Fonterra Dairy Women of the Year, Katrina Roberts shares her experiences and contributions to the dairy industry. With over two decades of expertise, her role as a herd health veterinarian and farm consultant has had a considerable impact on dairy farming in Waikato and beyond.
Expressing her gratitude for the award, Katrina described the honour as "pretty humbling," acknowledging the other impressive nominees.
Her day-to-day role involves close collaboration with farmers, providing them with advice on improving their farm businesses, educating staff, and troubleshooting animal health and farm management issues.
She expresses her enjoyment of problem-solving and planning with the farmers, saying, "I love getting around the table with them and problem-solving and planning forward and working out what's going to work best for them."
Katrina's contributions to the dairy industry extend beyond her work as a consultant. She discusses her involvement in cutting-edge dairy research, particularly in the area of common dairy cow diseases. Furthermore, her significant involvement in training initiatives such as the DairyNZ In-Calf program.
Beyond her professional life, Katrina dedicates her time to community service, volunteering with Riding for the Disabled.
She finds this work rewarding and commented, "at the moment I'm in Cambridge Writing for the Disabled. I've got a volunteer training session today that I'm taking on horse training, so that's pretty cool."
Katrina's recent award has opened up new opportunities, such as her participation in the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, which she is looking forward to.
Throughout the conversation Katrina expresses her gratitude for Fonterra and the Dairy Women's Network who are recognising the hard work of rural women in dairy. She also voices her appreciation for the community and support systems that are empowering women in agriculture.
Katrina Robert's conversation with Dom offers insight into her varied roles and highlights the contributions of women in the dairy industry, offering inspiration for those with a passion for agriculture and community leadership.
Listen to the full chat between Katrina Roberts and Dominic George above.
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