Dairy careers

Unexpected farmer

Covid-19 saw New Zealand go into lockdown and our borders closed to international tourists, meaning many in the tourism industry lost their jobs.

Thomas Lundman worked in the tourism industry at Te Anau but when covid-19 locked down the country and the tourists stopped visiting, he went dairy farming.

By Anne Boswell

The warmth and support of a Bay of Plenty farming community has helped Te Anau man Thomas Lundman navigate a dramatic career and lifestyle change due to covid-19.

Plummeting tourist numbers saw him obliged to leave a five-year career at tourism company Real Journeys earlier this year, and his move from the deep south to the sunny north to take on a farm assistant position for Whakatane sharemilkers Chris and Rosie Mexted is not for the faint-hearted.

Although he had grown up on a dairy farm at Winton, his family moved off the farm when he was 12. Throughout high school, he deliberated between a career in tourism or farming.

“Given the popularity of Te Anau as a tourist destination, I decided to choose the industry that was thriving most in the region,” he says.

He took on a position at the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves and witnessed the company go from strength to strength during the years he was there.

“Our team had grown and grown, from 22 to 30 in its peak. We were working from 7am until midnight every day, and that was just at the caves,” he says.

“So when covid hit and the team was reduced to five people, it was a really weird feeling. Once lockdown had finished, the team was lucky to do one tour on the weekend.”

Lundman says they knew back in midJanuary 2020 that the tourism industry was at risk.

“We knew bleak times were approaching as soon as the Chinese market dropped off, with the closure of the border to Chinese nationals,” he says.

He finished up at Real Journeys in early April, and his thoughts turned to what he and his fiancé Alice Brogden would do next.

“Alice’s family lives in Whakatane, so it was always going to be our destination,” he says.

“We intended to work in tourism, or potentially dairy farming, but in the end covid made that decision for me.”

He heard about the farm assistant

Thomas Lundman is relishing working as a farm assistant for Whakatane sharemilkers Chris and Rosie Mexted, milking 560 cows. Thomas Lundman lived on a dairy farm until the age of 12 and was always interested in farming but decided on a career in tourism, and was surprised at how much he remembered when he began working as a farm assistant. grazing management side of things – with emphasis on slowly,” he laughs.

Although he hadn’t been on a dairy farm since he was a child, he says his memory banks still held a lot of farming information.

“Weirdly enough, a lot came back to me. There was obviously a lot stored in the back of my head,” he says.

“I’m exhausted at the end of the day but it’s refreshing; you feel like you’ve done something with your

position by word-of-mouth when Alice received a message from sharemilker Chris Mexted saying, “I hear your partner is looking for a job.”

“The interview process was held over the phone and via Facebook. It was laid back and at times a bit of fun, which was really refreshing,” he says.

“Chris ended up offering me the job, so we packed up and moved to Whakatane. I started on June 1.”

He has adjusted to life on the Mexted’s 140ha farm with little difficulty, milking 560 cows through a 48-bail rotary shed.

He undertakes a variety of tasks onfarm, including milking, moving cows, fencing and feeding out.

“I’m slowly getting the hang of the

day.”

He is enjoying many aspects of dairy farming, including working with animals and feeling as though he has accomplished a satisfying day’s work.

“It’s really nice to work with your hands,” he says.

“I’m exhausted at the end of the day but it’s refreshing; you feel like you’ve done something with your day.

He is also enjoying the change of pace that farming affords.

“I’m quite a people person, but I am really enjoying the solitude on-farm,” he says. “Ironically, the biggest thing I miss about tourism is interacting with people.”

Lundman says he would like dairy farming to be a part of his professional life in the long-term, although perhaps not as his first focus.

“I’d like to look at doing a dairy apprenticeship, but more so dairy farming becomes a trade I can fall back on.

“I’d actually really like to become a police officer. I’m sure there are some transferable skills in there somewhere.”

