Road to dairying

Drawn to dairy

By Samantha Tennent

Continuing our Road to Dairying series we catch up with a Canterbury farmer who has found her passion lies in the dairy industry.

With a one-way ticket to London booked, a dairy farming career was not on Claudia Bolt’s radar.

She had spent two months in Argentina on a school exchange in year 13. That trip sparked her interest in culture and new experiences and she was keen to travel as much as she could.

She had grown up on a dairy farm but there was no appeal in working for her dad, so when she finished school she jumped on a plane and headed to the United States. She spent five months working at a summer fat-loss camp in Pennsylvania then spent a few weeks travelling around before jetting to Europe for three months.

She popped home for a short stint in December 2019 with the plan to head back to Europe indefinitely and while she was back an opportunity came up to help out on her cousin’s farm.

“My cousin Henry had a worker leave, it was awkward timing on the farm so I offered to help him out for the rest of the season to earn a bit of cash before I left,” Bolt says.

It was a 600 cow farm at Rangitata Island in Canterbury and little did she know at the time but that temporary role was going to turn into a permanent one when the covid-19 pandemic ran riot across the globe.

“The border shutting changed my plans drastically, until then I hadn’t considered dairy farming, I knew I didn’t want to work for Dad on the home farm and just hadn’t thought about other farms as an option.

“But when Henry asked if I’d be keen to stick around the following season it seemed like a good option.”

A couple of seasons down the track and she has now stepped into the 2IC role and raves about her job and how she has found her passion.

“I seriously love my job, I’ve found my thing, I love being outside and I love the cows, and it’s definitely been a lucky break.”

There was an adjustment period before she found her feet, which were used to the traveling lifestyle. She was used to always being on the move and meeting new people, so struggled to adjust to living by herself and working on the farm.

“It took me a while to realise what was getting me down so much, I felt really isolated and wasn’t sure how to start feeling better.

“But once I started putting myself out there I found my community and started enjoying the lifestyle a lot more.”

Sport has been a savior, she plays netball and touch locally, which helps get her out and meet new people again.

Keen to experience different cultures and travel the world, Canterbury farmer Claudia Bolt headed overseas after finishing school, but what was supposed to be short visit home has turned into a full-time career in dairying.

“I seriously love my job, I’ve found my thing, I love being outside and I love the cows, and it’s definitely been a lucky break.”

Claudia is the 2IC on a 600-cow farm at Rangitata Island and has been working her way through Primary ITO courses. Claudia covers the silage stack. Claudia loves working with the cows and at first, found farm life to be isolating but has since connected with her community and enjoys playing various sports.

She has also been enjoying studying through Primary ITO where she is up to level 4 and finds it valuable building on the practical skills she has learnt while farming.

“The training really helps me understand the why in everything we do, which makes a big difference out on the farm and I enjoy putting my practical skills on paper.

“I also like the social side of Primary ITO, it’s been a great way to meet people and be around others who love dairy farming as much as I do.”

She has relished having more responsibilities being 2IC this season and appreciates how Henry includes her when he is planning management decisions on the farm. Effluent is solely her responsibility and she takes care of the majority of the herd management and feed allocation, chatting to Henry every few days about what is coming up. And this season she is having a go at some heat detection for the first time.

“I really enjoy taking on more responsibility, I love expanding my knowledge and I love being able to see the progression of the animals on the farm.”

Being able to learn from others has been really important to Claudia, she likes to understand as much as she can.

“I didn’t just want to work at home and do things the way Dad does, I think it’s important to learn about different options and try different things.”

Her dad has mentioned the idea of her coming home a few times but she is really happy where she is. She is aiming to become a solo manager on a small farm sometime. And travel is still in the back of her mind and she hopes to spend a season farming in Ireland one day.

“I’m glad I got into dairying in the end, it’s not as scary as it seemed and there’s so many people always willing to help.

“I think the key is realising everyone is in the same boat and has the same feelings and it’s important to take all the opportunities you can.” n

“I’m glad I got into dairying in the end, it’s not as scary as it seemed and there’s so many people always willing to help.”

DISCOVER YOUR TRUE NATURE

At Pāmu, we’ve spent over 130 years getting to know New Zealand dairy

farms. We’re natural innovators who apply fresh thinking from the

paddock to the milk bottle and every step in between. Pāmu is looking to

employ grounded, motivated dairy staff and develop their knowledge and

capabilities. With a range of dairying opportunities available, our career

pathways are defined so that you can learn, develop, and advance. We

lookout for the health, safety, and well-being of all our staff with modern,

well-maintained facilities and farm equipment. No matter which path you

want to take with your dairy career, there’s a place for you at Pāmu.

Interested in being a part of the new future of dairy farming?

Visit: pamunewzealand.com/jobs