Tasman’s Best: George Letham Earns Spot At FMG Young Farmer Of The Year Grand Final

A Lincoln-based Young Farmer has inched closer to national victory after being crowned Tasman’s top young farmer.

George Letham, a Banks Peninsula Young Farmers member, was announced as the winner of the Tasman FMG Young Farmer of the Year on Saturday evening, after spending the day competing in a series of challenges at the Malvern A&P Show.

The FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition celebrates top talent in New Zealand’s food and fibre sector. Now in its 57th year, it remains the country’s most prestigious farming award, with the overall winner's prize pool exceeding $90,000 thanks to the Contest's Sponsor family.

“It’s a pretty cool feeling now that it’s sunk in!”

“I was a bit surprised to see my name at the top of the leaderboard heading into the quiz. It definitely changed my strategy – I focused on getting as many points as I could without risking too many,” Letham explains.

After competing in 2024, Letham had a bit more experience under his belt and an understanding of how the Contest works.

“After entering last year, it was nice coming into the competition with a bit more knowledge of how it all works – especially the farmlet and where you can really pick up points.”

“There was quite a mix of challenges and modules this year. I was hanging out for a dairy module, but there wasn’t much of that, it definitely kept me on my toes! It was a great mix overall and gave a solid snapshot of the Canterbury area.”

With a strong dairying background, growing up on a dairy farm near Rakaia, Letham said the sheep-focused challenges are always interesting.

“Sheep shearing had me a bit worried! Luckily I managed to get the fleece off without any major issues, but I was definitely sweating,” he laughs. “The handpiece is always a foreign piece of kit for me.”

Participants entered one of three categories based on age, ranging from the AgriKidsNZ competition for primary school pupils, the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year for High School Students, and the tightly fought FMG Young Farmer of the Year category, where just six contestants battled it out for the top spot.

Letham edged his way to victory by clocking up the most points on the day, defeating Lincoln Young Farmers member Cameron Brans. Sam Smithers from Dunsandel Young Farmers, secured the final spot on the podium.

With a number of individual challenges thrown their way, including a head-to-head, general knowledge ‘buzzer-style’ quiz and sponsor-led modules, contestants were tested on a broad range of practical skills, technical know-how, and their ability to cope under pressure.

Competing in the Agri-Sports challenge in front of the crowd at the Malvern A&P Show was a standout moment for Letham.

“It was really cool getting amongst the atmosphere of the show for the last challenge of the day,” he says. “Having the whole crowd watching you added a layer of expectation and pressure – but it was also the perfect way to prepare for the Grand Final.”

With the Grand Final just a few months away, Letham’s preparation is already underway.

“There’s a lot of study to squeeze in between now and July,” he says. “I definitely need to brush up on everything sheep farming – and make sure my fencing skills are tidied up too.”

The AgriKidsNZ competition was another crowd-favourite. After a busy morning with over 90 primary school children being challenged to their industry know-how, it was a Seddon School domination.

Fred Maher, Manawa Doonan and Liam Underwood emerged as the region’s victors, with Henry Molineux, Otis Norton and Flynn O’Connor placing second. Emma March, Isabella Pitts and Maddy Lunn secured the final golden ticket to the Grand Final.

Meanwhile, in the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year competition, John Lundy and Harrison Parish from Rangiora High School took out the title of Tasman FMG Junior Young Farmers of the Year, ahead of Jack Higinbottom and Henry Hanrahan from St Bede’s College.

Along with Letham, the top AgriKidsNZ and FMG Junior teams will now represent the Tasman region in July’s Grand Final in Invercargill.

The FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest is proudly supported by FMG, Ravensdown, Woolworths, Ministry for Primary Industries, Milwaukee, Honda, Lincoln University, Massey University, PTS Logistics, New Holland and Bushbuck.

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