Northland farmer Caleb Eady has been crowned Northern FMG Young Farmer of the Year.
Eady, 30, was declared the winner after two days of intense competition held at the Mangakahia Sports and Community Complex near Whangārei.
His win secured him the only remaining spot in the Season 56 FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final.
He will now prepare to face six other regional champions in the ultimate showdown, set to take place in Hamilton in July.
“You always want to win, but I was just taking it one step at a time. I knew the other contestants well and knew they were tough, so making it to [the regional competition] felt like a big win in itself,” said Eady.
He is no stranger to the contest, after convening the Season 55 Northern Regional Final, and being an active part of the Young Farmers’ community for many years.
“I’ll be ageing out of Young Farmers soon, so making it to the Grand Final is a pretty cool way to see out my time in the organisation.”
Eady operates a fencing business in Northland and leases a beef farm with dairy grazers and a small calf-rearing operation. When asked about the best part of the weekend, Eady was excited about the practical challenges thrown at the contestants.
“The farmlet played right into my fencing strengths, as did building a gate and dealing with water issues in the head-to-heads.”
Franklin Young Farmers member Sam Waugh, 31, clinched second place by only two points. Kaipara Young Farmers member Zarnie Fergusson, 30, secured the third spot on the podium for the third year in a row.
The next generation was also out competing, with Hanna Smith and Sophie Chandler from Mount Albert Grammar taking out the Northern FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year title for 2024.
Meanwhile, Grayson Putt, Dylan Ivey and Olsyn Yearbury from Kamo Intermediate School were the 2024 Northern AgriKidsNZ Champions.
Last year’s Northern FMG Junior winners, Tessa Berger and Mary Innes from Mahurangi College, placed second in the Northern FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year Competition.
Runner-up and third in the AgriKidsNZ contest were Alfred Neumann, Charlie Reed and Mackenzie MacDonald from Whangarei Intermediate School and Rubee Mortensen, Kaia De Goldi and Amber Lironi-Irvine, who are homeschooled.
