Marc Jackson is confident of this year placing first in the Taranaki Sharemilker of the Year competition.
"Things are as good as they can be," he told the Stratford Press at a regional meeting in Stratford last week of
sponsors and entrants in the 2012 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards. He faces stiff competition with 11 regional sharemilker-entries in the annual competition, but the 26-year-old is not fazed.
He won the Taranaki Farm Manager of the Year in 2010, and last year entered into the sharemilker section
where he was awarded two merit awards, for environmental and staff management.
Growing up on a farm outside Inglewood with sharemilker parents Terry and Beth he from knee-high set his
heart on dairy farming. After gaining a Bachelor in Applied Science at Massey, majoring in agriculture, he started
as trainee to Toko farmer Mark Masters, where he stayed one season before seeking new challenges
managing a herd of 700 outside Hawera for Vernon and Deidre Cleaver. Another season however, saw him back with Mark as contract milker and then sharemilker, wintering 480 cows and owning 240 on a 160-hectare milking
platform with an adjoining 40-hectare run-off. He plans to go to 50/50 the next season after and then "slowly" move towards farm ownership.
He says the knowledge gained from his involvement in the competition, was and is invaluable in growing his
business.
"Doing the presentations force you to complete all areas, even those you are not so passionate about," he says, which in his case is finances. "It (the competition) helps define your goals and put measures in place how to achieve it.
"There is a lot of time and work that goes into it, but it is definitely worth it. The first time is a bit overwhelming. But,
you take the feedback and build on it."
He adds that the recognition for work well done is priceless in building relationships with key persons in the
industry. His strengths is pasture management and staff management, he says, but heralds it to the
mentorship of Vernon Cleaver. "In fact, it is his system I use right through."
His partner, Tanya Arthur, who grew up as a city-girl in New Plymouth and now is a laboratory technician at Fonterra, says the competition helped her understanding of farming.
The preliminary round of judging is February 13-17. Finalists will be judged 5-9 March and the winner of each
category (sharemilker, manager and trainee) will go on to compete at national level, with the final in May.
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