We are seeking a full time dairy farm assistant. Our current team member has done a fantastic job and we wish him well with his new career choice. Our farm is located near the Dunedin airport on the Taieri plains, 15 minute south of Mosgiel, 30 minutes from central Dunedin. We milk 325 cows twice a day through a 40-aside herringbone shed on 172 hectares. We like to feed our cows very well to maximise the milk they produce and have healthy cows. We aim to have a high genetic merit herd with great production so we can milk less cows for more milk. We raise our calves on-farm and winter our cows here too.
Some experience is preferred but training will be provided in all aspects of the job.
The job involves (on a seasonal basis):
Milking cows;
Plant and vat wash;
Feeding cows;
Tractor driving, particularly filling a feedout wagon and feeding cows, feeding baleage on crop during winter, topping, carting baleage, scraping lanes, operating a slurry wagon;
Spraying weeds;
Setting up break fences;
Shifting the irrigator;
Being able to identify and treat sick cows;
Vehicle and Plant maintenance (for example checking oil levels, tyre pressures, greasing, cleaning windows);
Other seasonal tasks.
More important than your current skills are your personal attributes. You are:
Willing to learn and adapt to new systems;
Patient and polite with cows and people;
Able to work unsupervised/solo, but also able to work together as a team;
Tidy and pay attention to detail;
Like to do a good job every time;
Reliable and honest;
Physically Farm fit;
Drug/smoke free.
Other useful but not necessary skills include: (could develop some of these in the future)
Pasture management;
Fencing;
Chainsaw use;
Hoof treatment.
Salary or hourly wage is negotiable, starting at $20/hour ….. with an end-of-season bonus.
Three or four bedroom house available.
Roster negotiable e.g. 5:2 on average, or 11:3.
Ideal start date: 16th June 2021