Mark and Nika Booker will be amongst the competitors at the Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards dinner in March.

The couple have entered the Sharemilker Farmer of the Year category for the second time. Last year they walked away with the LIC Merit Award for recording and productivity. Mark and Nika are 50:50 sharemilking 300 Jersey cows at Awakeri.

Nika says they learnt so much from entering the competition last year, they wanted to have another crack.

'It really helped us focus on what we're doing really well and also what we need to work on.

'It really jump started us to do some major professional development. We've learnt so much in the last year.
'This year we feel like we're a lot more equipped for the competition.”

Nika says they've seen a flow on effect into the financial and planning aspects of their business; and it has helped them plan their business growth for the future.

'The big goal is farm ownership; some days we think ‘oh gosh it's never going to happen', and other days we think it's possible.”

Competing in the Dairy Industry Awards is getting them closer to their goal though says Nika.

She says now they have more of an understanding of what they need to do financially to achieve farm ownership.

Mark and Nika are looking for a new, bigger sharemilking opporrunity for the next phase of their farming career.