On Saturday evening, competitors had to compete in a quiz and energy was running low, Field said.
"I just looked down the row and could see everyone was on the last bit of puff, so I was relieved to know I wasn't the only one that was tired."
Before the competition, competitors had to prepare an innovation project and create an hour-long presentation of what their footprint looked like in the community, both of which they presented to judges over the weekend.
To qualify for the grand final, Field won one of two spots in the district competition and then went on to win Manawatu-Taranaki region which secured him a spot in the final.
This is the third year he has competed. In the first year he only got through to the district final, while in the second year he reached the regional final.
Field began preparing for the regional competition in April and has been studying since March.
He said he's been blown away by the outstanding support he's had throughout the competition.
"You ring up a number and then they will put you through to three more numbers, the support through the agricultural industry is just unbelievable," he said.
Field received his award in front of a crowd of almost 700 in Napier on Saturday evening.
"The award, apart from first place, was second on my list so it's something I'll hold close to my chest," Field said.
Auckland-based business graduate James Robertson took out the overall Young Farmer of the Year title, followed by Central Hawke's Bay technical field representative Joseph Watts in second and Waikato vet Emma Dangen in third.
It is back to reality now for Field as he prepares to begin tailing lambs and gets ready for another lambing season in August.
"It will be interesting to see how well I adapt back into everyday work," Field said.
