Couple take next big step

Joel McKay and Angela Brown have gained a heap of knowledge and skills about their business by taking part in the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.
The Waikite Valley lower-order dairy farmers gained second place in the sharemilker section of the competition last year and are back this year for their fourth attempt at the regional and national titles.
Eleven sharemilkers or equity owners have entered the Central Plateau regional competition, vying for a spot in the finals in Queenstown in May.
The couple, who have three girls, Madison, 5, Sophie, 3 and Courtney, 1, milk 380 cows on 150ha of trust farm, Amber Creek, for Mr McKay's parents, Dianne and David McKay.
Joel McKay, who left school at 16, was spraying weeds when first offered a job as a dairy farmer and said he had never looked back.
"I love the lifestyle.
"It allows me to spend time with my family."
Ms Brown said that entering the contest in the past had helped them achieve goals.
"It was a real challenge for us.
"We had to look at all aspects of the business, from finances to livestock and budgeting."
Their aim is farm ownership.
Dairy farming was a progressive industry, Mr McKay said.
"It's one industry where you can work your way up very quickly with no qualifications."
Taking part in the competition is enough for this couple, even if they don't walk away with the title.
"At the end of the day we have learned a lot just by taking part," Mr McKay said.
"We have met a lot of people in the same situation as us and we have been able to benchmark ourselves against others in the industry."
Central Plateau contest convenor Teresa Moore said there had been 11 entries in the sharemilker/equity partnership section, eight farm manager entries and 15 dairy trainees.
Equity partnerships were a new part of the competition, Mrs Moore said.
"It's a big bonus having the equity partnerships and it adds another dimension to the competition.
"Previously it's only been sharemilkers, but equity partnerships have an investment in the land.
"It evens out everything so the whole industry is represented."
Nationally, nearly 500 entries from the 16 regions have been received by organisers of the Dairy Industry Awards, which incorporate the Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, Farm Manager of the Year and Dairy Trainee of the Year competitions.
National convenor Chris Keeping said as a result of the high number of entries a very competitive contest was expected in each of the regions.
"I am confident the near-record 497 entries received will deliver a strong contest among entrants and find some fabulous winners," she said.
The number of entries this year is just below last year's record, when 508 entries were received, and is still well ahead of the 399 entries received in 2009.
"We knew it was going to be tough to beat last year's numbers as climatic conditions have made dairy farming difficult in many regions in the past few months," Mrs Keeping said.
In total, there have been 210 entries in the dairy trainee contest, 147 in the farm manager contest and 140 in the sharemilker/equity farmer competition.
The last round of judging will take place in Taranaki, Canterbury, North Otago and Otago on March 18.
Winners from each of the regions will be announced by April 2, with winners progressing to the finals in Queenstown on May 14.
Further information can be found at www.nzdairyindustryawards.co.nz