Co-op clean sweep at National Dairy Awards
2022 has been another impressive year for Fonterra farmers in the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.
All four of the main awards went to farmers supplying the Co-op or working on farms that do, with all four winners hailing from Canterbury.
The first award of the night at the Christchurch convention centre on Saturday May 14 was the Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award, with Craigmore Farming Services receiving the John Wilson Memorial Trophy.
Stuart Taylor and Caroline Amyes from Craigmore Farms, winners of the 2022 Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award.
One of Craigmore’s philosophies is that there is no single perfect system and the judges were impressed with Craigmore’s approach of adapting the farm system on each one of their 22 farms to suit the environment and the people.
Will Green, 34% share milker on the 270ha Dairy Holdings Ltd Hinds property, claimed the NZ Share Farmer of the Year title. Originally from the UK, the 34-year-old holds a Degree in Agriculture from Harper Adams University and enjoys farming as it gives him the opportunity to work outdoors and with livestock.
The 2022 Dairy Manager of the Year title went to Jaspal Singh. Jaspal was an Information Technology (Computer Applications) student in India and came to New Zealand to further his studies in 2014. Upon completion of his degree in 2015 he joined the dairy industry as a farm assistant in Mossburn and is now Farm Manager on Mark and Carmen Hurst’s 220ha, 800-cow property at Waimate.
Rounding out the clean sweep for Canterbury and the Co-op was 2022 Dairy Trainee of the Year and first-time entrant Peter O’Connor. He is currently 2IC on Leighton and Michelle Pye’s 242ha, 900-cow Mayfield property and will progress to a new role managing a 400-cow farm near Lauriston next season.
The full results were:
2022 NEW ZEALAND SHARE FARMER OF THE YEAR:
• Winner – Will Green, Canterbury/North Otago
• Runner-Up - Todd and Renee Halliday, Central Plateau
• Third – Murray and Rachel Perks, Taranaki
2022 NEW ZEALAND DAIRY MANAGER OF THE YEAR:
• Winner – Jaspal Singh, Canterbury/North Otago
• Runner-up – Robyn Mare, West Coast/Top of the South
• Third – Hayden Purvis, Bay of Plenty
2022 NEW ZEALAND DAIRY TRAINEE OF THE YEAR:
• Winner – Peter O’Connor, Canterbury/North Otago
• Runner-up – Thomas Lundman, Bay Of Plenty
• Third – Zoe Bryson, Central Plateau
2022 Dairy Trainee of the Year, Peter O’Connor, 2022 Share Farmer of the Year, Will Green and 2022 Dairy Manager of the Year, Jaspal Singh.