NZ Dairy Winter 2023

Peter O’Connor has more incentive than most to take out the final in July; he will be competing against his younger brother Nick - Page 5 Brothers face off in Farmer of Year WINTER 2023 www.waterfordpress.co.nz

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NZ Dairy accepts no responsibility for loss of photos or manuscripts. #nzdairy #yourstory www.waterfordpress.co.nz   25 | Staying connected through a tough season 56 | All part of a strategic plan 73 | Breaking down significant perceptions 14 | Focus on equity growth Emma Poole �� 03 Everbrook Dairy Goats �� 04 Lyndhurst Farm �� 05 Thomas & Jemima Bebbington �� 06 Poplar Partnership Ltd �� 08 Katie & Chad Morrison �� 10 Te Tawa Pamu �� 12 Jack Symes �� 14 Hayden & Bridget Goble �� 16 Cameron Jessica Lee �� 18 Ann-Kristin Loferski: Cottesbrook Dairy �� 20 Eyrewell Dairy �� 22 Hamish Morrison �� 23 Hayden McDonald �� 24 Joe & Danielle Kehely �� 25 Brian Tucker & Alice Gysbertsen �� 26 Blake Cameron: Cameron Family Farm �� 27 Kevin & Nicole Oppert �� 28 Michael & Shahn Smith �� 30 Mangahana Farms �� 32 Red Bluff Farms �� 34 Caleb Spence: Roaring View Farms �� 36 Tauhara Farms �� 37 Chihiro Hanyuda: Tulip Rose Farms �� 38 Jay Arifin: Wairarapa Moana Incorporation �� 40 Jacinta Kete: Wylam Dene Farm �� 41 Honnsysett & Stolte �� 43 Reuben & Deb Connolly �� 44 Greg & Ingrid McCracken �� 45 Alan Law �� 46 Colin Guyton �� 47 Bjerring Family Farm �� 48 Canlac Holdings �� 50 Dean & Jo Geddes �� 51 Dairy Farms NZ �� 52 Ethan & Sarah Koch �� 56 Ian & Carmen Comins �� 58 Justin Pigou �� 59 Hanze Farms �� 60 Jade Dairies �� 61 Java Pastoral �� 62 Jenkins Road Dairies �� 63 Wilith Farm �� 64 Todd & Renee Halliday �� 65 Norlands Jerseys �� 66 Michael & Lindy Bennett �� 68 Alex Peirce & Bridgette Smith: Peirce Family Farm �� 69 Mitchell Dairy Farms �� 70 Woolover Limited �� 72 Steve Ireland �� 73 Shane & Margaret Helms �� 74 River Terrace Dairy & Ealing Pastures �� 76 Te Raparahi Lands Trust �� 78 Wayne Taylor �� 79 Better Dairy Solutions �� 80 Dairy Grazing Ltd �� 81 Effluent Irrigation �� 82 Hinton Contracting Ltd �� 83 King Farm Services Ltd �� 84 PGG Wrightson Irrigation Water �� 85 New Zealand Grazing Company �� 86 Paeroa Farm Services Ltd �� 88 South Waikato Water Solutions �� 89 Total Ag Ltd �� 90 VeeHof Dairy Services �� 91 Vet Services Wairarapa �� 92 Vetora - Te Awamutu �� 93 Dairy Production Systems Ltd �� 94 NZ Milking & Pumping �� 96 Qubik Ltd - Te Awamutu �� 98 Semmens Dairying �� 100 BakerAg �� 101 RESEARCH & MARKETING Adam Feaver, Chris Graves, Megan Hawkins Mandi King, Lisa Moffat, Colin Morais, Chris Pearce, Leo Smith, Alasdair Thomson. sales@waterfordpress.co.nz PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT General Manager Luke Lynch luke@waterfordpress.co.nz Graphic Artists Connor Gosnell, Anton Gray, Francesca Hildawa, Sophie McCleary, Liki Udam. art@waterfordpress.co.nz CONTENT COORDINATORS Ann-Marie Frentz, Alissa Crosby. 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| 3 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Emma Poole National Young Farmer title a coveted goal Waikato Bay of Plenty Young Farmer of the Year, 28 year-old Emma Poole, from Pirongia, has her sights set on the national final. It is the second time she has made the grand final. Russell Fredric Having won the Waikato Bay of Plenty FMG Young Farmer of the Year in March, Emma Poole now has her sights set on the national final. The 28 year-old Pirongia dairy farmer will be representing her province against six competitors from each other region in the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final being held in Timaru on July 6. Much of the preparation for the final happens in her everyday work, Emma says. “Outside of that there’s a bit of extra research involved looking into the why and how when you hear about things and storing that information away for a rainy day, which is the grand final; it’s such a broad topic it’s difficult to narrow down and study one area so you’ve sort of got to get across everything as best you can.” The three day grand final includes a full day of practical challenges which can include fencing, shearing and building followed by more theoretical subjects including a written examination, an oral presentation, a speech and an interview. “It’s quite gruelling.” Emma is married to Chris Poole; they