They are a smart, humble and practical couple who are doing very well at dairy farming on a challenging property in Northland.
Canterbury’s Matt Redmond was named dairy manager of the year and Nicola Blowey, also from Canterbury, is the dairy trainee of the year.
They shared prizes worth more than $210,000.
Share farmer head judge Kevin McKinley, from DairyNZ, says the Beazleys impressed the judges with their resilience, team work and attention to detail.
“They are such a great team and complement each other with their roles on farm.”
The Beazleys, both aged 31, are 50:50 sharemilkers for Neil Jones and Wendy Crow-Jones milking 330 cows on the 163ha Wellsford property.
The couple have entered the awards twice previously and were third last year in the same category.
In winning the national title and $52,000 in prizes Colin and Isabella demonstrated strengths in pasture management, leadership, environment and health and safety.
Fellow share farmer judge Matt Richards, from Southland, says a good example of their pasture management is the way they work with the kikuya grass but are also trying to eliminate it at the same time.
“They had a really good understanding of pasture and crop eaten and importance of it in terms of driving operating profit.”
The judges also said the Beazleys aren’t afraid to try new things and are innovative around pasture species and management and their use of technology.
“Colin uses a drone to check on the cows and has even delivered a coffee by drone to a staff member working down the back of the farm,” Richards said.
Judge Jacqui Groves from Westpac noted how strong Colin and Isabella are in their community involvement and leadership.
“They have awesome relationships with the people in their local community and are fully immersed in many activities from Plunket to St John’s to footy and badminton.”
The Beazleys impressed the judges with their use of social media to spread the good word about dairy farming and their strong family values and attention to detail in all areas of their business stood out.
McKinley said the judges were very impressed overall at the high calibre of this year’s finalists.
“We’ve been from one end of the country to the other and we have met an outstanding group of people excelling within the industry.
“They have a good work life balance, they still work hard but they find the time to pursue interests off-farm such as sport and time with family and friends.”
Results
Share Farmer of the Year:
• Winner – Colin & Isabella Beazley, Northland
• Runner-up – Marc & Nia Jones, Waikato
• Third – Thomas & Jemima Bebbington, Manawatu
• DairyNZ Human Resources Award – Marc & Nia Jones
• Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – Ruwan Wijayasena
• Federated Farmers Leadership Award – Colin & Isabella Beazley
• Honda Farm Safety, Health & Biosecurity Award – Colin & Isabella Beazley
• LIC Recording and Productivity Award – Thomas & Jemima Bebbington
• Meridian Farm Environment Award – Colin & Isabella Beazley
• 30th Anniversary Ecolab Interview Award – Thomas & Hannah Oats
• Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award – Colin & Isabella Beazley
• Westpac Business Performance Award – Ruwan Wijayasena
Dairy Manager of the Year:
• Winner – Matt Redmond, Canterbury
• Runner-up – James Matheson, Southland
• Third – Laurence Walden, Central Plateau
• DairyNZ Employee Engagement Award – Laurence Walden
• DeLaval Livestock Management Award – Lorraine Ferreira
• Fonterra Dairy Management Award – Laurence Walden
• LIC Interview Award – Lorraine Ferreira
• Meridian Leadership Award – James Matheson
• PrimaryITO Power Play Award – Matt Redmond
• Ravensdown Feed Management Award – Kyle Brennan
• Westpac Personal Planning & Financial Management Award – Matt Redmond
Dairy Trainee of the Year:
• Winner – Nicola Blowey, Canterbury
• Runner-up – Matt Dawson, Waikato
• Third – Harry Phipps, Central Plateau
• DairyNZ Practical Skills Award – Matt Dawson
• Federated Farmers Farming Knowledge Award – Nicola Blowey
• DeLaval Communication and Engagement Award – Nicola Blowey
• Best Video Award presented by Streamliner – Nicola Blowey
• Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award – Damian & Jane Roper
