STORIES WE LOVE

A couple who got into dairying through a half and half share

Every now and then I find a story that shows exactly what we're about at Cultivate Farms: real people finding a way to keep a farm working and bring someone new onto it. I share them here because seeing it done by others makes it real. Here's one I love.

From Farmers Weekly, 17 August 2021: "How share-milking can provide a route into dairy farming", by Charlotte Cunningham. Read the full story at fwi.co.uk.

Why I love it

I love this story because a man from a non farming background got his own herd without buying a farm. He grew up in a small village in Scotland, studied agriculture and worked as a herd manager. In 2015 he and his partner moved to New Zealand and worked on dairy farms. Their goal was always to have their own herd.

In 2019 they started a half and half share milking deal on a farm near Dunedin. The family who own the land supply it. The couple own the cows and machinery, and the costs and profits are split between them. They milk 140 Jersey cows. They're now in the final year of their contract and want to grow to about 250 cows. He says share milking is "rather like a marriage", and works through good communication, shared goals and respect.

Why it matters for towns like ours

He says the model can give a clear pathway from the owners to the share milker, with the eventual goal of the share milker buying the farm. That's a pathway our farmers stepping back can offer too. It lets the farm keep working while the next family builds up their own herd.

One step you could take

If you own a dairy farm and have a worker who wants more, ask what a shared arrangement could look like. Agree who owns what and how costs are split. Read how share farming works in our Ageing on Farm guide.

I share these stories because each one shows it can be done, by ordinary farming families, in places like yours. If you know a story like this, or you're living one, I'd love to hear it.