Host club Amuri Basin fielding three finalists

Jonny Brown, Alex Knowles and Martin Bates

The Amuri Basin Young Farmers Club will have three clubmates competing when it hosts the Tasman region final of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest on Saturday.

The North Canterbury club, which was established only in 2013, is hosting the regional final for the first time.

Club members Georgie Lindsay, Matt Redmond and Woody Gardner will all be competing in their first regional final against three members of the dominant Dunsandel club and one finalist each from the West Coast and Nelson/Marlborough districts.

Ms Lindsay (23) is a shepherd at the 2400ha Marble Point Station, south of Hanmer Springs.

''I'm a bit nervous, but I'm also excited. It will be a good challenge, but it's daunting when you don't know what to expect.''

Mr Redmond (24) manages an 850-cow dairy farm at Culverden.

''It's going to be a fierce local battle and it'll be really interesting to see who wins.''

Mr Gardner (25) works on a family-owned 550ha dairy, sheep and cropping farm at Waiau.

He spent time in Western Australia in 2015 harvesting cereals, canola and peas and is a volunteer firefighter.

The other finalists are Alex Knowles, Jonny Brown and Martin Bates from the Dunsandel club, Peter O'Connor from the West Coast district and Stewart Watson from the Nelson/Marlborough district.

Ms Knowles (25) grew up on a dairy farm in the United Kingdom and is an agri-manager for Ravensdown.

''My aim is to learn how to shear a sheep between now and the regional final and to brush up on my welding skills.''

Mr Brown (27) is an assistant manager on a 1000-cow dairy farm at Rakaia.

Mr Bates, one of two returning regional finalists, contract milks 1200 cows across two irrigated farms at Charing Cross, near Burnham.

Mr O'Connor (20) is a student at Lincoln University, having grown up on a 600-cow dairy farm at Westport, and is the only West Coast finalist.

He previously competed in the TeenAg grand final in Timaru in 2016 while a pupil at St Bede's College in Christchurch.

Mr Watson (30) is the other returning finalist and represents the Nelson/Marlborough district.

He grew up in the United Kingdom and is an equity partner in a 550-cow dairy farm at Golden Bay.

Contestants will be put through their paces in a series of practical and theoretical modules at the Amuri Showgrounds in Rotherham, between Waiau and Culverden, before the evening show, hosted by comedian Te Radar at the Amuri Area School in Culverden.

The Tasman regional final winner will represent the region in the Young Farmer of the Year grand final in Hawke's Bay in July.

-By David Hill
Central Rural Life