Michelle Watt talks to Lauren McConnachie, the 2026 recipient of the Dairy Manager of the Year award at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another special interview on the Country Podcast. I'm
your host Michelle Watton. Today we get to chat to
the New Zealand Dairy Industry Award twenty twenty six Dairy
Manager of the Year, Lauren mcconachey.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hi, Lauren, Hi, yas, how's it going good?
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Congratulations on your award. Fantastic effort, Thank.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
You, thank you. It's yes, someone I'm very proud of
and still getting my head around everything, but yeah, no,
it's pretty awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Has it settled in here? Has it become a realization
that you've won a national award?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Not quite the national but I keep having to remind
myself that it is a national award and it's Yeah.
It's definitely catching me off sometimes that I've achieved that,
but I'm hoping the next couple of days it'll all
think in and well it'll be a bit more real.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Let's have a look at a bit of your background,
just for our listeners so they can get a bit
of an inside scoop on where you've been, where you've
come from your career so far. So at the moment,
you're the far manager for Rob and Janine Screen at
Sealand Farm Group, which is in mid Canterbury. Now we
were just talking off here about where that is, and
you gave a very good description. I was able to
visualize it. Do you want to tell our listeners whereabouts
(01:09):
in mid Canterbury roughly where you are?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
So the refew we're going to really narrow it down,
it would be teaper reader. But if you thought about
it as sort of christ Church where about an hour
from christ Church slightly inland and then from Ashburton is
about forty five minutes inland from Ashburton, and the nearest
(01:34):
town would be Horrrada. Not many people probably know where
that one is, but just a little week town with
the gas station.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I have to say, if anyone out there ever gets
the chance to divert and go round that scenic route
to christ Church, whether you're coming home or going up there,
it's definitely where it's the drive. It's a beautiful drive
up around that part of the country. Quite a few
dairy farms around, and your one is probably one of
the largest ones, with over two thousand cows. There's a
lot of cows. Tell us a little bit more about
your operation up there, Lauren.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yep. So we winter down about twenty two hundred cows
and we operate over about six hundred and forty four
hectares and of that there's about five sixty is effective.
We run the system through two cowsheds though, so we
run about thirteen hundred cows roughly through an eighty bail
(02:27):
cowshed and then we run about eight point fifty roughly
to nine hundred through a sixty bail. So although it
is a large single operation, we do have the two
cow sheds that help with the management element of it
and keeps everything a little bit more level headed, I guess,
and that's slightly less overwhelming. Yeah, So that's kind of
(02:49):
how we run it, and we don't have a lot
of technology. It's all pretty simple system. We do have
protrack in the sheds and automatic drafting, which is definitely
a vital part too how we run and without that,
I'm not sure if I could, I could do the
big numbers without that bit of kit.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
It is a lot of cows. It blew my mind
knowing the average size. Probably some of the farms, apart
from some large operations down south, some of the most
of dairy farms I've been on have been under a
thousand cows, so trying to picture over that is actually
quite daunting. You must have a lot of staff that
you have to look after as well.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, so we do in the in the spring, sort
of in the peak, we run maybe about eleven eleven
staff with a combination of full time and then some
backpackers come in as well just to help fill the
busy spring period, and then for the most part of
the season we do run at about eight eight to nine.
(03:46):
Occasionally have a part time of poppin just to help
on the weekends as well if there's one available around.
But yeah, we've got quite a lot of quite a
big team, which is quite cool. It definitely helps with
all those leaders at the schools that I've been developing
and learning over the past three years at Robindale.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
And how long have you been? Have you been in
drey your whole life? Lauren? Was your family into dairy
farming as well? Not?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Well, my family, My family are into dairy farming, most
of I'm one of six and I'm about there's I
think five of us are in dairy. But it was
never my path. It was I grew up around it
and I was like, ah, I'm never milking cows. I
don't want to do that. I don't want to do that.
