Start preparing your entry now, say Carlos and Bernice Delos Santos.
Entries for the 2018 NZ Dairy Awards open in October, and it takes time to gather data and records, the Delos Santos say.
“Because we entered several times in the Share Farmer of the Year competition, we can differentiate the amount of preparation we did from when we didn’t make it, to when we became finalist to 3rd place and then becoming the regional winner,” explains Bernice.
“When we won the regional title this year, the planning started soon after the previous awards dinner. We said to ourselves, ‘we want to win next year’, so subconsciously, everything we were doing was leading up to the presentation for the next year’s awards.”
Carlos arrived in NZ in 2001 and Bernice immigrated in 2007; getting work in the industry was tough at first, he says.
“I remember sending CVs to a lot of jobs, but without experience at the time I wasn’t getting much of a reply. When I did, during a phone interview, I couldn’t quite converse in English which I found very frustrating.”
Perseverance paid off and the couple have worked their way through the industry, Carlos jointly winning the 2007 East Waikato Dairy Trainee of the Year award.
Now they are 50/50 sharemilkers and won the 2017 Central Plateau Share Farmer of the Year, also collecting four merit awards and named the 2017 Runners-up NZ Share Farmers of the Year, as well as winning the Ecolab Dairy Hygiene Award.
They believe the awards and recognition helped them to be more confident.
“Having those titles certainly makes a difference on our CV. Entering the competition also made us review and scrutinise our management system and make necessary changes to adopt best practice in all aspects of our business.”
The Delos Santos’ awards experience has been positive, Carlos says.
“We wanted to get our name and story out there for future employment possibilities. We were overwhelmed by the amount of publicity this competition brings.”
They affirm the dairy industry has opportunities for everyone who works hard, as they have done over the years. “When you start with nothing, it’s always hard and difficult but when you get the ball rolling it somehow gets easier,” says Bernice.
“It still takes hard work and sacrifice but with the experiences we encounter we learn different things and different ways to cope with difficulties.”
There is no secret to their success, they say. They have continually analysed the bigger picture and learned not to worry about the small stuff.
“All we’ve done over the years is try to improve farm management, financial management, people management and so forth.
“We have met a lot of people while entering the awards, from previous winners to the finalists and winners this year, as well as other contacts within the dairy industry that we wouldn’t have been able to do if we hadn’t entered.”
Their advice to newcomers is simple: “Learn as much as you can, gain qualifications, look after your reputation and save as much as you can.”
“Winning the regional competition, and being runners-up in the national competition, is something I am most proud of,” says Carlos.
“I used to just dream of winning the regional title when I was still a worker, wondering how long it would take me to get there.
“It seemed like forever waiting for this moment but now I can tick it off as one of my accomplishments.”