He says both the transition from tourism to farming and successfully finding a job have been easier than he expected, thanks in part to the support he has received from his family, the farm staff and the wider community.

“The transition has been made easier by having Chris as a supportive boss, as well as Patrick, the other worker on the farm,” he says.

“The community has been great as well. It is very different moving from one end of the country to the other, but the community has been very accepting. It has been a good opportunity to meet people.” n

Helping hand for Kiwis

Canterbury’s agricultural training provider Agri Training is providing a rural retrain foundation programme in the wake of covid-19.

The programme is specifically designed to fast-track people into rural jobs as industries feel the impact of the pandemic and more people look to retrain.

Project manager Trina Moore sees the need from both ends of the employment spectrum.

“We have local businesses desperately needing staff and a programme that is attracting trainees from diverse backgrounds and ages,” Moore says.

One thing all the trainees have in common is their transferable skills.

“We have had a seismic oil vessel captain, aviation technician, ex-police officer and cafe owner, and these people are not just local Cantabrians. They come from as far north as Auckland and as far south as Invercargill,” she says.

Three rural retrain programmes have been held so far, which she says were “overwhelmingly successful.”

“From our first cohort, 91% went into permanent full-time employment with one person moving into further education and another taking on a part-time position, while from our second cohort we already have 60% in full-time employment and the remaining participants working with our An Agri Training tutor shows a group of trainees the ropes in the milking shed. recruitment partners Agstaff and New Zealand Dairy Careers on opportunities,” she says.

“We provide more than just training. We provide ongoing pastoral support and we work with industry recruitment partners to help the transition from trainee to work.

For most trainees, such as Loriaan Meyer, it is a big change in lifestyle.

Meyer shifted her whole family south after getting a dairying job following the training.

“I relocated my husband and three children from the North Island for work,” she says.

This also meant work for her husband, using his trade skills.

“But the biggest thing I got is the ability to stand up and say ‘I can do this,’ it gave me confidence”, she says.

Graduate trainee Amy Luckhurst returned from England to covid-hit New Zealand and no job. With a degree in biological sciences, numerous job applications going unanswered and no thought of going into the primary industries, she registered for the online training.

“I landed a dairying job on the last day of training. I never thought it would work out so well,” she says.

While dairying has provided a high percentage of work for the trainees, the training provides a whole insight into the primary industries.

Trainee Nathan Eggleton saw new avenues in which to build his current skills on.

“There are so many more layers to this than I anticipated. I can look at something like sales through seed and crop. It’s like covid shut one door and opened another,” he says.

The rural retrain programme begins with a free four-day online webinar where trainees gain an understanding of what it is to work in the primary industries. From engaging industry speakers and practical take home tasks to soft skills like CV writing and interview techniques.

For those eligible, the webinar is paired with a free 13-day live in rural retrain programme, designed to give trainees both practical hands-on learning, supported with some classroom learning.

“We get the trainees together to promote teamwork and early starts. We train on everything from health and safety and mental health in the rural sectors to calf-rearing, working in a woolshed to riding quad bikes, pasture management and opportunities in the primary industries that are not on-farm,” Moore says. n

MORE: The next online webinar starts on January 25, 2021, followed closely by the rural retrain programme on February 15, which is held at Agri Training’s training facility in

Winchmore.

Farming wants you

With New Zealand borders closed to many skilled agricultural workers who are unable to enter the country due to covid-19, the shortage of labour across the board in agriculture is worsening.

The shortage of staff has been the catalyst for the establishment of a Rural Careers Day as an extension of the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games being held in Palmerston North next year.

NZ Rural Games Trust chairperson Margaret Kouvelis MNZM says the unprecedented demand for people to take on jobs and careers in the rural sector across Aotearoa is what has spurred the trust to set up and run the NZ Rural Careers Day.

“Before covid-19, there was a lot of demand for staff across rural NZ. Today, that situation is exacerbated, causing wages across the sector to rise,” Kouvelis says.

