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August 2024 Edition
INSIDE
THIS EDITION Solar farming
p7 RMA reform
p13 Spreading the word
Champion: george Dodson shows off his fencing skills during the farmlet challenge in the final of the 2024 Young Farmer of the Year.
Canterbury farmer takes title George Dodson, representing the Darfield Young Farmers Club, has taken out the 2024 FMG Young Farmer of the Year title.
] by Kent Caddick
p20 Mud & motorheads
p35
The 23-year-old was crowned the 56th Young Farmer of the Year after a nail-biting Grand Final event in Hamilton. Originally from Southland, Dodson is second in charge of a 430-cow dairy farm between Darfield and Dunsandel. This was his third time competing in the contest, but the first time he had earned a place in the grand final. Dodson secured the win following three days of gruelling challenges against six other grand finalists. Challenges included an exam, an interview, heavy machinery, livestock, quizzes, and public speaking. More than 500 spectators packed the Claudelands Oval to watch the action unfold during Friday’s action-packed practical day.
Contestants worked with quad bikes, power tools and a forage harvester to show off their practical skills. Points added up with every challenge, though the race continued to play out right until the final buzzer quiz on Saturday evening. In the end, Dodson took the title ahead of Northern representative Caleb Eady who missed out on the title by just three points, with Aorangi Young Farmer Gareth McKerchar finishing up in third place. Dodson said he was “in shock” after securing the title of New Zealand’s top young farmer. “Words can’t even describe how I’m feeling, the excitement is nothing I’ve ever felt before,” Dodson said. He is no stranger to the contest, though 2024 was his first attempt at a Grand Final.
The 23-year-old contestant dug deep and drew on the strong set of skills he learnt at home and through farm management. It was his performance in the final buzzer quiz that secured him the win. “My Dad put hours and hours and hours into helping me prepare. I also had some of the boys coming out once a week from an hour’s drive away to test me on the buzzer, and I think that showed.” Dodson hopes winning FMG Young Farmer of the Year will support him in the future, especially in his community and the next step in his career. “A sharemilking job would be awesome, and I started the Canterbury Young Dairy Farmers Leaders Network so hopefully getting a bit more support behind that.”
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