Farmer wins big at dairy awards
Andre Meier named the 2020 Dairy Manager of the Year
Te Puke farm manager Andre Meier received national recognition for his work on Saturday night. The 30-year-old was named Dairy Manager of the Year at the 2020 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards, held in a virtual form for the first time.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, a gala dinner to announce the national winners was not possible, so another way was found to celebrate success within the dairy industry. For the first time ever, the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards winners were announced on national television and aired on Country TV on Saturday night.
Judges said 30-year-old Meier stood out as a quiet yet confident person who was “very capable and connects with a wide range of people in the community”.
Meier is farm manager for Ao Marama Farms on a 250ha Te Puke property, milking 800 cows. He won just under $22,000 in prizes and won the Delaval Livestock Management and Meridian Leadership merit awards.
Dairy manager head judge Mark Shadwick from Dairynz said among a strong group of finalists, Meier stood out as a proactive manager and leader who constantly seeks opportunities to grow and learn and helps others to do the same.
“Andre is an all-rounder who has established himself as a successful dairy manager whose track record speaks for itself,” he said.
Te Puke's Andre Meier is the 2020 Dairy Manager of the Year.
“He is involved in his community as chairman of the Te Puke Young Farmers, through his involvement in the A&P Show Committee, as a Federated Farmers area rep and by hosting Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology students.”
Meier has a focus on animal welfare and cites once-a-day milking as a strength of the business.
“He has labour-efficient systems, highest-standard livestock records and detailed farm mating policies,” judge Malcom Scott from Westpac said.
“Together with bull management and six-week in-calf rates, this has resulted in industry-leading reproduction performance.”
The dairy manager judges were impressed by the calibre of all the finalists and their focus on the work/ life balance of their team. There was
an overall theme of teamwork and unity of the workforce and making sure everyone is on the same page.
The finalists all recognised the importance of education and were growing not just in their appreciation and understanding of what happens on-farm, but what occurs off-farm as well.
“They want their work/life balance more than profit,” judge Annalize du Plessis, of Dipton, said.
The Dairy Manager runner-up was Paul Mercer of Manawatu, who won the LIC Interview and Ravensdown Feed Management merit awards and $11,410 in prizes.
Third place was Daisy Higgs, 24, of Waikato who won almost $8000 in prizes and the Dairynz Employee Engagement merit award.
Nick and Rosemarie Bertram, of Hawke’s Bay/wairarapa, were named the 2020 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year. Share Farmer head judge Jacqui Groves, of Westpac, said the Bertrams impressed the judges by remaining true to their vision, their mission and values in life.
Listen to Rowena Duncum interview Nick and Rose Bertram on The Country below:
Nick and Rose, aged 33 and 27 respectively, are 50/50 sharemilkers on Barry and Carol Mcneil’s 150ha, 440-cow Woodville property.
Nick won the 2014 New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year and was runner-up in the Hawke’s Bay/ Wairarapa Share Farmer category last year. He and Rosemarie believe the awards programme has opened many doors and job opportunities for them.
To win the national title and just over $52,000 in prizes, Nick and Rosemarie demonstrated strengths in pasture management, leadership, business and communication. They also won four merit awards: the Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award, the Federated Farmers Leadership Award, the Delaval Interview Award and the Westpac Business Performance Award.