All-Rounder Wins Waikato Dairy Awards Title
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11pm, March 6
All-Rounder Wins Waikato Dairy Awards Title
The 2015 Waikato Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, Aaron Price, has it all – he’s a young, fit, professional, married man with a plan. He’s also persistent and great to have in the community.
Mr Price,
aged 29 years, took out the major title at last night’s
The other big winners at
the region’s awards dinner held at the Claudelands Events
Centre were Paul and Kate Manion, the 2015 Waikato Farm
Managers of the Year, and Brett Steeghs, the Waikato Dairy
Trainee of the Year. Mr Price has entered the
sharemilker/equity farmer contest four times and has been
the runner-up twice. By winning, he has achieved his short
term goal. “My long term goal is to achieve farm ownership
by 2021 to provide stability and security to myself and my
wife Sarah. I also want to be able to help other young
people progress through dairying and enhance the natural
environment with a long term vision.” Holding a Bachelor
of Agricultural Commerce from Lincoln University, Mr Price
is currently 50% sharemilking 250 cows for Clyde Whitechurch
at Morrinsville. He is 50% shareholder in two sharemilking
companies he has established with business partner John
Assen. “Our partnership has allowed me a lot quicker
entry into sharemilking and then it has enabled us to expand
the operation sooner than if I was on my own. It also
provides support, flexibility, and greater economies of
scale for us.”
Mr Price says entering the awards had
also helped him achieve his goals. “Since entering I have
improved pasture recording and my health and safety
practices, I’ve lifted livestock targets, improved
business monitoring and system analysis, and I am continuing
to make improvements.” He completed the Tauranga half
ironman in January this year and is also a volunteer
firefighter for the Tahuna Fire Brigade. “It is a way that
I can be of value to our local community assisting in all
emergency situations.” Walton 21% sharemilkers, Chad and
Jan Winke, were placed second in the sharemilker/equity
farmer contest, winning $10,200 in prizes. Third went to
Morrinsville 50% sharemilkers Luke Drent and Ryan Hardwick,
winning $7570. The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are
supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab,
Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles, LIC,
Meridian Energy, New Zealand Farm Source, Ravensdown, and
Triplejump, along with industry partner Primary ITO. It
was third time lucky for 2015 Waikato Farm Managers of the
Year, Paul and Kate Manion, who won the title and $10,450 in
prizes in their third time entering. The couple, both aged
29, are contract milking 485 cows for “great farm
owners”, Jonathan and Mary Robinson, at Cambridge. “We
have found entering the awards a great way to get feedback
on our farming practices, as well as to look at our own
business in depth and to network.” The couple have
non-farming backgrounds and obtained a Bachelor of
Agricultural Commerce from Lincoln University and Bachelor
of Science from Canterbury University. Mrs Manion also
obtained a post graduate Diploma in Teaching from Waikato
University. “The dairy industry provides a great
lifestyle for family and work-life balance for ourselves, as
well as our staff.” The Manions have two young children
and have goals of herd and land ownership. Runner-up in
the farm manager contest went to Okoroire contract milkers
Ed Auton and Rebecca Walker, who won $5800 in prizes.
Morrinsville contract milker Will Rolton was third, winning
$4300. The 2015 Waikato Dairy Trainee of the Year, Brett
Steeghs, has capped off a successful first season in the
dairy industry by winning the title and $7000 in
prizes. Aged 26, Mr Steeghs is assisting on a 420-cow
Horahora farm owned by Harry and Yvonne Ruffell. He
previously worked in agricultural engineering and entered
the awards to gain exposure in the industry and to push
himself. His goals are to progress to sharemilking and farm
ownership and he is currently studying PrimaryITO courses to
increase his dairying knowledge and
skills. Nineteen-year-old Otorohanga farm assistant Andrew
Wards was placed second in the trainee competition, winning
$4000 in prizes, and Kawhia 2IC Benji Gillespie was third,
winning $2000. Waikato Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the
Year, Aaron Price, will host a field day on March 31, while
Farm Managers of the Year, Paul and Kate Manion, will host a
field day on the Cambridge farm they manage on March 24.
Further details on the winners and field days can be found
on www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz. Sharemilker/Equity
Farmer Merit Awards: • DairyNZ Human
Resources Award – Aaron Price • Ecolab
Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – David & Lisa Anderson •
Federated Farmers of New Zealand Leadership Award – Aaron
Price • Honda Farm Safety and
Health Award – Aaron Price • LIC
Recording and Productivity Award – Chad & Jan Winke
• Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award –
Aaron Price • Ravensdown Pasture
Performance Award – Aaron Price •
Triplejump Risk Management Award – Luke Drent & Ryan
Hardwick • Westpac Business Performance
Award – Aaron Price Farm Manager
Merit Awards: • VetEnt Most Promising
Farm Manager Award – James Pelham • Effluent
& Irrigation Design (NZ) Ltd Environment Award – Will
Rolton • Bayleys Real Estate Leadership Award
– Tim Hyde • Fonterra Best Practice Award
– Tim Hyde • New Zealand Farm Source
Farm Management Award – Paul & Kate Manion •
Primary ITO Human Resource Management Award – Ed Auton &
Rebecca Walker • Westpac Financial
Planning and Management Award – Paul & Kate Manion
Dairy Trainee Merit Awards: •
BlackmanSpargo Rural Law Ltd Most Promising Entrant Award
– Jonathan Bell • Dairy Production Systems Ltd
Farming Knowledge Award – Brett Steeghs •
Bell Booth Leadership Award – Andrew Wards •
DairyNZ Practical Skills Award – Storm Burrows