4 | RURAL PEOPLE » Chris Henderson Sharemilking next step for award winner Chris grew up on dairy farms in Southland (Seaward Downs and Pukerau), before studying a Bachelor of Commerce in Agriculture at Lincoln University. Kim Newth Southland contract milker Chris Henderson entered the 2026 Southland/Otago Dairy Industry Awards to benchmark his position in the industry. The outcome was very positive, with Chris named runner-up share farmer of the year at the awards function. He won $5500 and two merit awards (LIC Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award, and ASB Business Performance Award). “I’ve entered these awards twice before for the experience, but this was my first time at the share farmer level,” says Chris. “It was a good process and I’m pretty happy with how it went - it’s great to have the recognition.” Chris grew up on dairy farms in Southland (Seaward Downs and Pukerau), before studying a Bachelor of Commerce in Agriculture at Lincoln University. After completing his studies in 2014, Chris did contract work overseas for a time yet always knew he’d return to dairy farming and start from the bottom. “That way you learn from the coalface - I like the stepping stones that you go through in this industry to achieve your goals. I started out as a farm assistant at Legendairies, near Invercargill. I worked as 2IC the next year, then as farm manager. After that, I went contract milking with the Miller Family at Glencoe.” The Miller family, of Roslyn Downs, are farm legends in their own right, having won the regional supreme award at the 2024 Southland Ballance Farm Environment Awards for their 1034ha dairy, sheep and beef operation. Roslyn Downs is led by brothers Jason and Quentin Miller. The dairy farm, which was added in 2019, milks 870 cows on 360ha. “What drew me to this farm was that it had the scale I was looking for and it’s also a family-owned business. They keep the infrastructure well- maintained and if anything needs to be done, they will do it. There are monthly meetings with the Miller family and I’m always talking with them. They’ve supported me all the way and came along on the awards night too.” Sharemilking is now the next step for Chris and his wife Bec. The judges were impressed with Chris’ business acumen, use of professional support (including from Campbell Wood at Agrifocus and BNZ), equity growth achievements and strategic leveraging of off-farm assets. Chris says Bec’s flair for property helped them find good off-farm property investment opportunities. Buying cows to go sharemilking in the coming season, along with tractors and other farm equipment, will be a big cost for them but Chris says they’re ready for this next progression. It is no accident that Chris also won an award for animal wellbeing, recording and productivity. He’s been running the farm’s mating and feeding programmes for some time and regularly consults with their local LIC Agri Manager over how to achieve the highest possible genetic gain. “I really enjoy that side of it. This is my fifth season here. Production per cow was around 380kg milk solids when I started , but we should reach 500kg this year.” The farm runs an efficient block grazing system in winter that is kind on both the cows and the country, with minimal pugging and soil compaction. Southland’s trusted earthmoving specialists. From GPS-guided land drainage to lane construction, site prep, and landscaping—we deliver efficient, accurate groundworks tailored to your project. 027 207 2691 tbrockcontracting@gmail.com DELIVERING TRUSTEDEARTHMOVING SOLUTIONS ACROSS SOUTHLAND Proudly Supporting Chris Henderson Your go to experts for newbuilds and renovations JARROD HOPE m. 027 497 0029 e. jarrod.hope@jsquaredbuilding.co.nz Owner / Licensed Building Practitioner JARED CLARK m. 027 814 2170 e. jared.clark@jsquaredbuilding.co.nz Owner / Licensed Building Practitioner New Builds | Farm Buildings | House Extensions Room Renovations Ƥ Ƭ Ƭ ơ Ȁ Ǥ Why AgriFocus? x E Ƥ x Proactie Ƥ x r x r x r The Complete Financial Management Service for Agribusiness Servicing Rural Communities Across Southland Round Bailing Cultivation Direct Drilling Precision Drilling Excavators 027 824 0686 jamesdouglas.ingill@gmail.com
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