The 23-year-old shepherd became the first woman to win the Tasman regional final, held at the Amuri A&P Show in Rotherham and at Amuri Area School in Culverden on Saturday, March 2.
''It's a big shock,'' Ms Lindsay said after her win was announced.
''I've had a lot of support in the lead-up to this event, especially from my family and my employers.''
It was her first time competing in a regional final.
''It was definitely a challenging competition that put us all under a lot of pressure, which was awesome,'' she said.
The prestigious contest has undergone a major overhaul since marking its 50th anniversary in Invercargill last year in a bid to attract more women.
Ms Lindsay's win netted her $12,000 worth of prizes, including an XR150 Honda farm bike. She also picked up the innovation award.
She was only the fifth woman in the country to qualify for the Young Farmer of the Year grand final.
This year's grand final will be held in Hawke's Bay in July.
The Amuri Basin Young Farmers Club (YFC) member is a shepherd at Marble Point Station, just south of Hanmer Springs.
The property is 2400ha and runs 3600 ewes and 380 Angus breeding cows, plus heifers.
Ms Lindsay grew up on a sheep, beef and deer farm in Dipton, Southland, and has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science with Honours from Lincoln University.
She was one of three finalists from the host Amuri Basin YFC - clubmates Matt Redmond and Woody Gardner also competed.
Dunsandel YFC member Jonny Brown (28), an assistant manager on a 1000 cow dairy farm at Rakaia, came second, was named the most tech-savvy contestant and picked up the prize for outstanding leadership.
Clubmate Alex Knowles (26), an agri manager for Ravensdown, placed third and won the award for championing environmental best practice.
Lincoln University student Peter O'Connor (20), representing the West Coast district, picked up the award for showcasing food production.
-By David Hill
