Purpose of the position: Assists with daily operational tasks as directed, including feeding, milking,
animal health, effluent. Is aware of on-farm compliance, e.g. health, safety, and wellbeing; environment, animal welfare, etc.
Milking: Assists in efficient and hygienic milking routine. Follows procedure to produce high quality milk.
Carries out milk harvesting tasks as directed and is developing the correct skills to milk efficiently and
safely.
• Helps set up dairy prior to milking and on time.
• Milks cows efficiently and safely, as directed.
• Uses backing gate well.
• Teat sprays well.
• Marks cows well.
Understands factors that affect milk quality, and the reasons for regulations around milk quality safety.
• Understands the cost and implications of grading milk and high somatic cell counts.
• Helps manage ‘dirty cows’.
• Implements dairy hygiene requirements.
Assists with cleaning and maintain the milking plant and farm dairy equipment and reports any faults to senior staff.
• Understands how the milking system works, so as to identify and report when things are not working
correctly, such as the milk pump.
• Can use specialist equipment e.g. drafting system
• Cleans yard, plant, and other dairy equipment well, according to procedures.
• Carry out dairy maintenance including changing rubber ware under supervision.
Animals: Assists in the safe handling of animals, reports any health and welfare issues as per farm policy.
Assists with moving and handling animals safely and observes and reports on wellbeing of all stock.
• With minimal stress, safely and confidently handles/moves animals.
• Prepares livestock for transport.
• Responsibly dispose of dead stock.
Watching stock for any ill health and reports issues to best person on farm.
• Learning to identify and assist with treatment of mastitis, lame cows, bloat, milk fever, ketosis, grass staggers, facial eczema, and other unwell animals.
• Drenches and manages dry stock.
• Keeps records of all animal treatments.
• Assists with drying cows off including administering dry cow therapy and teat sealing.
• Drafts out sick or lame cows in a timely manner.
Assists with moving handling and rearing calves safely. Is building awareness of good health, hygiene and welfare for newly calved cows and young calves.
• Feeding calves including tube feeding.
• Has an awareness of good health, hygiene, and welfare of calves.
• Understand the importance of feeding calves a consistent amount at regular intervals and the importance of introducing fibre into their diet.
Is building skills in observing, recording, and reporting on cows preparing to calve, and assists with calving cows.
• Can identify the stages of calving, when a cow is calving, when a calf is in a normal position and assists calving cows in difficulty.
• Matches newly-calved cows and calves.
Assists with mating management as directed. Is building observation skills in heat detection and mating health issues. Is building in understanding of breeding for herd improvement and working safely with bulls.
• Learning the concept of mating including artificial breeding, natural breeding, and interventions if they are used on your farm.
• Learning to identify cycling cows and records them.
• Learning to identify mating health issues.
• Assists the artificial breeding technician when they are on farm.
• Works safely with bulls.
Feed: Controls weeds. Sets break fences and feeds out as directed. Responsibility.
Assists with weed control and is learning about animal health issues associated with crops.
• Understands the need for, and carries out and records weed control.
Assists with feeding stock on-farm and growing young stock and is aware of changing feed needs during lactation.
• Is aware of the changing feed needs of young stock and lactating stock.
• Learning about animal health issues associated with crops.
Assists with pasture and feed allocation, sets break fences, and feeds out as directed.
• Can work out the size of a break feed under supervision.
• Puts up break fences correctly and makes them live Loads the feed out wagon and can feed out in the paddock or on the feed pad.
Is learning, observing, and reporting on pasture quality, appropriate residuals, and pasture damage due to weather. Takes notice and reports any irregularities.
• Understands what good pasture looks like and can identify post and pre grazing residuals.
• Learning to measure pasture.
Environment: Assists with nutrient, effluent and water management as directed by farm policy.
Assists with the operation and maintenance of the dairy effluent management system and follows the effluent plan in line with farm policy.
• Understands how the effluent system operates and shifts irrigator correctly.
• Keeps effluent records.
• Is aware of regional council requirements and their responsibilities to comply with these.
Is learning about the role nutrients play in farm systems, and the importance of good nutrient management. At a level that is reflective of time on farm.