“We have a once in a generation chance to encourage our young people into careers in rural areas, which in turn will help bring vibrancy back to the small towns and settlements across our country.”

Kouvelis says the day would have a heavy focus on industry bodies – the people who work with people working in the fields, sheds, gardens, orchards and forests.

“They know first-hand the opportunities that are there and the amazingly rewarding lifestyle that you get from living in rural NZ,” she says.

“We’ve seen wages across the rural sector rising faster than we’ve seen in decades and many young people are simply not aware of the opportunities available.”

The Games founder Steve Hollander says he is “super excited to bring the Careers Day to the New Zealand Rural Games stable of events.”

“We are proudly rural and supportive of closing the urban-rural gap, and this event will help us achieve that,” Hollander says.

“Rural New Zealand is on the rise again, and we’re focused on ensuring young people from urban areas get to understand the opportunities and the unbeatable lifestyle that you can afford in our towns and settlements across the country.”

The event will run alongside the Clash of the Colleges – teams from 15 secondary schools across the mid and lower North Island compete in rural tasks Careers Day will be held during the New Zealand Rural Games next year, to entice more people into agriculture. The Forestry Industry will be one of many organisations showcasing their sector.

to take home bragging rights in the juniors’ and seniors’ sections. Alongside that is the STIHL Timbersports® Ladies and Rookie Championships and the NZ Rural Games Golf Cup.

The Careers Day will be held on Friday, March 12, 2021. That night is the Norwood NZ Rural Sports Awards, and on the Saturday and Sunday is the Ford Ranger NZ Rural Games.

The day will host the following organisations: NZ Arborist Association; Fencing Contractors Association of NZ; NZ Shearing Association; UCOL; Beef + Lamb NZ; DairyNZ; HortNZ; Southern North Island Forestry Association; Talent Central and ACG Training.

MORE: The Careers Day will be held on March, 12, 2021 in The Square, Palmerston North. Registrations of interest close on December 4. Email: info@ruralgames.co.nz for further information or to register.

