After a close friend recommended Mr McEvoy enter The R.M.Williams RAS Rural Achiever Award, he thought it seemed interesting and wanted to give it a go.

The award is a state-wide leadership program run by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW to recognise future young leaders (20-29 years of age) who are working hard to make a significant contribution to their community and to rural Australia.

"I was quite astonished when I got interviewed and they said 'congratulations you've made it past the interviewing stage and you're a finalist going to Sydney'," he said.

"A lot of people messaged me and said congratulations, but I just think it's good to see that there are these awards out there for people in the country."

After graduating from the University of New England with a Bachelor of Agriculture with a major in Plant Production, Mr McEvoy was offered a job with Purehouse as an agronomist in his home town.

"I love agriculture, we weren't on a farm but my father had a lot to do with agriculture since he had an earth moving business, so being out on farms I picked up a passion for it," he said.

"I love being out with farmers and helping them."

As an agronomist Mr McEvoy advises farmers on how they can make the most amount of money using the best products on their crops.

"You go out and sit with farmers and try and help them as much as you can," he said.

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"I love being out in the paddock, you get to meet new people and you don't see the same farmers every day and you get to go and catch up on the gossip."

With new products out every week, it's Mr McEvoy's job to make sure he helps farmers choose what is best for them.

"We help in any way we can to get farmers to maximise their profits," he said.

"You go through the highs and lows with them and try and help them through, some stuff doesn't always work."

While Mr McEvoy can be proud to say he hasn't made too many mistakes early on in his career, he knows the time will come one day when that happens.

"It's all about growth and learning and I'll be able to take what I learn and pass it on to others, but it's all about working together with the farmers and meeting in the middle to make decisions," he said.

Having never owned a property before Mr McEvoy has been gaining a real understanding of what farmers go through after he and his family went into partnership and bought a farm 12 months ago.

"I think it helps because I get to see it first hand and you're not just telling the farmer to do this and do that, you actually get to see the cost," he said.

"I reckon it helps because I've got farmers that are similar to me, they haven't been in it for ages so they aren't loaded up, they aren't all loaded, once you get in it yourself you realise there are a lot of costs and there are a lot of risks, so now I can see that."

Mr McEvoy hopes he will be able to make the farm bigger and better in the future and build on the capital.

"I've been getting advice from blokes that have been doing it for a long time and farmers are telling me to buy this and do that," he said.

Working with his dad on the farm has been a real highlight of the experience, Mr McEvoy says.

"He's put a lot of effort into things so I like to look at what he's done...I look up to my father, it's good because he's worked hard to get where he is and I would love to be like him," he said.

As well as growing the family farm, Mr McEvoy said he would like to continue growing into a better agronomist and picking up more clients.

"Helping them grow helps me grow and that's the best part - growing with them," he said.

Mr McEvoy wanted to thank the Royal Agriculture Show Society and RM Williams for the opportunity to take part in the Young Rural Achievers Award.

"It's a great opportunity for not only me and I would like to thank everyone involved, the ladies and the blokes behind the scenes, especially the ladies because they're the ones we've been talking to but there would be a bloke in there somewhere," he said.

"They put in endless hours to try and help us and they don't always get much out of it, just the fact they get to see youth people growing, and people probably don't notice how much work they do.

"Behind this year, last year, and future years there's a backbone there and that's them."

Mr McEvoy, who will be travelling to Sydney for the event also wanted to wish everyone else competing good luck.

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