Craven man hoping he has what it takes to be crowned Britain's Fittest Farmer
Dairy farmer Dan Moon made it to the final of the competition after a gruelling qualifiers
A Skipton man is hoping his strength and endurance will be enough to have him crowned Britain's Fittest Farmer today.
Dan Moon, who lives in Halton West, beat off hundreds of farmers from across the country to make it in the top ten and later he'll battle it out with hopes of clinching the title.
The competition was created by Farmers Weekly to highlight how stressful an occupation farming can be, and in an increasingly mechanised and automated industry, farmers can sometimes feel isolated and struggle to stay connected.
In the current pandemic environment, it is crucial to make sure Britain's farmers are fit and healthy, physically and mentally.
27-year-old Dan, who works on his family farm, said he "wasn't expecting" to get this far.
"I didn't have any expectations going into it to be honest", he said.
"There are a whole range of body sizes so you've got the really big guys who are good at lifting and then you have smaller guys who can just run and run.
"I am pretty proud of getting to the final. I had a chest infection at the time but I managed to get through it all without coughing too much."
There are four event stages, the first being applications online.
Dairy farmworkers, shearers, contractors, farm vets, agricultural students and other farmers of all ages and backgrounds applied for the regional qualifiers.
Contestants that met the judging criteria were invited to a qualifier event held at Cotswold Farm Park in September. They faced a series of tough physical challenges designed to test their speed, strength and stamina. Ten men and ten women qualified to proceed to the final stages of the competition, including Dan.
Dan, added: "We had to do quite a few challenges in the qualifier. It was a mixture of strength and endurance so one of them was doing burpees but in between each one you had to jump over a hay bail and throw a sandbag over it. I had to do as many deadlifts as I could with a 120kg bar. It was an awesome day.
"I definitely hope to get into the top half. I'd be really happy with that."
The regional qualifiers took place on the weekend of 25-26 September, with ten men and ten women advancing to today's final. They will take the ultimate physical assault course designed to test their speed, power and endurance and be interviewed about mental health.
Each finalist was then interviewed to assess their suitability as a mental health champion for the farming industry. Alongside Farmers Weekly's editor Andrew Meredith, the competition's charity partner, The Farming Community Network (FCN) they judged the finalists' mental health awareness.
Today the finalists will face one last challenge, the ultimate physical assault course designed to test their speed, power and endurance.
Points from each round will be combined with scores from the interview round to see one man and one woman emerge as Britain's Fittest Farmers 2021. The two crowned winners will become FCN ambassadors, with a much-coveted trophy and £1,000 cash prize for each winner.