The dairy industry is a rapidly changing and challenging environment. Therefore, the industry needs to attract the best and brightest to continue to be world leading. One way to attract the best talent is to show the career pathways and opportunities available. This research project seeks to understand how young dairy farmers in Northland have got ahead and to learn from their examples and experiences.
A literature review was completed to understand how career pathways in the dairy industry have evolved and the diDerent options available; contract milking, lower order sharemilking, 50/50 sharemilking, leasing and equity partnerships.
Qualitative research was completed in the form of semi structured interviews with nine Northland dairy farmers who had either recently progressed to farm ownership or are sharemilking. Thematic analysis was completed to identify patterns within the interviews. Patterns were collated to understand the meaning behind the data.
This report confirms that the career pathway of young dairy farmer is not a straightforward one; there were multiple and varied pathways for progression. These ranged between directly from farm manager to farm owner, to using a range of diDerent operating models including equity partnerships and leases. Some interviewees had achieved the goal of farm ownership while others preferred to continue larger scale sharemilking rather than moving into farm ownership at a smaller scale.
The report also highlights six key themes important to the career progression of a dairy farmer; finding the right opportunity, equity gains from stock, access to capital, a good support team, business planning and developing leadership capabilities.
From these key themes, six recommendations are made to farmers looking to progress and three recommendations are made for the wider industry to support progression.
Recommendations for farmers:
- Build reputation to secure the right opportunities
- Get into stock as early as possible to grow equity
- Make a plan for accessing capital
- Network to create a support team
- Have a business plan
- Develop leadership capabilities
Recommendations for industry:
- Reinstate and expand the Extension 350 programme
- Support young farmers entering contracts
- Consistency and clarity needed from banks
Ben Aiken
