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While humbled to travel the globe being the voice for New Zealand’s agricultural sector, as Hamish Marr looks back on the past year, he stands proud to be advocating for one of the smallest.

With primary industries crying out for more skilled young people, the Growing Future Farmers programme is helping to fill the gap, training and developing the next generation of passionate sheep, beef and deer farmers.

The end of the road is where Colin Drummond and Erin Cassie share their undeterred passion for their Clydesdales and farming in the wild and rugged landscape of the high country.

From an under-resourced dryland sheep farm to a highly productive mixed cropping operation, Valetta Farms is a testament to the Clark family’s passion for the wider agricultural industry, unwavering love of the land, relentless hard work, and technological advances to ensure the farm’s sustainability for future generations.

With demand for glamping and back-to-nature escapes growing, Springburn dairy farmers Allan and Heather Broomhall saw the perfect opportunity to diversify their conventional dairy operation and boost farm revenue by adding an off-grid curved cabin next to their irrigation pond.

Farm confidence has fallen since the start of the year, with debt, interest rates, and banks causing the greatest concern to Kiwi farmers.

Despite the unique challenges farming in the “sensitive lakes” area of the Ashburton high country brings, Castle Ridge Station owners Paul and Kerry Harmer remain passionate about the future and protecting their environment so that the next generation can continue their legacy.

Streamlining efficiency and embracing technology underpins continued investment at the Mawle family’s Blackford Farming dairy operation in the Rakaia Gorge.

Preparations are well underway for this year’s prestigious FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final being held in Hamilton from 11 to 13 July, and while the spotlight is largely focused on the finalists in the premier event, the categories aimed at secondary and primary school students are also fiercely contested.

Having teamed up with Southern Stations Wagyu, Michael Schat has moved away from the dairy industry to pursue new opportunities as part-owner and operator of the company’s first Canterbury-based state-of-the-art wagyu composting finishing barn at Aylesbury.