| 19 Scott relishing the role as comp judge Bay of Plenty dairy farmer Scott O’Brien has been on the other side of the fence for the last two years – as a judge. Christine de Felice A winner in previous NZ Dairy Industry Awards, Bay of Plenty dairy farmer Scott O’Brien has been on the other side of the fence for the last two years – as a judge. Scott’s first success was in 2011, when he took out the farm manager award at the Central Plateau regionals, then in 2022, he won the Share Farmer category for Bay of Plenty, together with his wife, Rebecca, followed by the People and Culture award at the 2022 national awards. There had been a significant change for Scott, Rebecca, and their young family during those intervening 11 years. At the time of the first award, Scott was managing a dairy farm in the Central Plateau, then in 2017 they were offered the opportunity to take up a 50/50 share in a herd on a Bay of Plenty farm. “It was a larger operation with 700 cows, but we thought we would give it a nudge,” says Scott. The move turned out to be the right one, with Scott and Rebecca going on to prove their ability by winning that 2022 award. The regional awards take place in 11 regions around New Zealand, with the national finals being held in one location. The finalists spend five days together prior to national awards night, including going on field trips. “That time together is the highlight of the whole event,” says Scott. “We are all like-minded, go-getting farmers, and we all get along very well. And with the pressure of the competition, we support each other through that.” Scott says he is still in contact with the farmers from his groups, and they often check in with each other to see how they are progressing. Rebecca is the current committee secretary for the Bay of Plenty Regional Dairy Awards, and following the 2022 event, Scott also wanted to get involved other than being a competitor. “I said I would put my hand up if they ever needed extra judges for the awards. I did it last year, and I really enjoyed it. RURAL PEOPLE » Scott and Rebecca O’Brien K ng Main St, Edgecumbe Ph 07 304 9640 anytime Milking & water systems specialists since 1988 King Farm Services Ltd Steve King 027 4095 0054 Will King 027 615 7922 Robbie Hall 027 807 1312 Stainless steel – fabrication and welding Design Supply Install * Ef uent & irrigation * Feed systems * Frost protection * Animal health * Detergent * Rubberware & consumables * Trenching service Proudly supporting Scott and Rebecca O’Brien Being a judge, you feel more relaxed as you are not being critiqued yourself.” Judging again this year, he says he was really impressed with the high standard of the finalists. “We get to meet them – they’re all different, but they’re all good, go-getting people coming through. Good young, keen people – that’s what farming needs.” The Bay of Plenty regional finals were held on Friday, March 21 at the Awakeri Events Centre, with Andre and Natalie Meier winning the Share Farmer of the Year award. In her role as secretary of the BOP Regional Awards Dairy committee Rebecca is involved in organising the awards event. “It’s good to be able to give back to the awards programme,” she says. “Scott and I have also been team leaders for the region’s share farmer award contestants.” Rebecca is also a regional leader for the BOP division of the Dairy Women’s Network, an organisation that puts on events and promotes knowledge and connections for their people involved in New Zealand’s dairy industry.
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