And I actually got into the tourism industry and I'm
(04:34):
only in the dairy industry because of COVID. So COVID
happened and that pushed me into the industry and I
was only supposed to be doing it for just well,
COVID simmered down. I started to learn to sort of
enjoy the industry and I haven't left. So, yeah, wasn't
(04:56):
my long term goal, but it's definitely is now.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
I'd imagine being in tourism as well, there was a
lot of transferable skills there with management and leadership and
things like that into what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Yeah, Yeah, definitely quite a few around organization and stuff
like that. But as I've learned in the industry, yeah,
leadership is a vital part of it, especially with our
size operation, and it's definitely a big one for me.
That's been a massive development point for me. Yeah, some
transferable skills, some definitely not you know, the early mornings
(05:32):
that doesn't happen in the tourism industry, and a lot.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Of variety too. On farm, would imagine, although you do
get a lot of variety in tourism, but i'd imagine
on farm there's definitely a lot more variety with the
things you have to deal with on a daily basis.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, the variety is definitely something that I really love
about the industry. No day is kind of the same.
Something always pops up, but every day you get a
new challenge, you know something you know, cows don't do
what you want the moyage to do and sometimes I've
got a little bit of a mind of their own
and adds a little bit of excitement to the day,
which is always good. And obviously the seasonal changes is
(06:08):
really awesome because you'll go through spring and then you're
busy with that, and then that passes, and then you're
into mating, and then that passes, and then you're into irrigation,
and you know, so on and so forth, which I
really like the changes that the industry offers throughout the season,
it's really cool.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
And the process of competing in these awards, Lauren, how
rewarding has that whole process been up until the winter
announcement on Saturday?
Speaker 2 (06:31):
The process, Yeah, it's been awesome. I couldn't rate it
more highly. I'm quite a sort of a try a
introverted sort of person. I wouldn't say I'm overly outlandish
and you know, but the Industry Awards has definitely pushed
me outside of that comfort zone. I've learned a lot
(06:52):
through other people within the industry and the process has
been great to get all the feedback from the judges
through every round and really so it offers me the
opportunity to hone and on the areas that I need
to work on and some of the areas that I
do quite well on, but also getting a different perspective
from someone completely different on on my processes and their
(07:17):
feedback has just been probably the most valuable part I
think about entering the awards for me, and there was
a lot.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Of females and the dairy manager, which was fantastic to see.
Do you think that that path is becoming more dominated
because there are a lot of females now in the
dairy industry. I was talking to someone about this might
have been yesterday, about how in the old days, most
of the time, what would happen as women on farm
would end up being their accountants more or less in
doing and voicing and all the rest of it. But
(07:45):
you're seeing a lot more women stepping into the roles
like manager and sheer, farmer and all sorts of things
and being part of bigger things. Do you think that
pathway is opening up and creating more of those opportunities
for females.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I definitely, Like like you said, Day, I generally think
that previously women had a sort of a back seat,
sort of a position, sort of you know, a little
bit under the radar. But they've always been within the industry,
but not as recognized as as much as I think
they are now. And I think, you know, as as
(08:17):
the industry is progressing, there's a lot more opportunities for
women and a lot more support networks, you know, through
through the industry as well, which are developing, which is
really awesome. You know, like there's the dairy woman, there
are what was the dairy Woman of the Year, you know,
other other pathways that women can be recognized. And I
think it's yeah, I think it's bloody awesome. And you know,
(08:40):
women provide a different viewpoint on how they see things
and how how we see and perceive different different elements.
But yeah, I couldn't I couldn't have been more like
happy at the Awards night watching you know, Annie and
Miriam also up on the stage as well, taking out
the third and second prize, and I was just like, oh,
(09:01):
this is awesome to have three females up there. Like, yeah,
still gives a little bit of goosebumps to think about
how cool that is. But yeah, I think that leads
into yeah, women are definitely growing in the industry and
being a valuable part of it.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
I think it gives me goosebumps thinking about it because
you guys, to other females or young women out there
are forging a bit of a pass as well. They
see you winning things and doing well and they've realized
they could do it too, which is such an important
part in the industry. So you're not just providing like
a leadership side of things, you're also providing a bit
of an inspiration to others, i'd imagine.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Yeah, which is I never actually thought about it like that,
but no, that's that's cool to think that I have.
