The call of the farm

By Sam Jaquiery

Sam Henson has tried his hand at a couple of trades, but there are several reasons he always comes back to dairy.

Temptation got the better of Sam Henson on a few occasions and he was enticed out of dairy farming by the promise of more money or the rare luxury of weekends off.

But it never took him long to realise where his true passion was and he is now in his third venture in the sector, managing 350 cows in Himatangi, Manawatū.

He enjoys the freedom and chances to succeed and appreciates the opportunities and lifestyle of dairying.

“I like the flexibility that dairy farming offers. If there’s something on during the day I can make it work to be able to go, and I enjoy not being micromanaged,” Henson says.

“But ultimately I enjoy being able to get the results I want.”

He grew up on a sheep and beef farm and did an automotive course after secondary school, thinking he would become a mechanic. But he got a relief milking job and decided to give farming a crack.

“By the end of my course, I was offered a full-time farming role. It was a threemonth fixed-term cover till the end of the season then I went straight into another job across the road on a split calving farm.”

He quickly moved from a farm assistant into a 2IC role, and onto managing another farm nearby soon after. But after a couple of seasons managing he decided to leave farming and head to Australia to work in warehousing and experience a different life.

“I needed a break from farming. I didn’t want to work weekends anymore and the pay was pretty good in Australia. I had a few good friends over there and I was