Newdegate Machinery Field Days: Entrants battle it out at third Farmers Competition

Competitors battled it out, two teams at a time on the course to score a record time to nab bragging rights and the ultimate title of the Newdegate Machinery Field Days’ “farmers of the year”.

There were two divisions at this year’s field days, the Farmers Challenge — for those aged 15 to 30 — and the Junior Farmers Challenge, for those aged nine to 15.

It was the third time the Farmers Challenge had been held at the field days, and the second time the Junior Farmers Challenge had been included as part of the event — both providing the perfect opportunity for entrants to show off their skills.

The winning team in the adults division was a team comprising of four 17-year-olds — Tom and Ryan Hams of Newdegate, Toby McGuinnes of Kulin, and Connor Newman of Varley.

The four said the steel pig barrel was their favourite part of the course, but also the “trickiest”.

“The hardest team work part of it was the rope bit, but it was good teamwork,” Connor said.

Competitors tackled the obstacle course by first straddling a steel bull, one at a time, and using teamwork to stay saddled and pull themselves along a pole using a rope.

It continued with the simple but delicate task of nailing a nail into a wooden log before constructing a set of yard panels.

Last up was sorting ear tags out of a grain contamination bin, hurdling over a hay bale, and using teamwork to walk two planks of wooden boards back to the starting line.

A team of Kondinin and Kulin students used both their smarts and physical ability to win top spot in the second Junior Farmers Challenge.

The importance of teamwork was on full display as nine teams battled it out to complete a series of challenges in record time to secure a $400 prize.

Participants entered a team of four people aged nine to 14.

The winning team of four was comprised of Kulin youngsters Tom Bowey, 9, Sam Murphy, 12, Ben Lucchesi, 11, and Chase Browning, 11, of Kondinin.

The group, who are all friends from Kulin District High School, said they formed their team the day before and started to come up with an action plan.

All of the boys live on farms, except for Sam, who lives in town.

Ben said the hardest part was the co-ordinated ski, which required teams to walk a distance together on two planks of wood guided by ropes.

“I thought we did a good job building our panel yards . . . we worked well together,” he said.

The group of friends entered after reading a story about the event in the Countryman’s Newdegate Machinery Field Days program.

It was the second time a Young Farmers competition had been held at Newdegate, after the Farmers Challenge — for those aged 15 to 30 — was held for the first time in 2023.

Mr Walter said both competitions had been “very well supported” and it was inspiring to see the youngsters “work so well together as a team”.