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1 Since 1905, we’ve remained true to what it means to be a mutual. For example, putting profits back into the business instead of shareholders’ pockets. If that sounds good to you, ask around about us. Or better still, call us now on 0800 366 466. FMG0862FWFPS_H We’re here for the good of the country. THE FEELING’S MUTUAL. PROUD OF YOUR FAMILY HERITAGE? Lively Fonterra election tippedVol 18 No 31, August 12, 2019 farmersweekly.co.nz $3.95 Incl GST Best trade/specialist publication and website – Voyager Media Awards 2019 Big tick for farmers T HE red meat industry hopes to ramp up its Taste Pure Nature brand campaign on the back of the latest international climate change report. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report is being welcomed by New Zealand farming leaders as an endorsement of our low impact systems and the importance of maintaining food production. The IPCC says land on which we rely for food, water, energy, health and wellbeing is already under pressure and climate change will exacerbate that through desertification and land degradation potentially affecting food security.The report’s advocacy of a balanced diet including animal protein sourced from resilient, sustainable, low greenhouse gas systems is an endorsement for NZ, Beef + Lamb chief insight officer Jeremy Baker says.“This is the NZ red meat production system.“It is definitely not saying that we all need to become vegetarian or vegan.” It is an opportunity to ramp up promotion of the Taste Pure Nature brand, to tell 40 million global meat eaters about NZ’s lowcarbon footprint, he says. DairyNZ climate change ambassador Trish Rankin is heartened the report says some sectors need to reduce their emissions faster to ensure food production is not jeopardised. “We need food so other sectors need to do better. “This is a breath of fresh air for someone to finally say that.” Rankin says while previous reports have been scathing of farming, this one is less so. “I felt like this report has helped us turn a corner, that farmers are affected by climate change but we also really need them.” The report found global food systems account for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions and agricultural emissions of nitrous oxide and methane are increasing. But land also has a role as a carbon sink, absorbing 30% of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions between 2008 and 2017. Crop production is being affected by higher temperatures, changing rain patterns and greater frequency of extreme events. The report warns consumption patterns, land management and population growth will determine the planet’s future in a changing climate. “Pathways with higher demand for food, feed, and water, more resource-intensive consumption and production and more limited technological improvements in agriculture yields, result in higher risks from water scarcity in drylands, land degradation and food insecurity.”Report contributor Associate Professor Anita Wreford, of Lincoln University’s Agribusiness and Economic Research Unit, says it shows the importance of not implementing contradictory policies. “The report is highly relevant for NZ as we grapple with the trade-offs involved with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to the impacts of climate change, managing the areas we value and maintaining and supporting our communities and societies in this process. Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz ON-FARM training courses have an important role to play in agriculture’s future, Feilding High School student Meaghan Reesby says. The year 13 pupil plans study agri-commerce at Massey University next year but said not everyone interested in agriculture wants to go to university. Some people prefer a more handson approach, whether that is through a cadetship or beginning a job and building their knowledge through courses offered by workplace training providers such as Primary ITO. She said there should always be an opportunity to do practical training because trained staff have a better understanding of how their workplaces, such as farms, function, which is good for employers and employees. Feilding High School pupils can build their practical farming experience while at school by taking courses offered through Gateway, a programme for young people in their last year of school that allows them to complete training made up of theory and practical unit standards. Reesby said the role that form of training plays in increasing the skills of people in agriculture should not be overlooked and any future changes in how training course are delivered needs to remember that. The daughter of Himatangi dairy farmers, Meaghan’s brother works on the family farm, complementing what he learns at work with practical courses, while her sister also is also full time on the farm, fitting her Massey course work around that. Education options vital MORE: P3 DAIRY FARMER October 2019 1 October 2019 Keeping everyone happy Small company doing big things Government isn’t fooling ag industry Supplementary feeding and nutrition n Effluent Embracing the Kiwi way $8.95 Incl GST An English lass is getting stuck into learning about pasture

A place to belong

By Sonita Chandar

Covid-19 spelt the end of an OE for one young woman who returned to New Zealand only to be rejected for dozens of jobs before finding her place in dairy farming.

Amy Luckhurst was enjoying Thank goodness I had dad looking out the OE of a lifetime. She for me.” had been in the UK since She is one of the lucky ones arriving June 2019, had seen the home the day before NZ went into sights, taken a tour and was ready to lockdown and a few days before start work at a rollercoaster park in mandatory quarantine kicked in. England. But being back home with no job

She had just completed her training and income was not easy, so she began when her dad got in touch. applying for jobs.

“Dad said, ‘this covid thing is getting At one point she was completing 50 bad and you need to come home now.’ applications per day. She felt the four He bought me a ticket and I was out of years she spent at university completing there,” Luckhurst says. a Bachelor in Science majoring in botany

Up until that phone call, she had little and minoring in physical geography was idea of just how serious things were worthless. becoming. “I felt like somehow I had been

“The media in England wasn’t irresponsible about everything I had reporting covid correctly and were saying done, even though I had basically it was nothing more than a bad cold. followed the playbook the Government

“I had no idea of the danger I was sets out. It was really disheartening to actually in.” think the system doesn’t work,” she says.

She had been in Stoke on Trent in Although a Bachelor of Science is a West Midlands – the area was to become useful tool in agriculture, she had never the first place in England to experience considered farming. an outbreak. “It wasn’t even on my radar, it was so

“It was a hotspot and I had no idea. far away from what I saw myself doing.”

But an advert on television caught her attention and she found Agri Training on the internet.

“I was like, you know what, maybe that might be an idea. I love plants, so maybe I could get into growing or harvesting. And I like driving and I’ve got heavy machinery experience because I did rollercoaster operating when I was in the UK.”

