BOP Winners Enjoy Dairy Industry Support

The 2010 Bay of Plenty Sharemilkers of the Year Jon and Steph Russell enjoy the way the dairy industry supports farmers by sharing information.

“There is a lot of support from farmer to farmer. It is a real strength of the industry that we are not in direct competition with one another so people are happy to share information.”

The Russells were announced the winners, taking home $14,000 in cash and prizes, at the Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards dinner held at the Awakeri Events Centre, near Whakatane, last night.

The 2010 Bay of Plenty Farm Manager of the Year, Russell Meade, and 2010 Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year, David Kehely, were also announced.

Jon Russell, aged 28, has been dairy farming since he was 15 and has progressed through the ranks – joined by Steph when they took on a lower order sharemilking position – to be 50% sharemilking 225 cows for Tina Boon at Poroporo, near Whakatane.

They plan to increase their herd size and build equity in order to purchase their own farm.

It was the second time they had entered the awards. “We think the awards are a great way to build confidence with public speaking and they’re a good opportunity to meet like-minded people in our area.”

The runners-up in the 2010 Bay of Plenty Sharemilker of the Year contest was Paul and Clare Shortt, who are 23% sharemilking 700 cows for David and Lesley Jensen near Tauranga. They won $7300 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 2010 Bay of Plenty Farm Manager of the Year, Russell Meade, likes to keep up with industry trends and try the latest ideas. “I believe this is a strength, as it means we can make our dairy farming operation more efficient and effective while still producing a quality product.”

It is also a reason why he has entered the Dairy Industry Awards for a second time. “The awards are a great way to meet people and representatives from different support businesses, and to meet interesting people that I can discuss the latest industry trends with.”

Mr Meade, who won $6650 in cash and prizes, is currently managing an 112ha Whakatane farm for Peter and Barbara Laing. With wife, Nadine, he plans to develop innovative and flexible investment opportunities and to budget and save towards farm business ownership – like sharemilking or an equity partnership.

Whakatane contract milkers, Warren and Jo Lee, were runners-up in the 2010 Bay of Plenty Farm Manager of the Year contest, winning $3250.

Nineteen-year-old David Kehely won the 2010 Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year competition, winning $3700. Mr Kehely is working for Oropi Bushlands, which runs three dairy herds on a large farm near Tauranga.

He entered the competition for the first time to progress his dairy farming career. “I’m interested in moving forward within the dairy industry and the dairy trainee contest is a great window for both my career and meeting like minded people.”

Mr Kehely has been in the industry three years. His future goals are to undertake study, and to progress to a farm manager’s position and on to sharemilking.

Te Puke farm assistant Jeremy Cullen, 26, placed second in the dairy trainee competition and Edgecume farm assistant, Phillip Baldock, 20, was third. They won $1000 and $500 respectively.

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.

Bay of Plenty Sharemilkers of the Year Jon and Steph Russell will host a field day on April 1, while Bay of Plenty Farm Manager of the Year Russell Meade will host a field day on the Whakatane farm he manages on April 7. Further details on the winners and field days can be found on www.dairyindustryawards.co..nz.

Sharemilker Merit Awards:
BlackmanSpargo Legal Audit Award – Paul & Clare Shortt
DairyNZ Human Resources Award – Bill Danby
Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – Jon & Steph Russell
Federated Farmers of New Zealand (Inc) Leadership Award – Fraser McGougan
Honda Farm Safety and Health Award – Fraser McGougan
LIC Recording and Productivity Award – Paul & Clare Shortt
Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award – Jon & Steph Russell
Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award – Jon & Steph Russell
Westpac Business Performance Award – Paul & Clare Shortt

Farm Manager Merit Awards:
DairyNZ Human Resource Management Award – Bruce Knudsen
RD1 Farm Management Award – Warren & Jo Lee
Westpac Financial Planning and Management Award – Russell Meade