have a one year old son. The couple obviously aim to keep it in the family; Chris is equally competitive, having been crowned Waikato Bay of Plenty FMG Young Farmer of the Year last year so the trophy has returned to their mantle piece. They are in an equity partnership with Chris’ parents John and Anne Poole who own a dairy business comprising two farms that are close to each other and essentially run as one unit. The home farm milks 650 cows and operates on an autumn/spring split calving system as well as rearing an additional 1,000 calves,while the recently purchased second farm milks about 450 cows. Across the two farms they have a team of seven staff who are instrumental in helping the business run smoothly and as a qualified veterinarian, Emma skills come in very handy. “There are advantages of owning two properties and working to their different strengths and having the cows in systems that are suited to each farm. On the home farm Chris’ parents have spent many years and a long time investing in winter milking infrastructure.” This includes Protrack automatic drafting, automatic cup removers and a feed pad. “They’ve been winter milking for over 25 years, they’re almost pioneers in the winter milking space so that on farm there’s been a lot of investment in setting up and in capital and infrastructure.” The new farm is a spring calving farm and just has in-shed feeding rather than a feed pad.It makes you appreciate how much investment those things require.” She also won the Waikato/Bay of Plenty FMG Young Farmer of the Year in 2019. “So, this is the second time I’ve made the (national) grand final. It was really exhausting, especially the brain-heavy activities exhaust you before the physical day and vice versa so you have to be in peak physical and mental form when you do it.” Emma was candid about how a dairy farmer might cope with shearing a sheep if that particular challenge pops up. “Not too well. I’ll definitely have to practice that one.” Congratulations Emma Poole Congratulations to Emma Poole, on receiving the 2023 FMG Young Farmer of the Year, Waikato Bay of Plenty award. To get your rural business one step ahead, call your local ASB Rural team on 0800 787 252. Proudly backing the next generation of farmers. ASB Bank Limited 56160 24722B 0423

4 | nzdairy Decreased Productivity? Low body condition scores? Reduced milk yield? DRL can help. Ask about our expert testing services for Johne’s disease. Test. Manage. Control. Don’t let your stock fall through the cracks... www.drl.net.nz 03 489 4832 drl@drl.net.nz DAIRY PEOPLE » Everbrook Dairy Goats Allergy to cows’ milk leads to goats Rosa Watson What started as discovering an allergy to cow’s milk has led to a successful goat’s milk production business for Nelson woman Tracy Hay. “It started when I was milking (dairy cows) and I realised I couldn’t drink cow’s milk anymore,” she explains. She had discovered in 2009 she was allergic to the proteins in dairy milk. “I had been drinking it, but one winter when the cows dried off, I went back to store brought milk and I started to get really bad indigestion. “I thought, I may as well try to get some dairy goats and see if I can drink goat’s milk.” She needed a friend for a feral goat that some pig hunters found, and started milking. She was pleasantly surprised to find not only that it tasted good, but the milk did not affect her at all. “I also found my allergies reduced. I still get them, but I don’t need to take antihistamines at all. My health in general improved a lot.” When she was successful in producing milk for herself, a local suggested increasing her herd size to supply others. Nelson woman Tracy Hay has a herd of 100 goats on five hectares that she leases near Wakefield. “The herd just sort of grew from four to 10 to 20. Then, because they have multiples (kids), it grew exponentially.” She now has a herd of 100 goats on five hectares that she leases near Wakefield, with a Totalspan shed that she operates an eight-goat milling stand and “old-style”-cup milking plant. She hopes to increase that capacity as the business grows. There are two milk vats in a processing room to store the milk and keep it chilled. She milks the herd once a day, which can take up to three hours, but she hopes to modify the stand to take 10 to 12 goats to “speed things up”. When she first started out, she