Tim and Melissa Parsons were announced winners of the region’s Share Farmer of the Year competition at the Central Plateau Dairy Industry Awards annual awards dinner held at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua last month.

The other big winners were Colin Tremain, who was named the 2018 Central Plateau Dairy Manager of the Year; and Donna McKinley, who is 2018 Central Plateau Dairy Trainee of the Year.

Tim and Melissa, aged 32 and 33 years, are contract milking 920 cows on Trinity Lands’ Tokoroa 330 hectares property and won $17,180 in prizes.

Tim began farming 15 years ago as a farm assistant. Melissa joined him seven years ago and they’ve progressed progressing through the industry to their current contract milking position which they’ve held since 2015.

Tim and Melissa are proud they were runner-ups in the 2015 Taranaki Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year.

“As a couple, we both have strengths in different areas, and working together we can help each other and use our different knowledge bases to improve the business,” the couple say.

“The strength of our business is the staff we have working for us, because we could not run the farm without them.”

Their goal is to own a once-a-day dairy farm, which will allow a rural lifestyle for their three young children and for them to continue to work outside with the land and the animals.

Fourth time lucky

The winner of the 2018 Central Plateau Dairy Manager of the Year competition, Colin Tremain, has entered the awards three times previously and says benefits include personal planning, presentation skills and building his industry profile.

“The awards process make me stop and think about what I am doing and why I am doing it,” says Colin. “It helps fill in a lot of gaps.”

Colin is a licensed builder and spent seven years in the building industry before returning to the industry he grew up in. He was runner-up in the 2017 Central Plateau Dairy Manager competition and is currently studying towards a Diploma of Agribusiness Management. He won $8995 in prizes.

Colin is farm manager for the Tumunui Lands Trust 982ha, 1750-cow farm at Rotorua. The 30-year-old is proud of his career progression and the development of Tumunui South into a sustainable profitable dairy unit.

“Tumunui is huge, it’s developing, it’s a mind game,” says Colin. “On a good day, it is unbeatable, there is nothing like it. On a bad day, it is unbeatable, you will not win.”

“Tumunui values the people who work in the business. It is set up to be diverse and to create opportunities both for the business and for the people who work in it.”

And it was second time lucky for the 2018 Central Plateau Dairy Trainee of the Year, Donna McKinley, who was runner-up in the 2017 Central Plateau Dairy Trainee category and says she gained so much personally from just entering last year.

End-goal: land and herd ownership

“I can’t think of anything I didn’t benefit from! I received some very valuable feedback from the judges and have been working on that from last year,” says Donna.

“Every single person you meet during this competition will, at some point, make a valuable contribution to your career or business.”

Donna is 2IC for Davison Trust Partnership milking 330 cows on the 116ha farm. Her future goals include farm management by 2020. She won $6050 in prizes.

“My long-term goal is to have land and herd ownership and I have financial plans in place to ensure this happens,” says Donna.

Donna is a motorsport enthusiast and qualified mechanic and in her spare time the 22-year-old is pit crew for Liam Honnor Drift, the youngest drifter in New Zealand. She’s also chair of the Tihoi Young Farmers club and enjoys riding horses.

“Being a woman in our industry will always have its challenges, but I have learnt how to use my strengths,” says Donna. “I have also gained a lot of resilience and recognition of my own mental wellbeing, as well as others around me.”

“I’m able to recognise any signs of depression and anxiety, and with support from friends and family I’m able to keep it under control. Focusing on my end goals and keeping myself busy helps!”

Donna is proud of progressing through the industry as quickly as she has. “I’ve been given wonderful opportunities by previous and current employers to achieve this.”

The Central Plateau Dairy Industry Awards winners field day will be held on March 28 at 184b Poaka Rd, Tokoroa where Share Farmers of the Year, Tim and Melissa Parsons, contract milk. Also presenting at the field day will be the region’s Dairy Manager of the Year, Colin Tremain and Dairy Trainee of the Year, Donna McKinley. Further details on the winners and the field day can be found at: www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz