Four years ago Steven Josephs hung up his milking apron for the last time and became a stock agent.

Now, the North Islander turned Southlander who started his career at Matamata is chair of this year’s NZ Large Herds Conference.

“I’d done 24 years in the cowshed,” he explained to Dairy News.

He is one of several former or non farmers on the conference committee which includes a real estate agent, a banker, and a breeding company representative.

“They definitely bring an extra dimension to the organisation, but they all have interests in dairy farms so can relate to what it is all about at the muddy boots level too.”

He can also personally relate to what it’s like to be a speaker at the event.

“[My wife] Jo and I were among the first sharemilkers to be milking 1500 cows. We spoke at the Large Herds Conference when it was at Rotorua in the mid 1990s.”

They were part of the conference organising committee that year and have gone to many of LHCs since, albeit as delegates rather than organisers. Then Steven was asked by the committee, which is still dominated by large herds’ farmers, some with multiple farms, to chair this year’s event which kicks off March 15th in Invercargill.

He is unequivocal about what will be the highlight of the four-day programme.

“The whole lot! The conference has come at a good time really. There’s been quite a focus on large herd operations in the North Island recently, and there’s the whole [Mackenzie] cow housing thing going on.”

This year’s theme is Tip of the Iceberg – Complying to the Future, a reference to the legislation looming in the industry, plus a play on Invercargill’s location and last year’s iceberg sightings off the coast.

That theme is picked up in sessions such as “International Compliance for the Environment – ICE”; “Poles Apart” featuring three northern-hemisphere industry leaders; and “What’s Below the Waterline” where speakers, including former Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley, will provide a window on legal, financial and international matters.

Josephs admits he is particularly looking forward to the “Pioneers in Southland” session, where three current large-scale local dairy farmers from very different backgrounds relay their experiences.

Last year’s innovation of a “Science in Action” session is repeated, with young scientists and researchers presenting their work to the conference on Tuesday, prior to an awards presentation on Wednesday.

Those two indoor days are sandwiched between a pre-conference optional visit to Mt Linton Station in Western Southland on the Monday, and Thursday’s tour of four local dairy farms.

“They are all big operations with something different to see. Ballyhooley Farms has an innovative effluent storage and application system; Otaitai Dairies was last year’s winner of the Southland Farm Environment Award; Southern Centre Dairies have wintering sheds; and Papawai Ltd is using worms to digest its effluent.”

Thursday’s bus tour of the farms is followed by a HOEdown dinner dance. “The HOE stands for Helping Our Environment. We’re taking the environment theme all the way through.”

And as with any conference, the networking opportunities and exchange of ideas outside the main halls is often as valuable as the wise words conveyed within, he believes.

“It’s why we used to go. I found the people at NZ Large Herds were the type of people who think outside the square. I’m not sure if movers and shakers is the right description but they are definitely the people with the get up and go to do different things.”

He is unconcerned by the location clash with SIDE (the South Island Dairy Event) which is also at Stadium Southland, just three months later.

“Southland asked for NZ Large Herds Conference, that’s why it’s here this year, and there have been so many conversions here in the last few years that I think people from all over the country want to see what it is all about.

“It is a really go ahead area and I don’t think it [the SIDE clash] is going to be an issue.” Large Herds is open to anybody, he adds.

“The programme should appeal to all farm owners, farm managers, sharemilkers, equity partners, shareholders; not just those with large herds.”

Registrations are already rolling in and, thanks to Summit Quinphos’ premier sponsorship and support of other sponsors, the programme, including Thursday’s farm tours and HOEdown dinner dance, is just $480 plus GST.

“Four to five hundred delegates is our target.”

Daily registrations are also available. See http://www.largeherds.co.nz/conference/registration