FMG Young Country: Sam Smithers

Young Farmers are the future of New Zealand agriculture, so each issue we shine a spotlight on a Young Farmers Club member. Today we chat with Sam Smithers from West Coast Young Farmers.

Nomination-  Sam is nominated as  Member of the Month in recognition of the outstanding commitment and dedication he has shown across multiple areas. From managing the farm and taking on the role of club secretary, to reaching a major personal milestone by getting married, and achieving success by making it through to the FMG Tasman regional finals, Sam has consistently gone above and beyond. He puts in an enormous amount of time and effort day in and day out, and we would like to acknowledge that his hard work and contributions have not gone unnoticed.

  What is the name of your club, and how long have you been a member?

 West Coast Young Farmer- I've been a member for nearly a year this time, previously being a member of Dunsandel while I was living over there, but prior to that I was  an original member of the West Coast club when it was established in 2021.

 What has been the highlight for you of joining Young Farmers? What are the benefits and experiences that you feel have helped you most?

 Probably the competition and all the learning that I've done through that. Back when I first competed it I was just stabbing in the dark as far as what skills and knowledge I needed. Over the years I've learnt where I need to spend my time and energy to get the best result, and it's certainly broadened my knowledge base regarding agriculture beyond just diary farming.

 How did you become involved in agriculture?

 I sort of grew up around farming, so when I wanted to take a break from uni I thought I'd do a gap year dairy farming, which turned out to last 5 years, and in that time I had decided to make it my career so when I went back to finish the degree, it was solely just as a backup career option and I went straight back to farming.

 What is your job now?

 My wife, Rachel, and I are contract milking on a 700-cow farm for Alan and Zana Berry in the Grey Valley on the west coast. It is a self-contained grass-based system spread across 430ha. This is our first season here, and we have plans of working our way up into farm ownership over the next 10 years.

 What do you think the future of farming will look like, and what would like to see happening in New Zealand agriculture going forward?

 I think agriculture will continue its centuries long trend of becoming more and more efficient. There will be pain and downturns along the way, but so long the amount we produce from our land and labour continues to increase we will remain the cheapest place in the world to produce dairy, so there will always be opportunity for good people who want to get stuck in keep the industry moving forward .

 What are your future plans?

 I aim to spend a few years working contract milking before moving onto either small herd owning or lower order sharemilking, and then maybe some sort of equity partnership or larger 50/50 operation which will hopefully lead to farm ownership.

 Who has been your biggest inspiration in agriculture, and why?

 Probably Rachels parents, Stu and Debbie Bland. They've come through the industry from workers through contract milking and 50/50 to get to owning their own farm. If we can replicate and build on their success i think we could say we've had a good career