50 Years Young: A History of the Young Farmer of the Year

Description

For 50 years the New Zealand Young Farmer of the Year awards have tested the mettle of New Zealand men and women as they go to head to head in a challenging competition that tests a range of farming and agribusiness skills. This warm-hearted book tells that history, beginning with the first regional final in 1969, broadcast live from a hall at Lincoln College, and with a bemused sheep on the stage. These days 300 contestants sign up each year to demonstrate their skills at everything from fencing to accounting. This book tells the story of a unique event that draws on the traditions of heartland New Zealand.

Kate Taylor grew up on a farm in west Otago and has been a journalist since she left school, starting with radio and moving into print when she returned from her OE in 1996 to work for the then Hawke's Bay Herald Tribune. She left what became Hawke's Bay Today in 2000 when her daughter was born and she has been a freelance journalist, administrator and event manager ever since. Kate, her husband Thomas and their children Sarah and Lachlan live on a small farm at Takapau in Hawke's Bay, where she is an active member of the local fire brigade.