Hayley, who has a Bachelor of Business Studies degree with dual majors in management and sports management, got into the dairy industry two and a half years ago after deciding she needed a change from an office environment.
Growing up in Mt Maunganui she had no experience of farming.
“I didn’t know the front end of the cow from the back end. I didn’t know you had to get them in-calf to get them to have milk. I started right at the bottom – I had never really been on a farm in my life.”
After dabbling in relief milking, she started her first full-time dairying job with calving in full swing.
She has been in her role as a dairy assistant to 2014 Manawatu Farm Manager, Sam Ebbett, since the beginning of the season.
The dual success on the farm is no coincidence – Sam encouraged Hayley to enter the Dairy Industry Awards. She said she learnt a lot from the experience and found the role of testing guinea pig for Sam’s presentation particularly beneficial, gaining insight into the decision-making process. Hayley’s goals are to be in a lower-order sharemilking position within five years and then go 50:50 sharemilking for 10 years. She is on the pathway, already owning five cows. To help achieve her goals she is studying towards her Level 4 qualification with PrimaryITO.
Runner-up was Opiki farm assistant Blake Moore, who also won the Horizons Regional Council Farming Knowledge Award and the DairyNZ Practical Skills Award. Longburn farm assistant Paul Mercer notched up third place while Guy Harvey won the Massey Agriculture Leadership Award.
