Mark and Jaime Arnold were named Share Farmers of the Year, Thomas Chatfield became Dairy Manager of the Year and Nicholas Bailey the Dairy Trainee of the Year.
“There was an overwhelmingly positive vibe among the 33 finalists competing for honours in the awards programme,” general manager Chris Keeping said.
“The finalists are actively looking for opportunities to progress and to grow their equity and position within the industry.”
Share Farmer head judge and DairyNZ senior consulting officer Abby Scott said the economic climate meant the finalists had changed some of their management practices to ensure they better used available resources.
“People were really focusing on growing grass and supplement within their farm boundary and making sure they utilised it.
“They were also more interested in profit per hectare rather than benchmarking milk production per cow.
“We also saw some really innovative ways in how people have reduced costs,” Scott said.
“They were all very positive about the industry, about their business and their future equity growth.”
Dairy Trainee of the Year Nicholas Bailey
The runners-up in the Share Farmer competition, Dunsandel 50% sharemilkers Michael and Susie Woodward were farming at an exceptionally high standard.
The Woodwards won four merit awards in human resources, leadership, health and safety and recording and productivity.
“They employ really large teams and the majority of their staff have been recruited from overseas.
“They treat the staff as family members and celebrate little things, like birthdays or success, and made their team feel valued by those little things that they did,” Scott said.
The Woodwards, aged 35 and 33, won $33,000 in cash and prizes.
Southland 50% sharemilkers Callum and Hanna Stalker, aged 32 and 30, placed third, winning $14,000 in prizes.
“The environment is a real passion of Hanna’s. Her understanding of how nutrients come onto the farm and leave the farm was pretty exceptional.”
The judges were confident Chatfield would go a long way in the industry.
“He enjoys what he is doing and has the attitude and personality that will take him where he wants to go,” Taylor said.
The 30-year-old former physiotherapist manages a 500-cow Whakatane farm owned by Bruce and Judy Woods and won $27,000 in prizes.
In 2013 he won the Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee title in his first season in the industry.
“Thomas showed and expressed opinions about the farming system he manages and is passionate about what he is doing.
“He is making a tangible difference to the business he is involved with and was engaged with the owner.
“He has a capable team working with him and was working with the team on a succession plan, should he move on.
“He can see massive opportunities in the dairy industry,” Taylor said.
Dairy Manager runner-up Hamish Kilpatrick, aged 23, had clear goals, a thought-out plan and good mentors. The Culverden farm manager won $10,500 in prizes.
Martinborough herd manager Lance Graves, 26, placed third and won $6000 in prizes. The former diesel mechanic had strong personal financial planning as well as good mentors.
Changes to the Dairy Trainee entry criteria were a success, head judge and Hawke’s Bay dairy farmer Nikki Halford said.
“The entrants were all very even on paper, in terms of the length they have been in the industry and the roles and qualifications they all hold.
“They were all very similar so the changes that have been made to the entry criteria are sussed and that was wonderful to see,” she said.
The trainee competition was aimed at people aged 18 to 25 years with up to three years full-time experience in the industry. They could hold a qualification no higher than a NZQA Level 4.
Bailey could articulate ideas on some of the issues facing the industry.
“He stood out. He talked about wanting to get some consistency in employment standards across the industry in terms of rosters, in retaining staff and understanding what it takes.”
Halford said he was mature and had a good balance of activities off the farm, including refereeing football and being active in Young Farmers.
Bailey, 21, won $10,500 in prizes and is 2IC on Bryan Tucker’s 330ha Greytown farm milking 950 cows. It was the second time he had entered the awards and he planned to progress to a managing role.
He described himself as a hard-working, outgoing and driven person willing to learn and achieve positive results.
Dairy Trainee runner-up Karl Wood had strong practical skills and good general knowledge. The 21-year-old Feilding 2IC won $5500 in prizes.
Placing third, Olivia Wade was full of exuberance and passion for the industry.Wade, a 23-year-old Atiamuri assistant manager, won $2500 in prizes.
The awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, DeLaval, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra Farm Source, Honda Motorcycles, LIC, Meridian Energy and Ravensdown, along with industry partner Primary ITO.
Full results:
- Share Farmer of the Year:
- Winner: Mark and Jaime Arnold, Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa
- Runner-up: Michael and Susie Woodward, Canterbury
- Third: Callum and Hanna Stalker, Southland/Otago
- DairyNZ Human Resources Award: Michael and Susie Woodward
- Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award: Mark and Jaime Arnold
- Federated Farmers Leadership Award: Michael and Susie Woodward
- Fonterra Farm Source Interview Award: Matthew Herbert and Brad Markham
- Honda Farm Safety and Health Award: Michael and Susie Woodward
- LIC Recording and Productivity Award: Michael and Susie Woodward
- Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award: Callum and Hanna Stalker
- Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award: Mark and Jaime Arnold
- Westpac Business Performance Award: Mark and Jaime Arnold
Dairy Manager of the Year:
- Winner: Thomas Chatfield, Bay of Plenty
- Runner-up: Hamish Kilpatrick, Canterbury
- Third: Lance Graves, Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa
- Dairy Manager of the Year Interview Award: Sam Howard
- DairyNZ Employee Engagement Award: Thomas Chatfield
- Meridian Energy Leadership Award: Renae Flett
- Fonterra Farm Source Feed Management Award: Hamish Kilpatrick
- DeLaval Livestock Management Award: Thomas Chatfield
- Primary ITO Power Play Award: Thomas Chatfield
- Fonterra Farm Source Farm Management Award: Matt Birchfield
- Westpac Financial Management and Planning Award: Lance Graves
Dairy Trainee of the Year:
- Winner: Nicholas Bailey, Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa
- Runner-up: Karl Wood, Manawatu
- Third: Olivia Wade, Central Plateau
- DairyNZ Practical Skills Award: Karl Wood
