18 | nzdairy DAIRY AWARDS » Cameron & Jessica Lea Judges’ feedback worth its weight in gold Cam and Jess with family Ayla, James and Kensi. James checks the tyre pressure on the tractor. Valuable feedback from judges has made entering the Bay of Plenty dairy industry awards – and taking out top prize – worth its weight in gold for Cam and Jess Lea. The couple, that are 50:50 sharemilking near Opotiki, won share farmer of the year at the evening held in March. They had entered in previous years and come away with a few merit points, but it was a thrill to take out the top prize this year. “I had to sort of get Cam to stand up and go on stage,” Jess said. Experience and growing knowledge of the industry had helped this year’s entry, Cam said. “I definitely know a lot more now than I knew then.” It helped looking back on goals that had been set in previous years, added Jess. “It’s quite nice to see that we’ve achieved quite a few of them.” In fact, winning the share farmer of the year had been one of those goals that was now ticked off. The couple also had their efforts in sustainable practices acknowledged, taking out the Meridian Environmental Sustainability Award. “It’s definitely something we’re passionate about,” said Jess. They have planned to plant a bird carriageway of native planting through the farm, using marginal land that would otherwise not be used. Judges were also impressed with their business and financial acumen. “We have a good understanding of all the different areas of our business,” Cam said. The constructive criticism was also very helpful, Jess said. “All the people who judge are really wellroundedbusiness people. They’re the kind of people we aspire to be like.” Rosa Watson It was eight years ago that the couple started out in dairy farming, looking for a lifestyle change for their growing family of three. Cam had grown up on a farm but it was all new to Jess. “I had never farmed before, so it was a bit of a learning curve for me. But I figured it out pretty quickly.” It wasn’t long before the couple were looking at buying into an equity partnership, and just two years in to farming, they formed a sharemilking company. “We didn’t quite have the funds to buy the cows, so we made a company with my old employer and other farmers that we met along the way.” It had been a great challenge and allowed them to get to their goal of looking at farm ownership. They currently run 600 cows across two different properties, with two full time employees and two casual, as well as having Cam in the milking shed and Jess on calf rearing duties. Dairy farming had offered them the lifestyle and flexibility they wanted for their family. Their goal now is farm ownership and they’ve already kicked off the process of buying one of the properties. However, with interest rates at high levels and increasing regulations being imposed they would wait until the right time. “We definitely want to get that right. A lot of it is largely unknown, so we’re just keeping ourselves aware of what could potentially change. “If regulations change then that deeply effects our profit, that changes our situation.” BayVets Clinic Phone: 07 304 9184 40 Bridge Street, Edgecumbe. Proud to be associated with Cameron & Jessica Lea Helping produce the best milk in the world. Congratulations Cameron & Jessica on your outstanding achievements. Freephone 0800 DEOSAN (33 67 26) Phone +64 7 888 5628 Email info@deosan.co.nz Web www.deosan.co.nz CONTACTS www.rmt.co.nz P. 07 315 6454 (Opotiki Depot ) Proud to supply logistics and transport solutions to Cameron and Jessica Lea. Carriers of bulk fertiliser – PKE and animal supplements Agent for Ballance Agri Nutrients Limited and Graymont Lime Agricultural Spreaders available (Opotiki / East Coast / Matawai) MPI Approved Transitional Facility (27901) – AS/NZS ISO 9001:2015 E. dispatch@rmt.co.nz
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