Mid Canterbury kids have held their own at this year’s prestigious FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest.

The contest, held In Hamilton over the weekend, saw James Clark and Jack Foster from Mount Hutt College come in second in the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year section.

As year 13 students, this was the pair’s third and final year entering the junior section of the competition, which Clark describes as a “great experience”.

“It’s a great competition.

“You get to meet some really good people and do some cool things. You get to meet some people who are high up in agribusiness companies and get to network, which will probably help us later in life.

“It opened my eyes to a whole lot of different sectors rather than just the arable side of things I would normally see on the farm.”

The duo competed against 13 schools from all over the country, participating in challenges that evaluated their practical skills and agricultural knowledge.

Shamus Young and Hayden Drummond from Otago Boys High School secured the top spot. Despite not winning, Clark was pleased with the points they earned in the practical skills section, which he considered to be the most enjoyable part of the competition.

“We got to fix a fence, plumb up a water trough, and build a little box. All the practical stuff was the best part.”

Clark said the pair found the speech element of the competition the most challenging.

“We are just a couple of teenage boys who don’t like English or speaking in front of people.

“So that was probably the hardest thing for us.”

Clark encouraged any other high school students who might consider entering the event to “give it a go”.

“It’s a great way to experience agriculture; if you get decently far, there are great prizes.

“It’s a very profitable competition if you do well.”

Clark will be eligible to compete in the main contest next year and intends to enter for a chance at the 2025 FMG Young Farmer of the Year title.

“I don’t know how far we will get because it’s a hotly contested contest, but we will give it a crack.”

Mid Canterbury also had success in the AgrikidsNZ section of the event, where primary school children competed in a range of challenges, including modules, quizzes and an AgrikidsNZ race.

Longbeach Primary School Students Henry Pottinger, Edward White, and George Lash came in second, with a trio from Te Waotu School taking out the Grand Champion title.

By Claire Inkson