Shared from the 8/18/2021 Central Rural Life eEdition

Students play big part

Lincoln Young Farmers

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Neatly done . . . Lincoln mem› ber Lachie Crafar competes in the clean category for the 2021 Lincoln Young Farmers Speed Shear. Lachie later finished first.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Lincoln Young Farmers is one of the largest Young Farmers clubs in the country, with more than 180 members.

Our club is part of the wider New Zealand Young Farmers, a nonprofit organisation with a focus on connecting communities and helping to grow future leaders.

If you’re interested or passionate about the food and fibre sector, then Young Farmers is for you! Our members are from all different walks of life. We have a wide range of members from across the country (some that aren’t even students), and a good mixture of lads and lasses.

Everything we do is for the benefit of members, to help them gain experience and improve their leadership skills.

The club goes on several trips to agricultural businesses throughout the South Island. We facilitate activities such as first aid courses and networking opportunities with club members and rural professionals.

Our members have the opportunity to compete in competitions against other Young Farmers members.

Fun fact: seven out of eight Tasman Young Farmer of the Year regional finalists were Lincoln students or alumni, and the 2021 Grand Champion Jake Jarman was on the Lincoln Young Farmers executive during his time here.

The biggest highlight so far this year was our Speed Shear Fundraiser, held on May 15 at the Famous Grouse Hotel. There were three categories within the event: clean, senior, and open. The senior and open categories are won on the fastest successful time to shear a sheep and the clean is judged on the best shorn sheep in under two minutes.

It was awesome to see 15 entries in the clean shear, and nine entries in senior and open. We were lucky to have witnessed some impressive shearing, with the winning time for the open category being less than 25 seconds. We had several prizes to give away and auction, and the evening was one of our most successful yet.

We would like to thank our sponsors and everyone who came to support the contestants, especially those who bid on an item or two afterwards. A massive thank you and congratulations goes out to all those who competed in the event. It was great to see some talented Lincoln students on the stand, and even better to hear their supporters in the crowd.

Another was our weekend to Blenheim, when 34 of our members visited agricultural businesses along the coast. First, we visited Te Mania Angus Stud and discussed their farming practices, what their sales typically involve, and the challenges of farming on a coastal property with erosion. We were also lucky enough to visit their latest venture, the luxury Matai Peak Lodge.

We stayed the night at Hapuku Deer Farm, north of Kaikoura. After having a yarn about farming operations there, we had a great night socialising with some of the locals.

We also had the honour of a tour at Bonavaree from the owner himself, Doug Avery. We listened about his struggles during his farming career, and how he has changed his lifestyle to become a more resilient farmer and help others do the same.

We were also fortunate to have a tour of the Lake Grassmere Salt Works, where we were able to listen, see and taste the salt they made and learn about the natural production of salt.

The club has monthly meetings during the university year. We don’t like to miss a chance to catch up, so we even managed to hold a Zoom or two during lockdown.

Our next big event is our annual Bark Up on September 18 at the Famous Grouse Hotel, not to be missed!

See this article in the e-Edition Here