They've been working together for 11 years and say they got on well right from the start. "We've learned a lot from each other," Kevin says. "It's been pretty successful both ways, I think. Neither of us are afraid to try new things. Julia does all the homework and we just work things out from there. I don't think we've had a cross word all the way through."
Julia, a Technical Agriculture Specialist for Otago/Southland, agrees. "We've worked together for so long there's (plenty of) honesty. If something's coming out, I'll always ask if Kevin wants to try it first. If there are any problems or it doesn't fit in well, I know Kevin will tell me."
She's been in the agriculture industry for 30 years, starting in the UK before coming to New Zealand 12 years ago. She was, she says, 'pretty green'. "Kevin was one of my first meetings. I'd not been in the role long and had all these manuals and books. Kevin gave me a lot of his time, we sat for about three hours, got all the books out, and wrote down what he needed. That set me up, really; I've been confident during every farmer meeting from then on and comfortable I knew where to get information. I probably need to thank Kevin because he gave me that time at the beginning."
Now Julia works closely with Kate Lindsay, the region's Farm Source TSR, to ensure farmers have the best possible advice for their businesses. They both enjoy being able to support farmers, helping them buy products and find solutions on farm. Kate says she's learning a lot from Julia.
"Before starting this role 11 months ago I was dairy farming for 16 years, and I drove milk tankers for a couple of years. I felt I had a bit of knowledge and wanted to extend that and help farmers out. Understanding it a lot more from both sides has been a highlight and helping farmers save money whenever we can."
Kate, Kevin and Julia have support from Barenbrug, as well as from each other. "It's really cool with Barenbrug, with all their new cultivars," Julia says. "The TSRs and I get to go out once a year and look at new cultivars coming through, and I share that with Kevin as he's looking at ways to improve his business all the time. We stay up to date with new cultivars coming through, and training sessions - we do have farmer training sessions in the area, Kevin's been to them in the past, with regard to correct grazing. On-farm, our rep's called Richard, he came to look at a new cultivar that Kevin had tried, and it was quite good for him to come and see the product actually on farm. With regard to technical support, Kate is Kevin's first port of call, with support from me, but Barenbrug is there at the end of the phone if we need them."
"It's not always clear what fits into the changing regulations, for example with nitrogen. It's great having people like Julia and Kate on team to guide us when we need."
- Kevin Dixon, Southland Farmer
A particular challenge for Kevin has been managing the different types of land across his farms. He has 850ha on platform and another 650-670ha on run-off, and he's just taken on another wee' run-off. "Here at home on the dairy unit it's quite heavy," he says. "In summer it's a bit wet, but where we winter the cows, on the run-off, it's quite dry. So we've come up with a dryland solution for pasture over there. We try to do some summer crops as well, which this year was very successful."
There are other challenges, too, with Kevin saying the biggest one going forward will be changing regulations. "It's not always clear what fits into the changing regulations, for example with nitrogen. It's great having people like Julia and Kate on team to guide us when we need." The Southland weather also presents a challenge. "But we can't do anything about that," he says.
The Farm Source team is always available to support and advise farmers. Call your local TSR to access this support.