The Real World

Leading the way

At 21, Baz Nelis runs a 180ha farm in Tirau with 500 cows. He brought his own herd, equipment and staff onto the farm and looks after the overall farm management.

So how did he get into dairy farming?

“When I left school I wasn’t too keen on training so I did AgITO, which is a correspondence course, every second week I went to a class which taught me everything about farming. I’ve done it over four years and now I’m going for the big diploma of agriculture.”

How does it feel to be the boss at such a young age?

“It’s a good feeling,” he says. “Especially to have older people working under me. It can be a lot of work but it’s very rewarding.”

As a boss, Baz wants to see more young people joining the dairy industry. And he believes the rewards are worth it.

“If you’re a hard goer and you’re real keen you can get into big positions quickly.”

The environment is a big issue for farmers these days and Baz is making sure he’s doing his bit. It’s obvious his efforts have paid off – the farm is beautiful and green with fresh, clear streams and rivers running through it. That’s all thanks to his sustainable farming practices.

Baz has planted native shrubs along the property's streams and rivers to help prevent erosion and excess nutrients from cow manure and fertiliser from leaching into the water. This keeps the waterways free from pollution and encourages bird and aquatic life, which gives Baz an excuse to go swimming and fishing with his mates!

He also has a water wheel on his farm which provides free energy to get the water from the stream to the cow shed. Not only does it look good, but it saves money too!
Baz also has a nutrient budget done on his farm to ensure there is not too much nitrogen in the soil, as this can leach into waterways and pollute water.

Baz has won his fair share of environment awards and also attended the Dairy Industry Environment Leadership Forum to become more knowledgeable about the environment and how it all works.

Even at a young age, Baz is definitely a role model for all farmers!