Young Holstein Friesian breeders who have their eye on leadership or governance roles in the future now have the perfect pathway to achieve their goals.
Holstein Friesian NZ has launched a Young Breeders Development Programme, aimed at young breeders aged 20-35 to help them develop skills outside of the showring, particularly in the areas of governance and industry affairs.
“The Association see this programme as a pathway to developing young breeders for Board succession and to represent HFNZ across industry affairs in the future,” HFNZ General Manager Cherilyn Watson says.
Young breeders will be approached to join the programme – which will run from March to December – but the HFNZ Board would also like to hear from anyone interested in the programme.
The six-eight people chosen will be expected to participate in the full programme, a mixture of online and in-person workshops.
Te Puke Holstein Friesian breeder Dave Marshall’s generous sponsorship of the programme means the costs of the programme will be covered for participants, with the exception of the HFNZ Conference attendance expenses.
Dave (Waihou Friesians) is in the process of forming an education trust for young people to ensure future leaders can develop to their full potential for the betterment of the dairy industry.
“If farmers/breeders are not prepared to stand up, they will get pushed to the side by politicians and law makers,” he says. “Now, more than ever, they need the skills and the confidence to be able to say what they think, and put a case across successfully.
“If they aren’t given the opportunity to receive governance training, they’ll get left behind in the future.”
Dave says he hopes they will learn from the experiences of the people running the training workshops, and upskill themselves in areas outside of farming.
The programme will kick off in March with a two-day introductory session outlining how the programme will run, followed by governance training covering the four pillars of governance, Director responsibilities and governance for not-for-profit organisations.
Throughout the year, participants will attend workshops covering industry topics including understanding Practical TOP/Classification, three-generation pedigree reports and bull catalogues; health, safety and risk assessment; understanding the National Breeding Objectives and breeding values that underpin the New Zealand dairy industry; genomics; the New Zealand milk payment system and the impact of global financial fluctuations; strategic planning; banking and finance; and communication, strategic and critical thinking skills.
To register interest, contact Cherilyn Watson on 021 702 170 or cherilyn.watson@nzhfa.org.nz.
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