24 | nzdairy DAIRY AWARDS » Sophia Clarke: Mills Farm Winning couple step closer to farm ownership Kim Newth When Sophia Clark and Aaron Mills threw their hat in the ring for the 2024 Bay of Plenty Diary Industry Awards, they were not expecting to get anywhere. Entering was more about wanting to benchmark their business. Instead, they came away with the region’s Share Farmer of the Year title and four merit awards. “We had previously entered the awards a few years ago, so to win this year has been pretty cool,” says Sophia. “We have learned a lot and it was nice being able to show off the results of our hard work at the winners field day event in April.” Along with the positive exposure that has come from winning this year, the couple say they also got a lot out of the judges’ feedback. “It forces you to go through and re-evaluate your finances and the farming system you’re running. Sometimes you learn some hard truths.” Through their success, they hope to help inspire other young New Zealanders to take a closer look at dairy farming as a worthwhile career choice. As Sophia observes, one of the best things about the sector is its openness and collegiality compared to other industries. “There are no trade secrets. If you have found a way to make more milk solids per hectare than your neighbour, then you can simply tell them how you did it and you won’t lose any money from doing that. On top of that, there are so many tools available to help you progress.” While working hard towards eventual farm ownership, Sophia and Aaron want to enjoy the Aaron Mills gets some expert advice from daughter Claire checking the Jersey herd. journey and create a good work-life balance, both for themselves and their team. This is something they have put into practice while 50/50 sharemilking in Te Puke on a 160ha farm. For the first time this season, they have been milking their elite herd of Jersey cows once-a-day for the full season. By taking the pressure off, it has made it easier to attract and retain staff, manage costs and keep their cows in best possible condition. “You would usually make decision on when to dry off using condition scoring. This year, the cows are so fat! We’re only drying off because we’re leaving and there’s a new sharemilker coming in.” After four years at Te Puke, Sophia and Aaron are now excited to be on the move again for the coming season having accepted a new opportunity in Taumarunui. “We will be taking our herd of 550-cows there and have bought another 200 so it’ll be a bigger herd again and a bigger farm (280 hectares). We will be taking the benefits of what we have learned here with us and plan to continue milking once-a-day there too. We’re heading closer to our ultimate goal of farm ownership; we’ve always thought that if we ever buy a farm, we’d prefer a bigger one as it gives you more options.” Creating a future for their children is a big motivator for the couple, who have a three-and-ahalf year-old and another baby on the way – “the due date is in the middle of calving so we didn’t time that very well!”
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