| 13 nzdairy DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS » Kaitiaki Whenua Farming Ltd / Milk Makn Ltd Levi impresses Nice nod for Adam Russell Fredric Russell Fredric Levi Wesford was just 19 years old when he was named runner-up in the Waikato New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards Dairy Trainee category in March. The second-in-charge on Matthew (Matt) Weatherhead’s 100 hectare, 220 cow farm in Te Miro, Waikato, Levi won $3,976 in prizes in addition to receiving the Trinity Lands Ltd Farming Knowledge merit award. “This is my second season as 2IC and I was farm assistant for two years before that,” Levi says. Levi’s pathway in the industry started with relief milking while he was at high school, looking for an escape route as he did not want to pursue an academic career. Matt runs a sheep milking operation alongside the cow farm. “Matt needed a staff member so it just worked out that I’d transition from relief milking to being the farm assistant.” Levi is studying towards a Primary ITO New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture – Dairy Farming level 4 qualification. “I think we talked about the awards at one of my Primary ITO courses and I thought I’d give it a crack because I thought I’d do fairly well.” The awards process included a practical day which included set tasks from which the top six entrants went through to an interview. “Along with that came a whole lot of theory questions about different aspects of farming. We did some feed allocation, identifying some different diseases and were asked about what our future plan was in the industry and how we are Being named as this year’s Dairy Trainee runner-up in the Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards has been a big boost Adam Manners’ confidence. The accolade came as quite a surprise, Adam says. “I didn’t expect to get anything. I was pretty happy that I did it. I’ve been trying my best to learn lots of different skills, not just how to milk, it’s all the stuff outside of it.” “It’s quite cool to have that recognition, that I actually have learnt some skills and to be at that level.” The 19-year-old works as farm assistant on Janelle Nee and Mel McEntyre’s 64ha, 154-cow property, Kaitiaki Whenua Farming, just outside of Tauranga. A first-time entrant in the awards, Adam has worked full-time on the farm for a year and is excited about his future in the industry. He entered the awards on the prompting of Janelle and Mel “to try and get me out there bit more and involved outside of work and to meet new people my age,” Adam says. “They thought it was a good chance to get me out of my comfort zone.” He recently joined Te Puke Young Farmers and this along with going through the awards process has been good for networking, he says. Since June he has been studying towards Level 3 Primary ITO qualifications and hopes to progress to farm management and eventually ownership. Adam has a family background in agriculture, with two uncles and a grandparent being farmers. His mother grew up on a farm his grandparents and one of his uncles owned; Adam was often on the farm during weekends and really enjoyed his time there. At high school during his year 12 and 13 he knew his career path would not involve going to university and after speaking to a career advisor he got a position with Kaitiaki Whenua Farming, initially working two days a week while still at school. “After I finished school they offered me a job and I’ve been there since and have really enjoyed it.” Adam admits to initially being quite nervous when he started, but credits Mel with being a good mentor who helped him grow his confidence as he learned the ropes. “I had chances to make mistakes, but learn from them in a good way.” The farm has a 20 a side herringbone shed and is on rolling contour. The cows are milked twice-a-day and go to once-a-day just before Christmas to preserve grass as well as to lessen the workload. Adam sees a lot of advantages in working on a small farm because his is exposed to more aspects of it operation than some dairy workers he knows who are mostly focused on “cups on, cups off” milking. “There’s animal health and everything around the farm including management of feed and other things like fencing.” Adam’s roster is based on seven days on and two days off. While he loves his work, he is conscious of the need to manage his downtime and Janelle and Mel encourage him to have time off the farm which includes pursuing his interest in cricket and hockey. going to achieve that, whether it be financially or different pathways that we thought would be effective to get there.” The award recognition was particularly rewarding for Levi as he does not come from a farming background, so it has been a steep learning curve to get to where he is. His big goal is farm ownership and in the next season or two he is planning to take on either a management role or become a contract milker for a few seasons. “I really enjoy being able to solve problems and think on my feet and also really like knowing everything is for a purpose, whether feeding out or fertiliser spreading; it all actually has a real impact and typically you can see the result, whether it be in milks solids or the condition of cows. I find that really satisfying.” Matt and Levi have been focused on creating efficiencies which included being a very early adopter of the Halter system in 2021, achieving genetic gain and improving fencing and laneways. They also ensure the 30 a-side herring bone milking shed which has automatic cup removers and in-shed feed is running well and is well maintained. Milking, including the wash-up, typically takes about two hours. Last season’s total production of 93,000kgMS to Fonterra was a little lower than planned because some milk was taken out for the dairy lambs as it was cheaper than buying milk power before the past season’s payout increased. This season’s budget is for 98,000kgMS which with the current payout, allows for some extra supplementary feed into the system 3 to 4 operation if needed. Proud to support Kaitiaki Whenua Farming Ltd swede@taurangalivestockltd.co.nz • Round hay and silage services • Direct drilling • Feed supplement CALL US TODAY! 027 498 8138 Servicing Bay of Plenty Proudly supporting Kaitiaki Whenua Farming Ltd Proudly Supporting Milk Makn Ltd FOR ALL YOUR AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING REQUIREMENTS Te Awamutu *ÕÌňÀÕÀÕ İÌÀ >}>
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