54 | nzdairy FMG Young Farmer of the Year Award » Legendairies 2 and Real Pastorals Massive award achievement for Smith Tracey Edwardes Being organised, structured and laid back, Southland-style, led to Cameron Smith winning the Otago Southland FMG Young Farmer of the Year Award. The biggest prize, however, was baby Annabelle, born a month later. Cameron and his wife Nicole are self-employed Contract Milkers for Legendaries farm at chilly Arawua, five minutes south of Invercargill. The 210ha flat, peaty farm runs 630 crossbreed cows. His advice to young farmers, both on farm and competing, is to have a clear head to be able to think straight, and not sweat the small stuff. “If you’re faced with something you physically can’t do, don’t stress. Move on and have a good crack at something else. You can get a lot of decision paralysis. It’s more important to get everything to a decent level rather than a few things perfect. “The competition is a practical and theory mix, you have to know everything. MPI is a tough module. There’s always that tricky one. This year it was wallaby control and management - we don’t have them down here. I enjoyed the tractor work, and the Farmlet category. The races were fun and quite challenging. It’s a massive competition, and it was bloody hard.” The 28-year-old hails from a sheep farm in Western Southland, but milked cows during high school and Lincoln University. He was a fencing contractor for a couple of years, before dairy farming full time. They initially had 18 months working together on Nicole’s parent’s farm in Grove Bush, and are into their eighth season - third being self employed with their company Real Pastorals. The all-rounder does everything on the farm. “I can get up early and milk the cows, mow paddocks, feed out, do a farm walk, measure pastures, feed allocation, and then it’s tax planning, paying bills, GST, and fencing after lunch. Nicole is hands-on milking and calf rearing, also doing most of the computer, admin, and great record keeping. We’re a bloody good team. “Since taking over the farm we’re proud of the massive development and increased production, The biggest prize was baby Annabelle, born a month after the Awards. increasing 80,000 milk solids in a season, with the same cow numbers. We keep it simple. There’s no collars on the cows. We grow summer turnips and winter swedes, have good pasture management, and retain our two staff through training, teaching, engagement and being a good boss.” The couple battled the worst Spring on record, with weekly plans becoming daily and half-daily. They stayed in good communication with staff and local peers facing the same. Cameron tries to get off farm to play golf and squash, go jet boating, hunting, and tour around friend’s farms and stations. He says education helped them get a good financial start. “At 23 we bought a farm to lease out and a rental property, to lend against when we go share milking. Getting on the property ladder early meant paying down debt and growing an asset. Next season our goal is to move on, buying a herd and go 50/50 share milking. We pushed hard at 77 CLYDE STREET, INVERCARGILL, PH (03) 214 4254 www.southlandhonda.co.nz SOUTHLAND HONDA For the best Parts, Sales & Service in the south AgriFocus Limited is a financial management service & Chartered Accountants that provides specialist advice & offers a comprehensive range of services for farmers in the Southland/Otago region. Why AgriFocus? • Extensive experience in the rural financial servicing industry • Proactive approach to financial management • Strong relationships with industry specialists • Strong practical farming background • Personalised service with an excellent backup team who understand farming The Complete Financial Management Service for Agribusiness DAIRY SERVICES “Quality Solutions Delivered on Time” Covering Southland, Central & South Otago PROUDLY SUPPORTING LEGENDAIRIES 2 AND REAL PASTORALS LTD the dairy industry awards where we took out 2024 Otago / Southland Share Farmer of the Year, and are networking to hopefully find a good share milking role down here. We’re doing some livestock trading too, as our longterm goal is farm ownership or multi-farm share milking.” The plan is for Annabelle and future siblings to continue the legacy. “We are being pragmatic about succession already, by considering multiple farms so there will be pathways there.”
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