Jackie Harrigan
Throwing himself at a learning opportunity and upskilling very quickly to make things hum along is the hallmark of Nic Verhoek’s rise through the dairy industry.
The 33-year-old Masterton operations manager won three of the merit awards in the Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa dairy manager category and hopes to one day take out the trifecta of regional dairy trainee, dairy manager and share farmer.
Characterising himself as “all parts bull and one part peacock” Nic says he loves the challenge of finding the success in everything he does.
“I like to be chewing furiously – if I am not on the edge I’m not on – and struggle to stay motivated,” he says.
That is his secret weapon, along with other not-so-secret weapon – ruminant nutritionist wife Kirsty Verhoek (nee Hammond) who Nic says has been integral in the success of their high-intensity high-input job at Willow Park Agri.
The couple are both passionate about the food industry and see themselves in the long term owning good soil producing some sort of food product alongside a large-scale farming business.
From a sheep and beef farming background with a degree in design and photography, and a certificate in business tacked on top, Nic threw himself into the dairy industry.
“I was obviously a little ‘later maturing’ but decided I wanted to be a farmer – it’s a long road but I thought I needed to get started so threw myself into a role on a 1400-cow Manawatu farm for Kevin and Anna Cvitanovich– a fantastic breeding ground and a great crash course.”
“There was so much to learn and the more information I asked for the more I got. Leyton Gledhill was manager there – a great teacher.”
It was here he won the Manawatu dairy trainee of the year award in 2013.
Cutting his teeth on a fully-irrigated Waikato peat farm at Te Kauwhata for Josh, Rob and Doug Brown was another massive learning curve as a farm manager.
“I thought I knew it all, and I didn’t, but I was lucky enough to have Martin Bennett as an exceptional farm consultant.”
As a contract milker on a 600- cow Cambridge job meant he learnt about employing staff and running his own business and the following year he and new wife Kirsty moved to his family’s Whanganui sheep and beef farm to investigate the possibility of buying into and diversifying the family business.
A SWOT analysis and thorough investigation drew the conclusion the opportunity was a little too early for them to commit to the debt level so they decided to cut their own track, searching for another learning opportunity within an hour’s drive of the Palmerston North AgResearch campus for Kirsty to continue working as senior scientist in animal science.
When the 210 hectare effective 920- cow Willow Park Agri opportunity arose they thought it looked exciting and duly applied for and secured the job.
Selwyn and Jenny McLachlan’s fully-irrigated, system five operation with a covered composting barn and split calving herd had a number of learning opportunity boxes ticked for Nic – who said he started in his usual style – looking on it as a fantastic place to learn and a massive learning curve but was sure he could handle the job.
“I started on a very short leash and it’s been an all-consuming job – Kirsty and I are very keen on cow nutrition and on doing things a bit differently – we have had a real passion to drive it and did lots of experimentation, especially bedding-in the new composting barn and feed pad.”
The barn is now a roaring success – Nic says the cows love it, the workers love it, cow and calf mortality is fantastically low and it’s great at catching nutrients and protecting pastures.
Milk solids production at 533kg MS/ cow has been lifted from 450kg in the past three years by “growing the rumen successfully so the cows can physically eat enough to produce to their genetic potential”.
Lifting to a staff of five full-timers and numerous part-time calf rearers and general hands was a further learning opportunity for Nic who has managed to reduce the roster from 12/2 to 11/3, (working it as 6-on 2-off then 5-on 1-off) trying to ensure staff have weekends off and endeavouring to fit in leave requests.
“We also try to send people home early if they are going on leave and then have them come back as the last on after their break.”
“We also make sure they are working in their area of interest – like catering for a passion for tractor work or for working with the cows.”
The irrigated river terraces grow 18.5-19.5 tonnes drymatter (DM)/year and the goal is to grow 20t, Nic says.
“It’s full-on, the grass growth is crazy fast and the mower comes out to help control it – we call it a Pasture Plus system, we are working hard to eat as much pasture as we can, and to the fill the gaps thereafter.”
After three years of full-on learning on an operation that never sleeps, Nic says he has decided to step back from the job that has been mentally and physically demanding with very long hours onfarm. Kirsty works four days a week at agri consultancy BakerAg and casual work for AgResearch and along with 18-month-old Isabelle is keen to spend more family time with Nic and extended family so they are heading back to Kirsty’s home base in the Bay of Plenty at the season’s end.
Early rental property purchases and judicious rearing of extra calves has helped the couple get into the equity position to take on a 50:50 sharemilking role (to tick off that last DIA category) or move into an equity partnership.
The long-term plan is to end up at Kirsty’s home 360-cow farm along with a foray into a larger-scale food growing enterprise, and the couple also plan to push themselves out the farm gate to get involved at an industry governance level.
For certain it will involve a good degree of learning and growing and chewing furiously on the challenges for Nic, driving him to succeed.
DAIRY MANAGER MERIT AWARDS:
Moore Stephens Markhams Ltd Employee Engagement Award, Hawke’s Bay/ Wairarapa DIA Feed Management Award, DeLaval Livestock Management Award – Nicholas Verhoek
Vet Services Leadership Award – Damon Ashworth
Fonterra Dairy Management Award – Kelli Pailthorpe
Primary ITO Power Play Award – Dan Phillips
Westpac Financial Management and Planning Award – Derek de Jong
