Contracts were just a bunch of jargon to Matt Hoets before he completed the Contract Milking course through Dairy Training.
Contracts were just a bunch of jargon for Matt Hoets before he completed the Contract Milking course through Dairy Training. He had even used a lawyer for support in the past, but he found that, without farming experience, they couldn’t translate them in a way that allowed him to relate to different scenarios.
“I’m a typical practically minded farmer and I had no idea what I was reading when I was going through those contracts,” Matt says.
“But the Dairy Training course got into the nitty-gritty and helped me understand.
“It connected the clauses to what actually happens and how the farm and farm policies work with the contract.”
Matt has completed three courses through Dairy Training – Contract Milking, Business by Numbers and Write a Business Plan.
“The courses are great. I found the best part was discussing the learnings with other people because when you read something you have your ideas but other people can read the same thing and come up with completely different ideas.”
He recommends the courses for a range of farmer types.
“I think managers should definitely do these courses. It helps you understand what you need to do and what steps you need to take to get where you want to be.“
And he’s already looking ahead: “A CV it’s the first place I’d be looking if I was a farm owner planning to hire a contract milker to see whether they’ve completed these courses. There’s a really good circle of valuable people who are minimising risk by developing their knowledge and skills.”
After leaving school in Year 12, Matt went farming, but then decided to build on his practical knowledge with a Diploma in Agriculture from Lincoln University. Since then he has also completed courses through Primary ITO, and the Dairy Training courses have continued to build his skill set.
“It takes a range of practical and technical skills to farm. Ultimately as contract milkers we’re self-employed but we’re also a service provider to another business. So understanding things like contracts is important as it’s the foundation of how your business is going to operate and how the relationship is going to work.”
This story first appeared in Inside Dairy, the official publication of DairyNZ.
You can now read the most important #news on #eDairyNews #Whatsapp channels!!!
🇺🇸 eDairy News INGLÊS: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaKsjzGDTkJyIN6hcP1K
