Dairy farming didn't figure in Cameron Luxton's future plans, until he was offered a job at Galatea.

Cameron Luxton's decision to leave a career in building to take up dairy farming has paid off. Not only does he love the lifestyle, he's also won the Bay of Plenty 2014 Dairy Trainee of the Year Award and came third in the 2014 New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year.

'While I was at school I used to love spending time on my uncle's farm but was never encouraged to go farming as a career,” says the 24-year-old who grew up in Papamoa Beach.

He obviously has a skill for farming, because the former builder has won the Bay of Plenty 2014 Dairy Trainee of the Year Award in a hotly-contested final.

Three years ago, Cameron was nearing the end of his building apprenticeship at Papamoa when the offer to work on Andrew and Dianne Muller's Galatea farm came up.

'I was spending most weekends at Galatea anyway, working for free on the friend's farm and had considered going to Christchurch to work on the re-build – but it wasn't a hard decision to come here instead.”

Fate might have had a hand in it too, as shortly after accepting the job Cameron met Susan Read at a party – and discovered she was 'the boss' daughter”.

Susan was studying early childhood education; and now the couple have married she's returned home to Galatea, teaching at Murupara while Cameron is an assistant on the family farm.

The 157 hectare flat farm, with 140ha effective land, in the Galatea valley, carries 380 kiwi-cross cows which graze on a mix of conventional pasture and lucerne.

'I'm a real fan of lucerne. I'd like us to grow more of it. The old-timers in the valley say a lot more of the pasture here used to be lucerne but then people went away from it for some reason.”

The lucerne is cut before the cows go into the paddock, and within days of grazing it's rapidly re-grown. It stayed lush green throughout this summer, says Cameron. 'If you look after it properly, it can last for up to 10 years.”

Lucerne is returning to pasturelands at Galatea, and Cameron Luxton is a fan of the plant.

Re-sowing pasture is something Cameron likes. Setting up the tractor and implements, plugging into his favourite odcasts and spending the last few hours of daylight in the paddock is a pleasure, not a chore. He also enjoys the cows and has a number of friendly favourites among the herd.

This is the second time Cameron has entered the dairy awards, saying the big benefit he's received both times is the judge's feedback.

'They showed me, in constructive ways, areas I was doing well in and areas I needed to improve in my farming practice.

'Through the support of my employers I've moved my career forward and I'm excited about going further. I want to be the best farmer I can be for my family, community and industry.”

Cameron also wants to encourage other young people to consider dairy farming as a career.

'The money is good when you consider the job comes with accommodation, meat, milk and the chance to grow your own vegetables. Galatea is a great place to save money, as there's nowhere to spend it round here,” he laughs.

Cameron is also enjoying the rural social life, and he's joined the local rugby club.

'A lot of our players are from Minginui – and despite what you might hear elsewhere, they're great people who've made me very welcome.”