| 31 nzdairy DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS » Warric and Rachel Johnson Warric and Rachel Johnson ‘blown away!’ Nicki Woodlock Warric and Rachel Johnson won Share Farmer of the Year for the West Coast and Nelson at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards in Murchison on April 2. They also claimed five merit awards - recognising excellence in people management, farm hygiene, innovation, animal wellbeing, pasture sustainability, and business performance - taking home prizes worth over $10,000. Warric says: “It was a big surprise. We put our best foot forward. There were a lot of good farmers that entered”. Warric adds: “We were blown away! We celebrated for 2 days. We set the goal to do one better. We thought it would be really hard. It really was a team achievement right from the farm owners down to the junior farm assistant”. After their regional win, the Johnsons placed third nationally in the Share Farmer of the Year category at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards on May 10, also winning a merit award for farm hygiene. Warric and Rachel are contract sharemilkers for Phil and Jocelyn Riley on their 442 ha effective Tapawera property, 45 minutes from Nelson. The couple have worked on the farm for five years and employ five full time staff, milking 1100 Kiwi-cross cows. Warric states: “It was our second year entering. We got second in our first year entering. We met some cool people and really enjoyed it. We learnt a lot in the first year from the feedback - we learned what we needed to deliver this year”. Judges appreciated the couple’s passion for their farm, team, and animals. Warric’s self-designed dairy shed maintenance schedule stood out as practical and industry-leading. The clean, well-run shed, strong health and safety, and smart use of tools and technology like Onside, Protrack, Cowsense, LIC SPACE, and the ABC roster showcased a clear growth mindset and drive for innovation. Warric comments: “Winning the staff, business and hygiene merit awards were important to us. The cow shed is the heart of our business. We’re trying to create a great business. Look after your people and your people will look after you”. Judges were impressed by strong calf and livestock management, excellent use of BCS, and a clear pride in raising top heifer replacements. Pasture was well managed, with great biodiversity efforts and fenced waterways. Staff management was also a standout, with a clear focus on continuous improvement, teamwork and well-being. Rachel and Warric Johnson. Warric found the toughest thing about entering was criticism: “You’re putting yourself out there to receive criticism. It’s hard to put yourself out there in front of industry leaders and get criticised. We learnt a lot from the judges and their feedback. Some of their feedback was that we’re doing alright!”. Future plans for the Johnson’s include farm ownership within the next 5-10 years. Warric contemplates: “Our goal is to own a farm in the future. We’d like to have a farm on the West Coast or top of the South Island with 500 cows. We want to have a good work life balance for us and the team. There’s a couple more steps needed to build more equity to achieve this”. TRANSPORT LIMITED • Stock Feed - PKE, Cereal grains, baleage, hay • Lime / Fertiliser • General Freight for a competitive quote! Contact Aaron or Guy 027 541 2103 027 297 7455 Proudly supportingWarric and Rachel Johnson Providing services in: Baling/Balage/Hay | Cultivation | Direct Drilling | Drilling Fertiliser Spreading/Spraying | Harvesting Forage/Silage/Maize Harvesting Grain/Alka/Seed | Horticulture | Precision Planting Spraying Broadacre PHONE: 027 714 2799 “Winning the staff, business and hygiene merit awards were important to us. The cow shed is the heart of our business. We’re trying to create a great business.
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