| 47 nzdairy Virginia Wright Karen Phelps Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones have been 50/50 sharefarming on 80 hectares in the small township of Kumeroa half an hour east of Palmerston North for three seasons. They peak milk 200 cows, a mix of Friesian and Friesian-X, with a handful of Jerseys. They arrived with 25 cows of their own and bought 175 in-calf cows from the previous sharemilker so it wasn’t until the following year that they started focusing on breeding and working with semen suppliers CRV to make sure they keep improving their herd genetically each year. They’ve primarily selected for strong structured animals with good udders, Tony explains. “You want an animal that can hold the udder and the udder needs longevity and strong ligaments to hold it in its correct position and keep it up off the ground.” They start their AI with 160 Friesian replacement straws and follow up with a mix of 60 Changus and Belgian Blue beef straws. This year the beef calves, reared to 100kgs, brought in $850 each, a welcome boost to their bottom line. They finish by putting Jersey bulls across the remaining empties as well as all their R2 heifers to make for easier calving in their first year. It’s a low input System Two farm which in their first season gave Tony and Rachel around 70,000 kg’s of milk production. This year their target was 75,000 kg’s or around 375kgs a cow, but a dry early summer means they’re likely to be closer to 72,000. They expect their grass renewal programme and their improving genetics to gradually take care of the numbers over the next few years as they put everything they’ve learned into practice, helped by the exposure to other high-performing farms that comes with entering into the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards two years in a row. Just going through the process has proved valuable to the couple, who were looking to challenge themselves and see how their farm compares to others around the country. Sam O’Neill has capped a stellar year in the dairy industry by claiming not only the regional Dairy Trainee of the Year title along with two merit awards but also placing runner up at the nationals. “I was pretty surprised to be going up there for one award, let alone two merits, and to win the regionals then come runner-up in the nationals,” says Sam. Originally from the Taieri Plain, just south of Dunedin, Sam grew up on a lifestyle block surrounded by dairy farms. Family connections to the agricultural industry drew him to the sector early, and he spent school holidays working on farms before pursuing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science with First Class Honours from Lincoln University. He subsequently completed the Grassroots Dairy Graduate Management programme. “I thought the programme would be a good way to expand my network and learn more about the practical side of running a dairy business,” says Sam. As part of that programme he worked for Methven Dairies and was there 18 months before stepping to a manager’s role in North Otago with the Altavady Group this season. “It’s pretty exciting and will be a new challenge and opportunity to learn a few new skills along the way,” he says. Sam collected the DairyNZ Practical Skills Merit Award and the Dairy Holdings Ltd Farming Improving genetics Stellar year for Sam New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards » Hudson and Jones / Methven Dairies “Networking, meeting new people and getting ideas we could try to improve our business as well,” says Rachel. “Financially it opened up our eyes to things we could improve too.” As it happens, what they’ve found is that their farming practices stack up well against their peers. Last year they were Runners-up and this year they won the title of Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Share Farmer of the Year 2026 complete with seven individual merit awards including Health, Safety & Biosecurity, Business Performance, and Sustainable Pasture. It’s clear they take in good ideas and put them into practice as they make the most of what their 80 hectares have to offer while not losing sight of what’s important. “It’s a good size for two and a half people to run, ” says Tony. “We have a relief milker who comes in when we need time off.” “Because we have four children between us as well,” says Rachel, “so we still wanted to make it to their things and still have that family work life balance as well.” That’s why, In between the milking, the financial forecasts and the continual measuring of actual against projected performance, they still find the time to run the local calf club. Children from Kumeroa Primary School adopt and care for their calves which get transported to school to show at Pet Day. It brought Tony and Rachel the Dairy NZ People & Culture Award this year but more importantly it exposes a new generation to the pleasure of working with animals and the reality of farming today. Knowledge Merit Award and says the awards process itself proved to be as valuable as the accolades. “Entering the awards helped me expand my network, so more people to give a call and ask a few questions. I learned a lot of stuff from the industry awards. Rubbing shoulders with industry leaders and people who are progressive, you get a different outlook on things. It’s made me more motivated.” He is equally enthusiastic about encouraging others to put their names forward. “You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain by entering,” says Sam. “It’s a good gauge to know where you are at, what your strong points and weaknesses are and where you can improve.” Longer term Sam has his sights set firmly on farm ownership, though he remains flexible about the path to get there. “I’m probably looking at contract milking then moving into an equity partnership or sharemilking and it’s about making my money work for me whether that be buying a house or stock to get there.” At the heart of it all, though, it is the daily rhythms of the job that keep him coming back. “I just love the lifestyle of farming - being outdoors every day, watching the sun come up, the challenge of it. No day is the same,” says Sam. “I get a real kick out of seeing stock well cared for. Definitely the people as well, everyone is willing to help and give advice to help you get ahead in the industry.” PROUD TO SUPPORT HUDSON FARMING 47 Manchester Street Feilding 4701 ph: 06 952 8656 | cell: 027 647 0022 e: campbell@patersonca.co.nz | www.patersonca.co.nz Air Conditioning Factory Trained Mechanics Engineering Workshop & Field Service Total Oil Distributor Hydraulic Hose Service F O R M A C H I N E R Y S U C C E S S U S E L T S 2 0 2 2 8 Makirikiri Road, Dannevirke Ph 06 374 7731 • Dave 027 244 1213 ˀˢ˟˟ˢˬ ʴ˚˥˜˖˨˟˧˨˥˘ ˜˦ ˣ˥ˢ˨˗ ˧ˢ ˦˨ˣˣˢ˥˧ ˀ˘˧˛˩˘ˡ ʷ˔˜˥˜˘˦ ʧʣʥ ˀʸˇʻˉʸˁ ʶʻʸ˅ˇˆʸˌ ˅˂ʴʷʟ ˀʸˇʻˉʸˁ ˯ ʣʦ ʦʣʥ lzʣʬlz ˯ ˊˊˊʡˀ˂ʿʿ˂ˌʴʺʡʶ˂ʡˁˍ FOR ALL YOUR ELECTRICAL NEEDS PROUD TO SUPPORT METHVEN DAIRIES www.youngelectricalltd.co.nz
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