News
The south does it again ! Nigel Woodhead has won the ultra prestigious FMG Young Farmer of The Year title at the contest finals function over the weekend.
The sheep and beef farmer from the Milton area continues the Otago-Southland region’s rich history in producing the nation’s top young farmers.
Well done and congratulations Nigel
Mal
More than half of the 2017 Young Farmer of the Year awards have been won by Lincoln University alumni, including the top spot of Young Farmer of the Year.
Handing over the title was the 2016 Young Farmer winner Athol New, who is also a Lincoln University graduate, having achieved his bachelor of agricultural commerce degree in 2009 and now manages several dairy farms at Dunsandel.
FMG Young Farmer of the Year winner for 2017, announced last evening, is Nigel Woodhead, who represented Otago Southland. Mr Woodhead studied Agricultural Science at Lincoln University. He also took out the 2017 Agri-Skills Challenge award.
Third place winner this year was Lincoln University alumni, Andrew Wiffen who represented Tasman. The 29 year old West Coast Dairy farmer graduated from Lincoln University with a Commerce and Agriculture degree and worked on dairy farms in Canterbury before setting up a 200-cow dairy farm near Hokitika, with his family.
Agri-Growth Challenge winner, Lisa Kendall, represented the Northern region studied Agriculture and Farm Management at Lincoln University and is one of only four women to ever compete in the Young Farmer of the Year final. She worked on a dairy and sheep farms after she graduated and today she owns and operates ag-support service company Nurture farming.
Hynds Agri-sport Challenge winner Arjan van’t Klooster studied Agricultural Commerce at Lincoln University. Mr van’t Klooster, who is 25 years old, and his fiancee Kelsi Chamberlain, own a 164ha 600-cow farm at Glenavy and are also lower order sharemilkers, milking 1200 cows on his parents’ farm.
RESULTS FMG Young Farmer of the Year:
- First Nigel Woodhead, Otago Southland
- Second, Hamish Best, East Coast
- Third, Andrew Wiffen, Tasman
- AGMARDT Agri-business Challenge winner: Hamish Best
- Massey University Agri-Growth Challenge: Lisa Kendall
- Ravensdown Agri-Skills Challenge : Nigel Woodhead
- Hynds Agri-sport Challenge: Arjan van’t Klooster
- Meridian Energy Agri-knowledge Quiz and Speech challenge: Hamish Best