BOP Winners Benefit from Entering Dairy Awards

Two winners in the 2011 Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards have enjoyed the benefits to be gained from participating in the awards.

Both the 2011 Bay of Plenty Sharemilker/Equity Farmers of the Year, Scott and Charlotte Jones, and 2011 Bay of Plenty Farm Managers of the Year, Warren and Jo Lee, has previously entered the awards.

They had entered again as they had enjoyed meeting and networking with like-minded farmers and rural professionals and had a lot of fun.

“It also makes you take a good look at your business, highlighting areas for improvement as well as confirming the areas that are going well,” say the Jones.

“We have learnt a lot about our farming strengths and weakness’ from doing the presentation and from the judges feedback,” say the Lees.

The 2011 Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year, Aleisha Butler, was also announced at the region’s awards dinner held at the Awakeri Events Centre last night.

Scott and Charlotte Jones are 22% sharemilking 500 cows for Alan and Viv Barr at Awakeri. It was the second time they had entered the awards and they won $12,300 in cash and prizes. It is their fifth season lower order sharemilking and their goal is to enter an equity partnership.

Whakatane equity farm manager Fraser McGougan placed second in the sharemilker/equity farmer contest winning $6600 and Whakatane 50% sharemilkers Troy Doherty and Karen McLeod were third, winning $3500.

The Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown and RD1, along with industry partner Agriculture ITO.

The region’s best farm managers, Warren and Jo Lee, are contract milking 470 cows for Ross and Louise Macdonald at Whakatane. They won $7900 in their third time entering the awards.

“Our future farming goals are to be professional proficient farm managers, with long term stability and a very good reputation. Our long term goals are to have sufficient savings to semi-retire in our late 50s, so we can travel and do casual work. We also have a goal set for our retirement savings.”

The Lees are heavily involved in community activities, such as the school PTA and Board, motorcycle club, mini-motorcross and pony club.

Te Puke farm manager Joshua Wadsworth, 32, was runner-up in the farm manager contest winning $3000.

The Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year Aleisha Butler, 30, is a farm assistant on a 350-cow Manawahe farm owned by Geoff and Gerda Bradly. She won $5700.

It is the mother of three’s second year working fulltime in the industry and her partner, Chris McCormack, is also farming. Their long-term goal is to purchase their own land, with plans to buy their own herd first.

Ms Butler had entered the awards for the first time for the experience.

Te Puke farm assistants Luther Siemelink, 24, and Jeremy Cullen, 27, were placed second and third respectively in the trainee contest, winning $1500 and $450.

All three winners will now compete for the New Zealand Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, New Zealand Farm Manager of the Year and New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year titles and a prize pool of more than $130,000 in Queenstown on May 14.

Bay of Plenty Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, Scott and Charlotte Jones, will host a field day on March 31, while Bay of Plenty Farm Managers of the Year, Warren and Jo Lee, will host a field day on the Whakatane farm they manage on April 7. Further details on the winners and field days can be found on www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.

Sharemilker/Equity Farmer Merit Awards:
Blackman Spargo Legal Audit Award – Sam Sherrard & Lorna McNaughton
DairyNZ Human Resources Award – Troy Doherty & Karen McLeod
Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – Scott & Charlotte Jones
Federated Farmers of New Zealand Leadership Award – Fraser McGougan
Honda Farm Safety and Health Award – Rikus & Sirita Rautenbach
LIC Recording and Productivity Award – Mark & Nika Booker
Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award – Fraser McGougan
Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award – Scott & Charlotte Jones
Westpac Business Performance Award – Sam Sherrard & Lorna McNaughton

Farm Manager Merit Awards:
DairyNZ Human Resource Management Award – Warren & Jo Lee
RD1 Farm Management Award – Warren & Jo Lee
Westpac Financial Planning and Management Award – Joshua Wadsworth

Dairy Trainee Merit Award:
Farming Knowledge Merit Award – Luther Siemelink