Rowena Duncum: The Country commentator on their year's FMG Young Farmer of the Year final

New Zealand’s best young farmers are preparing to take over Waikato to battle it out at one of the country’s most prestigious farming contests.

The FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final kicks off in Hamilton on Thursday, July 11 and runs over three days.

The Country's Rowena Duncum explains what to expect from the event.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Rowena Duncan of the countries with us right now, Hey
rot hey hever. So the grand finals knocked off for
the Young Farmers of the Year and what are you picking?

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yeah, honestly, I don't know which of the seven regional
finalists are coming into this as a hot favorite. I've
picked it before in previous years. This year I'm not
prepared to put my name behind any of their names.
But honestly, a great bunch of finalists but yet got
underway in Claudlin's today. The seven main finalists in the
FMG Young Farmer of the Year. They had there the

(00:31):
paper day, you know, when they go through all the
technical kind of side of things. They'll have their practical
day tomorrow. But we had some of the other contestants
from Young Farmers clubs around the country. They got underway today.
They were doing things like claybird shooting. It just seems
like a bunch of fun there. We've also got kids
in the Agritines underway as well. And then it all

(00:51):
culminates on Saturday evening from six o'clock, so they're going
head to head with the All Blacks Heather In terms
of entertainment that evening, you can follow along on the
live stream, which I'll be doing from home as well.
But it's just great that it's come around again. We've
had a wonderful twelve months with Emma Pool as the
first female winner of the Young Farmer Contest in over
fifty years. I think we're in the fifty sixty year

(01:13):
this year of the contest, and she's done a magnificent
job representing farming over the past twelve months. She'll be
sad to hand over that cloak of knowledge on Saturday night.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Yeah, I bet Hey, how's it going with that chap
who's rowing across the cookstraight?

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Oh? Isn't he amazing? Seventy six year old Jamie Strang
managed to make it across cook Strait made it across
there in a quicker time than a lot of people thought.
He has now raised nearly three and a half grand
for Farmstrong. And I have checked, Heather, because I know
Jamie McKay, host of the Country, said he'd give Jamie

(01:47):
Strang one hundred dollars as he made it across. I've
checked on the give a Little page. His name is
there with one hundred dollars Heather, So we can actually,
like not try and head him up about that, But
what a great achievement though it's seventy six to be
able to row across cook straight. I'm just in awe
of him.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Yeah, totally, and he managed to do it without autopilot
and just randomly turning right. Good on you, Rowan Rowena
Duncan of the Country.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
news Talk sai'd Be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.