increase font size
A Massey University veterinarian student has been crowned the Taranaki Manawatu FMG Young Farmer of the Year.
Twenty year old Mac Williams is the first grand finalist to be announced for Season 55.
Williams was announced as the winner on Saturday evening, after spending the day competing in a range of challenges at Riverbend Farms in Lepperton.
More than 100 spectators looked on as contestants were put through their paces.
The head-to-head challenges were a highlight: Contestants had just 30 minutes to build a beehive, cover a mini silage stack, fish for clams, and cut up a log. A classic sack race to the finish line was the last hurdle.
Williams found the head-to-head one of the hardest parts of the day.
“The time pressure of the head-to-heads added another element to the day, and the honey and beehive components involving a bit of guess work,” he says.
Brad Beatson, 31, from Marton Young Farmers placed second, with Zayn Jones, 30, from Fitzherbert Young Farmers securing the final spot on the podium.
The FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition is dedicated to showcasing the very best talent in New Zealand’s food and fibre sector. Now in its 55th year, the title of “FMG Young Farmer of the Year” is held up as the most prestigious farming awards in the country.
New Zealand Young Farmer Board chair Jessie Waite says this year’s Grand Final is shaping up to be one of the best yet.
“We’re starting to get a glimpse of the impressive array of skills and talent coming through with the next generation of young farmers. There’s so much happening right now in the primary sector with science, innovation and new technologies. The future of farming is certainly bright.”
Waite says she’s thankful for the support of volunteers and sponsors who continue to back the event, year after year.
New research suggests Aotearoa New Zealand farmers are broadly matching phosphorus fertiliser use to the needs of their soils, helping maintain relatively stable nutrient levels across the country’s agricultural land.
William John Poole, a third year Agribusiness student at Massey University, has been awarded the Dr Warren Parker and Pāmu Scholarship.
The head of Massey University's School of Agriculture and the Environment, Professor Paul Kenyon, says the outlook for the primary sector is positive with record numbers of students enrolling for Massey's range of undergraduate courses in the primary sector.
The most successful catchment groups in NZ are those that have 'a source to sea' approach.
Expect greater collaboration between Massey University’s school of Agriculture and Environment and Ireland’s leading agriculture university, the University College of Dublin (UCD), in the future.
Winning four of the big categories at the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards feels special, says Meyer Cheese general manager Miel Meyer.
Local cheesemakers are being urged to embrace competition from imports but also ensure their products are never invisible in the country.
Ireland's Minister of state for Agriculture says it’s hard to explain to Irish farmers the size and scale of NZ farms.
Dairy farming in New Zealand offers career progression and this has motivated 2026 Central Plateau Share Farmers of the Year Navdeep Singh and Jobanpreet Kaur.
A partnership between Canterbury milk processor Synlait and the world's largest food producer, Nestlé, has been celebrated with a visit to a North Canterbury farm by a group including senior staff from Synlait, the Ravensdown subsidiary EcoPond, and Nestlé's Switzerland head office.
Canterbury milk processor Synlait is blaming what it calls "a perfect storm" of setbacks for a big loss in its half year result for the six months ended January 31, 2026.
OPINION: If you ask this old mutt, the choice at the next election isn't shaping up as a contest of…
OPINION: A mate of yours says we're long overdue for a reckoning on what value farmers really get for the…
