NZ Dairy Autumn 2021

44 | nz dairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Checketts Dairies Supporting farmers key role for Ag Proud trustee Sue Russell M ossburn dairy farmer Jason Checketts’ journey working on the land is proof that a career doesn’t always go in a straight line, from an initial passion for farming to where the journey takes you. A Southlander, Jason moved to the country from Invercargill, near Winton, when he was six years old to what would now be described as a life-style block. “It got me connected with local farmers’ children and I discovered I was really interested in animals and machinery.” Relief milking while at school put some money in Jason’s pocket and gave him a taste of life in the shed, so when he left school at 16, he took up a full-time position doing just that. “I didn’t like it at all and was there for a year and when an opportunity came up to shift to Man- apouri on a sheep and beef station I jumped at the chance,” Jason explains. Seven years later, having worked on two sheep and beef properties each for 3 ½ years and at 23 years of age, was managing a 550 ha farm. With farm ownership increasingly in his sights, Jason looked for fresh opportunities and became a run- off manager in a business with two dairy units and a total of 2000 cows. “We did everything ourselves; wintering all the cows and I really enjoyed it. That was my first real taste of managing people.” Eventually returning to milking and working through contract and lower-order sharemilking Jason realised he was on the right track to fulfil his farm ownership aspirations. Today, the farm winters about 1030 cows to peak around the high 900 cows The farm is 390ha effective with a 125 ha support block. Jason employs four staff; an assistant manager, two herd managers and a machinery operator/general worker. Milking twice a day through 85% of the season the herd is dried off by the end of May. Converted a decade ago, Jason says the team chip away at tidying up the property. This season has been one of the best growing seasons and with milk production at 30,000 kgMS ahead of last season by February. A move to System 4 has meant an increase in production and while inputs cost more money, significant increases in milk yield have made that economically worthwhile. Located in north-Southland, the local region is a good even mix of dairy, support land and sheep and beef. Such is his enjoyment of the current situation that Jason is looking at signing up for a further two or three year contract on the farm. “There is still a bit in the tank to realise I reckon and I’m keen to see what we can achieve.” Another passion for Jason is in supporting the health and well-being of all farmers and, as such, along with John Douglas and John Pemberton, fellow Southland farmers, he is a trustee of the Ag Proud Charitable Trust. Established in 2019, Ag Proud has three main objectives: To promote mental health in the rural sector, promoting best on farm practices and educating the wider public on the real situation of farmers. “We’ve done this through holding BBQ’s in the towns, to get some urban folk involved and a conversation going. We have had some amaz- ing worthwhile discussions.” Jason remembers feeding 1000 at an event held in Manukau and acknowledges support from meat companies has been outstanding. It’s all about creating opportunities to bridge gaps in understanding, for town folk, as to what farmers actually do on their farms to promote animal and environmental welfare. “We want to empower farmers to be proud of what they do and the vital sector they live and work in and just how essential this industry is to New Zealand.” Helping other sectors is important too. The organisation was approached by an orchardist in Alexandra who had no-one to harvest the fruit, given the constraints of COVID lockdown. “They had a lot of fruit damaged, given the weather, and we went up to the orchard and picked the fruit then took a heap of it down to the freezing works in Southland, as a way of saying thank you to those essential workers.” “My next step will be to 50:50 sharemilk or equity farming as another step toward my goal of farm ownership.” Ag Proud trustees John Douglas, chairman Jon Pemberton and Jason Checketts.