Dairy industry awards in excellent health

A 27 percent surge in entries for the 2010 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards has been hailed by one of the sponsors, Federated Farmers, as evidence of the dairy industry’s vitality.

“Each one of the three award categories has seen an increase in entries and that’s an incredibly positive sign of confidence,” says Lachlan McKenzie, Federated Farmers Dairy chairperson.

“Dairy is a future focused industry and when you see a 53 percent increase in entries for the Dairy Trainee category, it sends a powerful message. Dairy has an incredibly strong and bright future so this surge in entries proves the deep pool of talent we have.

“While I know there will be withdrawals, we are still miles ahead of a similar point last year. We’ve got 5 percent more entries for the Sharemilker competition and entries for the Farm Manager competition are up 17 percent.

“Federated Farmers is also pleased to sponsor the Leadership Award. This is awarded to an outstanding entrant and sharemilkers, Chris and Teresa Moore, who won the award last year, show the calibre of people who win it.

“All 12 regions will be running the three competitions, with the regional winners announced towards the end of February and during March. As a Rotorua based farmer, I’m eagerly looking forward to the final on 15 May in my home town.

“The 2010 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards showcases the New Zealand dairy industry and is something Federated Farmers is proud to shout about,” Mr McKenzie concluded.

For more information about the 2010 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards click here.