was bottling and supplying some supermarkets and cheesemakers. But the bottling became too much for the one-person operation. “The workload was just too much for me to run the farm and do the processing side of things.” She now supplies two South Island cheesemakers – one in Christchurch and one in Blenheim – and is eagerly awaiting the opening of a powder drier plant in Ashburton. It will be capable of processing 400kg per hour. This would be a game changer as, at the moment, the dairy goat milk industry was small in the South Island with the wider industry dominated by large corporate operations in the North Island, Tracy said. “Hopefully, that will provide another outlet for the milk.” There was also the added bonus that the plant – due to open in the 2024/2025 season – would collect the milk, taking away the headache of transport. Tracy has found goats very different to work with than cows. “Goats are not cows. They don’t flow like cows do in a shed.” She has found they do not need to be pregnant every year. For some it can be every other year. Goat’s milk is very versatile and could make a wide range of cheeses. “It’s got a slightly different texture because it’s a different milk, but you can still make the same style of cheese.” She sees a lot of opportunity in product development. “If the economy improves, hopefully the industry will catch up.” GAIN The Advantage Fresh cut lucerne and freshly kibbled barley with a vitamin and mineral supplement Develops bigger, healthier, productive calves and other ruminants No weaning check High energy: ME - 12.2MJ/kg GAIN® encourages full stomach development and improves enzyme activity, establishing correct gut microflora. In seven weeks, calves are physically developed and ready to graze, while other ruminants advance quickly. The digestible fibre contains superior protein and is highly palatable, providing sustained growth and optimal health.

| 5 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Peter O’Connor: Lyndhurst Farm Farm manager Peter O’Connor (pictured) will be competing against younger brother Nick in the Farmer of the Year final. Brothers face off in Farmer of Year award Karen Phelps Aorangi FMG Farmer of the Year Award winner 25 year old Peter O’Connor has more incentive than most to take out the final in July: he will be competing against his younger brother Nick. “He qualified before me so I was quite relieved when I managed to qualify. I wouldn’t have heard the end of it if I didn’t make it through to the finals,” says Peter with a laugh. Peter has made it through to the regional final three times before so it was a real achievement to finally win. He studied for the competition quick fire quiz but as a lot of the events are unknown until the day he winged the rest. The range of agricultural-based challenges this year included getting dressed in overalls and gumboots, untangling a reel, reassembling a Milwaukee chainsaw, weighing vegetables, chopping wood and tossing a gumboot. Peter says playing hockey this season along with working on farm kept him fit enough to successfully compete. Peter is the farm manager of Lyndhurst Farm, located ten minutes from Methven. The 110ha effective dairy unit runs 400 mixed breed herd cows. It’s a system three farm with cows wintered off farm on neighbouring cropping farms. It’s only Peter’s first season on the farm and he’s hit the ground running. He grew up on the family dairy farm at Westport before heading to Lincoln University and completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree. Following that he spent a summer silage contracting for Central Feeds in Temuka then went straight into a second in charge position on a 900 cow farm at Mayfield before heading to Lyndhurst. He focuses on doing the basics well: pasture management to grow quality grass and making sure cows are fully fed to maximise production. The farm is currently installing a new effluent system to meet Synlait’s Lead with Pride requirements. “It will give us more storage capacity and let up apply effluent more strategically at better times.” Peter is targeting 450kgsMS per cow this season feeding 650kgs of supplement per cow. He is aiming for 480kgsMS next season. His next goal is managing a bigger farm or contract milking. He plans do a bit of travel at some stage as a working holiday. He’s already completed a harvest in