increase font size
Federated Farmers employment spokesperson Chris Lewis.
Federated Farmers is backing an industry and government partnership helping Kiwis towards a career on dairy farms.
The 2020 GoDairy programme, backed by $3.5 million in Government funding, aims to help Covid-19 affected workers into farming careers. Read more about the programme here.
"This is a win:win for New Zealanders who want to work on the land and farmers who need to fill workforce gaps made worse by the pandemic restrictions," says Federated Farmers employment spokesperson Chris Lewis.
DairyNZ, with support from the Ministries for Primary Industries and Social Development, is offering a free three-week introductory course that is open to New Zealand citizens and permanent residents.
The mix of online and practical on-farm training covers the basics of staying safe while working with animals, farm vehicles and machinery.
"Dairying is not an easy job. It’s increasingly technical, requires a range of skills and at certain times of the season is quite hectic," says Lewis.
"But it’s also hugely satisfying for those who take to it and as the recent Federated Farmers Rabobank Remuneration Survey showed, it pays well. Across nearly 1700 respondents, the mean salary for a dairy farm assistant was $48,584, for an assistant manager $62,317 and for a farm operations manager, $85,986."
Federated Farmers dairy industry chairperson Wayne Langford says for those who find their feet through the GoDairy introductory training, a next step could be the Federated Farmers dairy apprenticeship.
"I’d encourage anyone who enjoys animals and outdoors work to think about this opportunity. I’ve worked my way up from dairy assistant to farm owner and it’s been a great lifestyle for myself and my family," says Langford.
OPINION: Recent media commentary from Southland Federated Farmers has raised concerns among our rural communities, particularly around Environment Southland’s approach to winter grazing inspections and nitrogen reporting. But let’s be clear, much of what’s been said simply doesn’t reflect reality.
OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.
The dairy sector is in a relatively stable position, with strong milk price payout forecasts continuing to offset ongoing high farm costs, according to DairyNZ.
A shameless political stunt is how Federated Farmers is describing the Canterbury Regional Council decision to declare “a nitrate emergency” on the back of its latest annual groundwater quality survey.
DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown says history shows that when New Zealand needs an economic lift, dairy delivers.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
OPINION: Dairy industry players are also falling by the wayside as the economic downturn bites around the country.
OPINION: Methane Science Accord, a farmer-led organisation advocating for zero tax on ruminant methane, will be quietly celebrating its first…
