McNaughton's year comes to an end
Monday 27 June 2011, 4:28PM
By Young Farmers
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Grant McNaughton remembers watching The National Bank Young Farmer Contest when he was eight years old. From that day on it was his dream to one day take out the title and wear the Cloak of Knowledge. In 2010 he did just that.
It will be a bittersweet evening for Mr McNaughton on Saturday night at the Televised Grand Final Evening Show in Masterton, as he hands over the Cloak of Knowledge and wraps up a very busy year as Contest Champion.
“To be honest though I’m really looking forward to attending the Grand Final in as a spectator and being able to relax a bit this year. It’s going to be a strange feeling handing over the Cloak, but I’m really excited to meet the finalists and see who will be the eventual winner.”
The 27 year old is a Technical Manager for a dairy business in Canterbury and is in partnership with his parents on a 4500 stock unit property near Oamaru. He’s also had various commitments since winning the Contest.
“I’ve had lots of opportunities to speak at schools and hopefully impart a bit of wisdom on to the students. It’s great to be able to open their eyes to all the possibilities in the agricultural industry today.”
Mr McNaughton has some advice for the Grand Finalists before the Contest kicks off on Thursday: “The priority is to enjoy the competition and the experience. Set some goals and think about the desired outcomes for you personally from competing. Once you reach that top seven stage you instantly become a role model to young people in the agricultural industry; be prepared to become a leader in your community.”
Mr McNaughton is proud of his achievement and can’t believe his year is nearly over. “It’s been a fantastic year and great in terms of personal and professional development. I think the sweetest thing is being able to look back for the rest of my life and think: I did that – what an achievement.”
The Contest Champion for 2011 will not only take away that sense of achievement, but also a generous prize pack valued at $62,000 including 12 month complimentary use of an Isuzu D-Max valued at approximately $ 15,000, a Honda TRX420FPM power steer four-wheel drive manual ATV $ 15,000, $10,000 cash from The National Bank, quality products and services from Ravensdown to the value of $7,000, a selection of quality outdoor power equipment from ECHO to the value of $7,000, a Lincoln University scholarship for study towards a Specialist Masters of Professional Studies or entry to the Kellogg Programme valued at $5,000, an AGMARDT Scholarship towards a career development programme valued at $2,000 and a range of Swanndri clothing to the value of $1,000.