Australia and has an uncle in the UK with a dairy farm who he might give a hand to experience a different system. His ultimate aim is dairy farm ownership whether that is the family farm at Westport run by his parents Johno and Kate or something else. The family farm is 450ha and milks 600 cows. His parents also have a second farm milking 280 cows on 170ha and rear young stock on various lease blocks. Nick, 20, is currently is at Lincoln University. But for now Peter’s eye is firmly on the prize of taking out the Farmer of the Year final. “I see it as a challenge and the competition is held in very high regard. I want to be competing at the top level and I’ve never been one to leave things half done.” WELL DONE LYNDHURST DAIRY FARM PROUD TO STAND BY OUR FARMERS vetlife.co.nz PAA0016 The preferred milking systems partner for Dairy Farmers Ph 0800 577 583 | www.morrisonagri.co.nz Proud to support Lyndhurst Farm

6 | nzdairy Located in Tahuna the 115ha total/100ha effective unit is milking 300 cows with the aim to increase this to 350 next season. DAIRY PEOPLE » Thomas & Jemima Bebbington Juggling wider business a challenge Karen Phelps As they complete their first season Jemima and Thomas Bebbington say the biggest challenge of first time farm ownership has been juggling their wider business. Located in Tahuna the 115ha total/100ha effective unit is milking 300 cows with the aim to increase this to 350 next season. They also lease a 48ha block across the road, milking off the front part and heifer grazing the rear of the land. Around 15 minutes drive away they are also 50:50 sharemilking Thomas’ mother’s farm, a 200ha total/190ha effective unit milking 560-70 cows. The farm also has a 27ha run off attached. Last season Thomas’ sister Kathleen and her husband Cam took on a lower order sharemilking position on the unit. Although Kathleen had grown up on a farm neither had ever really milked cows before. Thomas and Jemima say extreme weather events have ranged from drought to wet providing additional challenge to the pair. “They’ve done really well considering everything that has been thrown at them so next season will hopefully be easy by comparison,” says Jemima. Thomas and Jemima say, being detail oriented by nature, the biggest challenge has been to apply that to their now much larger business. The farm systems are also different with their farm rolling country and autumn calving and Thomas’ mother’s farm dead flat peat and spring calving. “Thomas is amazing at doing all the little things to get the end result. He looks at every nook and cranny of the business – where the cows are, where the grass is, where the cows are going. Doing things to this detail on all the blocks has been challenging,” she says. “We haven’t hit where we want to in the past 12 months with all the weather events, autumn calving for first time, new farm, operational change etc,” adds Thomas.“It’s about being more proactive and having a good farm management plan in place and we’ve made a start on this.” They both say that it feels good to reach their goal of farm ownership, which has been a journey taking place over many years. “We always focused on paying back debt and always wanted to be ready to take the next step when we could,” says Jemima. They say there was two key factors that helped them get to farm ownership: increasing stock numbers naturally and investing off farm. “We’ve always pushed the limits, raising as many young stock as we could and milking as many cows as we could to allow us to grow bigger so we had more to sell or borrow against,” explains Thomas. “We owned two rental houses and sold one six years ago to make the move to sharemilking and sold the other one to buy this farm. It’s worked quite well for us not having all our eggs in one basket.” The couple are already starting to think about what their next move might be even though they don’t anticipate this happening for five or six years minimum. “We’ve always got that mind-set of toying with ideas and budgets and exploring different scenarios for years in advance so we’re fully prepared for when an opportunity arises,” says Thomas. “We’re always bouncing around ideas because when things happen, they happen quickly. For example we didn’t think we’d buy a farm when we did but by running different ideas we realised it could work for us. 99% of the time nothing