86 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Sandle 2 Saad is helped on the farm by two farm assistants and his wife Reneh who does the bookkeeping. An Egyptian’s journey in NZ’s dairy heartland Nicki Woodlock In 2006 when avian influenza wiped out 15,000 of his chickens, Egyptian farmer Ibraam Saad decided it was time to fulfil his dream of moving to New Zealand to become a dairy farmer. At 27, armed with his Bachelor of Agriculture in Animal Science from Cairo University he decided to start a new life with his wife Reneh in New Zealand. Since arriving in New Zealand in 2006, Ibraam Saad has steadily progressed in the dairy industry. He began his career as a dairy farm assistant near Oamaru and has worked his way up to become a 50/50 sharemilker at Peter Sanford’s 142-hectare Sandal Farm in Springhills, Southland. As a 50/50 sharemilker Saad owns 420 Freisen and Friesen-cross cows, farm machinery and also provides the labour on the farm. Saad is helped on the farm by two farm assistants and his wife Reneh who does the bookkeeping. The couple live on the farm with their two sons, Mark and Patrick aged 14 and 13. Milk produced on the farm is sold to Fonterra to create dairy products that are sold globally. Originally from El Fayoum, Egypt, where he was a crop farm consultant farming chickens - Saad and his wife have now spent 17 years dairy farming in the South Island of NZ, and have been New Zealand citizens for 12 years. Saad started as an assistant herd manager on a 2 year working visa near Christchurch at Dunsandel Dairies Ltd and Synlait farms Ltd on a farm with 2400 cows. After 3 years he left to be herd manager at Rowland Farm for 3 years in Southland in 2009. Next was another stint at Synlait farms Ltd as 2IC for 1 year in 2011. 2013 saw Saad return to Woodland Farm as farm manager for 2 years on the farm milking 600 cows. To prevent Saad from leaving, as they were happy with the farm’s improved performance in milk production, animal health and pasture quality - the owners of Woodland Farm offered Saad a lower order sharemilker position. Saad observes: “It’s hard to get from herd manager to farm manager. People didn’t think a person from the Middle East couldn’t be a farm manager in NZ. Southland is a very closed community. I got great references from previous farm roles achieving improved production, and got references saying that I was a great worker - proving my worth which helped me to progress to better positions”. The biggest challenge in Saad’s dairy farming career was achieving his current position of 50/50 sharemilker. It took the Saad’s over 10 years to save enough money to become 50/50 sharemilkers and obtain a bank loan. This position not only requires substantial financial investment but also requires comprehensive knowledge and expertise in dairy farm management. To enhance his skills and understanding of the industry, Saad pursued a Diploma in Agribusiness through AgITO during 2015 and 2016. Some of Saad’s other farming challenges as a sharemilker have been finding reliable skilled workers to work on the farm. Weather in Southland is also a challenge with September 2024 being the wettest on record. “If I didn’t have great support from my wife and family I would not be where I am today”, says Saad. Looking forward, as 50/50 sharemilkers the Saad’s are one step closer to achieving their goal of buying a dairy farm within the next 5 years in Southland.
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