First Equity Farm Winner in Dairy Awards

The 2011 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards has its first equity farm manager winner, with Murray Jamieson winning the Northland Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year title.

Mr Jamieson was one of three winners announced at the Northland Dairy Industry Awards finals in Paihia last night. Aaron Carter won the Northland Farm Manager of the Year title and Bruce Leslie won the Northland Dairy Trainee of the Year contest.

This is the first year equity farmers have been able to enter the sharemilker competition after changes were made to enable their entry.

Mr Jamieson is an equity farm manager in Okaihau Pastoral Ltd, a company milking 1100 cows at Okaihau, near Kerikeri. He says the sheer scale of the enterprise gives flexibility, efficiencies, variance and growth.

“Our goal is to continue to expand the company to increase net wealth for shareholders through acquiring more land for this property or purchasing additional dairy farms.”

He won cash and prizes worth more than $14,000. Mr Jamieson has been in the dairy industry for 25 years, beginning as a farm worker before progressing through the industry ranks.

His wife Vicky edits a newspaper fashion supplement and the couple has a young child and another on the way.

Kamo 50% sharemilkers Greig and Paula Powell were second in the Northland Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year contest, winning $7000.
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.

Whangarei farm manager Aaron Carter is the 2011 Northland Farm Manager of the Year, taking home cash and prizes worth $8400.

Mr Carter, aged 27, is in his sixth season working for his parents, Stephen and Susan Carter, milking 480 cows. His goal is to go sharemilking next season and build towards farm ownership.

He says pasture management and animal health are key focuses of his. “I allocate the right amount of grass to the cows by collecting data from farm walks every two weeks and use that data to determine the round that we should be on.”

It was the second time he had entered the awards, saying he enjoys meeting and talking with other successful people in the industry and finding areas where he can lift farm business performance.

Kaitaia contract milkers Tom and Racheal Trail were second in the farm manager contest, winning $3250.

The 2011 Northland Dairy Trainee of the Year Bruce Leslie, aged 28, aims to prove he is worthy to take over the family farm owned by his parents Wayne and Linda Leslie.

Mr Leslie, who won $5000 in prizes, is currently a farm assistant on the 100ha Kaiwaka property working alongside his father.

He gained a Bachelor of Physical Education at Otago University before returning to the farm and is married to Jessica with two young children.

Twenty-year-old Pipiwai farm assistant Luke Boylan placed second in the trainee contest, winning $500, and Matthew Paul, a 19-year-old Kaipara farm assistant was third, winning $250.

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.

Northland Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year Murray Jamieson will host a field day on March 17, while Northland Farm Manager of the Year Aaron Carter will host a field day on the Whangarei farm he manages on March 14. Further details on the winners and field days can be found on www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.

Sharemilker/Equity Farmer Merit Awards:

• DairyNZ Human Resources Award – Greig & Paula Powell
• Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – Daniel & Freya Lynch
• Federated Farmers of New Zealand Leadership Award – Greig & Paula Powell
• Honda Farm Safety and Health Award – Murray Jamieson
• LIC Recording and Productivity Award – Daniel & Freya Lynch
• Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award – Murray Jamieson
• Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award – Greig & Paula Powell
• Westpac Business Performance Award – Greig & Paula Powell
•  

Farm Manager Merit Awards:

• Northland Regional Council Sustainable Land Management Award – Ettiene Farrell
• DairyNZ Human Resource Management Award – Tom & Racheal Trail
• RD1 Farm Management Award – Aaron Carter
• Westpac Financial Planning and Management Award – Warren Burke

Dairy Trainee Merit Award:

• Farming Knowledge Merit Award – Samantha Milne