Sharemilker gets to live his dream
MANY BELIEVE that using sharemilking as a stepping stone towards farm ownership is becoming a thing of the past, but Irishman Bernard Kelly and his Kiwi wife Jo are following this path to achieve their dreams.
Even though it seems unobtainable for many young farmers in today’s dairy industry, there are still some who are set on owning their own farm.
Glenn and Georgie van Heuven, currently 50:50 sharemilkers just out of Matamata in the Waikato, are working hard to achieve their goal.
Glenn van Heuven has always wanted to go dairy farming.
“Growing up on the farm it is probably ingrained in you. I’ve always enjoyed farm life, driving tractors, the cows, I enjoy milking – it is quite therapeutic.”
The couple are milking a split-calving herd of 420 Friesian/Friesian cross cows in a system 5 on 100ha owned by Sid and Dellas Anderton. They run their young stock off farm on a lease block, along with some dairy grazers. Georgie works off farm at Rabobank which helps to support the farm business.
“What’s next for us is buying some land,” says van Heuven.
“We’d like to do something for ourselves, that is our end goal. We’ve diversified by purchasing two investment properties. They have helped us to build equity, which will hopefully help us on our path towards farm ownership.”
Alongside their own investments, they are thinking about an equity partnership structure when the time for purchasing a farm arrives.
Van Heuven is also a believer in the benefits of learning from and connecting with the wider industry, through attending off-farm events like those run by Smaller Milk and Supply Herds (SMASH), to grow their knowledge and build their chances of success.
“It is worth going to SMASH events as they are something different to the events run by other organisations, the speakers are different, and if one doesn’t fit your needs, the next one might,” he says.
“And there is a bloody good lunch at the end. The networking is another benefit; someone might know someone with a job. It is good to get out and about and see what other people are doing on farm.”
The van Heuvens would like a large enough property to justify hiring a worker and to have the option of running bull beef. Their preference is to stay on the smaller milking herd end of the spectrum.
“If you stay smaller you know your cows individually, they are not just a number,” says van Heuven.
“You know their personality, they have their own identities. The largest herd I milked was around 750 cows, and I didn’t enjoy being tied to the shed for hours in the morning and afternoon – there’s more to farming than being stuck in the cow shed.”
Van Heuven is not discouraged by the compliance challenges the industry is facing, and is prepared to adjust the way he farms to cope. Being a system 5, he may need to make some changes.
He believes most farmers take pride in their land, and appreciate the value of adding planting in areas like riparian zones, for practical and aesthetic reasons.
“It is a bit of an unknown, but we have to do what is needed to keep operating. I think it is harder for the older generation who don’t want to deal with the paperwork. We just want to do the best with what we have. Most farmers want to do the right thing.”
In the meantime, the van Heuvens are keeping a close eye on the farms coming onto the market, so when the time comes, they will be ready to open the next chapter in their farming career.
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: Canterbury milk processor Synlait is showing no sign of bouncing back from its financial doldrums.
OPINION: It seems every bugger in this country can get an award these days.