NZYF chief executive Lynda Coppersmith says the group is looking for a more streamlined format this year. Photo:
A record number of women have been competing at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition.
The regional finals of the competition are due to kick off next month, and the stakes are high for one of the most prestigious primary industry awards.
FMG Young Farmer of the year is the flagship event for the non-profit organisation, and the competition has run annually since 1969.
There are seven Regional Finals running across New Zealand between February and April.
Each region will decide who will be competing at the FMG Young Farmer of the year Grand Final, help in Timaru in July.
New Zealand Young Farmer chairperson, Jessie Waites, said this season 40 percent of competitors were female.
"We've seen more women reach the grand final and it's given females in New Zealand that courage to enter and see how far they can go," Waites said.
She said the winner would receive one of the most prestigious awards in the primary sector.
"The recognition and the respect that the winners receive from winning this contest is massive."
"Young farmers can really set themselves up with a bright future, and of course, the prize pool is insane," Waites said.
Jacinta Kete, 22, is one of eight contestants heading for the Taranaki Manawatu FMG Young Farmer of the Year regional final.
The fulltime working mother works as an assistant manager, milking 270 cows in Awatuna, Taranaki.
Kete said it was a rewarding career. "Everyone's always stoked to hear about women in the agricultural industry, especially women who are doing well," she said.
Two NZYF Regions, Northern and the Waikato Bay of Plenty, will be trialling a new contest format. These will be two-day events, with day one resembling the traditional district contest and day two aligning more closely with a regional final.
The end goal remains the same - to find the region's best contestant to represent them as Grand Finalists, NZYF chief executive, Lynda Coppersmith said.
"We know that FMG Young Farmer of the Year is a long season normally and it puts a lot of pressure on our member volunteers to deliver a lot of events.
"We're trialling this to look at ways that we can still find New Zealand's best Young Farmer, but in a way that is potentially more streamlined."
