ACC backs young farmers with FMG Young Farmer of the Year partnership
The Government has announced that ACC will be a sponsor of this year's FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition.
Around 800 people are getting ready to head to Whangārei for the three-day FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final.
Held from 7 to 9 July, seven FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Finalists, 28 FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year competitors and 63 AgriKidsNZ competitors from across the country will battle it out for their respective national titles.
They are the top contestants from their regions, having qualified in Regional Finals held earlier this year. Senior competitors had to qualify for the Regional Finals through District Contests held in September last year.
Alongside the Grand Final, the New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) Tournament Series finals will bring in 47 competitors plus judges (seven fencing teams competing in pairs, 20 Stock Judges and 13 Clay target shooters).
The Final marks the biggest event series in the NZYF calendar.
Grand Final convener Natalie Lynch says the team is looking forward to showcasing the best of Northland’s agriculture industry and showing off the region to the NZYF community.
"We've kept two things at the forefront of our minds when planning and that was wanting to challenge our contestants to show what they're made of in terms of their agricultural skills, but we also want a spectacle. We want it to be awesome to watch for everyone, regardless of their experience within the sector," Lynch says.
She says everything will have a bit of a ‘Northland flavour’ this year.
"A lot of people involved in Northland's sector are wearers of many hats, so there will be no straight farming skillset required on the day. There will be lots of different challenges contestants will have to face that relate to our industry, not exclusively on-farm."
"We really encourage everyone to come down and watch, there truly be something for everyone. We can't wait to showcase the best and brightest of Young Farmers and Whangārei."
Developing pasture species that enable farm animals to produce less biogenic methane and nitrous oxide is a critical tool in NZ's quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker says the winners of this year’s New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are leading the way in productivity, sustainability and profitability.
A dinner, debate and auction event with a difference held for the first time in 2025 is back by popular demand to celebrate the start of Fieldays 2026.
Federated Farmers has been urged to consider establishing a policy on artificial intelligence (AI).
As the Agri Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) begins the process of winding down, the organisation’s general manager Julia Jones says there’s still a place for its programmes within the industry.
Southland farmers staring down a May deadline to submit freshwater farm plans under current regional plan rules have been given an 18-month reprieve by the Government.

OPINION: The old saying 'a new broom sweeps clean' doesn't always hold up, if you ask the Hound.
OPINION: This old mutt went to school to eat his lunch, but still knows the future of the country, and…