28-year-old self-employed Awarua dairy farmer Cameron Smith, will represent the Otago Southland region at this year's FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Finals, to be held in Invercargill on 3rd-5th July.

Smith, a Thornbury club member, emerged victorious after winning the south's regional finals at the Winton Racecourse on Saturday (5 Apr).

Smith has had a busy few weeks after also being named last week, along with Nicole Hanning-Smith, the 2024 Otago Southland Share Farmer of the Year in the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.

Smith said he definitely hadn't expected the win but was really stoked to be heading to the Grand Final.

“I’d never really pictured myself winning the whole thing, so it’s pretty cool to be representing Otago Southland, especially with the Grand Final on home turf.”

This was Smith’s second time competing in the Regional Final.

“It felt like a fresher format this time around, and I really enjoyed it – especially the farmlet section which tested our practical skills,” he said.

“The way the day was run definitely made it more challenging.”

“It was a strong line-up, anyone could’ve taken it out."

"Having someone like Zac Thomas there, who’s already been to a Grand Final, really pushed us and kept us on our toes,” Smith said.

The competition also includes sections for both primary (AgriKidsNZ) and secondary (FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year) school students.

Over 100 primary school children participated in the AgriKidsNZ competition with Sam Hartshorne, Cailyn Joyce, and Hannah Stewart from Blue Mountain College emerged as the region’s victors.

Harry Moore, Connor Dickson, and Dane Tauti from St Peter’s College placed second, while Dusty Pont, Angus Dobson, and Jake Gray from Hauroko Primary School secured the final ticket to the Grand Final.

In the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year competition, Angus McFadzien and Tori Vande Sandt took the title, ahead of Ben Hartshorn and Manaia Tiller from Blue Mountain College.

Smith, along with the top AgriKidsNZ and FMG Junior teams, will represent the Otago Southland region in July’s Grand Final in Invercargill.

The FMG Young Farmer of the Year is New Zealand’s most prestigious agricultural competition, celebrating the skill, knowledge, and leadership of the next generation in the food and fibre sector.

Now in its 57th year, the competition continues to grow, with a prize pool exceeding $90,000.