Young Dairy Winners set on Achieving Goals

In their second year entering the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards and aged just 22, Carterton lower order sharemilkers Clarence and Elise Stolte have won the Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Sharemilker of the Year title.

The couple was announced the winners at a gala dinner at the Copthorne Hotel Solway Park in Masterton last night, taking home $15,800 in cash and prizes.

The Stoltes are 25% sharemilking 480 cows on a 170ha farm owned by Clarence Stolte’s father, Willem Stolte. They are targeting production of 210,000kg milksolids this season.

They plan to move to 50% sharemilking next season and gain equity rapidly to pay off their herd, buy a support farm and then ultimately their own farm.

Given that Clarence Stolte completed a Diploma of Agriculture in 2005 and began working in the industry as a farm hand in 2006, their progress has been swift.

“A strength of our business is our combination of skills. Between us we allocate areas of management according to our strengths. This enables us to be successful and competent in all areas of our business.

“We also have a great working relationship with the farm owner and are working together on common farm goals which makes achieving them that much easier,” they say.

Second place in the Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Sharemilker of the Year went to Bryce and Kylie Baron, 50% sharemilking at Carterton, and third place went to Pahiatua 16% sharemilkers Kiel and Michelle Berry. The Baron’s won $5600 and the Berry’s won $4100 in cash and prizes.

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 Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Farm Manager of the Year title went to Monty Monteith, who took home cash and prizes worth $10,800.

Mr Monteith, aged 38, is an equity farm manager for Dean Nikora, managing an 188ha farm milking 515 cows at Takapau. He is targeting 180,000kg milksolids this season.

It was the second time he had entered the competition, saying the feedback from judges had allowed he, and wife Michelle, to focus their efforts in this year’s contest. They would like to own their own farm one day.

“We both want to do the best job possible. We really enjoyed being part of the whole Dairy Industry Awards event and making the contacts we have.”

He says the farm has sound systems in place that are tried and true.

“Every aspect of the farm has set out procedures from the farm dairy wash down to paying the accounts on the 20th of each month. This allows for a very professional approach to farming and treating it all as a true business.”

Norsewood farm manager Craig Rosacker placed second, winning $3400 in prizes, and Greytown farm manager Harold Bosch placed third, collecting $3100.

The Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year crown went to Darrell Rose, a 33-year-old dairy farm assistant on a 173ha Featherston farm owned by Alastair Hall.

Mr Rose, who won $2900, spent eight years in the New Zealand Police before beginning his dairy farming career in 2007. Since then he has moved to positions on larger farms each season, and he has already confirmed a move to Canterbury for the new season. With his wife Angela, they have goals to progress into sharemilking.

“I entered the competition to win, but I also saw it as a way to meet like-minded people in the industry and to promote myself to potential employers by showing that I have drive and confidence in my abilities.”

Scott Dormer, 22, a shed/herd manager from Featherston was placed second in the dairy trainee contest winning $500 and Ben Smith, a 21-year-old farm assistant from Takapau placed third winning $250.

All three winners will now compete for the New Zealand Sharemilker 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 Rotorua on May 15.

Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Sharemilkers of the Year Clarence and Elise Stolte will host a field day on Tuesday March 16, while Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Farm Manager of the Year Monty Monteith will host a field day on the Takapau farm he manages on Tuesday March 23. Further details on the winners and field days can be found on www.dairyindustryawards.co..nz.

Sharemilker Merit Awards:
MacDougalls Best Variable Order Sharemilker – Clarence & Elise Stolte
DairyNZ Human Resources Award – Kiel & Michelle Berry
Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – Shaun & Kate Mitchell
Federated Farmers of New Zealand (Inc) Leadership Award – Clarence & Elise Stolte
Honda Farm Safety and Health Award – Shaun & Kate Mitchell
LIC Recording and Productivity Award – Clarence & Elise Stolte
Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award – Bryce & Kylie Baron
Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award – Clarence & Elise Stolte
Westpac Business Performance Award – Bryce & Kylie Baron

Farm Manager Merit Awards:
BEL Group Most Promising Manager – Harold Bosch
DairyNZ Human Resource Management Award – Monty Monteith
RD1 Farm Management Award – Monty Monteith
Westpac Financial Planning and Management Award – Monty Monteith