You know that that could be a pathway that there
might be some other young girls further down the path,
you know, just getting into the industry and seeing another
female up on that stage and giving them the opportunity
to think that, you know, it is it is possible,
(09:59):
like you can, you can be up there doing it,
which I think is really awesome because yeah, I think
women do add a different element to farming and just yeah,
those different viewpoints and thinking of how to operate.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Absolutely, and of course it wouldn't have been all smooth sailing.
I wouldn't imagine. Can you think of any challenges of
barriers that you've faced in the industry in your career?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Yeah, I think the biggest challenge is also myself. The
biggest challenge that I've definitely faced is trusting my own
ability and realizing that I am just as capable as
anyone else, and I am just as capable as the
males in the industry as well, and having the opportunity
(10:46):
to really develop confidence to speak up, back my own
decisions and be confident that I am doing I am
doing well. And I think that industry awards has definitely
helped me sort of sili that as well. Yeah, I
think that's probably the probably the biggest challenges. Yeah, my
own my own mindset a little bit.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I think that's a lot of people's own challenge as
well as their own mindset and just fighting that whole
can I do it? Can't I do it. I don't
need someone to tell me I can do it.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah, definitely, you know, those experience Also, they definitely help
grow my own resilience and confidence in myself and developing
those leadership skills because I on farm and I am
the only I am the only female on farm for
the bulk of the bulk of the year, and to
have it being very male dominated, I think it's had
(11:41):
its challenges. But I think as the as the guys
in my team see me as a hard worker, I
have knowledge, I have the skills, and I've definitely i
think developed and gained their respect on that, which has
been really awesome. And I love it how they come
to me and ask me for advice, much as I
also come to them for their pick their brain about
(12:03):
certain things as well. It's it's really cool.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Say someone's listening to this right now and they're thinking, Wow,
I really want to do a career in dairy. I've
been inspired by this amazing person who now has this
awesome trophy on their mantle priest and national award. What
advice would you give to those people?
Speaker 2 (12:25):
I think the biggest and the biggest thing for myself
was when I started the industry like it wasn't a
it wasn't necessarily a decision that I made as such.
But the big key thing that switched my mindset was
when I started learning. As soon as I started learning
different things, it grew my attention. It just started to
(12:46):
develop me a lot. So I'd say learning is a
you know, take every opportunity available to you to learn
and grow and develop anything that's thrown at you. You know,
jump on those ITICO courses, DARI and ZED has a
bunch of really great courses through their training program as well.
And surround yourself with like minded people who are going
(13:07):
to grow and develop you as well. Don't be afraid
to ask questions. There are no dumb questions out there.
Don't be afraid to be put off because you think
you might ask a dumb question. Because there are none
must mean there's none. I've asked a few that I
thought were a bit odd, but yeah, definitely just get
amongst that. I reckon is probably the best thing I
(13:30):
could say. It's an extremely rewarding industry with a lot
of progression and different pathways that you can go down.
As I'm starting to learn now.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
It is an amazing industry, Isn't it like realizing that
there are so many pathways you can take? And it
has always been a career to be able to work
on a dairy fund. But I think now there's definitely,
as you described, way more opportunities, way more pathways that
are open that people didn't probably realize we're there for
quite a long time until now.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yeah, definitely, Like you know, I'm me and my partner
are going contract milking next next season, and it's not there.
I never thought that i'd do that. I didn't ever
think that I'd go through that, you know, go through
that pathway. But here I am on my way down
that path and I'm really looking forward to it, and
I'm really looking forward to learning those different elements of
(14:23):
farming and business, the business side of things as well.
You know, dairy and can be challenging at times, but
it's massively rewarding as well, and I think that's a
big thing that I really enjoy about it.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
And for those already out there in the industry, they're thinking, well,
I think I should enter these dairy industry awards next year.
Why would you tell people to enter? What is the
biggest thing that you've got out of it so far,
I think.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
I think the biggest thing that I've gained from it
is probably developing my own self confidence in myself that
I am I am capable is a big one, but
another massive one, and I've really learned that since coming
up here to rote a Ruer and being here with
all of the other trainees, the other managers, the other
cheer farmers, the alumni, the alumni guys and the first
(15:15):
farm guys and girls. Is that the opportunities to network
and ask all of these people questions and learn from
them has been massive. Like the network opportunities, I've met
some bloody great people up here and hopefully I'm going
to hope take home some really good friendships as well
from it, and I've done well. It was four days
(15:36):
and I've met some awesome people and some of them
are messaging today asking them how you know, how's it
back on farm, etc. So I think the networking is
massive opportunity for it.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Oh that's awesome, Lauren, Well again, congratulations all the beast
for contract milking next season and then your next big adventure.
Of course you have another adventure, don't you as well?
Not too long away?
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yeah, so yeah, currently six months six months pregnant and
due on the first of August at the same time
as the cows. Talk to a lot of female's, female
mums here over the last few days, and they said,
you'd be surprised, it's not uncommon for that to happen
in the dairy industry. Wasn't really like, yep, I had
babies at this time and I did it. So I'm like, oh, cool,
(16:25):
that solidifies again. It can be done.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
It can always be done. And I think you've proven
that with your management style and winning this award and everything.
I think you'll be just fine, Lauren, And congratulations again
on everything, and we look forward to seeing a lot
more of you in the future. I'm sure we will
through the dairy industry.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
No, thank you very much, And yeah, I hope to
be playing a bit more of a part on it
and being a role model if if that's the path
that's going to end up down, but yeah, it'd be great.
Welcome to another special interview on the Country Podcast. I'm
your host Michelle Watton. Today we get to chat to
the New Zealand Dairy Industry Award twenty twenty six Dairy
Manager of the Year, Lauren mcconachey.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hi, Lauren, Hi, yas, how's it going good?
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Congratulations on your award. Fantastic effort, Thank.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
You, thank you. It's yes, someone I'm very proud of
and still getting my head around everything, but yeah, no,
it's pretty awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Has it settled in here? Has it become a realization
that you've won a national award?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Not quite the national but I keep having to remind
myself that it is a national award and it's Yeah.
It's definitely catching me off sometimes that I've achieved that,
but I'm hoping the next couple of days it'll all
think in and well it'll be a bit more real.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Let's have a look at a bit of your background,
just for our listeners so they can get a bit
of an inside scoop on where you've been, where you've
come from your career so far. So at the moment,
you're the far manager for Rob and Janine Screen at
Sealand Farm Group, which is in mid Canterbury. Now we
were just talking off here about where that is, and
you gave a very good description. I was able to
visualize it. Do you want to tell our listeners whereabouts
(01:09):
in mid Canterbury roughly where you are?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
So the refew we're going to really narrow it down,
it would be teaper reader. But if you thought about
it as sort of christ Church where about an hour
from christ Church slightly inland and then from Ashburton is
about forty five minutes inland from Ashburton, and the nearest
(01:34):
town would be Horrrada. Not many people probably know where
that one is, but just a little week town with
the gas station.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I have to say, if anyone out there ever gets
the chance to divert and go round that scenic route
to christ Church, whether you're coming home or going up there,
it's definitely where it's the drive. It's a beautiful drive
up around that part of the country. Quite a few
dairy farms around, and your one is probably one of
the largest ones, with over two thousand cows. There's a
lot of cows. Tell us a little bit more about
your operation up there, Lauren.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yep. So we winter down about twenty two hundred cows
and we operate over about six hundred and forty four
hectares and of that there's about five sixty is effective.
We run the system through two cowsheds though, so we
run about thirteen hundred cows roughly through an eighty bail
(02:27):
cowshed and then we run about eight point fifty roughly
to nine hundred through a sixty bail. So although it
is a large single operation, we do have the two
cow sheds that help with the management element of it
and keeps everything a little bit more level headed, I guess,
and that's slightly less overwhelming. Yeah, So that's kind of
(02:49):
how we run it, and we don't have a lot
of technology. It's all pretty simple system. We do have
protrack in the sheds and automatic drafting, which is definitely
a vital part too how we run and without that,
I'm not sure if I could, I could do the
big numbers without that bit of kit.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
It is a lot of cows. It blew my mind
knowing the average size. Probably some of the farms, apart
from some large operations down south, some of the most
of dairy farms I've been on have been under a
thousand cows, so trying to picture over that is actually
quite daunting. You must have a lot of staff that
you have to look after as well.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, so we do in the in the spring, sort
of in the peak, we run maybe about eleven eleven
staff with a combination of full time and then some
backpackers come in as well just to help fill the
busy spring period, and then for the most part of
the season we do run at about eight eight to nine.
(03:46):
Occasionally have a part time of poppin just to help
on the weekends as well if there's one available around.
But yeah, we've got quite a lot of quite a
big team, which is quite cool. It definitely helps with
all those leaders at the schools that I've been developing
and learning over the past three years at Robindale.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
And how long have you been? Have you been in
drey your whole life? Lauren? Was your family into dairy
farming as well? Not?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Well, my family, My family are into dairy farming, most
of I'm one of six and I'm about there's I
think five of us are in dairy. But it was
never my path. It was I grew up around it
and I was like, ah, I'm never milking cows. I
don't want to do that. I don't want to do that.
And I actually got into the tourism industry and I'm
(04:34):
only in the dairy industry because of COVID. So COVID
happened and that pushed me into the industry and I
was only supposed to be doing it for just well,
COVID simmered down. I started to learn to sort of
enjoy the industry and I haven't left. So, yeah, wasn't
(04:56):
my long term goal, but it's definitely is now.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
I'd imagine being in tourism as well, there was a
lot of transferable skills there with management and leadership and
things like that into what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Yeah, Yeah, definitely quite a few around organization and stuff
like that. But as I've learned in the industry, yeah,
leadership is a vital part of it, especially with our
size operation, and it's definitely a big one for me.
That's been a massive development point for me. Yeah, some
transferable skills, some definitely not you know, the early mornings
(05:32):
that doesn't happen in the tourism industry, and a lot.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Of variety too. On farm, would imagine, although you do
get a lot of variety in tourism, but i'd imagine
on farm there's definitely a lot more variety with the
things you have to deal with on a daily basis.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, the variety is definitely something that I really love
about the industry. No day is kind of the same.
Something always pops up, but every day you get a
new challenge, you know something you know, cows don't do
what you want the moyage to do and sometimes I've
got a little bit of a mind of their own
and adds a little bit of excitement to the day,
which is always good. And obviously the seasonal changes is
(06:08):
really awesome because you'll go through spring and then you're
busy with that, and then that passes, and then you're
into mating, and then that passes, and then you're into irrigation,
and you know, so on and so forth, which I
really like the changes that the industry offers throughout the season,
it's really cool.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
And the process of competing in these awards, Lauren, how
rewarding has that whole process been up until the winter
announcement on Saturday?
Speaker 2 (06:31):
The process, Yeah, it's been awesome. I couldn't rate it
more highly. I'm quite a sort of a try a
introverted sort of person. I wouldn't say I'm overly outlandish
and you know, but the Industry Awards has definitely pushed
me outside of that comfort zone. I've learned a lot
(06:52):
through other people within the industry and the process has
been great to get all the feedback from the judges
through every round and really so it offers me the
opportunity to hone and on the areas that I need
to work on and some of the areas that I
do quite well on, but also getting a different perspective
from someone completely different on on my processes and their
(07:17):
feedback has just been probably the most valuable part I
think about entering the awards for me, and there was
a lot.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Of females and the dairy manager, which was fantastic to see.
Do you think that that path is becoming more dominated
because there are a lot of females now in the
dairy industry. I was talking to someone about this might
have been yesterday, about how in the old days, most
of the time, what would happen as women on farm
would end up being their accountants more or less in
doing and voicing and all the rest of it. But
(07:45):
you're seeing a lot more women stepping into the roles
like manager and sheer, farmer and all sorts of things
and being part of bigger things. Do you think that
pathway is opening up and creating more of those opportunities
for females.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I definitely, Like like you said, Day, I generally think
that previously women had a sort of a back seat,
sort of a position, sort of you know, a little
bit under the radar. But they've always been within the industry,
but not as recognized as as much as I think
they are now. And I think, you know, as as
(08:17):
the industry is progressing, there's a lot more opportunities for
women and a lot more support networks, you know, through
through the industry as well, which are developing, which is
really awesome. You know, like there's the dairy woman, there
are what was the dairy Woman of the Year, you know,
other other pathways that women can be recognized. And I
think it's yeah, I think it's bloody awesome. And you know,
(08:40):
women provide a different viewpoint on how they see things
and how how we see and perceive different different elements.
But yeah, I couldn't I couldn't have been more like
happy at the Awards night watching you know, Annie and
Miriam also up on the stage as well, taking out
the third and second prize, and I was just like, oh,
(09:01):
this is awesome to have three females up there. Like, yeah,
still gives a little bit of goosebumps to think about
how cool that is. But yeah, I think that leads
into yeah, women are definitely growing in the industry and
being a valuable part of it.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
I think it gives me goosebumps thinking about it because
you guys, to other females or young women out there
are forging a bit of a pass as well. They
see you winning things and doing well and they've realized
they could do it too, which is such an important
part in the industry. So you're not just providing like
a leadership side of things, you're also providing a bit
of an inspiration to others, i'd imagine.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Yeah, which is I never actually thought about it like that,
but no, that's that's cool to think that I have.
You know that that could be a pathway that there
might be some other young girls further down the path,
you know, just getting into the industry and seeing another
female up on that stage and giving them the opportunity
to think that, you know, it is it is possible,
(09:59):
like you can, you can be up there doing it,
which I think is really awesome because yeah, I think
women do add a different element to farming and just yeah,
those different viewpoints and thinking of how to operate.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Absolutely, and of course it wouldn't have been all smooth sailing.
I wouldn't imagine. Can you think of any challenges of
barriers that you've faced in the industry in your career?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Yeah, I think the biggest challenge is also myself. The
biggest challenge that I've definitely faced is trusting my own
ability and realizing that I am just as capable as
anyone else, and I am just as capable as the
males in the industry as well, and having the opportunity
(10:46):
to really develop confidence to speak up, back my own
decisions and be confident that I am doing I am
doing well. And I think that industry awards has definitely
helped me sort of sili that as well. Yeah, I
think that's probably the probably the biggest challenges. Yeah, my
own my own mindset a little bit.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I think that's a lot of people's own challenge as
well as their own mindset and just fighting that whole
can I do it? Can't I do it. I don't
need someone to tell me I can do it.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah, definitely, you know, those experience Also, they definitely help
grow my own resilience and confidence in myself and developing
those leadership skills because I on farm and I am
the only I am the only female on farm for
the bulk of the bulk of the year, and to
have it being very male dominated, I think it's had
(11:41):
its challenges. But I think as the as the guys
in my team see me as a hard worker, I
have knowledge, I have the skills, and I've definitely i
think developed and gained their respect on that, which has
been really awesome. And I love it how they come
to me and ask me for advice, much as I
also come to them for their pick their brain about
(12:03):
certain things as well. It's it's really cool.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Say someone's listening to this right now and they're thinking, Wow,
I really want to do a career in dairy. I've
been inspired by this amazing person who now has this
awesome trophy on their mantle priest and national award. What
advice would you give to those people?