happens with our ideas but all you need is one idea that does work and it goes from there.” At the moment that has meant exploring the options of poultry and kiwifruit farming. They will also support Kathleen and Cam to take over family farm in the coming years. Their main goal though is focusing on making their new farm perform to its absolute maximum potential. They have started carrying over empties on both farms to increase cow numbers organically. “I’m not sure if we’ll achieve it but my goal is to increase prod 20,00kgs a year for the next two years without increasing costs too much,” says Thomas. “Tom’s always done record production on the farms he has been on,” says Jemima,“so if anyone can do it I believe he can.” 0274 741 105 Hauraki Plains office@nicholsoncontracting.co.nz For all your Ag Contracting needs

10 YEARS ON & WE STILL LOVE “We can’t imagine life without ADF. We have saved around 20 minutes per milking and we spend less money on antibiotics as mastitis cases have massively reduced.” ADF Milking customers Ian & Jo Trotter and family are proud to have been milking with ADF for over 10 years. Dairy farmers around the world are benefiting from ADF’s innovative automatic dipping and flushing system. THE ADF SYSTEM TO DISCOVER MORE VISIT www.ADFmilking.com/nz OR FIND US ON Kiwi dairy farmers using ADF Milking’s innovative automatic teat dipping and liner lushing system are loving the multiple bene its it is producing. Available as a seamless add-on to new or existing milking sheds with automatic cluster removers, the ADF System is producing proven results, saving farmers time and money as well as improving herd health. ADF Milking has installed its award winning dipping and lushing system throughout the world on all cow shed types, makes and con igurations. The ADF System automates a crucial part of the milking routine, removing human error, protecting cows from disease and saving time by ensuring that cows’ teats are automatically dipped and liners automatically lushed at the right time, every time. Excellent results from automated system Sanitised cup liners are presented in correct orientation, ready for milking and as the vacuum is shut o , teat dip is injected into a manifold on the claw piece. Teat dip, comprising emollients and sanitiser, is sprayed onto the teat at the optimum angle using ADF’s dual injection technology while still inside the liner. Teats are dipped and protected within seconds of milking being completed and before exposure to harmful contagions in the environment. After removal of the milking cluster, every liner is sanitised and thoroughly rinsed six times ready for the next cow. For a 200 cow herd, the faster throughput due to the e iciency of the system can equate to saving 500 labour hours a year for a herd milked twice a day. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, ADF Milking has been operating in New Zealand since 2010. Founder James Duke says the company’s commitment to improving cow health means it is continuously developing the ADF Milking system by harnessing the latest technology and design ideas. “I am proud that ADF is recognised in the industry for its innovative design philosophy. I love working closely with farmers. The joy we get from hearing how the ADF System has improved the health of their herds gives me immense satisfaction.” Matakana couple Ian and Jo Trotter are among the dairy farmers who have been reaping the bene its of the ADF Milking system, in their case for more than a decade. “We still love it,” Jo says. “It saves time not having to manually teat spray and all teats get an even amount of spray. We have saved time and money not having to treat mastitis cows and there is no cross contamination between cows. We have total peace of mind that mastitis won’t be passed from cow to cow.” As well as saving around 20 minutes per milking due to not manually teat spraying cows or manually removing cups, they have also saved a considerable amount in vet bills due to improved cow health. South Otago farmers Barry Pannett and Alasdair Brown say that their use of antibiotics has halved since the ADF System was installed. “The ADF System is excellent. For us, it means not only that we can save money, but also that we were able to increase our production because we can milk more cows in the herd. We are happy and the cows are happy.”

