Herd Manager

Description

We seek an exceptional person to join us in our journey, from cropping farm to a dairy unit; milking 880 cows through a brand new 60 bail Rotary shed, located near Lauriston, 20 mins from Ashburton. This permanent herd manager role will involve being part of our team in operating the dairy farm each day. The farm is designed to be great to work on with; ▪ Short walks and short milking times ▪ Two centre pivots and no K-line ▪ 6:2 roster with 4 full time team members on roster (plus owners Mitch and Steph). Duties of this role include (but are not limited to): • Milking, milk quality and shed management • Feed management • Animal health and breeding • Tractor based work • Calving work • General duties Our ideal candidate would have substantial hands-on dairy experience, and enjoy working with both cows and people. And in particular, be strong in these areas; • Very reliable • Experience in the dairy shed with milking, and animal health based work • Get their work done to a high standard • Can get through a lot of work each day • Fits in well in the team • Have a desire to grow themselves and their skillset They will have good communication skills, be very reliable and not afraid of working hard, and be a strong English speaker with a good sense of humour. Any mechanical skills (or other skills) to complement our team would also be beneficial, with plenty of opportunity to work in our fully stocked farm workshop and be our ‘fix-it’ person. As we are a small team there will be a lot of opportunities to learn new skills and take responsibility. On farm accommodation is a fully furnished, renovated 1 bedroom cottage. Start date approx. 1st June 2026 Good salary based on dairy experience and any other beneficial skills. Applicants for this position should have NZ residency or a valid NZ work visa. Applicants will also need a driver’s license, and be able to speak English well. Please register your interest with CV or background to stephsim8@icloud.com At Ardagh Farming, we care about people. The vision for this farm is to create a strong team with a fun, family-friendly environment to live and work, which can translate into an exceptional dairy operation over time.

Accommodation

Accommodation provided.

Recently renovated, Fully furnished 1 bedroom cottage