The grass can be greener

from The Farmlander - May 2021

Reduce workload with smarter fencing

West Coast dairy farmers Jeremy and Anna Hart spent over a decade share-milking large herds of up to 2,000 cows in the Waimate area before making the move to a smaller dairy farm about 25 kilometres from Hokitika.

They spoke at South Island Field Days about what prompted them to make the move to the West Coast and how it worked out for them. They shared their experience as part of a wider panel discussion, led by Sarah Perriam, host of Sarah’s Country podcast — that also included Development West Coast CEO Heath Milne and Property Brokers representatives Gareth Cox and Conrad Wilkshire — and provided a good insight into what it’s like to buy and start farming in a new part of New Zealand. “The plan when we were 30 was to do 10 years of dairy farming and then get into sheep and beef farming,” Jeremy says. “We did our 10 years and then we started looking at a bigger deer farm, but the bank thought it was a good idea that we keep dairy. “We looked over at the West Coast, which had fairly cheap land that was self-contained and had plenty of rainfall. It’s also a great lifestyle, so we are really glad we made the move. “We’ve got a great community around us, with really good people and it reminds me of how New Zealand was 20 years ago,” Jeremy says. Recent expansion will see Jeremy and Anna ramp up production, while maintaining a manageable operation. “We milk 300 cows and we just bought another 50ha next door, so we are going to 400 cows” Jeremy says. “We get the cows in for three milkings in two days, right from calving. “The thing I like about the coast is that it's self-contained, so we have all the heifers on-farm, cows are wintered-on and silage is made on-farm also” Jeremy says. Anna says the move has been a positive one, explaining how she and Jeremy started share-milking large herds (up to 2,000 cows) around 2006 and did so for about 13 years. “Milking large herds got us to where we are but it was pretty tough going with 8 to 13 staff in the peak and we never really had any family time, so we decided to make that lifestyle change,” Anna says. “We felt like we were ready to take that next step, but we couldn’t see a way in Canterbury because the land prices were too high. “We thought we would have a family holiday down the West Coast and we also had a look around some farms and found one in the Kowhitirangi Valley that we ended up buying through Gareth Cox at Property Brokers. They wanted to do all they could to make the transition as smooth as possible and not just for themselves.

| (L-R) Property Brokers Rural Real Estate Agent Canterbury-West Coast Gareth Cox, West Coast dairy farmers Jeremy and Anna Hart, Sarah's Country host Sarah Perriam, Property Brokers Rural General Manager Conrad Wilkshire and Development West Coast CEO Heath Milne.

“The biggest thing that we did was to buy the stock that was already there on the farm, so they knew the farm,” Anna says. There was already good genetics in that herd and we have improved that over the years. “We looked at schooling and there was a really good high school in Hokitika and our son went to the local rural school so that was a great way to meet people. “I really threw myself into the community when we first arrived and got involved in things and now I’m a local councillor on the Westland District Council.”

Who’s moving?

It’s an interesting mix of people who are buying farms on the West Coast, Property Brokers Rural Real Estate Agent Canterbury-West Coast Gareth Cox says. “We’ve seen quite a recovery in interest in rural property the last year and a half and a lot of younger people looking for their first or second farm. “That’s backed up by the sales that we’ve seen this season, last year we had 3 dairy farms sold on the West Coast, this year we’ve seen 6 to 7 in the season to late March which is a pretty huge turnaround really. “It’s no secret that rural land prices have taken a hit over the last 2 to 3 years, but they are recovering. “For farmers, the West Coast of the South Island probably offers some of the best value for money in the country. This part of New Zealand can be very profitable for farmers and that is what the banks want to see — that you can be profitable from day one.” Property Brokers Rural General Manager Conrad Wilkshire agrees, adding that it has always been people based outside of the district who are buying the farms and that it’s always been that way on the West Coast. “Every year we run campaigns to bring people from elsewhere around New Zealand and we run seminars up and down the country on it, in partnership with Development West Coast,” Conrad says. Development West Coast CEO Heath Milne says it helps that Westland District Council has a good understanding of farming and strikes the right balance between considering environmental impact and economic need in the resource consent process. “From an environment point of view on the West Coast — we do get a bit of rain at times and we get enough so you don’t really have issues with water getting on the paddock or stuff getting off it either,” Heath says. “It’s not as isolated as people think; you can be in Christchurch in 2 and a half hours and it is great base to run a successful business.” The move to start farming in a whole new district can be daunting, but if you do your homework and need a better lifestyle balance, it can be a very rewarding move to make.