Year 13 students Shamus Young, 18, and Hayden Drummond, 17, beat 13 other teams to win the grand final in Hamilton this month.
Shamus had represented the South once before in the contest and placed fourth, while it was Hayden’s first attempt.
Both study agriculture at school.
Because the competition win was a first for their school, Shamus hoped it would prompt the school to develop the agriculture curriculum more, which hopefully would encourage more students to study it.
"There are a lot of hostel boys who are really keen on agriculture," he said.
Hayden also hoped the win would improve the agriculture curriculum.
"We beat schools like Mount Albert Grammar and Napier Boys’ and all those ones that have farms and have very good agricultural programmes and we have a standard ag programme and still managed to win."
Shamus said the testing of their agricultural knowledge ranged from how to set up a GPS system to a ewe’s reproductive physiology.
Practical activities included installing a fence, hanging a gate, plumbing a concrete trough and building a bug hotel.
Both students were the fourth-generation of their families to farm. Shamus hails from a sheep and grain farm in Tapanui, West Otago, and Hayden comes from a sheep and beef farm in Avondale, Central Southland.
The competition took plenty of preparation, but it was rewarding to have it pay off, Shamus said.
Both boys thanked Blue Mountain College teacher Kirsten McIntyre for helping them prepare for the competition. They were also thankful for the support of their parents and several sponsors.
Shamus’ plan, after finishing school, was to crutch sheep this summer and work overseas next year, possibly in the mining industry in Australia.
Hayden’s plan was to work for a rural contractor, possibly fencing for a couple of years, before going farming.
Shamus said the pair won "a whole heap of vouchers" at the competition and made plenty of contacts.
Hayden said the competition was "awesome to be a part of".
"It’s always a good feeling to represent your region and school, and do them both proud.”
Otago Boys’ High School deputy rector Richard Harvey said the school was proud of Shamus’ and Hayden’s achievements at the national level.
Their success would be celebrated at a senior assembly this week.
"Hayden and Shamus have clearly put a lot of work into their preparation for the event and it is great to see their perseverance and dedication pay off."
Agriculture at Otago Boys’ was a popular and growing subject.
A year 9 agriculture option was added this year and 71 students had taken the subject.
Also a year 10 agriculture option would be introduced next year, which would be a half-year course.
"We already offer agriculture at NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3. We are sure that Hayden’s and Shamus’s recent success will further raise the profile of agriculture as a subject option for our boys."
• Former Southland dairy farm manager George Dodson, 22, who works as a 2IC on a 430-cow dairy farm in Canterbury and represents the Tasman region, won the Young Farmer of the Year competition.
• Coinciding with the grand final, nearly 50 Young Farmers Club members competed in the New Zealand Young Farmers Tournament national final. Nils Buehlmann and Isaac Johnston, of West Otago, placed third in the fencing competition.