She took the punt and registered her interest and received information about an upcoming webinar event. The webinars ran over two days and it was a crash course introducing agriculture, talking about the lifestyle, what was on offer and covering basic health and safety.

There were 300 people that registered interest for the webinar and 30 were selected for a practical training course that ran over two weeks.

“I was one of those 30; it was really heartening after all the rejection,” she says.

Launching straight into practical skill

training, on the second day the trainees were taught how to ride a motorbike.

“I was terrified, I’d only ridden one once and had crashed into a tree stump. But you wouldn’t know now. In fact, my boss has warned me to slow down when I’m out on the quad on the farm.”

Trainees have since learnt to drive tractors, fencing, studied stockyards and drafting systems, visited a sheep milking farm, talk to sharemilkers and plant trees.

“There was a huge variety of agriculturally-related experiences jammed into the two weeks,” she says.

“It wasn’t just showing us the nice parts of farming, we literally dug holes and built part of a fence on one of the trainer’s farms and that was really cool.”

Health and safety was covered, so the trainees learnt the potential risks and were taught basic first aid skills.

“They basically gave us a toolkit to start working on a farm, but because every farm is different, they couldn’t give us a book of exactly what we needed to do. They gave us a vague introduction to almost everything, I really enjoyed it,” she says.

Many of her class have landed jobs across the sector.

A former ship captain became involved in health and safety and now helps train others on the course. Others have landed roles on orchards, sheep and beef farms and several secured positions on high country stations.

Before the practical training, Luckhurst told her tutor she would be interested in anything but dairy. But the course changed her mind and before the end of the two weeks she was offered a position on a dairy farm 10 minutes out of Leeston with Tony and Eleanor Williams.

“They took us for interviews on some dairy farms that were looking for staff. I walked away with a job offer and a planned start date. It was an incredible feeling. Especially to happen so quickly after so much waiting to hear back from all the job applications I had submitted,” she said.

She started in the middle of calving but the team eased her into it, exposing her to different elements of the farm system and working out what she was good at and what she needed to work on.

“I was chucked in the deep end, but I was high on life. It was such a good feeling having something to do and being useful,” she says.

My first stint was seven days in a row, then I had three days off and I struggled to sleep in because I was so keen and happy.”

She is loving the lifestyle; the farm is 363 hectares and milks 1430 cows through a 70-bail rotary. There is a lot of technology on the farm and she enjoys learning all aspects of the job.

“We’ve got the perfect amount of cows for the perfect amount of grass and the irrigation system seems to have the right amount of water – and we’ve got the right consents for it all,” she says.

“It’s really incredible how complicated it all is, but I’m loving all the learning.”

Prior to starting work on the farm, she had known how important farming is and how much we rely on it, but had no idea how much work goes on behind the farm gate.

“I was ignorant; I was very green orientated before I started working on a farm. I used to believe a lot of the bad propaganda you see in the media, but once you work on a farm you realise it’s only certain people that are ruining it for the rest,” she says.

And overall, they actually do a really good job and are environmentally aware.”

She has begun a farming apprenticeship through Primary ITO and does not imagine leaving farming any time soon, she is very thankful to have found her place. n

Trainees on the Agri Training programme were taught everything from sheep and beef to fencing to planting trees. Amy gets a taste of sheep farming.

ENTRIES ARE OPEN FOR DBOY 2019 DBOY 2021

concerns around agricultural worker shortages fell on deaf ears, he took matters into his own hands – with encouraging results.

As managing director of Hanzon Jobs, an agricultural contracting personnel agency based in Golden Bay, Houston says he started lobbying the Government in May to open the borders to workers crucial to the success of the contracting season.

“With border restrictions already in full effect, I could see what was going to happen when the season started in September,” he says.

“Covid-19 has thrown a spanner in the works for contractors who would usually rely on overseas machinery operators to get through a very busy season.”

For the past 12 years, Hanzon has Hanzon Jobs managing director Richard Houston had been working with local contractors to bring in seasonal workers from overseas, but due to border

It takes a village

By Anne Boswell

Border controls are keeping skilled operators out so the search for people to fill contracting jobs has gone local.

