Sharemilkers are claiming there are fewer jobs available for the coming season, but this has led to debate whether it is a cyclical trend or is caused by changes to the way Fonterra pays farm owners for their milk.
Some farming leaders put the scarcity of jobs down to the fact an abundance of cows on the market at prices lower than for many years is allowing landowners to look at employing managers or contract milkers.
But others attribute it to complications with splitting Fonterra's new payment structure between farm owner and sharemilker. The new milk payment consists of a milk price and a dividend, or distributable profit, based on the profit earned by Fonterra's business activities to be distributed to shareholders.
Sharemilkers are concerned about the financial implications should the milk price fall and they no longer receive a contribution from Fonterra's added-value business.
Matthew Richards, Southland Federated Farmers sharemilkers section chairman, said quantifying the reduced number of jobs was difficult.
Otago farming leaders agree with the federation's Otago dairy section chairman, David Wilson, who says he has heard similar comments, which he attributed to complications with splitting the milk income to reflect milk production and owners' getting a return on their investment in Fonterra.
"It has caused some problems and farmers feel that rather than having the hassle, they will go back and employ managers."
Mr Richards hopes the job shortage is cyclical, noting that just two years ago there were not enough sharemilkers.
"We're hoping it's not a trend and farm owners realise 50:50 sharemilkers have their benefits", Mr Richards said.
New 50:50 sharemilking contracts were being negotiated to reflect the split between milk price and share dividend, but Mr Richards said existing contracts meant sharemilkers were entitled to half the farm's income - from both milk and the share dividend.
His organisation was recommending sharemilkers negotiate a share of the dividend, and he said some owners were negotiating new contracts that provided them with a share of the dividend with the balance and the milk cheque split evenly.
"The key thing we are saying with negotiations is you need to negotiate really well and do your homework."
He said splitting the payment could have implications for sharemilkers when the milk price fell. When this happened, Fonterra's business units bought milk at a lower price, which boosted their financial performance and potentially the dividend paid to shareholders, meaning sharemilkers could miss out.
Fonterra milk supply manager Tim Deane said agreements were between sharemilkers and and farm owners and outside the domain of Fonterra, but the dairy company and Federated Farmers had held nine workshops to address questions on capital restructuring.
"There are a number of ways to cut the pie and we have been actively working with Federated Farmers and those farm owners who employ sharemilkers to work through those options."
He rejected claims capital restructuring was responsible for fewer sharemilking jobs, saying there has been a trend of equity partnerships to replace sharemilking, so young farmers could grow their business and equity.
"There has been a reduction in 50:50 sharemilking and growth in equity partnerships," he said.