DAIRY NEWS APRIL 11, 2017
DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS // 35 FROM PAGE 33
goals. Dion and Jo Bishell say entering the dairy industry awards enabled them to push the boundaries of their business. “We’ve been able to the 2017 Taranaki Dairy Trainee of the Year is Tim Bonner. Neal entered the awards hoping it would help him improve his the-
ing 225 cows for John and Jean Ellison at Norsewood. They won $9570 in prizes. It is fourth time lucky for the 2017 Hawkes Bay/ Wairarapa Dairy Manager of the Year, Kenny Henderson. “Entering previously has made me more aware of my strengths and weaknesses as a manager, thanks to judges’ feedback. I have increased my
Dion and Jo Bishell.
oretical knowledge. Bonner learnt his general farming skills while very young and has always aspired to being a top NZ dairy farmer. “While my peers were buying fancy utes I was saving for my own dairy herd and still driving my 1996 Corolla,” he says.
Hawkes Bay/ Wairarapa SHARE FARMER of the Year winners say entering the competition has given them a better understanding of their whole business. “Being able to analyse why we make the decisions we do, and ensure they are the best for our farming enterprise has been a huge benefit of entering the awards,” say Rob and Shiralee Seerden. They have been on their 80ha farm since 2009 and say their goal is to look for a new role in the 2018-19 season and move to a 450-650 head position, either in 50/50 sharemilking or an equity partnership job. The couple, aged 45 and 44, and with seven children, are sharemilk-
profile within the industry and made new contacts,” says Henderson. Henderson (37), is the farm manager for 2008 NZ Sharemilkers of the Year Ben and Nicky Allomes, who are 50/50 sharemilkers for Kay Cassells on her Woodville property. Brandyn Beale (21), is the Dairy Trainee of the Year; he is herd manager on Mike and Jane Joho’s 350-cow farm at Dannevirke.
stock sales which maximises income. The winner of the West Coast-Top of the South Dairy Manager of the Year competition sees huge benefits in entering the dairy awards and has met good people through the process. Jack Raharuhi, who won $4680 in prizes, is the farm manager for the Landcorp 482ha, 1150-cow farm at Westport. Jack (24), began milking through a Gateway programme at Buller High School nine years ago, when he fell in with the wrong crowd. West Coast-Top of the South Dairy Trainee of the Year Clay Paton (23) hopes entering the awards will open up doors for quality employment and career opportunities in the future.
Canterbury-North Otago South A FORMER adven-
ture tourism guide and a former secondary school teacher were named major winners in the 2017 Canterbury-North Otago South Dairy Industry Awards and they are thriv-
ing on the challenge. Christopher and Siobhan O’Malley, both aged 34, are sharemilking 515 cows on Graham Brooker’s 138ha farm in Ashburton. They won $12,607.86 in prizes. They entered the awards to discover where they fit in the industry. “The competition process created a focus on parts of the farm and business we may not otherwise have been as energetic towards,” say the couple. Kerry Higgins (32), the Canterbury-North Otago Dairy Manager of the Year, says the awards have pushed her outside her comfort zone and have made her take a long, hard look at how she approaches her business. “This has helped me build a greater understanding of my strengths and weaknesses.” Dairy Trainee of the Year Ben Haley (24) thought entering the awards would test his knowledge of dairy farming and push him in the right direction to further his career. He has been in the industry for three seasons
West Coast-Top of the South A MURCHISON couple are the West Coast-Top of the South Dairy Share Farmers of the Year. Jon and Vicki Nicholls, aged 39 and 37, are sharemilking 470 cows on the Greenmile Ltd 185ha farm in Murchison. They won $6430 in prizes. They entered the awards to network, analyse their business and meet new people, and wish to buy land. The couple see the strengths of their business in the low cost of production which minimises expenses, and the high
Jon and Vicci Nicholls.
Southland-Otago THE WINNERS of the
From left: Kerry Higgins, Christopher and Siobhan O’Malley and Ben Haley.
after spending 14 months as a cattle station hand south of Alice Springs, Australia. His farming goals include promotion to second-in-charge and securing a management position in the next five years.
Manawatu MANAWATU DAIRY
Industry Awards Share
policies and procedures, finding areas that need tweaking and improving.” Manawatu Dairy Manager of the Year Hayley Hoogendyk says her win was a great way to realise the skills she had, and what she needed to learn more about. The Manawatu Dairy Trainee of the Year is Stephanie Walker (22), a farm assistant on a
Nikki and Jarrod Greenwood.
Farmer of the Year Jarrod and Nikki Greenwood have proven that persistence and resilience are the keys to success, winning the title on their fifth attempt. They say entering the awards has given them a better understanding of their business. “The judges’ feedback has helped us to improve and strengthen our farming operation. It got us digging into our business and assessing all our
Foxton Landcorp Farming farm. She won $5175 in prizes.
Russell and Tracy Bouma.
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2017 Southland-Otago Dairy Industry Awards Share Farmer of the Year competition believe good staff management has stood them in good stead to help them to achieve their business goals. Russell (40) and Tracy (37) Bouma are sharemilking 762 cows on Andrew, Owen and Barbra Johnston’s 270ha farm in Clydevale. They won $20,065 in prizes. The winner of the 2017 Southland-Otago Dairy Manager of the Year competition says stock are the number-one priority in her business. Ann Linton (25), who won $8650 in prizes, is the assistant manager for their employers Nathan and Debbie Erskine and farm owners John and Helen Kerse on their 265ha, 800-cow farm at Gore. Southland-Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year Ben Mclean (22), entered the awards to give himself a challenge outside of the day-to-day work onfarm. “I wanted to gauge myself against others in the same position.”
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