When Richard Houston’s

restrictions, he is having to look closer to home.

worked with around 160 small-tomedium size contracting businesses nationwide to secure around 80 seasonal staff from Ireland and the United Kingdom every year. Large contractors take care of themselves and bring in around 15-20 operators each.

Houston, who did a lot of his own training in Australia and England, says he tried to explain the financial and moral implications of worker shortages, but to no avail.

“Border restrictions have resulted in a serious shortage of skilled and experienced machinery operators – up to 2000 people – and agricultural contractors are under serious pressure to get harvesting and cultivation jobs done without the usual team,” he says.

“If we lose 15% of predicted dry matter production through crops not going in, poor quality silage and so on, the New Zealand dairy herd will be short 4.2 million tonnes of dry matter – equating to 93 ships, each carrying 45,000 tonnes of palm kernel.

“That’s not an inconsiderable amount,” he says.

In September, the Government announced it would grant border exceptions for up to 210 agricultural and horticultural machinery operators. However, this number is only around half of what is required, and only 58 workers were admitted to the country in the first intake with the rest arriving in February.

Unable to stand by and do nothing, Houston joined forces with fellow human resources company Global Career HQ (GCHQ). They decided to stick to their core business of helping people find jobs – but focusing internally, rather than externally.

“As international travel could be

“As international travel could be interrupted for a long time, we shifted the focus from helping people find jobs overseas, to helping people find work locally.” Richard Houston

interrupted for a long time, we shifted the focus from helping people find jobs overseas, to helping people find work locally,” he says.

“Part of that is helping people from industries most affected by covid-19, by identifying transferable skills and building retraining into our business.”

To help contractors get trainees up to speed, Hanzon Jobs, with support from the Government, provides a free training mentoring programme to support new people starting a career in agricultural contracting.

And a key part of the mentoring programme is a new app My Hanzon.

“There was definitely a gap where people new to contracting had no way of validating the hours they were putting in,” he says.

“My Hanzon not only helps operators from other industries who are transferring their skill base, but also young people who have grown up driving agricultural machinery and already have a sound knowledge of the industry, but no formal training.”

With My Hanzon, each day is divided into four units.

“If it’s raining the operator could spend the first unit doing workshop tasks, they could be mowing for the second and third units, and they could be raking for the fourth unit,” he says. A shortage of agricultural workers has thrown a spanner in the works for contractors who usually rely on overseas machinery operators.

The app also records details of the terrain and conditions the operators are working to, as well as non-technical competencies such as turning up on time and professionalism.

“If a contractor has seen potential in someone and has taken them under their wing, this can be a great way to assess the training they receive and how they put it into action,” he says.

“Contractors naturally do a lot of training with employees during the season as it’s a very hands-on, practical training process.”

Houston says he hopes the app will also attract more school-aged young people to the industry.

“There are kids who don’t enjoy the academic side of school very much, but excel at more hands-on subjects, who would be ideal candidates for a future in contracting,” he says.

“There are also kids who have been driving tractors every weekend from the age of 10, who, with the app, are now able to report and validate their experience, allowing them to start a professional job on a good salary instead of starting at the bottom of the pile.”

He says they are trying to fix the current worker shortage situation the best they can, as well as focusing on the future.

“The collaboration between Hanzon and GCHQ is the start of an enduring business relationship, and we’re hoping it will secure existing jobs for now and create more jobs for others in our community in the future,” he says. n

Bringing home the bacon

After six years of gruelling study in Dunedin, Jamie Rohan was planning to become a lawyer.

In need of quick cash after university finished, he took up a job at a wood manufacturing plant. On his way there, he’d drive past the Fonterra Edendale plant so he decided to apply for an apprenticeship at Fonterra and got accepted, throwing in the towel on being a lawyer and diving into dairy.

