| 47 RURAL PEOPLE » Scott & Rebecca O’Brien Award winners become team leaders Richard Loader Becoming Team Leaders for the dairy industry’s Bay of Plenty Sharefarmer of the Year award entrants provided the perfect opportunity to give back to the awards, says Scott O’Brien, who along with his wife Rebecca (Becks) won the region’s 2022 Sharefarmer of Year award, along with a bevy of merit awards. “As past winner you’re invited to be team leader, and mentor the new entrants. We wanted to stay involved with progressive likeminded people and this was a great way to do that. So it doubles down on what we achieved last year and broadens our network to include the new entrants.” While Rebecca has taken on the larger share of the workload in terms of staying in touch with the entrants and helping them with their preparations, Scott has provided back-up support where needed. “Our role as team leaders has been about ensuring the entrants know what is expected in terms of timelines and the information to be provided. In the latter stages leading up to judging in February it has been helping them with bits of their presentation that they might be struggling with or even reviewing what they’ve done, and providing advice where needed. “There’s a huge amount of preparation work that goes into the presentation and it can be quite daunting. We help people break it down into chunks, and work away at it one thing at a time.” Scott makes the point that the presentation he and Rebecca put together last year has become a key reference tool for things like putting budgets together and recruiting staff. “That’s what we’re relaying to this year’s entrants — its knowing what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, presenting that to the judges and then having that information on tap. It’s things that you’re already doing, but having that structured format on paper takes it to the next level. We’re really enjoying the role and would like to stay involved in some capacity next year as well.” Scott grew up on a dairy farm, but nished his last three years’ schooling in Auckland, where he Diversity important on farm • from page 46 “We’ve been really fortunate to have a great Field officer to work with. We buy poplar poles and other plants off the Taranaki Regional Council and we are reimbursed once they are in the ground. We’re happy to retire steep land to trees and to concentrate on farming our flats as the cost of flying in fertiliser for pasture on steep land is unsustainable,” says Jane. Neighbouring properties to Mangamingi Farm are being planted in pine which is causing an increase in goat numbers and making it difficult to get young pines established on their block. They are actively controlling the numbers by shooting. Possum control is underway at Rawhitiroa Block which is within the Taranaki Regional Council’s biodiversity halo to minimise pest reinvasion within an 100 km perimeter of the national park, Te Papakura o Taranaki. Diversity is important to the family, and they run trading cattle to provide flexibility on the farms, buying in stock that is price and weight related to when they want to sell. The family also run Romney from Wairere Romney stud in Masteron. With a climate that grows grass all year, there is no winter cropping and grass is fed out using cell blocks on a twoday rotation. To help soil stability, they direct drill a brassica crop in summer. says he learned that city life was not for him. “As soon as I nished school I went dairy farming and over twenty years Rebecca and I have worked our way up from farm assistant right through to going 50/50 sharemilking six years ago. I’ve also done a diploma in Agri-business management, to better understand the business side. “We love the variety that farming provides, employing staff and working with people, and creating food to feed the world is quite a cool thing. Owning our own livestock is also pretty cool.” The couple sharemilk two properties 14 kilometres apart in Galatea, inland from Whakatane, milking 910 cows. “We want to keep being professional sharemilkers for a few more years before we’re in a position to buy our own reasonably large farm, starting off with 500 cows plus. “Professional sharemilking is a great career path in its own right, whether you want to buy a farm at the end of it or not, so the world is our oyster really.” Marriner Groundspread Ltd Operating since 1996 Supporting the local community Ph: (06) 765 4345 118 Warwick Road, Stratford • Grass Silage • Maize Silage & Harvesting • Round Baling-with Krone Comprima Combi Pack • Maize Planting • Full Cultivation Services • Undersowing • Direct Drilling • Earth Works • Farm Race Work • General Excavation Work • Truck Cartage DAN: 021 155 4975 | PEARCEAGCONTRACTING@GMAIL.COM Pearce Ag Contracting Ltd. Scott and Becks O’Brien with the 2022 Sharefarmer of the Year award.
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