Friday, 15 May 2015 10:13

Dairy Trainee passionate and confident

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

2015 New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year, James Davidson.

The 2015 New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year, James Davidson, is passionate about the dairy industry and has identified a career pathway within it.

“We warmed to his presentation and he was very confident in himself,” category head judge Nikki Halford, a Hawkes Bay farmer, says.

“The video James prepared for judging was fantastic and illustrated the variety of knowledge and skills required to manage a dairy farm. It showed his passion for dairying and the variety it offers.”

Davidson (26) won $19,500 in prizes. He working on a Darfield, Canterbury, farm owned by Warren and Annemieke Thomas, milking 1400 cows. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Farm Management and plans to go contract milking.

Second place in the dairy trainee contest went to Central Plateau representative Gerard van der Mark, who won $3500 in prizes. Halford says he is ready for farm management. “Gerard presents as someone who is already not at dairy trainee level, as he is thinking about managing his team and farm costs.”

Waikato’s Brett Steeghs won third in the contest, winning $2500 in prizes. Steeghs is just finishing his first season in the industry and has secured a 50% sharemilking position with his partner – and last year’s New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year, Ruth Hone – for next season.

Featured

MFE making a pig's ear of land use policy

The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) has found itself in a stoush with NZPork over the controversial National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL).

Fonterra to offload iconic brands

Fonterra says the sale of its global consumer business and its Oceania and Sri Lankan operations could take 18 months to complete.

Methane group won't be gaslighted

The lobby group the Methane Science Accord (MSA) says it welcomes a recent government move to seek outside advice on reducing biological methane targets, rather than relying on recommendations made by the Climate Change Commission.

RIP Jock Allison

Well-known scientist Jock Allison has passed away.

No fanfare for water plan

After a decade of consultation and court battles, Environment Southland has officially adopted a plan to prevent further decline in the region's water quality.

Bank inquiry ultimatum!

Farmers are throwing down the gauntlet to politicians - hold an independent inquiry into rural bank lending or face tough questions from the farming sector.

National

Canada's flagrant dishonesty

Deeply cynical and completely illogical. That's how Kimberly Crewther, the executive director of DCANZ is describing the Canadian government's flagrant…