“Law is quite frivolous and adversarial, and I decided it wasn’t really something I wanted to do. I feel like I have more of a life now than I would if I went into law – I have balance,” he says.

Rohan is loving how much variety is in the role; in a few weeks’ time, he’ll be learning about cheese.

“Milk comes in, it gets spun out into cream and skim milk and then we process it, taking out the stuff we don’t want and removing all the water, before it gets sent off to confectionary companies and restaurants,” he says.

“It’s pretty amazing how much goes into producing these products like milk powder and cheese.

“I’ve only been in the role since April and I’m already learning so much; I am so glad I made the change.”

Going from studying law to manufacturing wood to processing milk, he admits it’s all a bit strange. But his advice to others thinking about getting into the primary sector is simple.

“You get out what you want to put into it. You’ve got people who want to drive a Jamie Rohan spent six years studying law but after he graduated, decided it wasn’t for him, so went to work at Fonterra Edendale where he learned about manufacturing the various products.

forklift and you’ve also got all this scope to move up if you want to with internal training programs – opportunities are there if you want them, there’s so much variety,” he says.

Opportunity Grows Here is helping to attract 10,000 New Zealanders into primary sector jobs over the next four years, by providing information about careers, jobs, and training.

Opportunities are spread across animal farming, fisheries, forestry, horticulture and winegrowing, and require a wide variety of skills and backgrounds, including machinery operation, administration, management and animal care. n

MORE: The Ministry for Primary Industries has worked with sector groups and training establishments to provide information about the kind of jobs and training available at opportunitygrowshere.nz

Looking for the complete package?

We’ve got you covered with digital and print options.

Contact Clint Dunstan phone 06 323 0760 email clint.dunstan@globalhq.co.nz

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A rewarding career

By Anne Boswell

Ask anyone who works in dairy farming whether it is a rewarding career, and the answer is usually a resounding yes.

Much of the knowledge and experience acquired by a dairy farmer is amassed on the job, but there is much to be said for gaining formal qualifications as you move along the dairy farming ladder.

Not only do formal qualifications ensure that there are no gaps in your knowledge of farm tasks – aptitude in a wide range of duties is desirable – but they are also clarification of your experience and competence in a particular role. Something much appreciated and sought-after by potential employers.

And even once you have reached a high level of proficiency in the job, with years of experience under your belt, the learning doesn’t stop. Workshops and short courses are beneficial to refresh your knowledge, learn new skills and overcome any challenges you may be facing as your business grows.

Dairy Training Ltd delivers the off-job component of Primary ITO courses for NZQA qualifications levels 2-6, offering a range of courses for dairy employees, farmers and rural professionals throughout the industry.

Since its inception in 2002, Dairy Training has provided a range of courses, from full programmes for formal qualifications to short courses and workshops, suitable for staff at all levels of dairy farming – from farm assistants to farm managers, contract milkers, sharemilkers and farm owners.

Nineteen courses are offered to farm workers and rural professionals throughout four categories – business, environment, people and seasonal.

Business courses comprise skills that support the day-to-day running of the farm business, such as business planning, benchmarking, and financial planning and budgeting.

The environmental course on offer is centred on resource management, including making the most of farm resources, being aware of best practice, and knowing the compliance and regulatory rules a dairy farmer must abide by.

Courses under the seasonal category covers pasture management, milk harvesting, mating, calving and health, and summer management of pasture and crops.

And finally, people courses cover progression management, health and safety, leadership, human resources, presentation skills and vehicle skills. n

MORE: For more information contact admin@ dairytraining.co.nz, visit www.dairytraining. co.nz or phone 0800 467768.

