Young Farmer of the Year: French beats Irish

Regional finalists and officials make their way to the start of an event.

Reporoa sheep and beef farmer Richard French was delighted to be named the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Regional FMG Young Farmer of the Year after a fiercely fought battle alongside tough competition in Kihikihi and Te Awamutu on Saturday.

The 27-year-old farm manager has some experience with the FMG Young Farmer of Year - he competed in 2016 for the East Coast Region.

Second place went to Eoin O'Mahoney, originally from Cork, and now in his fifth season contract milking in New Zealand.

Waikato/Bay of Plenty Regional FMG Young Farmer of the Year Richard French in action in the Digger Art Module at Kihikihi Domain on Saturday.

Mr French credited the study he put in alongside previous rival and East Coast competitor Hamish Best for his performance across the weekend's competition, but joked that he 'might lose his lifeline' depending on the next weekend's results in Waipukurau.

Over the course of the competition, the Reporoa Young Farmer and previous banker performed well across both technical and practical facets of the contest and took out the AGMARDT Agri-Business Challenge, where contestants face a tough technical exam, as well as the Ravensdown Agri-Skills Challenge made up of modules to test competitors on a range practical skills.

The display of diverse knowledge means Mr French goes on to represent the Waikato/Bay Region, with the Reporoa Young Farmers Clubs' enthusiasm now driving the entire region to get behind their man. They are already sourcing 'French-themed' attire for the grand final in July.

For his win, Mr French takes home $12,500 in prizes, including a Honda XR150 motorbike and $1000 cash reward from FMG.

Mr O'Mahoney, 27, was in his first regional final. He also took home the Massey University Agri-Growth Challenge for his interview skills and in true Irish fashion credited his strengths to be 'the luck of the Irish and an easy-going attitude'.

Tim Mason rounded out the top three. In his final year of competing, the 30-year-old entrepreneur also took home the Agri-Sports Challenge.

Waihi Young Farmer and experienced competitor Wayne Hofmann won the Meridian Energy Agri-knowledge challenge, but was unable to make the top three.

The Grand Final of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year will take place on July 6-8 in the Manawatu, with seven Grand Finalists from around New Zealand including Otago/Southland's Nigel Woodhead, Aorangi's Arjan Van't Klooster, Tasman's Andrew Wiffen, Northern's Lisa Kendall and Waikato/Bay of Plenty's Richard French. Two regional finals are yet to be held.

¦ More photos from the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Regional FMG Young Farmer of the Year, including AgriKids and TeenAg events and analysis of module results, will be published in The Country on Tuesday, April 11.