FMG Young Farmer title finalists
Four dairy farmers are among the seven finalists vying for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year title.
DEFENDING TASMAN champion, Reuben Carter, is the first Grand Finalist to be named for the 2014 ANZ Young Farmer Contest.
The 30-year-old agronomist took first place at the Tasman Regional Final in Murchison at the A&P Show over the weekend, Saturday, February 15.
Carter had a dominant performance leading for most of the day and took out both the Silver Fern Farms Agri-Sports and Ravensdown Agri-Skills Challenges giving him solid platform going into the evening show.
The Christchurch City Club member went home with a prize pack worth over $10,000 including cash, scholarships and products and services from ANZ, Lincoln University, Ravensdown, AGMARDT, Silver Fern Farms, Honda, Husqvarna and Vodafone.
Second place went to Andrew Wiffen, 26, of the Renwick Club. Mr Wiffen took home $2,900 worth of prizes and also won the Lincoln University Agri-Growth Challenge.
Sarah O'Connell, 29, of the Dunsandel Club, placed third and was also the top scorer in the AGMARDT Agri-Business Challenge.
And, in a close fourth, was James Hoban, of the Hurunui Club.
Carter is off to the Grand Final in Christchurch, 3-5 July where he will battle it out for the Champion's title and over $300,000 in prizes.
For more information visit www.youngfarmers.co.nz
The government has announced a major restructuring of the country's seven crown research institutes (CRIs), which will see them merged into three public research organisations (PROs).
Hamish and Rachel Hammond jumped at the chance to put their university learning into practice by taking up a contract milking offer right after graduation.
"We couldn't do this without our team. They are integral to everything." That's the first thing that Te Awamutu dairy farmers Jayson and Stacey Thompson have to say about their team.
OPINION: The Canadian government's love affair with its lifestyle dairy farmers has got it into trouble once again.
Volatile input costs, fluctuating commodity prices, a reduction in direct payments and one of the wettest periods in decades that resulted in a disastrous harvest, have left their mark and many UK farming businesses worse off.
European milk processors are eyeing more cheese and milk powder exports into South America following a landmark trade agreement signed last month.
OPINION: The end-of-year booze-up at the posh Northern Club in Auckland must have been a beauty, as the legal 'elite'…
OPINION: It divides opinion, but the House has passed the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill.