New Zealand dairy experience?

[jackmorrish3085]

I’m a 20 year old with a passion for dairy farming, spent the last 5 years working on a farm with high yielding pedigree Holsteins and grew up on my grandads dairy farm where he kept jersey cows, I take pride in my work and have a keen eye for cows and there welfare is my priority, currently doing a mixture of both cow work and the majority of the farms tractor driving but would like to focus on the cows more

Key skills;
Accurate tmr feeding
Noticing health problems and abnormal behaviour in the cows
Heat detection
Ai qualified
Foot trimming
Confident behind the wheel of a tractor
Milking/Parlour hygiene etc
Calving
Dry cow management
Colostrum/ calf management

After all that nonsense which wasn’t really necessary for my question, views and opinions on heading over to New Zealand for a season on a dairy farm, ideally on a spring block calving system

Cheers

 

[More to life]

@Irish NZ

 

[organicguy]

When you come back PM me!

 

[Beef farmer]

When you come back PM me!

Before you go, pm me.

 

[Beef farmer]

@Irish NZ will have some contacts for sure, there is a welsh guy running a big rotary next door to him, be a fair crack to go there for a year.

 

[kiwi pom]

Go for it, well worth the trip Get a working holiday visa.
Check out Farm source, plenty of jobs on there. Just pick your area.
https://nzfarmsource.co.nz/jobs/

These guys are good to work for, milk loads of cows (about 10 sheds I think) plenty of other parts to the business too. They're used to hiring imports as well
http://pyegroup.co.nz/

 

[Irish NZ]

I’m a 20 year old with a passion for dairy farming, spent the last 5 years working on a farm with high yielding pedigree Holsteins and grew up on my grandads dairy farm where he kept jersey cows, I take pride in my work and have a keen eye for cows and there welfare is my priority, currently doing a mixture of both cow work and the majority of the farms tractor driving but would like to focus on the cows more

Key skills;
Accurate tmr feeding
Noticing health problems and abnormal behaviour in the cows
Heat detection
Ai qualified
Foot trimming
Confident behind the wheel of a tractor
Milking/Parlour hygiene etc
Calving
Dry cow management
Colostrum/ calf management

After all that nonsense which wasn’t really necessary for my question, views and opinions on heading over to New Zealand for a season on a dairy farm, ideally on a spring block calving system

Cheers

Hey mate, drop me a PM with exactly what your looking for?

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Just do it. In many ways I wish I'd done a second season or gone somewhere else as well. I would just sign up with Marvins farm services in the Waikato and work a number of different places through the year.

 

[Irish NZ]

Just do it. In many ways I wish I'd done a second season or gone somewhere else as well. I would just sign up with Marvins farm services in the Waikato and work a number of different places through the year.

Be careful with that 2nd season talk.

I went back for a 2nd season, that was 6 and a half years ago now we're in the process of buying a herd and planning where we want to buy a beach house in 2025... the place gets under your skin.

 

[jackmorrish3085]

Hey mate, drop me a PM with exactly what your looking for?

[emoji1360]

 

[farmerm]

I’m a 20 year old with a passion for dairy farming, spent the last 5 years working on a farm with high yielding pedigree Holsteins and grew up on my grandads dairy farm where he kept jersey cows, I take pride in my work and have a keen eye for cows and there welfare is my priority, currently doing a mixture of both cow work and the majority of the farms tractor driving but would like to focus on the cows more

Key skills;
Accurate tmr feeding
Noticing health problems and abnormal behaviour in the cows
Heat detection
Ai qualified
Foot trimming
Confident behind the wheel of a tractor
Milking/Parlour hygiene etc
Calving
Dry cow management
Colostrum/ calf management

After all that nonsense which wasn’t really necessary for my question, views and opinions on heading over to New Zealand for a season on a dairy farm, ideally on a spring block calving system

Cheers

Do it, you will have a blast. Find the right location and you can ski between milkings on Saturday and surf between milkings on Sunday. Bath in natural hot springs, whale watch from Kaikoura, skydive and bungee if you dare. When you have time to travel backpakers accommodation is (or at least was) good, safe and cheap. Explore it all you lucky bugger. Just be warned you might not want to come back..

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Be careful with that 2nd season talk.

I went back for a 2nd season, that was 6 and a half years ago now we're in the process of buying a herd and planning where we want to buy a beach house in 2025... the place gets under your skin.

I can safely say I've missed the boat for a second season now. With two children and too many cows, a trip over the border to Cornwall is considered an exotic adventure.

I'd like to have gone to the US.

 

[Dead Rabbits]

I can safely say I've missed the boat for a second season now. With two children and too many cows, a trip over the border to Cornwall is considered an exotic adventure.

I'd like to have gone to the US.

Just think, you could have come here.

 

[Irish NZ]

Just think, you could have come here.

C'n'g ould have been 1 hell of a welder/fabricator after a year

 

[Dead Rabbits]

C'n'g ould have been 1 hell of a welder/fabricator after a year

We would have him well trained on all aspects of Afro engineering. Welding, zip tying, hammer beating, wiring, a good amount of cussing and sleep deprivation!

 

[Irish NZ]

We would have him well trained on all aspects of Afro engineering. Welding, zip tying, hammer beating, wiring, a good amount of cussing and sleep deprivation!

Afro engineering

If only there was another more catchy phrase for that.....

 

[vantage]

We would have him well trained on all aspects of Afro engineering. Welding, zip tying, hammer beating, wiring, a good amount of cussing and sleep deprivation!

And some young guns are still hell bent on rotary milking!

 

[Farmer1001]

@jackmorrish3085 I am here at the moment, only for a month touring talking to dairy industry as well as beef n sheep. Get on that plane, you will come back wiser and more valuable, the country is amazing!

 

[Serup]

No matter where you go, just go if you want to. It will be the experience of your life.

I had a student from N.I. for 5 month in 2017. I liked it and i think he did too. @Sheep

 

[happycows]

I’m a 20 year old with a passion for dairy farming, spent the last 5 years working on a farm with high yielding pedigree Holsteins and grew up on my grandads dairy farm where he kept jersey cows, I take pride in my work and have a keen eye for cows and there welfare is my priority, currently doing a mixture of both cow work and the majority of the farms tractor driving but would like to focus on the cows more

Key skills;
Accurate tmr feeding
Noticing health problems and abnormal behaviour in the cows
Heat detection
Ai qualified
Foot trimming
Confident behind the wheel of a tractor
Milking/Parlour hygiene etc
Calving
Dry cow management
Colostrum/ calf management

After all that nonsense which wasn’t really necessary for my question, views and opinions on heading over to New Zealand for a season on a dairy farm, ideally on a spring block calving system

Cheers

My sons on a 11 month contract finishes in April, working for a couple who are 35 and new entrants with 450 cows near Otorohanga in the Waikato region. He had someone else from here on a 3 month contact in calving period for company and help when they were really busy. Really nice people in a lovely area.
They are looking for next year as he’s got plans. If you want more details just pm me.