The Meridian Agribusiness team gets their hands dirty

Wednesday 01 June 2011

Winter 2011

Always keen to increase their understanding of their customers’ farming businesses, the Agribusiness team recently made the trip from their Christchurch office to Moana, on the rugged West Coast, to have a go at milking. Not all of the team had grown up on farms, so for some it was a whole new experience. 

While half of the team got lost and ended up in Kumara, eventually the team were all present and accounted for at Landcorp’s Weka Complex, where they were sent to work in four different 60-bail rotary sheds. 

Landcorp’s Dairy Operations Manager (and 2009 NZDIA Farm Manager of the Year), Shane Kelly, said this about the Agribusiness team: “I was surprised they were as good as they were. My team and I were expecting a bunch of townies to show up who would be scared of cows, but these guys were keen as to try everything.”

Meridian Agribusiness Manager Natasha King says she was heartened by how motivated and enthusiastic her team was about getting out and working on the farm. As a former dairy farmer herself, Natasha says, “It was great to see my staff in the shed, having fun while working hard to keep up with the platform.” 

While Natasha has ensured her team has the theory behind them through completing AgITO training, she says their customers can be confident the Agribusiness team has practical experience at milking as well. She says, “I think they gained a real understanding of dairy farmers, and how important electricity is to their operations.”

Who knows, perhaps there’s a sea change in the air for the team. Shane Kelly added, “Any of those guys could make a career change if they wanted to, we’re always on the lookout for good people.”