in the lead-up to July.”

Dodson has a busy month ahead, competing for the title of Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Manager of the Year this week, which will help him kick off his preparation for the grand final in July.

Tasman Junior Young Farmer of the Year and AgriKidsNZ winners

Mikayla Molloy and Tabitha White won the Tasman Junior Young Farmer of the Year title.

The next generation was also out competing, with Mikayla Molloy and Tabitha White taking out the Tasman FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year title for 2024.

Connor Carroll and Oliver Carter from St Bede’s College came second.

Meanwhile, the Seddon School AgriKidsNZ team, made up of Pippa Muir, Isabella Pitts and Emma March, were the 2024 Tasman AgriKidsNZ champions.

Runner-up and third in the AgriKidsNZ contest were Liam Underwood, Manawa Doonan and Fred Maher, also from Seddon School, and Charlotte Craw, Jess Thompson and Hayley Shannon from Akaroa Area School.

They have also been invited to July’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year 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.”