A Pirongia dairy farmer is putting her best foot forward in a final attempt to claim victory as New Zealand's top young farmer.

Twenty-eight-year-old Emma Poole will represent the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Region at next week's FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final in Timaru.

Held over three days from Thursday, July 6, the prestigious competition – now in its 55th year –will see seven Grand Finalists battle it out for the coveted title of FMG Young Farmer of the Year and $90,000 worth of prizes.

Emma says after months of preparation, she's 'beyond excited” to compete.

'Being my last competition, I've decided to just enjoy it because I know I'm not going to get to come back and do this again. Once you start entering this contest it becomes an itch you can't really stop until you've finished the job.

"You've just got to be gracious and accepting of what comes your way, regardless of the result at the end of the day.”

If Emma wins the title she'll be handed the trophy by her brother, Tim Dangen, who was last year's FMG Young Farmer of the Year.

Pukeatua Primary School pupils Regan Hemingway, Chloe Bowers and Quintin Stockholmes will also compete for a national title.

As representatives of the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Region, they'll compete against 60 other primary-aged students from across Aotearoa in the Agrikids NZ category.

Chloe, 12, is competing for the first time and is feeling 'excited and nervous” about what lies ahead.

'We don't know what kind of challenges we're going to be faced with on the day, so we want to be prepared for everything,” she says.

An additional 14 high-school teams, including one from St Peter's Cambridge, will face-off in a bid to become FMG Junior Young Farmers of the Year.

Friday's practical day at Winchester Showgrounds has a lot to offer spectators, says Grand Final convener Ashleigh Bell.

All 98 contestants will go head-to-head in a series of practical and theoretical challenges as well as several modules involving big machinery, building, livestock and more.

'We want contestants to be really challenged at this event. These competitors are incredibly talented, so we don't want them gliding through it," says Ashleigh.

"They're going to have to give everything they've got to prove they've got what it takes to be crowned New Zealand's best."

The AgriKids NZ and FMG Junior Young Farmers of the Year contestants will have their awards ceremony on Friday night, but the fate of the seven FMG Young Farmer of The Year Grand Finalists won't be decided until after the famous buzzer quiz on the Saturday evening.

New Zealand Young Farmers chief executive Lynda Coppersmith says picking a winner is anyone's guess.

'This event is going to be phenomenal to watch. The talent is out of this world, proof that the future of farming in Aotearoa is bright.”