Top trainee has big plans

Blake Korteweg maybe a qualified builder, has spent time overseas and aspires to higher rugby honours, but he has settled on a career as a dairy farmer.

Named this year's New Zealand Dairy Industry's trainee of the year, Mr Korteweg (26), from Stirling, South Otago, will in the coming year be an ambassador for aspiring dairy farmers.

That will involve attending the National Field Days at Hamilton and speaking to Agriculture Industry Training Organisation trainees, among other roles, to promote dairying and industry training.

Having time off the farm appears to have benefited Mr Korteweg.

The judges commented on his life experience, maturity and clear goals, attributes gained from completing a building apprenticeship on leaving school and spending time overseas working and playing rugby.

Mr Korteweg said that when he returned to the family farm at Stirling in June 2008, he settled on a dairying career, working his way up the ladder to herd manager and latterly farm manager.

Next season, he will be a contract milker on the family farm together with partner Sara Bowden, who has been working on a dairy farm at Pukerau.

He attended both Otago Boys High School and South Otago High School, but left without any qualifications, and said the building apprenticeship was an important step in his life.

"I wanted to get something to fall back on," he said in an interview last week.

On completing his apprenticeship, Mr Korteweg returned to the farm run by his parents Stephen and Rhonda.

He worked there for two seasons, but was still restless.

He accepted an offer to go to Canada with a friend, and worked there as a builder for three months before getting a rugby playing and coaching contract in the Midlands in the United Kingdom, while also working as a joiner.

Mr Korteweg has very definite plans about his future, intending to contract milk for a maximum of three years before moving into sharemilking and then ultimately buying his own farm.

"I want to put myself in a situation where I am able to take advantage of opportunities, but I am not aiming at a particular farm," he said.

In 2001, his parents were named WestpacTrust Kiwi Dairies farmers of the year and Blake Korteweg said while the 175ha farm was high producing, he had been able to squeeze even more production out of it.

Total annual milk production in recent years has been plus or minus 5% the previous year, but this past season it was up 15%, helped by a favourable season but also changes Mr Korteweg introduced.

Calving has been shortened from 12 weeks to eight and Mr Korteweg has introduced tighter pasture management, regularly measuring grass volume, minimising residual grass left by the cows, optimising quality and also doing some regrassing.

The introduction of 16-hour milking for the last few weeks of the season benefited cow condition without compromising milk production.

This coming season the farm will milk about 580 cows, up from 545 in the season just ended.

Having won the Otago leg of the trainee of the year contest, Mr Korteweg joined 12 others in Rotorua for three days during which they were assessed on their knowledge and approach of the industry following farm visits, addresses by speakers and an interview by judges.

While he has mapped out his business plan, Mr Korteweg is not ignoring his rugby career.

A triallist for last year's Otago Air New Zealand Cup rugby team, he has joined the Taieri club this season to further his claim for a spot in this year's ITM Cup.