News
Gore sheep farmer Logan Wallace has joined the race to be crowned the 50th FMG Young Farmer of the Year.
The 28-year-old has been named the Otago/Southland FMG Young Farmer of the Year for a second time.
He reclaimed the title after taking out thehotly-contested Otago/Southland Regional Final in Winton tonight.
The event saw eight finalists tackle a series of gruelling modules, including a fast-pacedagri-knowledge quiz.
It was his fourth time competing in a regional final.
“I’m stoked with the result. The organising committee did an awesome job,” Logan told the 300-strong crowd at the Winton Memorial Hall.
The win has secured the sheep farmer a spot in the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final in Invercargill in July.
“I’d like to thank my parents in advance for all the hard work they’re going to be putting in looking after the farm over the next couple of months,” he said.
Logan represented the Otago/Southland region at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final in Timaru in 2016.
“I learned a lot last time. I know my weaknesses that I need to work on. So, if I can pull them up, that will help a lot.”
Logan’s win netted him almost $12,000 worth of prizes, including an XR150 Honda farm bike.
He also won the Meridian Energy Agri-Knowledge Challenge and took out the Agri-Sports Challenge.
Agricultural consultant Alan Harvey came second and won the coveted Ravensdown Agri-Skills Challenge.
Wyndham sheep and beef farmer Matt McRae took out third place and the Massey University Agri-Growth Challenge.
Rural banker Linda Taggart won and the AGMARDT Agri-Business Challenge.
Logan will face-off against six other finalists in July, including West Coast dairy farmer Andrew Wiffen who placed third in last year’s Grand Final.
The Young Farmer of the Year is an iconic agricultural contest which began in 1969.