ANZ Young Farmer Contest District Finals Commence

ANZ Young Farmer Contest District Finals Commence

Young Farmers around the country are dusting off their red bands and sharpening their toolkits as the 2015 season of the ANZ Young Farmer Contest begins with District Finals this weekend.

The competition starts on Saturday 4th October with the first district finals held in Mid-Canterbury’s Pendarves, and Bay of Plenty’s Tihoi.

Over 250 Young Farmers competed in last years’ district finals and NZYF National Events Manager, Pip Cox is optimistic about an even larger turnout this season, “combined with a fantastic prize pool, young farmers from around the country are keen to get out and show off their skills to their peers as well as industry leaders”.

The top eight contestants from each region will go through to their regional final and battle it out for their share of the $14,000 worth of prizes and a spot in the Grand final where they will vie for the coveted title of ANZ Young Farmer Contest Champion and a piece of the $117,000 prize pool.

The level of complexity and skills needed increases as the competition progresses from district level to regionals and lastly, to the Grand Final.

The seven Grand Finalists, one from each region, will meet in Taupo from July 2nd – 4th 2015 for a grueling three days of competition where contestants will be put through a diverse range of practical, theoretical and technical challenges covering all aspects of agriculture including an HR challenge and a business presentation.

The Grand Final concludes in a live-televised show where the contestants are questioned on anything and everything agriculture.

The ANZ Young Farmer Contest is New Zealand’s Ultimate Rural Challenge. It inspires excellence,

showcases innovation and growth in the agriculture sector and aims to help develop young Kiwi farmers to become the leaders of tomorrow.

The Contest not only offers cash prizes and products from ANZ, Ravensdown, Silver Fern Farms, Honda, Vodafone and Husqvarna, there are also several scholarships and awards for career development programs from AGMART and Lincoln University.

Entry for the ANZ Young Farmer Contest is open and free for all NZYF members between the ages of 15 – 31 (entrants must be under 31 years of age on 1st January 2015).

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