PROFILE
3
Sisters set for cows, cows AND MORE COWS
Cohuna dairy farming sisters Kaitlyn, April and Emmalea Wishart
SOPHIE BALDWIN cows have always featured heavily in the lives of sisters Emmalea, Kaitlyn and April Wishart. Growing up on the family dairy farm, Rowlands Park, at Cohuna, the girls have always shown a keen interest in what is going on. Whether it’s showing cows, rearing stock, milking, driving tractors or sowing, the girls have got every aspect of farm management covered, which in turn has been a great source of pride for parents Rick and Tina. “We all share the same interest and are really close as a result. The girls each have their own strengths and when they were younger Emmalea was the boss, which used to create a few arguments but now they are young adults they all share the load and all work really well together,” Tina said. The girls’ continued interest in farming is now what keeps Rick and Tina motivated especially when they start to question themselves, however
the trials, tribulations and tough times, especially over the last few years have only served to bring the family closer together as they negotiate their future. Emmalea, 21, is in her final year of exercise science at Bendigo and is looking to get her masters next year. Kaitlyn, 19, has just started agribusiness at Bendigo while April, 16, is in Year 11 and completing a school based apprenticeship in dairy ag. “By the time April leaves secondary school all the girls will have completed their Cert Three in ag,” Tina said. Emmalea said she has always wanted to work on the farm but she is thankful her parents have encouraged her to try something else first. “I will graduate at the end of the year and hopefully do my masters next year. I think it has been very wise of my parents to encourage me to try something different and now I am not too sure what I will do,” Emmalea said.
She is also interested in doing an agronomy course. “I have always been the one who has helped dad with the tractor work and sowing and I would really like to increase my knowledge in that particular field.” Emmalea may not know where she is going to end up but she knows her future will involve some sort of farming and she does have plans to eventually settle in the area. “I am sure one of the three of us will eventually end up on the farm. “Kaitlyn knows so much about the showing side and the pedigree of the animals while April is the odd jobs girl and does everything from getting the cows up, milking and feeding calves — she basically keeps the place running,” Emmalea said. Kaitlyn said her passion has always been around breeding and calf rearing. She knows the pedigree (and name) of every cow in the herd. >>
JULY 2020
