Entries now open for 2022 AgriKidsNZ and FMG Junior Young Farmer

Primary school students from 8 to 13-years-old are eligible to enter in teams of three for AgriKidsNZ, while high school students compete in pairs for the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year.

Lincoln is again behind the event as a sponsor, helping to develop the next generation on the land.

Our alumni filled up most of the senior finals spots this year and we are looking forward to once again be able to help plant the seeds and help the young talent flourish, so they can grow and take their places in the land-based economy.

it’s going to be a fantastic competition, and we will be providing help to run the regional events.

Teams compete in eight different modules before moving on to the final rounds of the day – the race off for AgriKidsNZ and the face off for FMG Junior competitors.

The top three AgriKidsNZ teams from each Regional Final are invited to compete in the Grand Final with 24 teams from around the country, which runs alongside the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final in July in Whangarei.

NZ Young Farmers Chief Executive Lynda Coppersmith said the best part is that competitors don’t even need to be from a farm to enter.

“Most of the challenges in both AgriKidsNZ and FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year are agriculturally based to introduce our youth to the sector, where their food comes from and to also get them excited about all of the different opportunities in the primary industries,” she said.

“We see the whole contest series as a pathway to excellence, with many competitors coming through from AgriKidsNZ, to FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year and then on to the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest," Coppersmith said.

"At the end of the day, it’s about our tamariki learning to work together, develop lifelong skills, make new friends, learn something new and most importantly walk away with a smile on their face.”

The top two teams from the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year Regional Final would also be invited to the Grand Final, competing against 14 teams.

The competitions are open but with limited spots available, parents and supervisors are urged to sign up their teams as soon as possible.

Seven Regional Finals run across the country between 1 February and 2 April 2022

For more information, and to enter, visit www.agrikidsnz.co.nz or www.teenag.co.nz