Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day set to host Young Farmers Competition for the first time

Agricultural young guns in the Perth Hills are gearing up to showcase their talent when the much-loved Young Farmers Competition is held at the Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day for the first time this Sunday, May 25.

The competition will be held at 1pm, in the arena section at the Gidgegannup Showgrounds.

Teams of four will battle it out in a high-energy, action-packed competition that would feature “plenty of farmyard chaos”, with four challenges that could include include hay bale rolls, wheelbarrow races, plank walking and fencing, among others.

The winning team will quality for the Young Farmers State final at the Perth Royal Show and if successful there, go on to compete in the national Australian Young Farmers Challenge.

About five Young Farmers Competitions will be held at WA agricultural shows or field days this year, with the help of youth-led organisation WA Next Generation, which is an independent sub-committee of the Royal Agricultural Society of WA.

RASWA agricultural event support officer Chris Dewar said the NextGen Committee hand-picked the Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day because it was an “ideal platform to promote and grow youth involvement in agriculture”.

“This event aims to encourage youth participation in agricultural communities, fostering a future where young people feel supported and empowered to get involved,” she said.

Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day president Penny Morgan said it was a significant boost for the Field Day, which was now in its 18th year.

“We are thrilled to have such an event that ties in with the agriculture as well as encourages young farmers to show off their passions and skills, after all they hold the future of farming in their hands,” she said.

“It’s great to have something targeted at the younger generation, and something to support and showcase locals.”

Inspired by the Young Farmer Contest held in New Zealand since 1969, Young Farmer events have become increasingly popular across Australia, including in WA, and feature a series of challenges for mixed-gender teams.

Mixed-gender teams of four take part in a series of surprise challenges that test their physical skill and theoretical knowledge of agriculture.

As well as racing the clock, competitors lose points for any unsafe or sloppy behaviour and receive time penalties for anyone not cleaning up after their tasks or not doing the job properly.

Young Farmers Challenges have been held at other agricultural events in WA for nearly a decade, including the Mingenew Midwest Expo, Dowerin Machinery Field Days, and the Wagin Woolorama, among others.

Teams can register on the day, and it is open to teams of four people and must have at least one representative of each gender.

The Young Farmers Challenge will be held at 1pm at the Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day on May 25, in the main arena.