Speaker 2 (12:25):
I think the biggest and the biggest thing for myself
was when I started the industry like it wasn't a
it wasn't necessarily a decision that I made as such.
But the big key thing that switched my mindset was
when I started learning. As soon as I started learning
different things, it grew my attention. It just started to
(12:46):
develop me a lot. So I'd say learning is a
you know, take every opportunity available to you to learn
and grow and develop anything that's thrown at you. You know,
jump on those ITICO courses, DARI and ZED has a
bunch of really great courses through their training program as well.
And surround yourself with like minded people who are going
(13:07):
to grow and develop you as well. Don't be afraid
to ask questions. There are no dumb questions out there.
Don't be afraid to be put off because you think
you might ask a dumb question. Because there are none
must mean there's none. I've asked a few that I
thought were a bit odd, but yeah, definitely just get
amongst that. I reckon is probably the best thing I
(13:30):
could say. It's an extremely rewarding industry with a lot
of progression and different pathways that you can go down.
As I'm starting to learn now.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
It is an amazing industry, Isn't it like realizing that
there are so many pathways you can take? And it
has always been a career to be able to work
on a dairy fund. But I think now there's definitely,
as you described, way more opportunities, way more pathways that
are open that people didn't probably realize we're there for
quite a long time until now.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yeah, definitely, Like you know, I'm me and my partner
are going contract milking next next season, and it's not there.
I never thought that i'd do that. I didn't ever
think that I'd go through that, you know, go through
that pathway. But here I am on my way down
that path and I'm really looking forward to it, and
I'm really looking forward to learning those different elements of
(14:23):
farming and business, the business side of things as well.
You know, dairy and can be challenging at times, but
it's massively rewarding as well, and I think that's a
big thing that I really enjoy about it.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
And for those already out there in the industry, they're thinking, well,
I think I should enter these dairy industry awards next year.
Why would you tell people to enter? What is the
biggest thing that you've got out of it so far,
I think.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
I think the biggest thing that I've gained from it
is probably developing my own self confidence in myself that
I am I am capable is a big one, but
another massive one, and I've really learned that since coming
up here to rote a Ruer and being here with
all of the other trainees, the other managers, the other
cheer farmers, the alumni, the alumni guys and the first
(15:15):
farm guys and girls. Is that the opportunities to network
and ask all of these people questions and learn from
them has been massive. Like the network opportunities, I've met
some bloody great people up here and hopefully I'm going
to hope take home some really good friendships as well
from it, and I've done well. It was four days
(15:36):
and I've met some awesome people and some of them
are messaging today asking them how you know, how's it
back on farm, etc. So I think the networking is
massive opportunity for it.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Oh that's awesome, Lauren, Well again, congratulations all the beast
for contract milking next season and then your next big adventure.
Of course you have another adventure, don't you as well?
Not too long away?
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yeah, so yeah, currently six months six months pregnant and
due on the first of August at the same time
as the cows. Talk to a lot of female's, female
mums here over the last few days, and they said,
you'd be surprised, it's not uncommon for that to happen
in the dairy industry. Wasn't really like, yep, I had
babies at this time and I did it. So I'm like, oh, cool,
(16:25):
that solidifies again. It can be done.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
It can always be done. And I think you've proven
that with your management style and winning this award and everything.
I think you'll be just fine, Lauren, And congratulations again
on everything, and we look forward to seeing a lot
more of you in the future. I'm sure we will
through the dairy industry.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
No, thank you very much, And yeah, I hope to
be playing a bit more of a part on it
and being a role model if if that's the path
that's going to end up down, but yeah, it'd be great.
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