Brains Behind Dairy Winners Business

Brains Behind Dairy Winners Business

With less than six years experience in the dairy industry, new Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Sharemilker/Equity Farmers of the Year Richard and Joanna Greaves have created an award winning business.

The couple was one of three winners announced at the region’s Dairy Industry Awards celebration at the Copthorne Solway Park in Masterton last night.

Dannevirke farmers Bradley and Chantelle McNaughton won the Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Farm Manager of the Year title and Takapau farm assistant Ben Smith won the Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year title.

The Greaves swapped successful professional careers to give dairy farming a go nearly six years ago, starting as farm assistants, and haven’t looked back.

“We believe our key competitive advantage is our tertiary education and the rate at which we can learn. We are able to allocate areas of management according to our strengths. Joanna’s a Chartered Accountant and focuses on the business management and I have a business management degree and look after the day-to-day farm management,” Richard Greaves says.

“We are fortunate to have the expertise of three additional investors in our business. They are extremely talented people and offer a wealth of expertise, and these skills extend the capabilities of our joint venture.”

The Greaves aim to increase their business equity to more than $3 million by 2016 and to own their own 800-cow farm. They are currently 50% sharemilking a herd of 880 cows for Larry and Jane White in Central Hawkes Bay. They won cash and prizes worth $11,790.

Carterton sharemilkers Bryce and Kylie Baron placed second, winning $4650, and young Featherston sharemilkers William and Sally Bosch were third, winning $2280 in cash and prizes.

The Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown and RD1, along with industry partner Agriculture ITO.

Dannevirke contract milkers Brad and Chantelle McNaughton won the region’s Farm Manager of the Year title and with it more than $7700 in cash and prizes.

The couple has been in the industry for 15 years, but this was the first time they had entered the awards.

“We thought it would be a good challenge to test our abilities within our business. It would make us more focused and set clearer goals of where we want to get to,” they said.

They are milking 165 cows on a 68ha farm owned by Alan Mills, which they plan to lease next season. They aim to purchase their own farm within 10 years.

Norsewood farm managers Craig and Angela Rosacker placed second in the competition, winning $3480, and Masterton contract milkers Bart and Tineke Gysbertsen were third to win $1655 in cash and prizes.

All three winners will now compete for the New Zealand Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, New Zealand Farm Manager of the Year and New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year titles and a prize pool of more than $130,000 in Queenstown on May 14.

Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year Richard and Joanna Greaves will host a field day on March 15, while Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Farm Manager of the Year Bradley and Chantelle McNaughton will host a field day on the Dannevirke farm they manage on March 22. Further details on the winners and field days can be found on www.dairyindustryawards.conz.

Sharemilker/Equity Farmer Merit Awards:
• MacDougalls Best Variable Order Sharemilker – William & Sally Bosch
• DairyNZ Human Resources Award – Richard & Joanna Greaves
• Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – Shaun & Kate Mitchell
• Federated Farmers of New Zealand Leadership Award – Richard & Joanna Greaves
• Honda Farm Safety and Health Award – Richard & Joanna Greaves
• LIC Recording and Productivity Award – Luke Haye
• Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award – Bryce & Kylie Baron
• Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award – Richard & Joanna Greaves
• Westpac Business Performance Award – Richard & Joanna Greaves

Farm Manager Merit Awards:
• DairyNZ Human Resource Management Award – Craig & Angela Rosacker
• RD1 Farm Management Award – Craig & Angela Rosacker
• Westpac Financial Planning and Management Award – Bradley & Chantelle McNaughton

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