Friday, March 29, 2024

Love what you do, do it with love

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As Mark Twain said, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This is particularly true for a Matamata dairy farmer whose life may be hectic, but says she wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Ask anyone who knows Catherine Newland and they’ll tell you the same thing, she loves being busy. With several different caps to switch between, and another being added to the mix in November with the arrival of her first child, Catherine says the key to juggling it all is making sure you’re doing things you enjoy.

“A lot of people would call what I do work. I don’t think of it like that. On the weekends when I’m out with my husband Rhys doing farm jobs it’s not work, it’s just us out there getting things done and enjoying ourselves. It won’t feel like a juggle if you’re enjoying what you’re doing,” she says.

Along with farm ownership, she works a 40-hour week as an Agri-Manager for LIC and on weekends switches her gumboots for her party shoes when she’s on the job as a marriage celebrant.

“I think as so often happens with kids who grow up on a dairy farm, I didn’t immediately consider dairy farming as a career option. My parents encouraged us to look at all our options and try other things as we always had the option of coming back to the farm. Because of that, I studied teaching then went to Europe for a year,” she says.

Her job with LIC was largely inspired by her mum, who also worked for the company. She instilled a passion and interest in herd improvement and genetics in Catherine. 

“At the time, we were also sharemilking and had our own herd, and seeing the difference that herd improvement could make on our farm and our business, it made me want to share that passion with others,” she says.

“I love crunching numbers and seeing how quickly and significantly we can find change within any given farm system and then presenting that to a farmer.”

Having decided LIC was where she wanted to be, she got busy applying for jobs and quickly landed a role. Six years later, while it can sometimes be a juggle to fit everything in, it works well alongside the farm and means she gets to connect with her local farming community every day. Catherine does a lot of volunteer work in the primary industries too and currently sits on the Dairy Industry Awards committee, among others.

“It’s my way of giving back to the industry that’s given me so much,” she says.

When it comes to her eventual return to the land, her husband Rhys had a big part to play in this. A farm kid himself, she says he reignited a passion for farming in her. Having worked their way up the sharemilking ladder, the couple now own their 179ha dairy farm in equity with Rhys’ parents. 

Located at the foot of the Kaimai Ranges the farm was once a smaller part of a larger farm, meaning a lot has had to be done from scratch and time taken to build up data.

“We’re in our fourth season here now, we’ve been pretty consistent with production but still figuring out the farm a bit. It’s around 145ha effective with the rest being steep country, which we have beef cattle on or is planted in natives and pines,” she says.

The 450-cow Jersey herd has some outstanding genetics.

One of their biggest goals is to purchase or lease a run-off block to give them the ability to have a closed herd and look after all stock classes themselves.

“Profitability is another key focus of everything we do. It’s not about pushing production – unless it’s profitable,” she says.

“We’d love to do more per cow production but only if it will be more profitable in that system or given payout.”

“We’d like to work towards having a more resilient business that can ride the highs and lows of the industry as well. I think that’s an industry-wide goal.”

It’s not all work and no play though. 

Tauranga city is a short drive away, which means they can get off the farm and enjoy some time in the city to recharge their batteries.

Having the opportunity to connect and engage with farmers from all around the area through LIC, Catherine has picked up tips and tricks from other farmers she’s been able to integrate into her own business. 

“It might sound silly, but the dairy farmers I come across every day in my job inspire me. I constantly see things I think could work for our farm or simply get to have some really engaging conversations with people. It helps drive me,” she says. 

“We also are so lucky to have some incredible people in the dairy industry who are so selfless and will down tools in a flash to help someone – that’s the sort of person I want to be for others in the future.”

You’d think that with a full working week plus a farm to run, Catherine’s schedule would be pretty full. Add to the mix her job as a marriage celebrant, and you can imagine how full her calendar looks. But as seems to be a tradition in her family, she likes to have a full calendar.

“Dad’s like that, he has a bad habit of doing too much, and we kids are the same. We’re all just 100 miles an hour, making the most of every moment,” she says. 

“I’ve realised it’s important to focus on one thing at a time. I’d be lost without my calendar though, that’s for sure.

“I schedule everything from work appointments to time with friends, then during that time that’s blocked out, that activity gets my full attention.”

Her entrance into the world of being a marriage celebrant started after her own wedding. Having enjoyed the experience so much, she chatted to her own celebrant about pursuing the relevant qualifications to be a celebrant herself. With a firm belief in what marriage stands for, a love of talking and a love of love, the job suits her to a tee.

“The rest of my life revolves around dairy farming but as a marriage celebrant, it’s just so different. It’s often a much-needed mental break from farming too,” she says.

“I love being on the farm and working in the industry and wouldn’t want to do anything else, but it’s nice to switch off sometimes, swap my gumboots for a party dress and do something else.”

The business started as a hobby with a wedding here or there. Through word of mouth, the business started ramping up. She’s nearly fully booked for the summer ahead and already has bookings for the summer after.

“It’s grown very organically, if you do a good job at whatever you’re doing, the work will come. Doing a good job is the best form of advertising,” she says.

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