Together with fellow South African immigrants Farm Trainee of the Year winner Gerard van der Mark, of Mangakino, and Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year winners Johan and Theona Blom, of Ngakuru, the Levins were part of an impressive South African trifecta to win the major prizes on awards night in Rotorua earlier this month.
"We wanted a challenge and we have been grateful for the opportunity to try something different," Nathan told a large crowd of farmers, and industry representatives at a DairyNZ farm group meeting at the couple's Tokoroa base last week.
The couple are into their third year contract milking for Pokai Farm owners Ian and Margaret Elliot, and John and Erica Trebilco, on the Key Rd forestry conversion property.
The couple's pathway in dairying began as farm assistants before progressing to farm managers and contract milkers, steadily accumulating cash assets to move closer to their goal as sharemilkers within the next two years.
"When we started out we didn't know how hard dairy farming would be," he says.
"We got a wake-up call early on but we could see the huge potential for business growth if we stuck to our goals and worked hard.
"It was important for us to be with positive people and we wouldn't have achieved what we have done without the input from others in the industry who helped us and steered us in the right direction.
"Growing cash-based equity has been our goal from the start and since we began contract milking our equity has grown substantially." Last season, the 235ha (effective) farm produced 315,000 kg/MS (target 270,000) from 650 cows, averaging 495kg/MS per cow.
"This was a really exceptional season," he says.
The target for this season is 305,000kg/MS from 670 crossbred Friesians and currently the farm is producing 265,000kg/MS, or 2 per cent ahead of target.
The farm, converted from a Carter Holt forestry block eight years ago, has 61 paddocks on the rolling-to-flat contour with little waste land, and is surrounded by native and pine forest on either boundary.
Sound pasture management is a priority with the emphasis on not over grazing, or putting cows in paddocks after heavy rain to lessen damage to soils.
Regular farm meetings with the owners, accountant and bank manager ensure all parties are aware of production targets and goal setting.
The Levins also won three merit awards at the dinner in strategic planning, environment and farm management.
