Dairy's cream of the crop crowned on Coronet Peak
Coronet Peak, Queenstown, was the venue for the 2024 NZ Dairy Industry Awards.
Canterbury-North Otago
Sharefarmer of the Year
Daniel and Paula McAtamney, the major winners in the 2018 Canterbury-North Otago Dairy Industry Awards, are relatively new to the dairy industry and believe their success is due to their full involvement in their business.
The McAtamneys, aged 30 and 25 years, are contract milking 1150 cows on Rob Wilson’s Rangitata Dairies 300ha farm in Temuka. They won $13,982 in prizes.
They entered the awards to learn and challenge themselves. “The competition process has enabled us to analyse our system and encourage our drive for the future,” they say.
Before dairying, Daniel was a beef, sheep and deer farmer, and Paula was nursing. They entered the dairy industry in 2014.
“We are proud of what we have learnt and achieved, given the short time we have been in the industry,” says Paula. “We both grew up on farms and love working with animals, being outdoors and being on the land.”
Manager of the Year
William Green (28) spent three years working on his family’s dairy, beef, sheep and cropping farm in the UK, before entering the New Zealand dairy industry three years ago. He won $6825 in prizes.
Green is the farm manager for Kieran and Leonie Guiney on their 240ha, 830-cow farm at Fairlie.
“The awards process has enabled me to benchmark myself against the best in the industry,” he says.
Will, who holds a degree in agriculture from Harper Adams University, believes pasture utilisation is a strength of his business.
Trainee of the Year
Salem Christian (20) was runner-up in the 2017 West Coast-Top of the South Dairy Trainee competition and says the feedback from judges was invaluable.
He is in his third season in the dairy industry and is assistant manager on a 750-cow, 198ha property at Temuka. Salem won $6630 in prizes.
Salem enjoys the challenges of farming and says it’s a great lifestyle. His goals include farm ownership.
The Canterbury-North Otago Dairy Industry Awards winners field day will be held on April 17 at 131 Rangitata Island Rd, Temuka.
Southland-Otago
Sharefarmer of the Year
Simon and Hilary Vallely believe strong relationships with all the people they deal with are the key to their successful business.
The Vallelys, both aged 31, are 50:50 sharemilking 475 cows on David and Valerie Stafford’s 160ha farm in Gore. They won $20,010 in prizes.
They believe their different strengths and interests make their business stronger. “We also have an excellent relationship with our farm owners and we value the relationship,” they say.
Manager of the Year
Women were represented strongly in the 2018 Southland-Otago Dairy Manager of the Year competition, achieving first and second places.
The winner is Jaime McCrostie (32). She won $9200 in prizes and is the farm manager for her employer Steve Smith and farm owners AB Lime on the 370ha, 930-cow farm at Winton.
“I love cows and being outside working with stock. I love the multi-disciplinary challenges onfarm and that there is always something new to be learning,” she says.
McCrostie believes entering the awards highlights areas for improvement. “It also forces you to consolidate all your farm data and help benchmark, reflect and justify decisions.”
Trainee of the Year
Simone Smail (24) entered the awards to meet like-minded people who are passionate and want to progress in the industry. This is her third full season dairy farming.
“I wanted to challenge myself,” she says. “You never lose, you either win or learn.”
Smail is herd manager on an Invercargill City Council farm, working for Steve and Tracy Henderson on the 780-cow, 310ha property at Invercargill. She won $6380 in prizes.
She discovered her passion for working with cows while studying for her Certificate in Veterinary Nursing.
The Southland-Otago Dairy Industry Awards winners field day will be held on April 11 at 86 Charlton Siding Road, RD 2 Gore.
West Coast-Top of the South
Sharefarmer of the Year
Carl Wilmshurst and Anna Boulton, both aged 27, are contract milking 390 cows on Bryan and Brigitte Wilmshurst 160ha farm in Kowhitirangi, Hokitika. They won $5750 in prizes. They were runners-up in the 2017 West Coast Top of the South Share Farmer competition.
They see their effective time management as a strength of their business, ensuring the necessary jobs get done to increase the productivity of the farm and livestock.
Manager of the Year
Anthony Lamborn was born and raised a dairy farmer and has worked in the industry for 25 years. He won $4550 in prizes.
Lamborn is the farm manager for the Birchlea Trust 255ha, 700-cow farm at Kikiwa, Nelson. He came third in last year’s West Coast Top of the South Dairy Manager competition.
“As a teen I tried my hand at city work, but my life always pulled me back to what I loved – cows,” he says.
Trainee of the Year
Sam Goffriller (22) was unsure what work he wanted until he began in the dairy industry three years ago. “After the first season on the Rosser Holdings property I knew dairy farming was for me.”
He won third place last year in the West Coast-Top of the South competition.
The West Coast-Top of the South Dairy Industry Awards winners field day will be held on April 19 at 730 Johnston Rd, Kowhitirangi, Hokitika.
