Finalists lining up for big event

Young farmers compete in agrisports at a regional Young Farmer of the Year contest in 2015.

With district competitions finished, eight young farmers are now preparing to battle it out in the Manawatu-Taranaki FMG Young Farmer of the Year regional contest in April.

The eight include three from the Marton Young Farmers' Club - Will Taylor, Nigel Will and Michael McCombs. Mr Taylor and Mr McCombs are both district competition winners.

But a returnee from Taranaki may be the one to beat on April 22 at the TSB Hub in Hawera.

He is James Lawn, 27, from coastal Taranaki.

A former DairyNZ consultant in Otago, he has recently returned from travelling the world.

He's visited 49 countries, spent time on a large grain operation in Western Australia and worked on a dairy farm in the United Kingdom.

He also has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree from Massey University.

He cleaned up at the district contest in Okato on December 10, with 29-year-old Toko sheep and beef farmer Nick Brown coming second.

"It may be a while since he's entered a contest, but he didn't appear at all rusty and may be the one to beat this year in the region," FMG Young Farmer of the Year communications manager Nadine Porter said.

The eight people competing in the regional final at Hawera include one woman, Isabel Tait.

The winner at Hawera will go forward to the national final in Manawatu on July 6-8.

The FMG Young Farmer of the Year contests of the past 12 months have been the first where female competitors have out outnumbered males. Of the competitors, 58 per cent have been female.

A total of six women are competing in this year's regional finals.

In the previous 49 years, only three women have made the grand final.

Two were placed seventh and in 2001 Louise Collingwood was runner-up.