NZ Dairy Winter 2021

62 | nz dairy Couple add up benefits of awards win Sue Russell “I enjoyed the study. After taking on the second farm and upscaling our business, this learning has enabled me to contribute to our business in other really important ways.” W est Coast Share Farmers Sian Madden and Mark Roberts were delighted to take out the honour for the Top of the South/ West Coast region in this year’s dairy industry awards. Sian says the benefits that came from entering were substantial. “It gave us a chance to really look in depth at our business; our, goals, action-plan and time- lines. We want to get to farm ownership so our strategic plan is working toward this goal,” says Sian. In 2019 they formed a company Madden Roberts Farming, to take on a contract milking role near Reefton. The following season they seized the opportu- nity to add a second farm as share milkers milk- ing a total of 1300 cows, owned by Moir Farms. The properties are 215ha and 377ha respectively, with 800 cows on the larger farm. Sian has completed a Diploma in Agri Business Management, which she says, just added another layer of knowledge to their business. “I enjoyed the study. After taking on the sec- ond farm and upscaling our business, this learn- ing has enabled me to contribute to our business in other really important ways.” It’s also one of the reasons the couple chose to go on to a larger-scale farming situation; it would justify employing other staff to work alongside Mark, leaving Sian free to concentrate on the business side of things. “Having me behind the scenes frees Mark up to focus on the day-to-day farming. It gives both of us an opportunity to thrive in the areas we excel in,” Sian says. Mark adds that often it’s the male in a farming situation who is the face of the business, however this is certainly not the case with this couple. While Mark is still very much hands-on, the plan next season is to employ a day-to-day manager to free him to take up a more operations manager role over the two farms. The couple have become grown to embrace the West Coast and adapted to life on the Coast. “It’s much better to look at what life on the Coast offers, what we have, rather than what we don’t have,” Sian says. West Coast/Top of the South Share Farmers of the Year Mark Roberts and Sian Madden with Mila (9), Parker (3) and Remy (1). DAIRY AWARDS » Sian Madden & Mark Roberts When asked how they recruit staff, Sian says they look for the right person to fit their team rather than focusing on specific qualifications. “We put a big emphasis on staff recruitment and retention, we look for good work ethic and attitude along with wanting to be progressive within the dairy industry while feeling supported.” And with the strategic plan very much in focus, the next one-year goal is to take on another farm to operate. With that size of business operation, the pathway to ownership is much more secure. “We are lucky enough we can provide succes- sion planning with the two farms, this is a huge advantage when recruiting and retaining,” says Sian. When NZ Dairy spoke with the couple in early May, they had just completed their last round of final’s judging on-farm and were eagerly looking forward to National Awards being held in Hamil- ton, mid-May. “We have never been to Hamilton before, so it’s going to be an opportunity to see dairying in the Waikato Region.” At that event, the judges will interview the couple. It is also an opportunity for the judges to engage with Mark and Sian. “It’s going to be really interesting to meet the other regional finalists in our category, and to gain a glimpse of their farming journey and what their strengths are,” says Sian. This season has been a challenge says Mark, with a very wet’ Spring. One of the challenges is getting sufficient fertiliser on pasture. On one farm, the contour is humped and hollowed, mak- ing it difficult to fertilize with health and safety concerns. “They are both very beautiful farms to work on. We are encapsulated by nature and feel very fortunate to be here. The local community is wonderful,” says Mark. Both farms operate a low input system. Winter crop is grown on-farm. Summer turnips also supplement the grass-based diet. The philosophy driving the farms’ operations is very much a back to basic farming approach says Mark. “We know farming in this area presents us with restrictions, so we just knuckle down and practice good basic farming, doing everything we do as well as we can. So far, that has worked well for us.” AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIAL COMMERCIAL CALL US ON 027 343 7834 DIESEL MECHANIC I REPAIRS & SERVICING I AUTO ELECTRICAL I AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING I INDUSTRIAL HYDRAULICS WEST COAST AG CONTRACTORS LTD – Dwayne: 027 299 8887 95 Ahaura/Kopara Road, Ahaura, West Coast · +64 3 732 3668 · ahaurahelicopters@xtra.co.nz Hunting & Fishing Agricultural Services General Aerial Services Ahaura Helicopters Ltd was established by owner/operators Simon and Debbie Lawn in 1994 and have provided professional helicopter services to the West Coast and throughout the South Island since. For a list of our services please visit our website at www.ahaurahelicopters.co.nz