Winton 50% sharemilkers Steve Henderson and Tracy Heale won the 2014 Southland Otago Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year title in Gore on March 1.
Riversdale farm manager Jared Crawford won the Farm Manager of the Year title.
Winton 2IC Josh Lavender won the Dairy Trainee of the Year title.
It was the second time all had entered the awards.
“The benefits of entering go far beyond the prizes as it definitely helped us to secure the 50:50 sharemilking job we are currently on,” Henderson and Heale said.
It is a similar story for Crawford, who placed third in the 2011 Waikato Dairy Trainee of the Year competition.
“The benefits were endless,” he said.
“It provided an amazing ability to find new opportunities through networking, and this is how I got my first managers job.
“I also learnt a huge amount about myself and the direction I needed to take to achieve my goals, through the new skills and knowledge gained.”
Henderson and Heale were 50% sharemilking 320 cows for Adrian and Bev Simmonds at Winton.
They were targeting to produce 125,000kg milksolids.
They won $11,000 in prizes.
The couple, 27 and 28, met at Lincoln University where they completed agriculture degrees before starting in the dairy industry in 2007.
“We aim to have a terrific reputation with all of the people involved in our career and are able to work together well to achieve our goals and grow our business.”
Second place in the Southland Otago Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year competition went to Gore lower order sharemilkers Daniel and Emily Woolsey.
They won $10,000.
Third went to Otautau lower order sharemilkers James Deans and Angela Coleman, who won $6000 in prizes.
The goal of 2014 Southland Otago Farm Manager of the Year, Crawford was to go 50% sharemilking by 2018.
Crawford, 30, was managing a new conversion farm owned by Roger and Tracey Miller milking 750 cows.
It will milk 950 cows next season.
“It’s a brand new conversion farm with all the mod cons and technology which makes the day to day running of the farm more efficient as information is at your fingertips.”
Married to Sara, the couple has a toddler and aims to progress through the industry to farm ownership.
“We believe goal setting is crucial to succeed in this industry.
It’s important to have a strong picture in our mind about how we want our future to look, and from there we can build our goals around this.”
Woodlands contract milkers, Callum Stalker and Hanna Barley, placed second in the farm manager contest, winning $6000 in prizes.
Third went to Aparima contract milkers Hadleigh and Jolene Germann, winning $5000.
The winner of the 2014 Dairy Trainee of the Year, Lavender, 24, said he gained two key benefits from entering the competition last year.
“It gave me the opportunity to test and develop my farming skills against other top performers in the industry and also the ability to network with progressive and driven industry leaders across all sections of the competition,” he said.
Lavender is 2IC on Martin and Kim Axtens’ Winton farm milking 800 cows.
He won $6000 in prizes.
It was his second season in the industry.
He was progressing to a farm manager’s role next season.
After completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Commerce at Lincoln University, he spent three years working in industry off-farm before going dairying in June 2012.
He was doing all he can to aid his progression in the industry.
“I am passionate about the New Zealand dairy industry and all it has to offer.
“I am always striving to achieve my goals as well as doing what I can to ensure the positive image of the industry and that it will continue to provide opportunity to others with the passion and drive to make it a career.”
Second place in the 2014 Southland Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year competition went to Wyndham 2IC Ben Worker, 28, who won $3500 in prizes.
Third was Winton assistant, Jeremy Anderson, 24, who won $2500.
Henderson and Heale will host a field day on March 13.
Crawford will host a field day on the Riversdale farm he manages on March 27.
Sharemilker/Equity Farmer Merit Awards:
DairyNZ Human Resources Award – James Deans and Angela Coleman
Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – Daniel and Emily Woolsey
Federated Farmers of New Zealand Leadership Award – Daniel and Emily Woolsey
Honda Farm Safety and Health Award – Russell and Tracy Bouma
LIC Recording and Productivity Award – Steve Henderson and Tracy Heale
Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award – Daniel and Emily Woolsey
Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award – Daniel and Emily Woolsey
Triplejump Risk Management Award – James Deans and Angela Coleman
Westpac Business Performance Award – Steve Henderson and Tracy Heale
Farm Manager Merit Awards:
Bell Booth – Claude Wuest Memorial Encouragement Award – Esmerelda and Michael Duffin
McIntyre Dick and Partners Leadership Award – Jared Crawford
Fonterra Best Practice Award – Jared Crawford
Primary ITO Human Resource Management Award – Hadleigh and Jolene Germann
RD1 Farm Management Award – Hadleigh and Jolene Germann
Westpac Financial Planning and Management Award – Callum Stalker and Hanna Barley
Dairy Trainee Merit Awards:
AWS Legal Farming Knowledge Award – Stu Dillon
Clutha Vets – Terry Bently Animal Husbandry Knowledge Award – Stu Dillon
Shand Thomson – Karen Vreugdenhil Memorial Leadership Award – Stu Dillon
DairyNZ Practical Skills Award – Josh Lavender
Congratulate them and the other regional Dairy Industry Award winners.
Look out for more in-depth information on the winners in the next edition of Dairy Exporter.
