Marton Young Farmers Club member David Reesby was a grand finalist in this year's FMG Young Farmer of the Year. Photo/ NZYF
Young Farmers from the Taranaki-Manawatū region competed in the annual New Zealand Young Farmers National Tournament Series.
On July 7 in Whangārei, the Young Farmers competed in fencing, stock judging, and clay target shooting as part of the series.
Eloise Campbell, from Inglewood Young Farmers, was joined by Marton Young Farmers Georgina Campbell and Holly Powell for the stock judging.
They were donned in smart attire and boots and spent the morning judging dairy cattle, beef cattle, and dairy goats in the NZ Farmers Livestock Stock Judging tournament.
The three won the top region in the NZ Farmers Livestock Stock Judging.
Individually, Eloise placed third in the beef cattle section, Georgina placed third in the dairy goats section, and Holly placed third in the dairy cattle section.
Marton Young Farmers members Sarah Lockhart and Sean Taylor were up bright and early to compete in the Goldpine fencing. They braved muddy conditions, completing a very tidy fence line, which showcased their fencing skills.
Later in the morning Opiki Young Farmer Ira Martinac and Marton Young Farmer Angus Brodie put on a spectacle with their shooting precision, participating in the Hunting and Fishing clay target shooting.
Ira placed first in the Hunting and Fishing Clay target shooting.
Taranaki Manawatū regional chairwoman Kate Stewart says it's always fantastic to see the members put their skills to the test and be well supported in the tournament series.
"They all did our region incredibly proud."
After fiercely competing for the titles during the day, the NZYF Tournament Series winners were announced at the Norwood National Awards that night.
In the evening, the winners of the Best of 2021 club, regional, events and member contributions took place.
Inglewood Young Farmers received the club membership award for outstanding membership growth, recognising their hard work to create a welcoming and thriving club environment.
Palmerston North's Fitzherbert Club received the health and safety award for their utilisation of interactive and virtual meetings through Covid protection framework restrictions.
They also received the award for the series of Farm Fit wellbeing events they ran with Kane Briscoe from Farm Fit.
The Young Farmers Taranaki Manawatū region was also awarded the best regional final for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest, for season 54.
The award recognised an excellent contest convened by Kurt Armstrong, Georgia Young and Kate Stewart in March at Feilding High Schools farm.
Dairy farmer, and Marton Young Farmers member, David Reesby represented the Taranaki Manawatū region as a grand finalist in the prestigious FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest for season 54.
Having undertaken months of mental and physical preparation, all was put on a show to the public on Friday, July 8, during a gruelling practical day at the Barge Showgrounds and an evening speech competition.
Season 54 ended in an evening of celebrations at the Mckay Stadium on a Saturday night, where the contestants took the stage for one final challenge - a live quiz.
Tim Dangen from Northland was crowned national winner of FMG Young Farmer of the Year. Members from across the Taranaki Manawatū celebrated with David Reesby, proud of his incredible journey in the contest.
Ashley Primrose, NZYF National Committee representative for Taranaki Manawatū, says David had a smile on his face the entire time.
"He was phenomenal. We are so proud of his achievements and the way he inspires others to get involved in Young Farmers. At just 21 years old, it's very possible Reesby will be back to take out the coveted title."
Regional committee member Robyn Engels also noted how well the Junior FMG Young Farmer of the Year contestants and Agri-kids competitors did.
Taranaki-Manawatū Young Farmers Levi Fleming, William Russell, Nikki Baker and Jade Askin competed for the national title of FMG Junior Young Farmers of the Year.
While teams from the region, the Huntley Hill Lovers, the Huntley Hurricanes, and the Hiwinui Hunterways, competed in the AgriKidsNZ Final.
"They are so talented. The practical, technical and theoretical elements really test young competitors' knowledge of food and fibre and challenge their teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Seeing their performance we know the future of food and fibre is in good hands."
Ashley says it is great to have members and young competitors come together and compete, support and celebrate the skills, growth and connections of our current and future Young Farmers.
"The region is already preparing for skills days, and district and regional level contests for the upcoming season. Next year's national competitions will be hosted in Timaru, in the Aorangi Region."
David encourages people to join Young Farmers.
"I would encourage everyone to join Young farmers and get involved with the competition. You'll have nothing to lose and everything to prove."