8 | nzdairy Partnerships recipe DAIRY PEOPLE » Poplar Partnership Ltd One of 14 wetlands on the property. Friesian herd (middle) and cowshed. Kim Newth A productive Manawatu family farm partnership – Poplar Partnership Ltd – took out the Regional Supreme Award at the 2023 Horizonz Ballance Farm Environment Awards in March, recognising decades of dedicated hard work by farm partners John and Karen McErlean, along with John’s brother Peter. “It was quite overwhelming on the night to be honest, as we were not expecting to get as many awards as we did,” says Karen. Along with the supreme title, the trio won half a dozen awards honouring their stewardship of land and people, as well as their strong performance on farm efficiency and agribusiness management. Having the opportunity to mix and network with other supreme award winners at the national showcase event in Wellington has also been exciting, she says. “We have met so many people and it’s been great getting to know the judges too.” Since John and Karen purchased their first 43-hectare block in 1983, the business has grown considerably. Poplar Partnership was formed with Peter in 2002 and today the total family farm encompasses 1719ha, including the home farm ‘Waitaria’ at Moutoa, between Foxton and Shannon,and other local support blocks. “We have another dairy farm that we purchased after the 2004 floods so that we would have somewhere to take the cows in future flood events. We’re now milking that plus we bought land next door. In total, it means we’re peak milking some 2700 cows across the whole operation.” John and Peter’s grandfather started the family dairy story when he purchased a block of 87 acres from Poplar Flax Mill in 1939. That original block is still part of the main milking platform today. Peter, John and Karen all bring different strengths to the partnership. Peter is in charge of the main dairy farm, while John takes care of support blocks, supplementary feed (including the harvest and cultivation of maize, hay and grass silage), young stock and beef stock. Karen manages business administration and organises rosters for the milking staff. Land that is less suitable for farming on the support blocks is being progressively developed into wetland areas. “We also have two native giant snail colonies and we’re working closely with Horizonz to protect and expand those areas with fencing, more planting of natives and pest management.” Poplar Partnership takes care of people as well as land. They realised that a lot of their employees were not necessarily aiming for outright farm ownership but were keen to be involved in an investment option. “That was what led us to setting up 164 Partnership, a small dairy farm operation that we co-own with eight staff.” It’s a win-win as the partnership arrangement is popular with staff, in turn strengthening staff retention. Poplar Partnership has developed its own purebred Hereford breeding stud to support their breeding objectives. This makes sense from a biosecurity perspective too as it means they can run a closed herd. Family is very much at the heart of this farm business, with the next generation now involved. John and Karen’s son David runs the rotary shed while their daughter Cara is taking a keen interest in the breeding side and assisting with administration. Proud to be suppliers to Poplar Partnership Ltd FREIGHT, FERTILISER APPLICATION, QUARRY SUPPLIES AND EXCAVATION www.shannonbulk.co.nz 0800 SHN BULK