• Is learning about the farm environment plan
• Is learning about the role nutrients play in farm systems.
Understands regulations around land management and ensurestheir practice complies with these.
• Understands industry regulations around waterways.
Assists with maintaining the water system, is aware of regional council requirements around water use, and reports any issues to senior staff.
• Checks stock water at every new break
• Can change ballcock in water trough
• Can repair water leaks and identify pump problems
• Can set up portable water trough
• Is aware of regional council requirements around water systems
• Reports any issues to senior staff
People: Works well with others, building a strong team culture.
Is aware of the opportunities available to them in their personal and career goals and is looking for growth opportunities on farm to gain more skills.
• Starting to set personal and career goals and knows what their limitations are.
Understands own rights around employment agreements, minimum wage requirements, and accommodation, and knows how to communicate any issues to their manager.
• Understands own rights and entitlements in the job and can communicate any issues to managers.
Is developing an understanding of what makes a good farm team, and how their actions affect the wider team.
• Evidence of good communication with other staff and the manager.
• Understands what makes a good farm team environment and plays their part.
• Understand the importance of building relationships with suppliers and rural professionals.
Understands own rights around work time and workload, and to a reasonable work-life balance.
• Understands own rights around work time and workload, and to a reasonable work-life balance.
Machine, Vehicles and Technology: Safely uses and maintains vehicles on farm as directed by on farm policy.
Safely assists with erecting and maintaining both permanent and non-permanent electric and non-electric fences, as directed.
• Understands fence power, identifies faults, and can do straight forward repairs.
Is learning about the farm irrigation system, and assists with identifying irrigation problems and making repairs, as directed.
• Beginning to understand the irrigation system operation and can carry out basic maintenance.
Is confident using computers,smartphones, and apps. Is learning the value of collecting good quality data and how it can be used to make decisions.
• Knows what the data collected is used for and how it influences decisions.
Knows how to safely operate farm vehicles and machinery as needed/ relevant for position on farm and assists with basic maintenance.
• Carries out basic maintenance on tractors, motorbikes.
• Good driving practices and can cope with slopes and other hazards.
• Can safely use the power take-off, hydraulics, loader, and towing implements.
• Wearssafety helmet and adheres to farm speed limits at all times.
Health, safety and wellbeing: Involved in building a health, safety and wellbeing culture. Models farms health, safety and wellbeing policy.
Is learning skills to maintain good personal health on-farm and follows health and safety guidelines in the workplace.
• Understands agrichemicals(storage, handling, mixing).
• Carries out sun protection.
• Knows disease prevention (e.g., Leptospirosis).
Identifies hazards, understands safety procedures, and demonstrates safe on-farm work practices. Reports near misses and accidents in the relevant registers provided at induction.
• Identifies hazards.
• Demonstrates safe on-farm work practices.
• Uses personal protective equipment.
• Reports near misses and accidents in the relevant registers.
Understands own rights to an emotionally secure workplace, and the importance of personal wellbeing.
• Understands own rights to an emotionally secure workplace, and the importance of personal wellbeing.
• Understands the importance of taking breaks to help stay alert and safe.
Is aware of the farm's responsibility around health, safety, and wellbeing in relation to land, people, and animals.
• Understands health,safety, and wellbeing responsibilities.
Other Responsibilities:
Financial
• Beginning to understand how a farm operates as a business including how the dairy pay-out effects income and the cost associated with farming.
• Understands KiwiSaver, PAYE, employment agreement, banking procedures, credit and interest rates and hire purchase.
Personal Attributes
• Self-management
• Punctuality
• Tidiness
• Able to plan out daily activities/duties
• Personal hygiene
• Attitude
• Time management and efficiency
Employment Type: Permanent Full-time
Hours: Minimum guaranteed hours of 30 hours per week.
Hourly rate: $25.00 -$27.00
Qualifications and/or Experiences: Has at least Level 1 qualification, or compulsory secondary education. No experience required but a short period of on-the-job training is acceptable instead of the formal qualification. Must be willing to be trained.
Must pass drug test and must undergo Ministry of Justice Check.