Dairy farming: Award-winner Sam Dodd on how unplanned opportunities led to a satisfying career

2023 NZ Dairy Industry Awards Waikato farm manager of the year, Sam Dodds. Photo / Catherine Fry

Sam Dodd describes his journey into farming as a series of relatively unplanned opportunities that came his way, leading him into a career that he is passionate about.

The 26-year-old was the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards 2023 Waikato Dairy Manager of the Year and has also won four regional merit awards.

Despite being a definite Tauranga city boy, Dodd wasn’t a complete stranger to farming as a child.

His mum’s side of the family are dairy farmers, and his dad, Mark Dodd, was the general manager at LIC before moving into farm consultancy.

“I have a lot of happy childhood memories of spending holidays on my grandparents’ farm, but I never considered it as a career,” Dodd said.

“From Year 10 I always wanted to be a paramedic.”

Sadly, his mum passed away during Dodd’s first year of training in Wellington and the then 18-year-old returned to Tauranga and was a little directionless.

Finding direction in farming

His dad suggested he went to his mum’s family farm in Tirau and worked with his aunt and uncle.

“I’d never done an honest day’s work in my life, let alone milking.

“I started cleaning sheds out, fencing, calving and then milked for the first time.

“I was out of the house from 6am to 5pm, working under the contact milker, Mark Jeans, who is a great guy, and I loved it.”

A local vet asked if he wanted a permanent job as they knew of a farm assistant position for Rhys and Tamara Parry in Taranaki.

The business end of Mangahana Farm. Photo / Catherine Fry

“I jumped at the chance to work for such legendary people and spent a year there.

“I then moved to the Joyce’s for two years as and their farm manager, Hermes, made the job fun as I honed my skills.”

During that time, Dodd entered the Taranaki regional NZ Dairy Industry Awards as a trainee and came third, and entered again the next year and won, going on to be second at the national finals.

While he was working he was preparing for his big OE.

He had resigned from his role and had tickets booked for June 2020.

Covid disruptions

Sam Dodd loves farm life. Photo / Catherine Fry

“Then Covid happened, Air New Zealand cancelled my flights and my plans had to change,” Dodd said.

After a bit of a panic, as he was now unemployed, Dodd called his dad, whose new client Belinda Wilson needed a 2IC.

Dodd joined contract milker Micky Parkes on Mangahana Farm near Te Awamutu.

“Gypsy Day 2020 was quite an experience as we were still under quite strict Covid restrictions, but we were allowed to move for work.”

Dodd found himself working with his dad, Mangahana’s farm consultant and was blown away by his huge industry knowledge.

“When I was younger I had never really thought about what he actually did, and I was impressed.”

When the opportunity came up to manage the farm, Dodd took it.

He has three full-time staff and a calf rearer on the 252ha, flat-to-rolling contour farm. The team milks 780 kiwi cross cows through a 50-bail rotary shed.

They run under a production system three, feeding grass silage, maize and PK on a feed pad. They are heading for 315,000 kg/MS this season.

“We are developing the ability to have two separate herd managers and allowing staff to progress within the farm.”

Networking opportunities

Sam in Mangahana Farm’s 50-bail rotary shed. Photo / Catherine Fry

Dodd entered the 2023 NZ Dairy Industry Awards Waikato farm manager competition and valued the networking opportunities and talking to people who are good representatives of the industry.

“With all the new legislation and regulations, farming is a lot more black and white.

“The younger generations grew up with technology and using data, and awareness of environmental issues so we are comfortable with it.”

Dodd was picked by Dairy NZ to be part of a Dairy Environmental Leaders Forum where he listened to our Foreign Trade Minister, MPs, vets, researchers, Fonterra representatives and other prominent experts in the industry.

After initially starting training as a paramedic, Sam Dodd is now very happily farming. Photo / Catherine Fry

“It all made so much sense to me,” he said.

“People comment about the environmental changes we are legislated to make but that is driven by world environmental demands.

“The market for our milk products wants them to come from a clean green environment.

“New Zealand can still offer that and needs to keep up with international environmental demands.

“As a result, we can charge a premium for our dairy products.”