Ben Fisher

Ben joined DairyNZ in 2011 and has held several farm and research technician roles before stepping into his current position as farm units manager of Scott and Lye Farms - DairyNZ’s research farms in the Waikato.

His role is diverse, ranging from daily tasks like milking cows, fixing fences, and feeding out, to strategic planning for farm capital expenditure and managing the practicalities of running large-scale research projects for dairy farmers.

A highlight of Ben’s time at DairyNZ is has been involvement in the Fertility Breeding Value project - a large-scale study where the research team sourced animals from across the North Island. “I loved taking part in such an exciting project,” says Ben. “I really enjoyed working with the people involved in the project and meeting lots of farmers when we were picking up calves. Then being able to follow those calves through to mature cows, and getting some fascinating and pretty clear-cut results for farmers, was very satisfying.”

Ben has a real passion for working with cows and grew up on dairy farms in the Wairarapa. “I was in the cowshed with Dad from a young age,” says Ben. “I remember being too small at the time to put cups on, but I would teat spray for him.” This led Ben to complete a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from Massey University and to follow a career in dairy.