Brothers win share farmers title
| Published date | 24 May 2021 |
| Publication title | Bush Telegraph |
Share farmer head judge Jacqui Groves from Westpac says Manoj and Sumit impressed the judges with glowing reports from current and past employers and employees.
“They have amazing relationships with two sets of owners, who really believe in them and are following the boys’ dream.”
The judges were also impressed with their on-farm presentation, which used drone footage from their family farm in Northern India to explain their history and where they are from.
“They literally took us there. We were pretty blown away after meeting them,” said Jacqui. “They became ‘our boys’ and they benchmarked excellence.”
The brothers are 50/50 sharemilkers on Andrew and Monika Arbuthnott, Geoff Arends and Ester Romp’s 285ha, 460-cow Eketahuna property.
Both Manoj and Sumit have entered the awards previously, with Sumit placing third in the 2018 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Manager category.
They say entering the awards programme has created an excellent network within the industry and valuable feedback from judges.
“We overcame the lack of a network by engaging more and more in dairy industry events.
“The New Zealand dairy farming system is totally different from back home in India and it really appeals to us,” they say.
“It’s very rewarding as we can see the improvements we make on-farm and there is a culture unlike any other industry.”
“The boys were simply superb,” says fellow share farmer judge John Numan. “Manoj and Sumit were professional, driven and high-achieving farmers. They were very impressive.”
To win the national title and $50,000 in prizes, Manoj and Sumit demonstrated strengths in leadership, health and farm safety, business and community engagement. They also won three merit awards: the Federated Farmers Leadership Award, Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award and the Westpac Business Performance Award.
Fellow share farmer judge Guy Michaels from DairyNZ says the brothers demonstrated involvement and leadership in the local community and in the dairy community.
“They have a willingness to work with others to achieve joint goals and advocate on behalf of others,” he said.
An example of this was Manoj and Sumit assisting a family in Wellington who had lost employment due to COVID-19. “They relocated the family and encouraged them into a role within the dairy industry.”
The judges also noted that the brothers had a strong health and safety culture on-farm.
“They have a long history of recording incidents and actually following through with changes.”
Judge Guy Michaels from DairyNZ noted how strong the brothers were in their community involvement and leadership.
“They have promoted PrimaryITO courses to everyone in their community and have...
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