Hero photograph
 
Photo by Wendy Moffitt

Young Farmers 2021

Leanne Cumming —

Teacher in Charge of our Young Farmers Club, Mrs Leanne Cumming, reports on the club's activities this year.

Our Young Farmers’ club started the year off with 4 teams entering the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Regional FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year competition in February. The teams were Tayla Hansen (St Paul's Collegiate) and Tim Lumsden, Keegan Hassell and Hunter Wilson, Jack Ramsey and Ben Morris, Aaron Dingle and Ethan Walkley. The teams competed in a series of modules with Tayla, Tim, Aaron and Ethan going through to the Top 5 Face-off quiz. Team “Tim and Tay” came second overall, qualifying for the National Competition in Christchurch later in the year. At Field Days, they competed against some of the older Young Farmers’ National qualifying teams as a warm-up for the Nationals and they were mentored by Old Boy James Robertson who gave them some tips.       

On Thursday the 1st July, our Young Farmers Club Chairperson Tim Lumsden headed to Christchurch for the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year National Competition. Earlier in the year, Tim and his team mate Tayla Hansen (from St Paul’s Collegiate), competed at the Waikato Bay of Plenty Regional competition and won. Out of 118 teams entered throughout the country, 14 teams competed in Christchurch over three days at the grand final, doing activities based around the agricultural sector. They completed an exam, gave a speech on New Zealand land use, did a practical “Farmlet” where they constructed a dog kennel and a farm gate, and completed modules which included filleting a salmon, identifying hazards, micro-organisms and pastures.

The team “Tim and Tay” made it to the Top 5 on points, so their final task was to compete in an intense face-off quick-fire quiz on various aspects of farming and agriculture. They were well-prepared for the competition and were mentored by HBHS Old Boy James Robertson who won the title of Young Farmer of the Year in 2019. "Tim and Tay" were placed third overall which was a very pleasing result for HBHS and the Waikato Bay of Plenty Regional Young Farmers.