34 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Melbra Dairies Ltd Melissa and Bradley Bullot recognised Karen Phelps Melissa and Bradley Bullot have been recognised for their commitment to dairy farming and maintaining a strong work-life balance after taking third place in the Taranaki Share Farmer category at the 2026 NZ Dairy Industry Awards. The couple are in their second season contract milking for Dayle and Chayce Bailey near Stratford, milking 261 cows on 88ha. Last season the farm produced 119,022kg of milk solids from 263 cows with the Bullots targeting 120,000kgMS this season. Both grew up on farms in Taranaki and have built their experiences in different parts of the industry before going contact milking together. Bradley, 31, left school to work on farms before completing a plumbing and drainlaying apprenticeship. He returned to farming seven years ago. Melissa, 29, spent time working in administration for a company that manufactured rotary cow sheds before going farming and completing a season Herd Testing for CRV. Going contact milking together was a big step but one that fitted there longer term goal of progression through the industry. The farm has a 24-aside herringbone shed with in-shed feeding but its high rainfall and long rectangular layout require careful planning. The farm stretches 1.7km to the back paddock so the couple have changed their grazing approach to minimise the distance cows need to walk. “We have to make decisions on a daily basis as the weather can change quickly,” says Bradley. “We always have to be thinking ahead and have more than one plan.” After learning the farm through their first season, the couple started preparing for spring back in The couple are in their second season contract milking for Dayle and Chayce Bailey near Stratford. We’re proud to support businesses like Melbra Dairies Ltd. March, setting up systems and planning ahead so their second calving could be managed more efficiently and in a way that suited the way they want to farm using a spring rotation planner. “You can have everything planned out but you still have to look at the cows, residuals and the weather and adjust as you go,” says Bradley. Maintaining production, getting cows back in calf and making the most of pasture are key priorities but so is creating a sustainable lifestyle. “Good work-life balance comes down to planning and having things set up to have time off so we are not on the back foot all the time,” says Bradley. The judges noted the couple’s well-grown young stock, something Melissa puts down to the time she spends with calves. “I like ad-lib feeding for at least six weeks,” explains Melissa. “I fill their feeder once a day but they drink what they want when they want it as they would with their mum. Then I gradually taper the milk back instead of a straight wean. I think they do better.” Family is an important part of their plans. The couple have two sons, Beauden, five, and Liam, two, and want to create more opportunities to spend time together away from farm work. The children are already taking an interest in farming. “They both like getting out on the farm and helping out when they can and watching milkings,” says Bradley. “The kids like telling us what we’re doing wrong and what we should do.” The couple’s longer-term goal is to move into a 50:50 sharemilking position by 2030 and eventually buy their own farm in Taranaki. “We’re born and bred here, all our friends and family here,” says Bradley. “It’s a pretty good place to farm and to raise a family.”
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