NORTHERN FARMING LIFESTYLES September 2015
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Caring for the calves is just one part of his responsibility on the farm as well as helping milk 1600 cows Seamus with one of the Rotopai farm owners Bryan Weatherstone, ready to move stock
Kiwis for agricultural careers since 1919. The main campus is based near Masterton in the Wairarapa, with nonresidential campuses in Northland and other areas of the country. Seamus has now gained his National Certificate in Agriculture, Level four Dairy and he has secured a full time position at Rotopai Farms, about 45 minutes towards the coast from Masterton. He started a full-time role late last year after already having completed one calving season with the farm. Rotopai operates a herd of 2,950 cows and Seamus says the job is not for the faint hearted. “It is busy and hectic but enjoyable — I have learned a lot,” he said. He says that working at Rotopai means that he is learning fast that farming has to be profitable to survive, and to do that, cows must be looked after and respected. Sustainability is key. “The course taught me all the basic skills needed and cemented the idea of farming in my head really. “Part of my responsibility is the milking. The herd is split between two sheds and I help milk 1600 cows. This can take five hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon. I also help with the calving, fencing and other odd jobs around the place.” They start some mornings at 3am and he works with nine other staff members. He says at the moment he is just getting to know the place and settling into a routine of how things work on the property. “I would like to end up sharemilking eventually and go on to own a farm one day. Working here is a good experience and the whole team pitch in and everyone has something to offer. We learn off each other and the opportunity presented to us here is well worth the effort. “Having a place like this farm to learn from is a big step in the large scheme of things.”
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Seamus’ commitment to his career and hard work was recognised by a Dairy NZ Vocational Training Excellence Award. “I’m chuffed, it’s an acknowledgement of my pathway so far,” he said. “The DairyNZ Vocational Training Excellence Award provides support and industry recognition for talented dairy trainees like Seamus,” said DairyNZ Industry Education Facilitator, Susan Stokes. ”The aim of this award is to encourage them to not only complete their courses and gain qualifications, but to excel and also inspire them to go as far as they can in our industry.
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