30,287 copies distributed monthly – to every rural mailbox in Canterbury and the West Coast
October 2019 Edition
INSIDE
THIS EDITION PM’s Scholarship
p5 First woman grad
p19 Animal vaccination
p30 Wool uncertainty
p45
Reuse: Milk from roan Farm will be sold in reusable glass bottles.
Boutique milk business brings back glass bottles A new family-owned boutique milk business is set to bring the clink of glass milk bottles back to Canterbury streets.
❚ by brad Markham James and Chloe Davidson, who have two young children, Angus and Margot, have established Darfield-based Roan Farm. The couple has leased 24 hectares of land where they will produce sought-after A2 milk to sell door-to-door. “There’s something nostalgic about having fresh milk delivered to your door from the farm just down the road,” Chloe said.
Animal welfare, the environment, sustainability and the consumer are a key focus for the fledgling family farm to fridge business. “The conventional dairy industry has some image problems and we want to lead by example and show what is achievable,” said James. “Our cows are grass-fed, our A2 milk will be delivered in reusable glass bottles and we plan to leave calves with their mothers.” Thirty-year-old James is a former FMG
Young Farmer of the Year grand finalist who has carved a name for himself in the traditional dairy sector. “It can be a bit disheartening when you work long hours and your milk gets collected by the milk tanker and you never see it again,” he said. “I want to interact with the people who buy and drink our milk and share with them the story of where it comes from.”
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