Jarman, 24, beat six other competitors in the grand final, which was held in Christchurch from July 1-3.
The ANZ relationship associate, who represented the Taranaki-Manawatū region, said after winning the title he felt overwhelmed, excited and relieved that it was over.
He initially entered the contest just to give it a go but after reaching the final was determined to give it his best shot.
“I was happy that I gave everything a go to the best of my ability and be competitive. I loved the practical day, the challenge of having to multitask under time pressure and be a bit strategic,” he said.
Jarman says he never dreamed he’d win the title but was proud of the achievement and hoped it would inspire others.
The victory was a culmination of practical and technical challenges that aimed to test the seven finalists’ skills, knowledge and stamina.
Contestants participated in a technical day, a practical day, speeches, exams and a buzzer quiz.
Jarman won a prize package worth more than $75,000, which included a $15,000 cash prize from FMG, a Honda ATV and a $30,000 package from New Holland.
An Inglewood Young Farmers Club member, Jarman has been the fifth generation to work his family dairy farm and also worked as a farm systems research graduate with Dairy Trust Taranaki.
“My fellow competitors certainly didn’t make it easy and honestly, I feel like it was anyone’s game for the whole three days. It’s been a privilege getting to know them and to now call them friends,” he said.
Jarman also won the Agribusiness, Agri Sports and Agri Knowledge awards.
Joseph Watts was named runner up for the second time.
The Tikokino Young Farmers Club member missed out on the title in 2019 by a whisker to James Robertson and qualified for the cancelled 2020 grand final.
He says it’s hard to compare the two finals he has been in as they were such different competitions, which is what makes it so hard.
“One reason I do feel as content as I do about this is knowing that across two very different competitions I still managed to be consistent in my performance,” Watts said.
Once a professional squash player, the PGG Wrightson technical field representative and East Coast representative also won the Agri Skills award at the Grand Final.
Whangarei Young Farmer Calvin Ball, 31, took out third place and also won the Community Footprint award.
“I put my absolute best into this, I made so many sacrifices and I’m so proud of how I competed, but at the end of the day there was seven amazing competitors, so big ups to Joseph and Jake who pipped me, but I’m very grateful and proud of what I’ve achieved during this experience,” Ball said.
Kieran McCahon from Waikato/Bay of Plenty was named FMG People’s Choice winner.
NZ Young Farmers chief executive Lynda Coppersmith says Jarman was a fantastic representative for the contest and the agriculture, food and fibre sector.
“It is an absolute honour to have Jake named as the 2021 FMG Young Farmer of the Year,” Coppersmith said.
“As a first-time competitor, it has been amazing to watch Jake shine and not just ‘give it a go’ but take out the title. He has proven to us again that this contest isn’t about age and experience, but determination and cross-sector skills.”
“Jake is a fantastic leader for the ag sector, a role model and has already inspired other young people to believe in themselves and showcase what they’re made of.”
