Written by Rob Smith

New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards 2022 share farmer of the year Will Green is forging a path to farm ownership in the dairy industry.

Will Green can’t recollect when he first decided he was going to be a farmer: it’s been inevitable as long as he can remember. His parents are tenant farmers on a large estate in Shropshire in the west of England, milking 100 cows and grazing a few sheep and beef cattle. As a teenager, Will’s teachers helped forge his career path, perhaps unintentionally.

“When I was about 15, we had two weeks’ work experience. Because I was okay at maths and numbers, careers guidance sent me to a local accounting firm. By lunchtime on the first day I knew an office job wasn’t for me. I needed to be outdoors. This was not energetic enough. I always wanted to go farming anyway, and a couple of hours with the accountant totally confirmed it.”

Farming appeals for multiple reasons.

“I really appreciate the variety. I love going through the seasons; I enjoy livestock, and meeting and working with so many awesome farming people is a constant pleasure,” Will says.

After leaving school he studied agriculture at nearby Harper Adams University. Then he came halfway around the world.

“I was 20 when I first came to New Zealand in 2010. I quickly saw the opportunity to achieve farm ownership: to become ‘self-made’. While it’s still not easy to do that here, it’s much easier than in England, where purchasing your own farm is almost impossible. Here, if you set farm ownership as an objective and work hard, you can achieve it.”

Will’s goal meant leaving family behind – a difficult step.

“I’m close to my parents and my siblings. With Covid-19, I’ve not seen them for four years. They are very supportive though, and fully understand why I want this.”

Will returned to New Zealand in 2014, working near Fairlie in South Canterbury for Kieran and Leonie Guiney, who had financed their dairy farm via sharemilking. Then in 2020 Will became a lower-order sharemilker on a 270ha, 1,060-cow Dairy Holdings farm at Hinds, Mid Canterbury. He lives on farm with partner Sally Eames who works in Ashburton and whose parents are Manawatu sheep and beef farmers. Will was a 34% sharemilker owning 400 cows, graduating to a 47% sharemilker owning 990 cows from the start of the 2022-23 season. His goal is to step up from sharemilking to farm ownership, with his own 600-cow farm in the next five to 10 years.

On the way through, recognition has come Will’s way, including winning the 2022 national Share Farmer of the Year at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards, after he was national runner-up in the Manager of the Year category in 2018. Will impressed the judges with his contagious energy, accuracy and commitment to looking for opportunities to learn. They also praised the strong team culture he fosters with his staff.

Will Green, New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards 2022 Share Farmer of the Year

Will puts success down to determination: willpower, maybe.

“I always have a clear goal. It’s easy for me to jump out of bed knowing what I want to achieve. When you have that, it’s not difficult to enjoy your day,” he says.

Setting goals points the way forward for the whole country, Will reckons.

“This country’s unfair advantage is our fantastic grass growing climate. Following the low-cost mindset of working New Zealand’s grass growth, we can bring plenty of wealth into the sector. By smart marketing, we have a real opportunity to add further value to pasture-fed meat and dairy protein. We also benefit from the important role of strong, farmer-owned co-operatives in our sector: something I strongly believe in.

“Plenty of people are climbing the ladder to farm ownership by working hard, whether through sharemilking or equity partnerships. Although it requires skill and discipline, pastoral farming is simple, profitable and enjoyable.”

Will says New Zealand agriculture is in the middle of so much change. Staying one step ahead of the game is always challenging, whether around the environment, freshwater, employment, or animal welfare. “Having the science, the knowledge, and the skillsets will take us where we need to be. Whenever we say or do something, we always need the proof to back it up.”

Attracting more keen, competent recruits is the key, he says.

“Ensuring opportunities continue for young people with the right skills and energy to progress and make their careers in agriculture is essential for the future. We need to be able to show what a great life you can make out of farming.”

Expertise appreciated

Both Will Green’s previous and present employers, the Guineys and Dairy Holdings, are Ravensdown shareholders. Will worked previously with Agri Manager Hannah Wallace and now works with Alex Ferguson.

He says you need strong relationships with your professional advisors, drawing on their expertise. “Hannah and Alex understand what the soil needs to cost-effectively grow feed with minimum environmental impact and maximum efficiency.

“HawkEye mapping is great technology that Ravensdown continues to develop. Features like the nitrogen heat map and monitoring how close you are to the 190 N-cap make farming much easier.”