Tim Dangen, who is competing in the Northern regional final of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest at Kerikeri, and his sister Emma, who is in the contest's Taranaki/Manawatu regional final.
Tim Dangen, who is competing in the Northern regional final of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest at Kerikeri, and his sister Emma, who is in the contest's Taranaki/Manawatu regional final.
The Northern regional final of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest will be held at the Kerikeri Domain on March 17 with an evening show, hosted by television personality Te Radar, to take place at the Kerikeri Sports Complex.
The winner at Kerikeri will compete will compete against finalists from other regions around New Zealand in the 50th annual FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest at Invercargill on July 5-7.
Eight Young Farmers will compete at Kerikeri, with two of them — Colin Beazley and Guy Bakewell — aged 30, so this will be their last chance to take out the title before they are ineligible to enter again.
Contestants are:
Young Farmer regional finalist Colin Beazley and his wife Isabella are also among five finalists in the Sharefarmer of the Year section of the 2018 Northland Dairy Industry Awards.
With his wife Isabella, he 50:50 sharemilks 350 cows on a split-calving farm at Wellsford. Estimated production this season is 140,000kgMS. They are also among five finalists in the Sharefarmer of the Year section of the 2018 Northland Dairy Industry Awards.
"I lived in the Bay of Islands area for 15 years, which might give me a hometown advantage in the Young Farmers' regional final," Colin said. He is originally from North Hokianga, moving at age seven to Kaikohe, where he attended primary and secondary school.
Colin has finished fourth in the regional final twice before and was runner-up last year.
Also a 50:50 sharemilker at Wellsford, he is milking 170 cows on 80ha once a day. Guy grew up in Palmerston North and milked his first cow when he was 16.
Guy attended the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre in Masterton, where he met his wife Jaye in 2004.
They married in 2009 and now have a daughter, born in June last year, a fortnight after they moved to Wellsford from Taupo, where he managed an 800-cow dairy farm for two years.
Guy has a Diploma in Business Studies from Massey University. He was based in Ruawai when he came second in the Young Farmers' Northern regional competition in 2015 and he has also competed in the Waikato competition.
Daniel Bradbury.
Daniel Bradbury
28, grew up in the United Kingdom but came to New Zealand as an 18-year-old and met a young German woman when they were both milking a herd of 1400 cows while backpacking on the West Coast. After a year here they returned to Britain and worked on farms before moving to Northland in 2014 where they are now contract milking 515 cows at Kawakawa.
Daniel said they hoped to be 50:50 sharemilking within three years. "New Zealand offers an opportunity to participate in the dairy industry which is rare in the rest of the world."
Tim Dangen
25, attended Lincoln University on a future leader scholarship, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce (agriculture) degree.
He jointly owns a 105ha farm with his parents at Muriwai, rearing 550 Friesian/Hereford cross calves which are grown on at a 190ha Kaipara property which they lease. "This is my first time competing in a regional final. It'll be a great opportunity to learn different skills," Tim said.
One of his four sisters, Emma, 22, is competing in the Taranaki/Manawatu regional final.
Rachael Blackley
Rachael Blackley
was raised on a 809ha sheep and beef farm near Whangarei and has previously competed in the Young Farmers' contest at district level but this will be her first time in the regional final.
As the only woman among the eight contestants, she was "feeling a bit of pressure, but should be okay". "I'm more about learning than winning," Rachael said. "I just want to show the little girls out there that we can do it."
The 25-year-old has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree from Massey University and is secretary of Whangarei Young Farmers. She manages a 480-cow split-calving property owned by Douglas Farms.
26, is a Frenchman who is a qualified mechanical engineer. He speaks Spanish and English along with his native tongue and has worked in Africa for a hydraulic pump maintenance company.
Clement moved to New Zealand in 2013 and first worked as a mechanic in Auckland. But he had grown up on a cropping farm and wanted to see the country so he tried being a wwoofer (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms worker) on a dairy farm, liked it and the following season became an assistant to the sharemilker.
He now manages a 540-cow Jersey stud north of Whangarei and is a finalist in the dairy manager section of the 2018 Northland Dairy Industry Awards.
"Competing is the best way to learn and help progress my career," Clement said. He first competed in the Young Farmers' contest in 2016 and was placed third in the Northern final last year.
26, manages a 1450ha dairy and beef operation at Maungaturoto for his parents. The farm has five staff, milks 750 cows, rears more than 500 calves and fattens 350 Friesian/Angus bulls.
He took up the management role after returning in 2016 from two years overseas. A qualified fitter and turner, he worked as a diesel mechanic in Canada and harvested cotton in Australia.
John competed in the Northern regional final of the Young Farmers' contest at Waipu in 2012, won by Katherine Tucker, who became the third woman to compete in the grand final of the national competition.
Sam Moscrip
Sam Moscrip
21, is the youngest competitor and is relishing the opportunity of participating in his first regional final.
"I enjoy continuing to learn new skills and challenging myself against other young farmers," he said.
Sam has a Bachelor of Agriculture Commerce from Lincoln University, where he was a future leader scholar and chairman of Lincoln Young Farmers in 2015-16.
He is a herd manager on a 400-cow family dairy farm at Hukerenui and is a finalist in the dairy manager section of the 2018 Northland Dairy Industry Awards.
