Four locals received top accolades at the Taranaki Dairy Farm Awards in Hawera.
The 2013 Taranaki Dairy Trainee of the Year, Daniel Regtien, is senior farm assistant on the 350 cow Westpac Taranaki Agricultural Research Station at Hawera, owned by Fonterra. He currently lives in Stratford, but also has childhood ties to the town, having attended Stratford Primary for a few years.
After high school in Nelson, he moved back to Taranaki to "get into dairy farming" and studied agriculture at Lincoln University. His goal is a career as farm advisor and for a farm equity partnership.
It was the first time he entered the competition and says he thought he would just give it his best shot. Winning the category, he says, was a total surprise, but he was "stoked".
Peter Templeton (21) placed second in the Dairy Trainee of the Year category.
He grew up in on a Southland sheep and beef farm which his parents in 2002 converted to dairy, milking 850 cows. After school Peter studied a Bachelor of Agriculture at Lincoln University, graduating last year June.
His plan is in five years' time to sharemilk on the family farm. In the meantime, he wants to "open his mind working on other farms to take in various ideas, styles and methods of farming".
He entered the competition just to "give it a go" and to learn from the experience.
"I wanted to see what I can approve on. I wanted their feedback. What it did give me was show me what I need to keep an eye on and where to expand my knowledge. I like the hands on practical side of farming."
Among others he says Central Taranaki Young Farmers has been a great support.
This season he is working as a farm assistant for Stratford farmer Barry Kirkpatrick and is canvassing for a job for next season.
Peter is eyeing a second-in-charge position on a larger dairy farm of about 500 cows, not necessarily in Taranaki.
Third in the Dairy Trainee of the Year category went to Stratford trainee Jayden Harvey.
Placing in the competition was unexpected for Jayden , who says he thought he had "messed up" the interview.
"There were some of my answers I was not happy with."
The 19-year-old has his eye on the big prize - one day owning his own farm. He is taking the next step next year, as a manager on a 180-cow Kaponga farm.
Hailing from Auckland, his family moved to Taranaki when he was seven years old. Farming came into his blood when his mum, Karen Harvey, worked on a dairy farm in Midhirst - the same farm where he later started his career in dairying on leaving Stratford High School at age 15.
He describes one of his strong points as not being afraid to do a day's hard work and loving working outdoors with machinery and animals.
"You are always doing something different."
He is currently employed on Kim Hodson and Dean Smith's Stratford farm.
This is the second year he had entered the Dairy Awards. Last year he won the promising future acknowledgement award.
He says the competition is good for "getting your name out there, letting them know that you are keen and wanting success".
Jayden also won the Dairy Trainee merit award for New Zealand Dairy Exporter Farming Knowledge.
He plans to enter the competition again next year - in the farm manager of the year category.
Midhirst manager Carey Duggan placed third in the Manager of the Year category and also won the Farm Manager Fonterra Best Practice merit award.
Carey currently manages an 80 hectare farm for the P and J Schumacher Family Trust, but from next season will be contract milking in Opunake.
" We targeted to finish in the top three, and we targeted the merit award. Wet have achieved what we set out to do."
The 29-year-old describes himself as a former townie, having lived in New Plymouth, but has been dairy farming for the last six years. Carey says his aim is, ultimately, farm ownership.
"The awards are amazing, not just for winning prizes, but for meeting other farmers, the farm consultants and business people." He says he would recommend up-and-coming farmers give it a go."
Stratford's Leighton Swan won the Farm Manager AgITO Human Resource Management merit award.