Farming for family

In 2015 Rosie and Gavin Dowling bought their first farm, Kintyre Downs. Speaking at a recent Marlborough Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) field day, Rosie outlined how the couple turned a basic-level farm into one that’s become a cherished home and a rewarding business.

It was a chance for the Marlborough B+LNZ group of farmers to revisit the farm after first visiting in 2016. For Rosie, it was an opportunity to acknowledge Gavin’s work at developing the farm business before he passed away in 2020.

“It was our dream to own a farm together.

“We sold three Methven rental properties to pursue something we loved.”

For the crowd in the woolshed that day, it was a chance to witness the sheer determination of Rosie Dowling in carrying on farming solo, while parenting a four-year-old, a two-year-old, and an eight-month-old with a severe cardiac condition. Rosie shared her story, not holding back as to the challenges and with gratitude to those who helped her.

“I used the experience around me and asked lots of questions.

“There are so many people that helped me out in the first few years and that will never be forgotten.”

Back in 2016 the Dowlings had set goals for their new farm. It was 422 hectares (ha) a stone’s throw from the coast south of Ward. The farm cost $2.6 million and they had a $1.1m loan and equity partnerships with Ngaio Downs and Rosie’s parents.

They aimed to lift their shareholding in the business, build stock units from 2200 to 3000 wintered and subdivide the very best bits down to three-hectare blocks. They wanted to reinvest the surplus to maximise speed of development. This has been achieved plus much more.

Rosie was able to buy out equity partner, Ngaio Downs, and her parents’ share. She has built up to a solid 3100su base, running up to 4000su at times.

“Probably too many.”

Most importantly, she has made the farmwork fit around her responsibilities for her children.

The field-day focused on the returns from farm development. Greg Sheppard, Sheppard Agriculture, analysed the figures and said the return on Gavin and Rosie’s investment was 14%.

This takes in a base increase of 830su, although, at recent times Rosie has run up to 4000 through adding trading lambs and extra bulls. This is a lift from 5.6 to 8.4su/ha.

Some would argue 14% is not that high, Sheppard said, but it is still much better than money in the bank. It is far higher than the average of zero to 1.5% return most farmers get from their overall farming operation, he said.

“It also doesn’t include the probable capital value gain associated with lifting the carrying capacity of the farm, by 830su.”

He estimates this as worth as much as $1.25m.

The investment and development of the farm has been done out of cash flow, as opposed to new borrowings.

Reflecting on the process of farm development, Rosie thinks the planned order of fencing first, with a water system, then addressing pasture renewal and fertility, was right. Gavin started the fencing programme, spending $8000/year initially then building to $37,000 during 2019. Rosie has continued to subdivide, budgeting about $12,000 a year. What were 17 paddocks are now 54. Most importantly, the blocks are small enough for Rosie to shift stock on her own and it all flows well.

To help cash flow initially, Gavin worked off-farm, as casual labour, earning up to $30,000 a year, Rosie said. In 2018 Gavin and Rosie took on the lease of Parikawa, a 1600ha block about 20 minutes south. They grazed bulls and, in the first year, made enough money to buy 100 cows. Across both farms they were running 7500su and were going ahead fast.

There was a very basic reticulated water system when the Dowlings bought Kintyre, with dams being the key source of water. Being south of Ward, droughts could bring stock water shortages. At the 2016 field day, a farmer suggested Gavin and Rosie tap into a small spring and use gravity to flow it into a small dam. It worked really well and the only cost was their time and two bags of concrete.

Forty-two second-hand troughs were bought so nearly every paddock has a trough. The piping, three tanks and trough installation cost $56,000 and has created a robust system. This includes a small motorised pump which is turned on when the spring runs slow. Severe dry summers can cause low flow. Rosie said she limits bulls to about 40 over this time. She’d like to make the pump solar at some stage.

The Kintyre Downs system is designed to be simple, to run within school hours, with repeatable good performance.

Key points:
– 1550 Romney and Romtex ewes (to Suftex x Polltex rams)
– Buy in all replacements as two-tooths
– All progeny sold on one day (one third usually prime over 33kg liveweight at 14 weeks old)
– Bull beef: buy in 60 to 160 calves and 40 to 60 18-month bulls
– Target 300kg carcaseweight before 2.5 years but sold store if feed short
– Winter rotation is five days/paddock (light ewes and heavy bulls one paddock in front of main mob)
– Ewes tupped on kale
– Lifted stocking rate from 2200 stock units to 3030 average over four years (extra 830 su) with recent maximum 4000 su wintered.

Good at finding a bargain

Simon Todhunter, Rosie’s brother at Ngaio Downs, was an equity partner initially with his wife Pip. At the field day, he said Gav was very good at finding a bargain.

“Fencing was only $3 a metre and the troughs were pretty much free as they were second-hand from a dairy farmer who was pulling them out.”

The water system was far cheaper than the original quote of $70,000 to hook into an existing water scheme, he said.

Fertiliser and pasture renewal followed the fencing and water. Fertiliser was applied by ground spreader initially, with Gavin borrowing Simon’s gear.

“It wasn’t possible to pay for a plane to fly on fertiliser until 2019 brought a surplus,” Rosie said.

Pasture renewal costs (including fertiliser) from 2018 to 2023 have been higher than fencing – at about $176,000. Almost 120ha of pastures have been renewed or cropped, with some on their second rotation.

