Taranaki Dairy Winners Rise to Challenge

The three big winners in the 2012 Taranaki Dairy Industry Awards were all first time entrants seeking a challenge.

Last night in front of a packed Stratford Memorial Hall, James and Rebecca Van Den Brand, Thomas Higgins and Mark Duynhoven rose to the challenge and walked away with the Taranaki Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, Farm Manager of the Year and Dairy Trainee of the Year titles respectively.

Claiming the Taranaki Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year title will also raise the profile of James and Rebecca Van Den Brand, another reason they entered. The couple won cash and prizes worth nearly $18,000.

“We thought entering would be a great way to improve our farming business by the feedback we get, and also to raise our profile for when we are looking to take the next step in our dairying career.”

The Van Den Brands are currently in their first season 45% sharemilking 380 cows on 107ha owned by Michael and Vivienne Joyce near Hawera. They started their dairy career in Australia before returning to New Zealand and progressing through farm managing and lower order sharemilking.

“We have a great relationship with the farm owners and believe this is a huge strength as we can work together in making a more profitable business while enjoying it.”

They also operate a low cost farming system, by keeping farm working expenses below $1.80 per kg milksolids to return a higher profit per hectare and per cow.

“We are both passionate about dairying farming and love working together and combining our family life with our career. We believe we are lucky to have found a career that we both love and get to share,” they say.

Second place in the Taranaki Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year contest went to Stratford lower order sharemilker Marc Jackson, who won $8500 in prizes. Mr Jackson won the region’s 2010 Farm Manager of the Year title.

Third place, and $2950 in prizes, went to Hawera 50% sharemilkers Bryce and Amanda Savage.

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 AgITO.

Taranaki Farm Manager of the Year, Thomas Higgins, entered the awards for the challenge and to get more involved in the industry and community. He won $8580 in cash and prizes.

Mr Higgins is managing a 360-cow, 113ha Hawera farm owned by Bill and Gail Gribble. It is his second season on the farm and he will be lower order sharemilking on it from June. His goal is to be 50% sharemilking by 2015 and to own land long term.

He says his strengths are stockmanship and teamwork. “I love working with stock and being around them and I also understand the importance of having happy, quiet and healthy cows. We also have a real strong team on the farm that works well together.”

Inglewood farm managers Sean and Jessica Patterson placed second in the farm manager contest winning $2130, and third place went to Patea farm manager Kane Brisco, who won $3030 in prizes.

In his first full-time season on a dairy farm, Mark Duynhoven has won the 2012 Taranaki Dairy Trainee of the Year, taking home $5300 in prizes. He is a farm assistant on Kevin and Diane Goble’s 200ha farm near New Plymouth milking 700 cows.

After growing up on a dairy farm, Mr Duynhoven became a trade qualified joiner for nearly five years before turning his hand to earthmoving for two years.

Now aged 25, he is committed to the dairy industry and has a 10-year goal of farm ownership.

“I entered the awards to challenge myself, gain knowledge to improve my career and make new contacts.”

Inglewood farm assistant Jacob Prankerd was second in the dairy trainee contest, winning $600 in prizes, and Hawera farm assistant Casey McLean placed third, winning $1350 in prizes.

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 nearly $140,000 in Auckland on May 12.

Taranaki Sharemilker/Equity Farmers of the Year, James and Rebecca Van Den Brand, will host a field day on April 12, while Taranaki Farm Manager of the Year, Thomas Higgins, will host a field day on the Hawera farm he manages on April 5. Further details on the winners and field days can be found on www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.

Sharemilker/Equity Farmer Merit Awards:
Abacus Group Best Endeavour Award – Jonathan & Jo McLuskie
Reeves Middleton Young Communication Award – Kyle & Jodie Goodwin
Variable Order Cup – Kyle & Jodie Goodwin
DairyNZ Human Resources Award – Marc Jackson         
Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – James & Rebecca Van Den Brand         
Federated Farmers of New Zealand Leadership Award – Kyle & Jodie Goodwin
Honda Farm Safety and Health Award – James & Rebecca Van Den Brand         
LIC Recording and Productivity Award – Warren & Mary Patterson          
Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award – Marc Jackson
Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award – Chris & Tina Harvie         
Westpac Business Performance Award – James & Rebecca Van Den Brand         

Farm Manager Merit Awards:
NZ Farmers Livestock Ltd Outstanding Attitude Award – Kane Brisco 
DairyNZ Human Resource Management Award – Kane Brisco         
RD1 Farm Management Award – Thomas Higgins         
Westpac Financial Planning and Management Award – Thomas Higgins

Dairy Trainee Merit Award:
·         AgITO Farming Knowledge Merit Award – Casey Mclean

·         Promising Future in the Industry Acknowledgement Award – Jayden Harvey