The 28-year-old has a business studies degree from Massey University majoring in management and marketing and before that spent four years working in IT. He didn’t want to head back into an office again when he completed his degree and looked to dairying as a viable way to begin building his own business, grow equity and get to a point where he could own land.
“You don’t earn anything less than you would with a job in town and there’s so much more opportunity,” he said.
Isaac’s uncle, Graham Bain, offered to show him what dairying was about in Canterbury and fortuitously had a job vacancy about the same time.
Isaac’s now in his second season on the 730-cow, 210ha effective Oxford farm and has no regrets about his decision to get out on the land and get his hands dirty.
The Canterbury North Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year wants to start moving through the ranks quickly so he can forge a progression pathway and achieve his goals.
He’s soaking up every bit of information he can and is an avid discussion group attendee as well as racing through his PrimaryITO levels.
Assistant farm manager Brad Fallaver, from Darfield, was second. He also won the Ngai Tahu Farming Knowledge Award and the DairyNZ Practical Skills Award.
Lincoln University Dairy Farm assistant manager Adam Vollebregt was third in the competition. The FarmRight Leadership Award went to Fiona McRae of Ashburton.
