New Zealand Young Farmers chief executive Lynda Coppersmith said farmers everywhere were “still buzzing” after this year’s Grand Final winner, Emma Poole, made history as the first woman ever to top the podium.
“I’d love to see Emma’s win give more young people the confidence to stand up and give it a go,” she said.
“Last year around 40 per cent of competitors were female and we’d love to see that figure go even higher in 2024.”
Coppersmith said she was looking forward to an action-packed event in the “mighty Waikato”.
“The Waikato region really is a slice of paradise. It’s heartland, rural New Zealand and it has a long and proud farming history.”
The event, while popular with contestants, is also a fan favourite.
Season 55′s Grand Final in Timaru attracted thousands of spectators, culminating in a substantial boost to the local economy over three days.
Coppersmith said spectators didn’t have to be from a rural background to enjoy the contest.
“It doesn’t matter whether or not you have a farming bone in your body, you’ll love being part of the action.”
The Grand Final contestants represented the country’s very best young farmers, she said.
“The competition is fierce, with high-pressure challenges that could focus on any aspect of modern farming across the whole supply chain.”
Grand Final convenors and local Young Farmer members Nicole Cooper and Dannielle Imlig said they were looking forward to showcasing the Waikato region to the rest of the country.
“Hamilton has got so much to offer. While we’re renowned for our dairy farming we’ve recently been branching out into other areas, including sugarcane, blueberries and kiwifruit,” Cooper said.
Imlig agreed.
“If you go further afield to the coast you’ll find mussel farms, so we’re a lot more diverse than people realise.”
Usually, a series of one-day district competitions kickstart the contest, but this year’s format looks a little different with both the district and regional competitions rolled into a single weekend.
Day one will resemble the traditional district contest while day two will align more closely with a regional final.
“It means we don’t have to organise 14 separate district competitions, which will be a huge weight off our incredible team of volunteers who support us year in, year out,” Coppersmith said.
“They put so many hours into each competition, so hopefully, by streamlining the contest in this way we’ll be able to take off some of the pressure.”
The new format was trialled in the Northern and Waikato/Bay of Plenty Regions last year.
If all goes well this season, it could become a permanent fix.
Season 56 entries for all three levels of the contest will open on Wednesday, October 18, October 2023 on the New Zealand Young Farmers’ website.
