Farm ownership lures city dwellers
A former Auckland sales and marketing executive and a former adventure tourism guide and boutique lodge manager have won the 2022 Central Plateau Share Farmer of the Year title.
After placing runner-up in the competition two years ago, the couple, both 31 years old, wanted to give it another crack and continue to benchmark themselves against the best in the industry.
This month they won a $14,900 prize package along with pocketing five merit awards. They will now compete for the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards national title in Rotorua in May.
Navdeep grew up in an agricultural family in Kurukshetra City, in the Indian state of Haryana and says, “farming was always around me”.
“As a kid I loved going to the farm, driving tractors cultivation, drilling, and helping on weekends, which naturally led me into a career in dairy farming,” he told Dairy News.
“We also believe that dairy farming in New Zealand offers real career progression – if you work hard, you can grow from an entry-level role to running your own farm one day. That pathway really motivated me.”
Being runners-up in 2024 also motivated them to do better this year.
“We took a break another year and focused on improving our systems, our team culture, and our farm performance, so winning the regional title this year feels very special.”
Navdeep started his dairying career in New Zealand in 2013 as a dairy assistant.
“Through hard work and learning from great mentors, I worked my way up to herd owning sharemilking,” he adds.
The couple are 25% sharemilking and 75% contract milking for Mark and Donna Keaney, milking 1230 cows on 391ha at Atiamuri.
Navdeep says support from their farm owners and the wider dairy industry has been incredibly important for their progress.
“Our farm owners trust us and give us opportunities to grow and improve the farm system.
“At the same time, the dairy industry provides great support through Primary ITO and DairyNZ training workshops, mentorship, and knowledge sharing,” says Navdeep, who holds a diploma in agribusiness.
“That support network really helps young farmers like us build skills and move forward in our careers.”
Farm Ownership
Farm ownership remains the goal for Navdeep Singh and Jobanpreet Kaur.
Jobanpreet says they are focused on building skills, growing equity, and running efficient farm systems “so that one day we can own our own farm and continue contributing to the dairy industry”.
She says winning such awards are a great opportunity for personal and professional development.
“It challenges us to review every part of our farming business—from financial performance to environmental practices and people management.
“The experience and industry connections will help us progress toward our goal of running multiple contract milking operations in the future and farm ownership.”