Rising to the challenge

It was a challenge you’d never wish for, but Rosie Dowling has seen it through, to build a home on a farm for her and Gavin’s three children.

When Gavin passed away, the first day of the first Covid lockdown, it put a huge question mark over Rosie, she said. At the time she was at Starship Hospital, in Auckland, with Olive, and 100 cows had just been delivered to the farm.

“I could have sold the farm and bought a house in town, but I had lost Gavin and I didn’t want to lose the life that I was living with him.”

She credits her brother Simon Todhunter, friend Sandy Chaffey and consultant Peter Bradley, as being exceptionally helpful on the farm side of things. They formed a plan that was simple and Rosie put it into action.

“Together, with Mum and Dad, they were pretty exceptional in helping me keep the farm.”

With three kids under five and knowing “eff all” about the farm side of things, Rosie said it wasn’t pretty at times. Their youngest, Olive, had a health condition that saw her, in her first few years, make 20 trips to Starship.

“We are lucky to have her and she has defied the odds.

“There wasn’t room for emotion and I didn’t want coffee dates and a counsellor. I needed to farm the farm Gav had worked tirelessly to set up for his family.”

Rosie is proud of how she met her and Gav’s equity plan eight years on from purchasing the land. She is grateful to her family for allowing her to pay the equity partnership out early, so she now holds 75% equity. She rates her family’s happiness and health as being a bar to judge her performance.

She is realistic that Kintyre doesn’t make money every year. The couple had expected it to be a stepping stone to a larger farm. For Rosie, Kintyre is now a strong connection to Gavin.

“I can feel close to Gav on the farm.”

Initially, she admits, dragging kids out on the farm was not always ideal.

“I didn’t even know the side calls for Gav’s dogs – it was chaos, but I threw myself into it.”

She just had to do it. Now, with the boys at school and Olive at preschool three days a week, she has time from 9am to 2.45pm to do the farm work.  Olive and Rosie sometimes go out and farm together on the other two days. A recent development is employing Arthur Harris, ‘Chook’, on a casual basis. Rosie describes this change as awesome. “He’s been a legend as he’s helped me adopt a balance, giving more time to the kids,” she said.

“I don’t try and work when the kids are back home now.

“Extra shit is not important; it doesn’t matter if three ewes are left behind.”

Rosie has registered 30 hectares in the ETS as part of generating more cash flow. A 14ha pine block and eight ha poplar pole block are the main earners, alongside eight native regeneration areas. To get assets off farm, she bought a house in Christchurch and owns a “relatively easy-to-manage” wholesale business.

Rosie’s ‘keep it simple’ system

Bulls, ewes and buying-in replacements, not raising them, is the system Rosie Dowling likes.

“I like handling bulls and they are easy to get into the yards.”

The Romney ewes bring another income stream, she said. The farm runs about five ewes/hectare and two-tooth ewes are bought in February. They all go to a Sufftex/PollTex terminal sire.

Rosie likes that she has set stock rotations she follows during the year and the system is repeatable.

“For example, I know in spring I do five-day shifts, getting back to the block in 25 days.”

“If feed is tight, I’ll take bulls out and sell them.

“It’s all about going around and around, slow or fast.”

Kale is an important feed for tupping at Kintyre, with 23ha planted. Fifteen ha of lucerne (mixed with other species) provides feed for ewes and calves. Heavy bulls are not put on the lucerne to avoid bloat.

Over winter, stock are moved every five to six days, with light ewes and heavy bulls grazing one paddock in front of the main mob. Bulls go on to crop in July. Over spring lambing, ewes are set stocked with 30 yearling bulls then boxed up and rotated in mobs of 200 ewes. Bulls are on three-day shifts on the flat. All the shifts work with family commitments.

“I farm from the school drop-off to just before 3pm, when I go and pick up the kids.”

“I aim to do 80% well and the 20% can wait.”

Rosie’s brother Simon helps organise the cropping and regrassing programme, as he has a contracting business. There are 20ha of prairie grass, clover and herb mix for finishing stock, 15ha of lucerne and 23ha of kale for tupping ewes and winter feed. It looked a picture on the farm tour, despite a dryish start to the season.

“Every day I am on the farm I think of Gav and feel privileged he set us up to the point of giving us a home and place to bring the kids up on. I feel like the storm is passing as Olive is well and the boys are settled.”

 

Cost savings during development

It doesn’t need to be the flashiest or newest to get results. Gavin Dowling’s approach to farm development was to shop around, look for second-hand options and do-it-yourself.  Rosie has carried this mantra on with the development she’s continued at Kintrye Downs.

An example is using free, used vineyard intermediate posts on the flats, rather than new posts. They were run with four-wire electrics at a cost of about $3/metre. Three-wire electrics were installed on the hill and a fencing contractor helped get this right.

The Dowlings put in a homemade gravity-fed water system, starting from ‘Hungry Hill’ and feeding it to three tanks. This investment of $56,000 takes water to two-thirds of the farm. The original quote for a purpose-built water system was $70,000. The 42 troughs were pretty much free from a dairy farmer, who was selling them on TradeMe, Rosie said. Transport was the main cost.

The Dowlings didn’t skimp on pasture renewal however and in the first four years turned over 100ha and sowed it with high rates of fertiliser.

“By year four we had done all this through working capital and Gav’s off-farm casual wages.”

“Gav and my Dad, Bob, worked pretty hard with Simon chipping in with his gear and labour when he could.”