32 | nzdairy DAIRY AWARDS » Mangahana Farms Awards success ‘incredibly rewarding’ A few months on from winning the 2023 Waikato Dairy Manager of the Year title, Sam Dodd is full of appreciation for the whole Dairy Industry Awards’ experience. “It has all been incredibly rewarding for me,” says Sam, who is a farm manager for Brenda Wilson, of Mangahana Farms, on a 252-hectare Te Awamutu block milking 800 cows. “I’ve met some awesome people and learned so much. It has opened up some pretty cool opportunities. For example, not long after the regional final I got offered a chance to go to a Dairy Environmental Leaders’ Forum in Wellington hosted by DairyNZ, which was a great experience.” The whole farm team celebrated with Sam and his partner Georgia at the regional awards’ event. Along with the dairy manager title, Sam picked up merit awards for dairy management, environmental sustainability, pasture & feed management and people & leadership. Kim Newth Sam says he couldn’t have done it without his team behind him. A key source of support is his father, farm consultant Mark Dodd, who visits the farm once a month throughout the whole season. Sam is in regular contact with both him and farm owner Belinda to talk things through and finetune farm plans. “It’s a real team effort. I have a great working relationship with my 2IC, Fraser Taylor and I like to give him the freedom to make decisions too.” Looking back on his own journey, the 26-yearold says he’s had good employers the whole way and strives to set a similar example for his own staff. For Sam, that means being flexible with giving time off, as well as encouraging progression and having open conversations about future goals. “It’s exciting to see things lining up for Fraser now too.” Sam grew up in Tauranga and after leaving school moved to Wellington for university. Farming was not on his radar but was in his genes. PROUD TO SUPPORT THE ONGOING SUCCESS OF MANGAHANA FARMS At VetEnt, we know that data is only the beginning. We have the expertise, passion and practical know-how to turn your cow wearable data into the decisions that will deliver real results on-farm. FarmCare Connected: Maximising your connection to your cows vetent.co.nz “It’s a real team effort. I have a great working relationship with my 2IC, Fraser Taylor and I like to give him the freedom to make decisions too. It’s exciting to see things lining up for Fraser now too.” His late mother Joan came from a dairying family in Matamata and his father has long worked in the primary sector. After university, Sam wound up spending a few weeks working on an uncle’s farm. The rest his history: he loved the experience, went farming in Taranaki with the Parrys on a 350-cow System 5 farm before progressing to a 2IC role in Taranaki (System 2-3) with the Joyces where he won both regional and national placings as a DIA Dairy Trainee. This is his third season on the Te Awamutu farm. Environmental sustainability is an “incredibly important” part of the business. Responsible dairying is a core focus for Belinda, as it was for her late husband; the prestigious John Wilson Memorial Trophy is named in his honour. Recently, another 1.6 hectares has been set aside for planting with natives. Sam says the environmental footprint is also improving thanks to lower N applications, made possible through the introduction of ProGoband N boost over the last two years. While contract and sharemilking are options for the future, Sam prefers to keep an open mind as to what the next step will be in his eventful farm career. Sam grew up in Tauranga and after leaving school moved to Wellington for university. Farming was not on his radar but was in his genes.
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