Hayden Kilpatrick
Hayden Kilpatrick is the Nutritech Area Manager for Taranaki. As a nutrition and forage supplier to farmers, he works by three simple rules: #1: If you do a good job for farmers, it gets around quickly. #2: If you do a s*** job, it gets around even faster. #3. Always add value to the farmer where possible.
Hayden learned the rules in his teenage years. His parents got into dairy farming when he was 13, and Hayden took to it immediately. After completing an ag science degree at Massey, he chose to support the rural community from the nutrition side of farming.
“I’ve always been interested in animal health. Deep-diving into the science helped me understand the nutrition levers we could pull to improve production and efficiencies. The studies were great, but nothing beats the education of applying that knowledge on the farm.”
Much of that education has come with Nutritech. Since joining the team in 2019, Hayden has expanded his capacity to assist farmers. He explains the development.
“Nutritech has a wide range of products, and it takes time to learn how to apply them effectively. I’ve had expert help since Day One. Nutritech nutritionists have joined me on farm, and I’ve also leaned heavily on experienced Area Managers.
“Four years in, I’ve been able to earn the trust of farmers with good results. For me, there’s nothing more satisfying than helping a farmer succeed.”
An example of success came late in 2022. To combat facial eczema, one of Hayden’s customers had sprayed fungicide to kill the triggering spores. Hayden recommended a different approach – feeding the herd a zinc-based trace mineral in a salt-lick form. While zinc is commonly used to combat eczema, it can deplete the copper levels necessary for milk production and bone health. Trace minerals can prevent this loss of copper.
The farmer was sceptical. As a test, he opted to feed Nutritech’s zinc product to his replacement stock, but not to his bulls. The results were emphatic. Not a single animal in the young group contracted eczema, while the bulls suffered with it.
Although it’s a cliché, this value-add is what gets Hayden out of bed every day.
“Farmers are good people, and I love solving problems for them. I’m happy when they’re happy.”
When Hayden isn’t working on farm, you’ll find him on one of three other blocks of grass: The rugby field, the cricket pitch, or the golf course.
“I love all kinds of sport. Golf is one of my favourites, although I’m terrible at it. I’ve got one decent shot in me per round, but that’s enough to keep me coming back.”
–ends–