| 9 nzdairy for success on large family operation DAIRY PEOPLE » Poplar Partnership Ltd Some of Poplar team with owners (from left) Peter, Karen and John McErlean. Inset: The native giant snail Powelliphanta Traversi Koputaroa found in reserve land on the Manawatu farm. Some of the Hereford herd. t 06 357 0640 www.nla.net.nz We focus on providing business advice and accounting solutions, so our clients can focus on what they do best! Let’s start talking Levin & Horowhenua Vets is proud to support John, Karen and Peter McErlean of Poplar Partnership by providing them with all aspects of animal health care. Congratulations on becoming the 2023 Regional Supreme Winners of the Horizons Ballance Farm Environment Awards levin.contact@tvg.co.nz www.levinhorowhenuavets.nz 518 Queen Street East Levin 5510 06 368 2891 LEVIN Your animal health professionals HOROWHENUA VETS 06 329 9712 856 State Highway One, RD 11, Foxton, 4891 M: 027 221 9481 | F: 06 329 9732 E: For all your Cartage and Groundspreading needs

10 | nzdairy Building a strong sharefarmer committee Karen Phelps As the new Sharemilker Section Chair for the Taranaki Branch of Federated Farmers Katie Morrison’s main goal is to building a strong sharefarmer committee with big reach Taranaki wide. “We need to get a good understanding of what’s happening across the province, which can then be fed back to the Taranaki executive and ultimately national Federated Farmers. It’s all about connection, reaching out and asking people to get involved. Federated Farmers is the only farmer led advocacy organisation in the industry so by having a strong grassroots base this makes the whole organisation stronger. The more voices we can have the better.” Katie and husband Chad are in their second season of 50:50 sharemilking for the Moller family in Oakura, ten minutes from New Plymouth. The 85ha effective/100ha total farm milks a Kiwi Cross herd of 280 cows, up from 260 the previous season. Chad works on the farm on a day-to-day basis with Katie filling in as needed and taking a more active role during calving and mating. She is also studying full time and in the process of completing a Business Degree with a double major in economics and finance with Massey University Distance Learning. “I’ve always been interested in that sort of thing and wanted to stretch my brain. It’s also beneficial for running the farming business,” she says. The couple has been busy making changes to the farming system including taking the herd to twice a day milking and balancing inputs and outputs to maximise profit per hectare. Equilibrium for the couple also includes family life, animal welfare and environmental impacts. They have changed the feed system and halved the palm kernel input, taking the operation to a grass-focused system. “It’s about trying to fully feed the cows as much as we can on grass and buying in a bit of maize silage as needed. With good pasture management and a good season we made 200 tonnes of silage last season,” she says. Katie and Chad have two children – Eva, 10, and Oliver, 7. DAIRY PEOPLE » Katie & Chad Morrison S A G Contracting Earthworks, Drainage and Metal Supplies. Proud to support Katie & Chad Morrison Phone Steve Gibson 027 475 2006 www.westownagriculture.co.nz 06 753 6611 180 Cowling Rd | New Plymouth Proud to Support Katie & Chad Morrison WESTOWN AGRICULTURE While around 100 tonnes of maize was bought in last season this coming season they will drop this out of the system due to it not being profitable to use. The farm is supported by approximately 60ha of run off support blocks located nearby where they grow silage and other supplement. The extra land is also helping them to reduce bobby calf numbers and diversify their business. They have put Charolais and Hereford over the bottom percentage of cows they don’t want to breed from so they can rear beef calves. They will rear around 40 this year, with the aim to gradually increase numbers, raising them to two year olds. Katie and Chad have two children – Eva, 10, and Oliver, 7. Katie says its been a big achievement for the family becoming sharemilkers: “It feels like we’ve been working so long with the focus of buying our own herd and now we’ve got it it’s like - now what? We will pay down as much debt as possible to give us the freedom to grab opportunities as they come up and our overall goal is to lease our own farm then buy our own farm.”

