Garry and Alison Robinson are the cream of the Northland dairy farmers.
The Okaihau couple were judged top of 10 Northland contestants for the WestpacTrust Kiwi Dairies Farmer of the Year Award during a special dinner at Forum North in Whangarei this weekend.
They received a $10,000 prize of cash and sponsors' products - and another $2000 for also winning two of the regional competition's three performance awards for pasture management and business growth.
They will represent Northland in a contest against the regional winners from three other Kiwi supply districts - Taranaki, lower North Island and South Island - for a national title which will announced at Palmerston North on May 11.
The third $1000 Northland performance award, for finance mangement, went to Andrew and Anne Fraser, of Titoki, who also won the $2000 regional runner-up prize package.
Garry and Alison Robinson milk 335 cows on 102ha effective and their son Grant and his partner Julie sharemilk 315 cows on a 95ha neighbouring property.
The combined herd achieves 360kg ms/cow and 1180kg ms/ha.
Mr Robinson, 50, worked in Kiwi Dairies factories in Taranaki for seven years before making a career change about 22 years ago.
He and Alison milked for wages on an Eltham dairy farm for two years then switched to 50-50 sharemilking at Kaponga for 13 years before moving to their own farm at Okaihau in 1994.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
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