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Emma Poole at the completion of the head to head
Pirongia dairy farmer Emma Poole has been crowned the Waikato Bay of Plenty FMG Young Farmer of the Year.
Poole, 28, from Te Kawa West Young Farmers is a second-time Regional Final winner and will head to the Grand Final in Timaru in July.
She takes the title off her husband, Chris Poole, who was the Season 54 Waikato Bay of Plenty FMG Young Farmer of the Year.
The competition runs in Poole’s family as her brother, Tim Dangen, took out the title of FMG Young Farmer of the Year at last year’s Grand Final.
“It’s safe to say we’re pretty competitive in our family,” Poole says.
Poole was announced as the winner of the Waikato Bay of Plenty FMG Young Farmer of the Year in Morrinsville on Saturday evening, after spending the weekend competing in a range of activities at the Morrinsville A&P Show.
The two-day event is the first of its kind in the Contest’s 55-year history. Usually, District Contests are held months in advance of the Regional Final, but the new format aims to streamline the process by running a District Final on day one and then hitting with a Regional Final on day two.
Poole spent Friday battling it out against 16 other Young Farmers. She was one of eight to make it through to the Regional Final on Saturday, before being crowned the overall winner.
“Going into the contest the only thing on my mind was making it into the Grand Final,” she says. “After coming up short in 2019, I felt like now was the perfect time to give it another crack. Chris and I have a one-year-old son, so I have something bigger motivating me this time around.”
Saturday’s challenges were the weekend’s major highlight – competitors went head-to-head with two faced-paced challenges, as well as having to complete a farmlet which included riparian planting, fencing, and building a feeder out of pallets.
“The challenges were quite physical, so being a female, you wonder if you have what it takes when you’re competing against men who have an advantage in that area, but I pushed through, and I’m so stoked with the result. I feel like it shows women can do anything,” Poole says.
As well as calling on her family’s wisdom, Poole says she’ll incorporate preparation into day-to-day on-farm tasks. She explains that her focus will be building up her physical strength and fitness.
“Between Chris, Tim and I, we all have different strengths, so I will be able to pick their brains on some things that I’m not so good at. At the end of the day, winning or not winning, being able to put on a quality display will be my priority.”
Edward Roskam, also from Te Kawa West Young Farmers placed second, with Cameron Wratt from Morrinsville Ngarua Young Farmers securing the final spot on the podium.
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