Friday, March 29, 2024

FAST FIVE: Rachael Lind

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Rachael grew up on a sheep farm in the Marlborough Sounds but after leaving school went to work on a dairy farm before heading to university. She fell in love with dairying and never left. Since then she has completed a number of PrimaryITO courses and was top cadet in years one, two and four.
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She is now the farm manager at Landcorp Pamu Bassets Farm milking 1060 cows and manages four staff.

Married to Murray, they have two children, Ayla, 8, and Brayden, 22 months.

She enjoys gardening and growing her own produce to make preserves for the pantry and is keen on the great outdoors.

Rachael has completed the Outward Bound leadership course and said “It was an amazing experience that taught me a lot about myself and really pushed me to test me abilities.”

Eventually she wants to own a dairy farm and said it is a great lifestyle to bring up a family.

1. What motivates or drives you?

I have always worked in the dairy industry and the innovation and technology going forward is exciting, especially for a small country like New Zealand whose footprint on the global scene is comparatively small compared to some of the bigger countries. Being a female in this industry is challenging but with the right attitude and drive you can make it happen. I love working with animals as I have grown up rurally.

2. What philosophy do you live by?

Hard work will get you where you want to be. If you want something go and get it.

3. What annoys you most about farming and what do you enjoy the most and why?

The gap between town and country bugs me. Often farming is only seen from the outside, across the fence. As an industry we need to have more transparency so those who aren’t on the ground at the grassroots can really see what is going on. Often the negatives are blown way off course and farming gets a bad rap.

4. How do you see the state of the industry and future of dairying?

Moving forward NZ needs to be competitive and ahead of the pack because of the geographical nature of this country in comparison to some of the bigger dairying nations and in this industry we need to work smarter not harder.

5. What are some of the biggest challenges you are facing this coming season?

Going into management for a company I have had to learn that it’s not just what goes on in the milking shed or in the paddock. It’s the behind the scenes stuff that keeps things ticking too. Going from a smaller scale owner-operator dairy unit to a larger scale company farm has been a challenge but I love a good challenge and having a great crew who are just as driven and focused as me is awesome. Also, the support network of LandCorp Farming is great.

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