Right now, NZ is in the thick of calving – and we won't sugar-coat it, it's very, very busy on our family farm! We need someone who can start immediately and can 'handle the jandal' of long hours and get stuck in until things ease up in early September. That said, we've held firm to our brilliant 6/3 roster even through the madness of calving, because work-life balance matters to us, busy season or not!
Once calving calms down, our cows get milked twice a day – but our humans only milk once a day!
That's the trade-off: we know it's full-on right now, so to help fuel our team through it, we put on a month of hot cooked breakfasts, plus you'll get at least an hour's break for lunch every day. Once calving is over, things ease off further. We care about our people and our cows most of all, and we strive to be the best employers we can be – especially when the going gets tough.
Our stunning family-owned farm is situated on 582 Ha of flat land and is located just 15 minutes to Geraldine, 20 minutes to Ashburton, and a quick 25 minutes to Methven – so on your days off, if you want to get away from the farm and enjoy some of the many activities in the area such as skiing, fishing, hunting, cafés and shops, this is the perfect location for you!
We milk our beautiful 2,100 cows through a very high-tech 80-bail rotary that literally has all the bells and whistles. This is an ideal role for someone serious about growing their career, as we love to promote from within.
Preferably you'll have had some exposure to dairy farming – maybe relief milking or calf rearing, even just six months' worth – but you must genuinely want a career, not just a job that comes with a house. If you're serious, we'll give you all the training and experience you need to move up the ladder with us.
A full driver’s license and being able to ride 2- and 4-wheel motorbikes is also essential. We are a drug free farm; we require you to not have a criminal record. We often have team BBQs or go to the local pub for dinner together. We believe we are good payers, and a competitive base salary of between $70 to $75K p/a including accommodation will be negotiated based on your experience.