Becoming self-employed and launching a 50/50 sharemilking career is a big step - one which Melissa Bryant found daunting at first.
"Running a dairy farming business has so many components to it. Dealing with budgets, cashflows, GST, as well as compliance tasks and records meant that there was a lot to get my head around," Melissa says.
"I have a bit of a business background but I didn't feel 100 per cent confident I was doing everything I could to be successful. I didn't feel like I understood it fully."
Despite having a new baby to look after, Melissa enrolled with Primary ITO and began studying towards a Diploma in Agribusiness Management. After six years of part-time study, she's not only completed her qualification but was named Waikato's top agribusiness student for 2016.
Melissa and her husband, Steve, milk 170 cross-bred cows on 65ha (effective) on the side of Mt Pirongia in Waikato. She takes over the milking when her husband is away and helps with calving, but is mainly responsible for running the financial side of the business.