Dairy Farm Assistant

COMPANY NAME: Deal Dairy Limited
JOB TITLE: Farm Assistant
JOB LOCATION: West Coast Region
NUMBER OF POSITIONS: 1
EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Permanent Full-time
SALARY RANGE: $27-$39 per hour
HOURS PER WEEK: 85 hours per fortnight
DAYS REQUIRED: Shifting Mondays-Sundays

JOB DUTIES:

MILKING: Assists in efficient and hygienic milking routine. Follows the procedure to
produce high-quality milk.

• Carries out milk harvesting tasks as directed and is developing the correct skills to milk efficiently and safely.
• Understands factors that affect milk quality, and the reasons for regulations around milk quality safety.
• Assists with cleaning and maintaining the milking plant and farm dairy equipment and reports any faults to senior staff.

ANIMALS: Assists in the safe handling of animals, reports any health and welfare issues
as per farm policy.

• Assists with moving and handling animals safely and observes and reports on wellbeing of all stock.
• Watching stock for any ill health and reports issues to best person on farm.
• Assists with moving handling and rearing calves safely. Is building awareness of good health, hygiene and welfare for newly calved cows and young calves.
• Is building skills in observing, recording, and reporting on cows preparing to calve, and assists with calving cows.
• Assists with mating management as directed. Is building observation skills in heat detection and mating health issues. Is building in understanding of breeding for herd improvement and working safely with bulls.

FEED: Controls weeds. Sets break fences and feeds out as directed.

• Assists with weed control and is learning about animal health issues associated with crops.
• Assists with feeding stock on-farm and growing young stock and is aware of changing feed needs during lactation.
• Assists with pasture and feed allocation, sets break fences, and feeds out as directed.
• Is learning, observing, and reporting on pasture quality, appropriate residuals, and pasture damage due to weather. Takes notice and reports any irregularities.

ENVIRONMENT: Assists with nutrient, effluent and water management as directed by farm policy.

• Assists with the operation and maintenance of the dairy effluent management system and follows the effluent plan in line with farm policy.
• Is learning about the role nutrients play in farm systems, and the importance of good nutrient management. At a level that is reflective of time on farm.
• Understands regulations around land management and ensures their practice complies with these.
• Assists with maintaining the water system, is aware of regional council requirements around water use, and reports any issues to senior staff.

PEOPLE: Works well with others, building a strong team culture.

• Is aware of the opportunities available to them in their personal and career goals and is looking for growth opportunities on farm to gain more skills.
• Understands own rights around employment agreements, minimum wage requirements, and accommodation, and knows how to communicate any issues to their manager.
• Is developing an understanding of what makes a good farm team, and how their actions affect the wider team.
• Understands own rights around work time and workload, and to a reasonable work-life balance.

MACHINE, VEHICLES AND TECHNOLOGY: Safely uses and maintains vehicles on farm as directed by on farm policy.

• Safely assists with erecting and maintaining both permanent and non-permanent electric and non-electric fences, as directed.
• Is learning about the farm irrigation system, and assists with identifying irrigation problems and making repairs, as directed.
• Is confident using computers, smartphones, and apps. Is learning the value of collecting good quality data and how it can be used to make decisions.
• Knows how to safely operate farm vehicles and machinery as needed/ relevant for position on farm and assists with basic maintenance.

HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELLBEING: Involved in building a health, safety and wellbeing culture. Models farms health, safety and wellbeing policy.

• Is learning skills to maintain good personal health on-farm and follows health and safety guidelines in the workplace.
• Identifies hazards, understands safety procedures, and demonstrates safe on-farm work practices. Reports near misses and accidents in the relevant registers provided at induction.
• Understands own rights to an emotionally secure workplace, and the importance of personal wellbeing.
• Is aware of the farm's responsibility around health, safety, and wellbeing in relation to land, people, and animals.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:

Financial

• Beginning to understand how a farm operates as a business including how the dairy pay-out effects income and the cost associated with farming.
• Understands KiwiSaver, PAYE, employment agreement, banking procedures, credit and interest rates and hire purchase.

Requirements:

Relevant 2 years of experience OR a relevant qualification in animal studies

Personal Attributes:

• Self-management
  
• Punctuality
  
• Tidiness
  
• Able to plan out daily activities/duties
  
• Personal hygiene
  
• Attitude
  
• Time management and efficiency
  
• Willing to undergo drug testing
  
• No smoking on the farm