William Lyon is Young Farmer of the Year 2026

Elverton Pastoral farm manager William Lyon was last night announced as the 2026 Woolworths Young Farmer of the Year, taking home a prize pool worth $60,000.

Following a gruelling selection process at Quercus Park, Carrick, which included completing modules such as working a dog, making sausages and flying a drone, William clenched the title at last night’s official dinner with his public speaking test.

The top 10 finalists from across Tasmania competed throughout the day in a demanding range of technical and practical modules, testing their agricultural knowledge, skills, problem-solving ability and practical expertise. 

Chelsea Rayner was runner-up, followed by Zac Leonard, Daniel Gladwell and Mitchell Grey.

“It’s a great competition and a good opportunity to get involved, test yourself and meet some really good people along the way. I’d definitely encourage other young people to have a crack and give it a go,” William said. 

Rural Youth Tasmania state president Amber Bramich congratulated all finalists and said “the standard of competitors throughout the 2026 competition has been exceptional, with finalists demonstrating an impressive depth of knowledge, skill, commitment and passion for agriculture”. 

“The performance of the finalists in the competition is a strong indication of the talent and capability within Tasmania’s agricultural sector, and we are excited about the future of farming in Tasmania”. 

William has been on a strong trajectory in the agricultural industry with his industry achievements in recent years including being the recipient of the Peter Westblade Scholarship in 2022, completing the Tasmanian Rural Business Leadership Program in 2024, participating in the National Farmers' Federation National Agricultural Leadership Program (NALP) in 2025 and earlier this year earning a Certificate IV in LEAN Management to optimise farm efficiency. He also partnered with Enable Ag to implement better structural flow and management systems on his farm.