Friday, March 29, 2024

FAST FIVE: Simon Kermode

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The Dairy Farmer team is always out and about looking for dairy industry workers going about their business. Keep an eye out, you just never know when one of our team might tap you on the shoulder. This month we catch up with Simon Kermode who manages a 1000-cow farm at Dunsandel.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Simon Kermode grew up on his family’s sheep, beef and cropping farm in Ashburton District.

His first experienced dairy farming at the age of 17 when a friend invited him to help one afternoon. He says dairying was then a fairly new industry and that year alone there were 120 conversions in Canterbury. 

Over the past 20 years he has risen through the ranks and has worked for some excellent employers, one an arable farmer who gave him an understanding of the soil and cropping practices in dairying during his five years there.

He is a firm believer in providing his team with opportunities for self-development and gets a real kick out of his seeing younger members succeed.

He and wife Emma work as a team and they are driven by their children James and Louise and to show them what can be achieved and provide a platform for them to choose their own path in life.

1. What philosophy do you live by?

It’s the effort you put into people that will pay you back more than you can imagine. No amount of technology or innovation can replace the person. It’s the person who makes great decisions and belongs to the team. It will all add to success, however, people first then productivity and results will follow.

2. Why did you go farming?  What attracted you to the industry?

I went farming because of the scope to grow and learn through training and experiences and working outside with animals and machinery.

I have stayed farming because employers have invested in my potential and I developed a passion and enthusiasm for dairy farming and all it has to offer. Besides, there were no hot birds working at the local dairy farm at the time so it must have been the money. Nah, actually, it was the potential to continue increasing everything I had.

3. How do you see the state of the industry and future of dairying?

Very good question as I am part of a DairyNZ core design team researching what the 2030 Dairy Farm Workplace will look like and why. In my opinion the state of the here and now is heavily affected by how others view the dairy industry. To go into the future in a positive framework it needs to be designed as a preferred and favourable industry where people are key and want to stay and be involved in.

4. Future goals

A very wise, I won’t say old,. employer once told us to always avoid being on the open market when looking at roles in the industry, meaning reputation, relationships and effort are key to my career progression. This will hopefully serve us well when these times come.

5. If you weren’t farming what would you be doing? 

A helicopter pilot except my wife won’t let me so I suggested becoming a professional bull rider – she said no to that too.

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