Future Beef New Zealand :: Hoof and Hook

Beef Ambassadors Awards

The Future Beef NZ Hoof and Hook Event has two prestigious awards that are keenly contested for by the participants. These are the Intermediate and Senior Beef Ambassador Awards. The committee select participants who have shown outstanding skills and offer them the opportunity to compete for the awards.
Their points for modules, handling, a speech and interviews were added together to ascertain who the winner for each section was. The intermediate age group is 13-17 and the senior age group is 18-25.

Rowan Sandford – Senior Beef Ambassador

Rowan is based at Lincoln University where he is in his first year of a Bachelor of Agricultural Commerce. He is from a sheep, beef and deer property at Maraekakaho in the Hawke’s Bay where his parents run a totally commercial operation based around both bull beef and breeding cows. Rowan has been involved in cattle showing for the last five years and says he has learnt a great deal and had the guidance of some really top beef operators in that time.

This year was Rowan’s fourth Hoof & Hook event and his goal from when he first entered the competition was to win the Senior Beef Ambassador (he won the Intermediate Beef Ambassador in 2010).
Rowan is driven by his passion for farming and his will to be the best. He wants to improve what is set out before him and make the most of all opportunities that are put before him. His most passionate aspect of farming is stock work and seeing the progression within a flock or herd.

Rowan’s ultimate goal is to own his own beef, sheep and deer farming property and to strive to be the best in that field. He wants to continue his involvement in the stud and showing aspect of the beef industry and one day develop his own Angus stud.

William Gibson – Intermediate Beef Ambassador

William is in his 7th form year at John McGlashan College in Dunedin. His parents own a farm in Middlemarch, Otago where they run Merino sheep, Suffolk Sheep Stud, Santa Gertudis and Hereford Stud Cattle herds. He has been involved in farming all his life and started his own Hereford stud in 2009.

William has done a lot of handling and judging competitions at different A & P shows and after competing in the Hoof and Hook competition last year for the first time he wanted to try his hardest to be the Intermediate Beef Ambassador this year. William is passionate about breeding and always striving for improvement – seeing a market for what he has and improving his stock is what drives him.

Williams’s goals for the future are to carry on his Hereford Stud and establish a herd of top cattle that can supply beef farmers with quality bulls. Next year he is planning to study at Lincoln University where he will commence his Bachelor of Commerce in Agriculture.