Helping Dairy Women Hold Their Own Buying And Selling Stock

MEDIA RELEASE
22 January 2013

Helping Dairy Women Hold Their Own When Buying And Selling Stock

Helping women who work in the dairy industry understand the ins and outs of purchasing stock is the focus of a series of practical workshops being held across the North and South Islands in February and March.

The Dairy Women’s Network is hosting the workshops to equip first herd buyers, or those looking to get involved in purchasing stock for the first time, with the skills and knowledge to understand the process of buying and selling stock, step by step, to make an informed decision.

The workshop will cover sale and purchase agreements and the obligations of buyers and sellers, including the agent’s role; how to identify and set up records and transfer cows between parties including National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme requirements; spotting the ‘fish hooks’ - knowing the best time to buy and sell, pregnancy testing, in-calf guarantees, unsound animals and rejection rates, including a practical assessment to identify cows that could be rejected.

Workshop facilitation will be shared between Joanne Leigh and Maree Crowley-Hughes, both hands-on farmers with more than 35 years’ experience between them in trading stock for their businesses.

Joanne has an extensive farming background. She is a dairy farmer, farm consultant and business manager of the Tirau-based specialist calf-rearing business, Top-notch Calves, which she has owned with husband Jonathan since 1993. Based at the couple’s 63 hectare dairy farm, Top-notch Calves rears around 8000 dairy and beef calves annually, in a large scale commercial facility.

Maree is a director and owner/operator of seven Southland dairy farms. She has been a member of the Dairy Women’s Network since 1998, and was last year appointed to the Board. She is a passionate farmer who is very ‘hands-on’ at home and on the farm.

She said her involvement in trading stock has increased in the past five years as her and husband Peter’s business has grown. While all their replacement calves are AB, they also trade stock as a part of the whole-farm business including carry overs and young stock, which they graze and sell as in-calf heifers.

“You get better at trading stock with experience, because that brings the knowledge you need to know who you can trust, what you need to look for when buying and what’s a good price – this workshop provides a great starting point for those who are just starting to get involved in that process.”

Maree said the workshop will be very hands-on, practical and upfront, with participants working with stock on the day. She added the workshop would give participants the knowledge and confidence to make good decisions and achieve the best outcome possible, regardless of whether they were buying or selling.

Workshops will be held in 10 regions across the country starting on 7 February 2013 in the Waikato and finishing a month later on 7 March 2013 in Canterbury. For a complete schedule of the Buying & Selling Stock Dairy Days visit www.dwn.co.nz.
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Locations for Dairy Days February and March 2013

Waikato: Thursday, 7 February, Agritec Centre, Farm Road, Tokanui, RD5, Te Awamutu.

Northland: Tuesday, 26 February, Northland Focus Farm, 259 Jordan Valley Road, RD1 Kamo, Whangarei.

North Otago/South Canterbury: Wednesday, 27 February, venue TBC

Bay of Plenty: Wednesday, 27 February, ,Dairy Farm, 33 Otto Road Reporoa 3083. Dairy Supply no. 79016

Wairarapa: Thursday, 28 February, Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre, Cornwall Road
RD7, Masterton

Taranaki: Friday, 1 March, WTARS Westpac Taranaki Agricultural Research Station, Whareroa Road, Hawera

Southland: Friday, 1 March, Southland Demonstration Farm, 105 Wallace Town Riverton Highway, Southland

Nelson/Marlborough: Tuesday, 5 March, Caralyn and Brent Morrison farm, 9 Rimu Gully Road, RD1, Rai Valley
West Coast: Wednesday, 6 March, Debbie and Mark van Beek farm, 246 Arahura Valley Road, RD2, Hokitika,

Canterbury: Thursday, 7 March, Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF), 1504 Shands Road (Fonterra Dairy Supply No: 37581), Lincoln

ENDS

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