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Dairy Diary S DECEMBER 2020 M T W T F S December 2020 6 7 1 8 2 9 3 10 4 11 5 12 December 1 – Dairy Women’s Network Allflex, IDEXX and MSD Animal Health are proud to deliver this practical on-farm workshop focused on how technology is a game changer and the importance of the BVD dairy framework. This three-hour workshop in Kaipara is suited to farmers and 13 20 14 21 15 22 16 23 17 24 18 25 19 26 vets wanting to understand the importance of technology and eradicating BVD on your farm. 27 28 29 30 31 Info at www.dwn.co.nz/events

December 8 – SMASH

December 1-3 – DairyNZ Spotlight on the System – Pukehina, Bay of Plenty. Host Frankie MilkSmart Far North, Northland and Lower Northland. MilkSmart Stevens is contract milking on Stu Roberts’ farm. They will outline is all about increasing milking efficiency on the farm, resulting how they have set up a solid contract milking arrangement that in benefits for farm staff and the cows. Josh Wheeler has been works for them, particularly since they have made a conscious one of the key drivers behind MilkSmart and has vast experience decision to decrease intensity. in optimising milking routine and milking machine set up to Info at www.smallerherds.co.nz improve milking performance. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz December 8 – DairyNZ Coastal Taranaki High Altitude December Group/Social. Come see December 2 and 4 – Dairy Women’s Network some innovative environmental advances on-farm and enjoy a Sharpen up your writing and feel more confident with Shelly catch-up before Christmas and the holidays. Davies Roadshow writing workshop Truth, Power Inspire dinner Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz event in Dunsandel and Invercargill. Join us for dinner and let Shelly Davies rock your world as she December 9 – Extension 350 shows up in a way that’s uniquely hers and pretty irresistible: with Leroy and Kirsty have recently finished their third season vulnerability and authenticity. participating with the Extension 350 project. If you’re a farmer There is a cost for both of these events. or rural professional, this is your chance to find out about Info at www.dwn.co.nz/events Northland’s Extension 350 Project at one of 10 public field days being held across the region. December 2 – DairyNZ Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz Southland Biz Start progression group 2020-21- Module 2 Budgeting is an introduction to the principles of personal and December 10 and 11 - DairyNZ farm business budgeting; this session will equip you to develop FeedRight Workshop, Lincoln. There is a cost involved and and update personal budgets and understand the building blocks registration essential for farm business budgeting. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz

December 11 – SMASH

December 2 – DairyNZ Spotlight on the System Pakotai. Graeme Edwards is innovating Resilience during adversity field day Canterbury/North Otago. on his farm, with the goal of achieving sustainable profitability. Resilience is key and there are systems that can be put in place to Come along to gain an insight into his operation. help overcome adversity. Come along to this special edition field Info at www.smallerherds.co.nz day at John O’Connell’s farm in Eiffelton to hear him and others talk about their experiences and how you can be prepared for December 15 – DairyNZ adversity. Succeed In Business 2020-21. Succeed in Business Group a Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz forum for like-minded farmers, developed for those who want to enhance their skills and career options. A series of five events December 3 – Lincoln Agritech (October-March) covering goal setting, contracts, running an Lincoln Agritech and Plant & Food scientists will discuss efficient office, budgets and cashflows, compliance and selfcurrent research results, issues and benefits around catch employment. crop establishment including crop type, cultivation and soil Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz management methods from the last three years at Southland’s Catch Crop field day. Participating farmers will discuss the cost- December 15 – DairyNZ savings and economics of including a catch crop in a winter Taranaki Organics Group. This farm system is renowned as forage rotation. innovative and constantly pushing the boundaries. Come and Info at www.lincolnagritech.co.nz/ check out what is happening. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz

December 4 – SMASH

Milk Price Fixing - The Fundamentals online event. Nigel January 20 – DairyNZ McWilliam, of MBS Advisors, chats with farmer Gaynor Tierney, Tiller Talk Manawatu. This group is a small group of like-minded about her experiences with milk price fixing this season, and farmers who meet 7-8 times over 12 months, supported by partner Satwant Singh, Commodity Risk and Trading, Fonterra. agronomists to provide technical expertise. Info at www.smallerherds.co.nz Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz