Jas Singh Mander, the 2025 NZ Dairy Industry Awards Central Plateau Dairy Manager of the Year, with autumn calves. Photo / Catherine Fry
In 2015, Jas Singh Mander left his family’s dairy farm in the Punjab region of Northern India on a stifling 46C day.
He travelled to a freezing Rotorua, which was to be his home while he studied farming in New Zealand at the Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.
Ten years on, the 35-year-old is now a farm manager for the Pāmu Farms, Endeavour Dairy Unit, Wairākei Estate Dairy Complex, and won the 2025 Central Plateau New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards’ Dairy Manager of the Year.
He also took home the Fonterra Dairy Management Merit Award and the De Laval Pasture and Feed Management Merit Award.
Jas described the awards as an amazing experience that had taught him so much.
In India, Jas was a fourth-generation dairy farmer from an area with 550+ years of farming history since the era of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Their 15-hectare farm supported 25 milking cows.
Large high-production Friesians produced 50 litres each a day across three milkings, and buffalo were milked twice.
“The hand-milked cows lived in sheds with a small outside area,” Jas said.
“We grew crops like maize, sugar cane, wheat and rice.
“In winter, our cows ate maize silage and clover; during summer, we cut and chopped fresh green crops daily for them.”
After learning English in 2014, Jas was initially looking at Australia to study farming, but after some internet searches, he decided “New Zealand had a better climate and looked beautiful”.
He came over, leaving his future wife, Preeti, in India.
It was three years before he could afford to go back, marry her and bring her to New Zealand.
During those three years, Jas worked hard at his 1.5-year course of Applied Technology Dairy Farming, which covers Levels 2 to 5.
“I learned how to speak English like a Kiwi while I was there.”
After completing the course successfully, he moved on to a work visa and worked as a trainee on a production system 5, 1600-cow farm.
“I was very nervous as to how that many cows were milked and managed.
“I started with calf rearing and relief milking, but soon became more confident and began to ask lots of questions.
“I learned a lot about milk quality.”
Jas’s second position was assistant herd manager on a production system 2, 1200-cow farm, where he learned pasture management, animal health, feed plans, cropping, and the financial side of production.
This knowledge gained him a 2IC position on a 700-cow farm in Tokoroa.
“I stayed there for four years, and it was a great opportunity.
“The contract milker Geert Dings had a passion for training people in the industry.
“It was a really good set-up, well planned and prioritising animal health, effluent management and the environment.”
He completed his Primary ITO Level 3 and 4, Milk Quality Stages 1 and 2.
Career-driven Jas applied unsuccessfully for a farm manager position but was offered a 2IC position at Pāmu Farms with a 1700-cow Endeavour Dairy Unit in March 2022.
Three months in, the farm manager position became available, and Jas was offered the role, receiving support from Sam Bunny and Chris Robinson.
Jas is currently doing Level 5 Production Management.
“By 2025, we are a high-input, system 5, 2000-cow farm on 835ha [800 effective],” he said.
“There are nine full-time staff, and we are winter milking with autumn calving.”
After increasing the herd by 300 cows to 2000, Jas is now looking to increase the cows’ BW/PW, remembering the high production big Friesians he hand-milked in India.
“This farm is flat with 15% rolling.
“Our Kiwi cross-Friesian content is currently F7 to F8, but the land can cope with F11 cows of up to 520 kilogrammes live weight.”
Jas aims to increase individual cow production of 385kg/MS in the 2025/2026 season to 400kg/ms in the 2026/2027 season.
The overall milk solid target is 750,000 kg/ms.
“To support the winter milking system and 13% re-grassing each year, we grow 47ha of kale, 24ha of maize, 100ha of oats and 500 tonne/DM grass silage for winter feed.
“For dry cows over summer, 24ha of turnips are grown.
“The farm’s annual grass growth produces 9 tonne/DM per ha.”
Bought in supplements include 1400 tonne/DM custom mix grain, 650 tonne/DM lucerne, 500 tonne/DM maize silage and 300 tonne/DM grass silage.
Jas has improved cow comfort and reduced lameness by applying stock rock on the races.
The underpass, which was prone to flooding, has been concreted, diverting water to the 9.8 million litre effluent pond, which irrigates 220ha of the farm.
“My biggest goal next season is to concrete our silage site and channel any leaching into the effluent pond.”