Fate decided otherwise and, after a less than auspicious start, the 35-year-old is now in her happy place.
The farm manager works for contract milkers Rob and Jenine Screen at a farm owned by Theland Farm Group (Purata), milking 2180 cows on 563ha.
After spending three years studying for a sustainability and outdoors education degree, she was working as a travel agent in Australia in 2019.
"Then what happened next? Covid turned up and pretty much destroyed my whole career path that I was angling for. I was set to go to Norway for kayak guiding and that all changed and I had to make a quick decision to get out of Australia and come home. I just made it into the country before Jacinda [Ardern, former prime minister] shut it down."
Her family had grown up dairy farming and a brother recommended she milk cows for a year.
"I got a farm assistant job working for my other brother at Canterbury Grasslands and thought I might as well take it on. The first three months was hard and I was like ‘I hate this and this sucks’, but my mindset started to change and I might as well make the most of it."
After a year, Covid-19 was still lingering and she got a second-in-charge position just outside of Rolleston and that was when she began to enjoy farming.
Offered a management position, she returned to Canterbury Grasslands before taking on the big job at Robindale Dairies.
"That is where I am currently and that’s been my pathway and probably been one of the best life-changing events that happened to me. I probably would not have been here if Covid didn’t happen so thank you Covid."
Reluctance shifted to tolerance and then gratitude when she began to appreciate dairying’s people and team structure, working with cows to provide a happy, healthy life and its career progression.
One of her proudest achievements is maintaining an empty rate under 10% for the large herd.
Last season, she took over management of both milking sheds — a 60 bale shed and 80-bale rotary.
Calving at this scale is intensive, and she has learned to become a good leader and understand how individual team members tick to get the best result.
The property is run as two farms in a low input system with about 11 staff in spring and 8.5 at the moment communicating by WhatsApp and radios.
A spreadsheet with virtually every detail of the operation helps her keep track — in winter alone there were 11 mobs to manage — and the team has access to it as well.
She said the Screens gave staff room to grow and develop and learn from mistakes.
Next season she is going contract milking with her partner in Hinds.
The long-term goal is to build wealth initially through contract milking and invest savings in rental properties, but not necessarily through buying a farm.
As well as winning a nearly $7000 prize package, she claimed merit awards in sustainable and environmental farming, personal planning and financial management.
Runner-up was Supinder Singh, a farm manager for Henry and Mike Askin, milking 1100 cows on 295ha in Hinds and third was Gurtej Singh, a farm manager for Kuljeet Singh, milking 720 cows on James and Lynley Proctor’s 228ha farm at Ashburton.
Winner of the Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year was Sam O’Neill.
The 23-year-old is herd manager for Trevor Manson, milking 850 cows on 231ha near Methven.
Growing up on a lifestyle block, he always had an interest in the dairy industry and went to Lincoln University to study an agricultural science degree, earning first class honours.
He worked on farms during school and university holidays, including relief milking.
"I went to uni thinking I would take up a job in a professional area, but got to the end and did a few jobs and thought this wasn’t for me being more practically minded than being in a ute or office, so I thought what better way to put what I had learned at uni than dairy farming."
Over the next three to five seasons he wants to develop more people managing skills.
The ultimate goal is to own large-scale dairy farms and he aims to get there either via contract milking and sharemilking or building equity off-farm.
He is taking on a manager’s job in North Otago next season.
Runner-up was Thomas Brown, assistant manager for Ngai Tahu Farming, milking 1024 cows on 336ha at Eyrewell Forest and third Jonty Fleming, a farm manager for Anthony Dodunski milking 620 cows on 180ha at Lincoln.
