James Robbie Photo: Supplied
A young man who switched from working in insurance to working the land was one of the finalists for Beef and Lambs emerging leaders award.
Twenty-three year-old, James Robbie, says he simply woke up one morning an decided he wanted to head back to the family farm.
Now working as the head shepherd at Otapawa Station in the Taraua District - he's taken an active advocacy role in the sector.
Sally Murphy caught up with him ahead of the awards in Christchurch this week.
And on the night - Amy Hoogenboom took out the award - after studying veterinary science she shifted her focus and is now the beef genetics manager for Zoetis where she helps create on-farm solutions for raising beef cattle.
