Friday, March 29, 2024

Passion for progression

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To be a dairy farmer you need a strong back, a quick mind, determination and an optimistic outlook. You need to see solutions rather than problems and see opportunity in uncertainty. Today’s dairy farmers operate multi-million dollar businesses and in any single day may be required to be chief executive, veterinarian, agronomist, accountant, human resource manager, engineer – or pull on any one of half a dozen more hats hanging on the wall.
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Every year up-and-coming dairy farmers have an opportunity to showcase their talents in the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (DIA). Every year a network of volunteers in 11 regions around the country come together and co-ordinate NZ dairying’s Oscars equivalent. Every year three winners are crowned in each region, celebrating the sharemilker-equity farmer, farm manager, and dairy trainee. Every year from those regional winners, a national winner in each category is found.

The process is intense. This year I was lucky enough to be involved in judging the finalists for the Manawatu Dairy Trainee of the Year. The competition was close and the interview questions challenging. The nerves were on show but every finalist was engaging, positive, and passionate about dairying. I am sure the sharemilker-equity farmer and farm manager contestants were the same.

“Passion for progression” is the competition tag line. Every winner is a walking reminder of all the good things about dairy farming in this country. Progression has been a traditional strength in NZ and although there are new challenges facing those wishing to move up the chain towards farm ownership, there are also new solutions.

I recently saw a line on Twitter – that great timewaster – matched with a cartoon of a cow with her ears pinned back, heading for the hills: live your life like someone left the gate open. Love it and love our industry.

Good luck to all the regional winners for the national competition – winners are announced on May 2.

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