| 3 DAIRY PEOPLE » Gralyn Farms “I enjoy helping other people but it can get stressful. I’m doing this for the greater industry good.” New vice-pres for the Taranaki area Working as a contract milker for Gralyn Farms near Inglewood, he and his wife understand the pressures of the business. Aimee Wilson Federated Farmers national share farmer chair Sam Ebbert has a new position of responsibility, having just stepped into the role of vicepresident for the Taranaki area. Supporting the president on the executive committee and to help shoulder some of the workload, there have been many new challenges in the dairy industry recently. “I enjoy helping other people but it can get stressful. I’m doing this for the greater industry good,” he said. At the end of last season there were a couple of dozen cases where farm owners have directed milk companies to withhold payments to sharemilkers, due to a range of issues, and that’s where Federated Farmers has had to step in and help find solutions. The organisation is currently looking into what measures they can put in place to ensure share milkers are protected, so they are not affected by financial losses. Sam said while $15,000 to $20,000 might not seem a lot to a farm owner, it’s a lot of money to share milker who has worked hard all season. He said the farm owner is generally disgruntled about something - whether it be the quality of work or another issue. Working as a contract milker for Gralyn Farms near Inglewood, he and his wife understand the pressures of the business, but admits the industry is a lot better than it was 20 years ago. “The road is a lot easier than it was back then with support and knowledge.” As the national share farmer chair, he gets to mix with farm managers, herd owners and other contract milkers within the wider dairy industry. It gives him insight into what’s happening in other parts of the country, and not just in Taranaki. The Federated Farmers executive role is a good balance of both governance and operational, and enables him to give back to the industry, through his experience. The couple milk 630 cows under Mt Taranaki, which is 304m above sea level and they experience extremely high rainfall - up to 3.5m annually. While this season has been one of the better ones, with relatively low rainfall so far, Sam knows that could all change quite quickly. “Weather-wise, it couldn’t have been any better.” The rain will eventually come - and that could easily be 1.5m in one month, making life challenging, depending on how far out they are from calving. 1914 Mountain Rd, Inglewood, Taranaki | 0274 479 232 | bjbishoptransport@xtra.co.nz Saturday - Sunday: 10am to 5pm or by appointment. Maketawa Museum Take a step back into the world of John Deere at the Maketawa John Deere Museum. 39 Cutfield Street, Inglewood 94 Broadway, Stratford 0800 662 6455 See us for: Pumps and Water Systems | Milking Machines Effluent Systems | Meal Systems | Teat Spray Systems www.moamilking.co.nz The grass growth rate has been “phenomenal” with an average of 30 to 40kg a day, which he said is unheard of in July. Sam and his wife are half way through another two year contract milking term with the owners of Gralyn, and hope one day they will have their own herd. With his new Federated Farmer role, it’s the busiest he’s ever been, but Sam knows all that hard work will eventually pay off.
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