| 11 nzdairy DAIRY AWARDS » National winners ‘Driven, genuine, focused’ couple shine The 2023 New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year are described as a power couple who are driven, genuine and focused dairy farmers. Hayden and Bridget Goble from Taranaki were named the 2023 New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year, Canterbury/North Otago’s Jack Symes became the 2023 New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year and Bill Hamilton from Northland was announced the 2023 New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year. They shared prizes from a pool worth over $220,000. Share Farmer category head judge, John Numan says Hayden and Bridget impressed the judges with the strength of their partnership. “Their goals are aligned and they are genuinely passionate about the community in which they farm, and caring for the environment. There is power in their partnership.” Hayden graduated from Telford in 2005 with a Diploma in Agriculture and enjoys the combination of running a business whilst securing his family’s future. Bridget is a doctor, with a specialty in Emergency Medicine. The couple are 20% VO equity partners together with Bridget Mooney, Kevin Goble and Diane Goble on their 200ha, 565-cow New Plymouth property. The judges were impressed at Bridget’s on-farm technical knowledge and application. “She’s a busy full-time doctor, but she is boots-in and we enjoyed seeing how she makes a positive contribution to their business,” said judge Michele Cranefield, ANZ Senior Manager. “There is a power in their connection and balance of their partnership and they both have a genuine passion for the industry.” To win the national title and in excess of $69,000 in prizes, the Gobles demonstrated strengths in all areas of farming and also won three merit awards: the Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award, the Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award and the Ecolab Interview Award. The 2023 Dairy Manager of the Year is Jack Symes from Canterbury/North Otago who stood out as a an intelligent, humble and personable farmer who is focused on quality all-year round. “Jack is the full package,” says head judge Renee Rooney from Lake Brunner. “He gets the grassroots basics right, through to in-depth technical knowledge, including financial acumen.” “He’s analysing all the time and is thorough with his decision-making and does everything to a very high standard.” Jack is farm manager on Judy and Brian Symes’ 160ha, 630-cow property at Southbridge. He won the DeLaval Livestock Management Award, the Fonterra Dairy Management Award, the Ravensdown Sustainable Pasture Award and the NZDIA Personal Planning and Financial Management Award and over $24,000 in prizes. The first-time entrant grew up on a dairy farm and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) from Lincoln University. The 2023 Dairy Trainee of the Year was awarded to Bill Hamilton from Northland who is described by the judges as a conservationist at heart who enjoys and is succeeding at dairy farming. The Dairy Trainee judges say Bill is strong across all fields and is an excellent all-round farmer. “He is consistently strong across all areas and stood out to the judges in all sections of judging,” says judge Mark Laurence from DairyNZ. “He was very strong in the practical skills.” DELIVERING PUMPING SOLUTIONS® since 1908 Ph: 0508 4 BBENG www.brownbros.co.nz 11/21 Call us today to see how Lowara’s premium pump range can assist with your dairy water requirements. Lowara has all your dairy water pumping solutions. Vat Wash & Cooler Pumps Washdown Pumps Pit Pumps Water Supply Pumps C Series e-NSC Series DOMO Series e-SV & e-HM Series Reliable, high performance, quality materials, and the widespread Lowara support network make these pumps an ideal selection for your water supply requirements. Bill is farm assistant on Richard and Sharon Booth’s 395-cow, 174ha property at Titoki, employed by Andrew and Vicky Booth. The judges say Bill is practically capable and also very aware of broader issues in the industry. “He has solid, competent technical knowledge,” says head judge James Courtman. The 24-year-old has overcome a significant head injury obtained during university years and is grateful he is back and handling life on-farm. Bill holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science majoring in Agriculture from Massey University and enjoys the combination of practical outside work, the challenges, and the opportunities to progress his understanding and knowledge of the dairy industry. 2023 New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year: • Winner Hayden & Bridget Goble, Taranaki • Runner-Up Aleisha Broomfield, Waikato • Third Jonathon & Stacey Hoets, Canterbury/North Otago 2023 New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year: • Winner Jack Symes, Canterbury/ North Otago • Runner-up José Hamber, Manawatu • Third Finja Philips, Auckland/ Hauraki 2023 New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year: • Winner Bill Hamilton, Northland • Runner-up Brayden Johnston, Canterbury/North Otago • Third Sarah Powell, Manawatu 2023 Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award: • Cameron Henderson, Canterbury/North Otago 2023 NZDIA National winners (from left): Bill Hamilton – Dairy Trainee of the Year; Bridget and Hayden Goble – NZ Sharefarmers of the Year; Jack-Symes – NZ Dairy Manager of the Year.

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