Flynn Shore, James Crawford and Hillary Cooper, from Oxford Area School, won the New Zealand Young Farmers' (NZYF) AgriKids regional competition at Innovation Park, Templeton near Christchurch, on April 7.
''It was a great day out. I really enjoyed it,'' Hillary said.
Harry Carrodus, Jake Lawson and Hannah Buck from Seddon School, near Blenheim, took second place, while William Knight, Nathan Hodge and Rebecca Lewis from Broomfield School, near Amberley, placed third.
All three teams qualified for the AgriKids national final in Invercargill in July. North Loburn School, near Rangiora, missed out on a place in that final for the first time.
In the event 24 teams, including six from Darfield Primary School, tackled both practical and theoretical challenges..
Darfield Primary School teacher Lynley Cooper said all her school's teams were year 5 and 6 pupils, while other primary schools went up to year 8.
She said most of the children came from the town, not farms, plus a few from lifestyle blocks.
''We do a mock AgriKids at our pets day each year so that gives them a taste of what's involved.''
Competition co-ordinator David Highsted said the aim of the AgriKids and TeenAg competitions was to get young people ''excited about a career in the primary industries,'' Ms Cooper said.
''TeenAg and AgriKids are a key part of the work being done by New Zealand Young Farmers to attract students into the agri-food sectors,'' she said.
-By David Hill
