Matt Redmond, Dairy Manager of the Year

Matt (pictured on the right) is Farm Manager on the 232ha Landsend farm looking after 830 cows.  Landsend is part of Craigmore’s Pahau Flats Dairy Ltd in Culverden, North Canterbury.  Matt won $6,125 in prizes plus three merit awards:

• TH Enterprises Ltd Leadership Award
• Primary ITO Power Play Award
• Westpac Personal Planning & Financial Management Award

This is a significant achievement for Matt and for Craigmore.    “The Awards process has helped me to benchmark myself against other managers and meet new people,” says Matt.

Matt (25) holds Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) majoring in Agricultural Management and Rural Valuation from Lincoln University.  He entered the dairy industry four years ago and has worked for the past two as a manager.  Matt sees the training and development, which his employers put into their staff, as standing him in good stead for progression within the business.

Judging is held regionally through the months of January to March on farm.  Candidates face preliminary rounds of judging, with five entrants progressing to the final round.  Judges are experienced farmers and look to gain insight into the everyday farming life of the contestants.  The entrants are judged on Farm management, stock and feed, their personal management style, animal welfare and financial acumen.

All regional winners go on to compete for the title ‘New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year’ which is held in May.  We look forward to following Matt into the National final and will have our fingers crossed for a positive result.