Ben Fisher is a finalist in the Fieldays Rural Catch competition.
An Ōhaupō man is a finalist in the Fieldays Rural Catch competition.
Ben Fisher is a Dairy NZ farm manager who says he's excited to see what comes of the competition.
The contest was formerly known as the Rural Bachelor competition.
This year it has been revamped to become the Fieldays Rural Catch competition, with women competing for the first time ever.
Alongside Ben, three other men and four women will take part in various challenges to compete for the Golden Gumboot at the agricultural event at Mystery Creek.
Ben doesn't quite know what he's got himself into but he says he's excited and hopes he will meet someone.
"I'm single and it sounds like a lot of fun so why not give it a crack," says Ben.
The challenges involve fencing, quad bike skills, dog handling, cooking, finances and fitness.
He hasn't exactly been training for the challenges but working on a farm means he sometimes works with quad bikes and does fencing.
"I guess I've been practicing fencing — that's a part of my general work day," says Ben.
"I've also been trying with the fitness. I mean I've been on an odd run now and then."
Ben has already dusted off his mantelpiece at home for where he'll sit the Golden Gumboot.
He says he's confident and admits he is quite competitive.
If he happens to fall short for the grand prize, he says he'd be more than happy with walking away having made some new friends and even meeting that special someone.
"It will be interesting to meet like-minded people from the agriculture sector and I would hopefully like to meet someone," says Ben.
Ben's whole life has revolved around farming.
He grew up on a farm in Masterton before moving to the Waikato seven years ago.
The competition started on Sunday in the Farmlands road trip to Fieldays.
The road trip gives the contestants time to get to know each other and try their hand at some challenges before the serious stuff starts on the first day of Fieldays tomorrow.
This summer will be critical to discover if the sharks have started returning.