Southland Dairy Winners Plan To Double Business

Southland Dairy Winners Plan To Double Business

The goal of the 2011 Southland Sharemilker/Equity Farmers of the Year, Lindsey and Clare McClintock, is to double the size of their sharemilking business.

The couple currently 50% sharemilk 300 cows for Adrian and Bev Simmonds at Winton, but want to increase their herd size to 600 cows. The couple’s long term goal is to purchase a 450-cow self contained farm.

The McClintock’s won $15,600 in cash and prizes at the Southland Dairy Industry Awards held at the Invercargill Workingmen’s Club last night. The 2011 Southland Farm Managers of the Year, Mark and Rosie Olsen-Vetland, and 2011 Southland Dairy Trainee of the Year, John Patterson, were also announced.

It was the first time the McClintock’s had entered the dairy awards, doing so to meet like-minded people.

“We are passionate about dairying as it is our livelihood and we also enjoy being able to involve our young family in the day-to-day running of farm life.”

The couple says their focus on business growth is also a strength and they keep “moving the goal posts”. “We try and achieve the goals we set ourselves.”

Second place in the sharemilker/equity farmer contest went to Winton lower order sharemilkers Martin and Kim Axtens, winning $9000, and Gore lower order sharemilkers Leo Pekar and Maricel Prado were third, winning $6600.

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.

Southland’s Farm Managers of the Year, Mark and Rosie Olsen-Vetland, spent seven years managing a large cropping farm specialising in seed crops before switching to dairying.

“We are both passionate about farming and have a vision about where we want to go and how we can make the business successful.”

The couple is currently contract milking 520 cows for Lloyd and Kathy McCallum at Winton. They won $10,000 in cash and prizes. Their plan is to go sharemilking and then to expand their sharemilking business so they can purchase their own dairy farm and support block within 10 years. They also want to produce good quality milk.

“We feel that we have excellent abilities in both stock and farm management to achieve good overall production while maintaining the farm owners property to a high standard.”

It was the second time they had entered the awards.

Invercargill farm manager Jacob Newell was runner-up, winning $4100, and Wyndham contract milkers Michael and Holly Tisdall placed third in the farm manager contest, winning $4000.

Southland Dairy Trainee of the Year, John Patterson, aged 21, entered the awards for a second time to challenge himself, network, gain feedback and share knowledge. He also thought it would help raise his profile.

Mr Patterson, who won $5900 in prizes, has been dairy farming since school, doing regular relief milking before taking up employment after completing studies at Telford Rural Polytechnic.

He is currently herd manager on a 600-cow farm for Robert and Rachael Dingle near Gore.

His future farming goals are to take on a farm management or contract milking position.

“In the near future I’d like to find a mentor who will help drive me to be the best and longer term I would like to help other young people into farming and land ownership.”

Mossburn herd manager Paul McCullough, 30, placed second, winning $4200, and Invercargill assistant Robert Ankerson, 22, was third in the trainee contest winning $2150.

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.

Southland Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year Lindsey and Clare McClintock will host a field day on April 12, while Southland Farm Managers of the Year Mark and Rosie Olsen-Vetland will host a field day on the Winton farm they manage on April 15. Further details on the winners and field days can be found on www.dairyindustryawards.conz.

Sharemilker/Equity Farmer Merit Awards:
• Claude Wuest Memorial Encouragement Award – Yuri & Michelle Faria
• Karen Vreugdenhill Memorial Career Blended Lifestyle Award – Martin & Kim Axtens
• Terry Bently Best Livestock Award – Frank & Cindy Boogerd te Lindert
• DairyNZ Human Resources Award – Dean Flemming & Michelle Phelan
• Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – Frank & Cindy Boogerd te Lindert
• Federated Farmers of New Zealand Leadership Award – David & Tania Mudford
• Honda Farm Safety and Health Award – Lindsey & Clare McClintock
• LIC Recording and Productivity Award – Yuri & Michelle Faria
• Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award – David & Tania Mudford
• Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award – Leo Pekar & Maricel Prado
• Westpac Business Performance Award – Leo Pekar & Maricel Prado

Farm Manager Merit Awards:
• Encouragement Award – Wayne Altenburg
• DairyNZ Human Resource Management Award – Mark & Rosie Olsen-Vetland
• RD1 Farm Management Award – Mark & Rosie Olsen-Vetland
• Westpac Financial Planning and Management Award – Michael & Holly Tisdall

Dairy Trainee Merit Award:
• Farming Knowledge Merit Award – Paul McCullough

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