Young winemakers
2015 saw the first ever Young Winemaker of the Year competition held in New Zealand.
It wasn't all luck for the 30-year-old Eketahuna dairy farmer.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity," Brown says. Having a solid support team was essential for his success. "I had a wide range of people behind me to offer their expertise and help me up skill."
Brown, chairman of the Fitzherbert Young Farmers Club, narrowly took the win by three points followed by Nigel Will of the Marton Young Farmers Club in second, Karl Dean of the Central Taranaki Young Farmers Club was a close third, and Calvin Ball of the Massey University Young Farmers Club placed fourth.
In addition to securing his place at the Grand Final, Auckland, May 16-18, Brown received his share of the prize pack valued at $9000. The prizes included cash from ANZ and AGMARDT, a Lincoln University Scholarship, and products from Ravensdown, Silver Fern Farms, Honda, and Husqvarna.
Brown also took the AGMARDT Agri-business and Ravensdown Agri-skills Challenges. Calvin Ball won the Lincoln University Agri-growth Challenge and Pete Fitz-Herbert was successful in the Silver Fern Farms Agri-sport Challenge.
Brown is driven to win by the prestige of the contest and looks to previous contest champions for inspiration. "Winners are held in high regard and looked at as leaders in the industry. There is a reputation to live up to".
Cam has a few career goals in mind and is looking to take the next step towards a 50/50 sharemilking operation.
He is also hopeful for the future of the agriculture industry. "There is exciting potential for change in the industry and the red meat sector, particularly with issues like procurement," he says.
Brown holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Agri-business and is married to Anna with two children Charlie, 2, and Oliver, 3 months.
The Taranaki/Manawatu AgriKidsNZ and TeenAg Regional Finals were also held over the weekend.
"There were some very eager and keen competitors; it was great to see the first all-girls teams make it into the top three for both the AgriKidsNZ and TeenAg Competitions," says AgriKidsNZ and TeenAg project leader, Josie Hampton.
In first place for AgriKidsNZ was Milky Bar Kids, Caleb Dymond, Rickey Howells and Cameron Hasler from Ngaere School. In second, The Moo Maas, Rebecca Brown, Ethan Martin and Jackson Taylor also from Ngaere School followed by The Harvesters, Georgia Green, Maddy Cheer and Andrea Black of South Makirikiri School in third.
TeenAg saw the Mighty Angus in first place, Ben Werthmuller and Adam Howarth of Palmerston North Boys High School. Bren & Sezz placed second with Brenna Coleman and Sarah Greenwood from Fielding High School followed by Pine Tree 101, Ben Simpson and Harry Gibbs from Palmerston North Boys High School.
The top three teams from each competition are invited to the Grand Final in Auckland on May 17.
For more information head to www.youngfarmercontest.co.nz
