After a tough day in the vineyards Lacey Agate from Bellbird Spring became the Corteva North Young Viticulturist of the
Year 2020 on 31st July following the competition held at Greystone in Waipara.
Congratulations also goes to Will Bowman from Black Estate who was Runner Up.
There were four contestants competing in total, the other two being Brigitte Allan from Pyramid Valley and Lucas Percy
from Pegasus Bay, who gave it their all, making it a great competition.
The Young Vits were tested on all aspects of vineyard management, including trellising, pruning, machinery, pests & diseases and budgeting. There was also an interview. Fruitfed Supplies laid on a very welcome BBQ at lunchtime which
was then followed by the quiz round and the BioStart Hortisports.
The BioStart Hortisports prize was taken out by Will Bowman and Lacey Agate took out the Ecotrellis trellising prize.
The Awards Dinner was held in the new cellar door at Greystone, which was a mouthwatering spit roast served with fine
North Canterbury wines. The contestants last challenge of the day was to give a three minute speech to the audience,
covering topics such as regenerative agriculture and tractorless vineyards – certainly food for thought.
Lacey will go on to represent North Canterbury in the National Final in October being held in Martinborough this year.
It is being held in conjunction with the 15 Year celebrations of the Young Vit competition. The practical day will take
place on 7th October and the national finalists will give their speeches at the conference the following day. The
fifteenth winner will then be announced at the celebration dinner. There will be a total of six finalists, with the
others coming from Northland, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Central Otago and Marlborough.
The national winner will not only become the Corteva NZ Young Viticulturist of the Year 2020 but will win an amazing
prize package of a Hyundai Kona for a year, an Ecotrellis Travel Grant, a Corteva educational trip to Australia, Bahco
golden secateurs, a leadership week and cash. There are also cash prizes from AGMARDT for the top three national
finalists research projects.