It’s not often that dairy farmers choose to move to sheep and beef but that is exactly what Dannevirke farming couple Mark and Jaime Arnold have done. But the pair has always chosen to do things differently.
With no dairy farming background they only first set foot on a dairy farm in 2008 and rose through the ranks to be named the 2016 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year before chucking it all in to buy their sheep and beef farm in Weber last May. “It was a huge risk and has been a huge challenge,” says Mark.
“But we’ve managed to use a lot of the skills we used dairying on this farm such as pasture management, animal husbandry and budgeting.”
The 330ha farm is a finishing and trading operation and presently runs 1000 ewes, 1700 lambs, 12 terminal sire rams, 120 R2 heifers, 18 mixed age cows and 150 friesian bulls the couple reared themselves.
The Arnolds say they are still working out what system best suits the farm but aim to rear up to 250 calves, finish 2000 lambs and 50 beef weaners each year.
They are also looking at grazing 70-80 R1s and say the flexibility and options with sheep and beef farming is something they love.
They say the main reasons for the shift to sheep and beef was to have more time and energy to spend with their blended family – Brayden, 25, Belinda, 24, Parker, 9 and Eva, 7. Not having to employ staff gives them more independence and control over their business.
Key challenges in their first year have included managing cash flow without the security of a monthly milk cheque. “We’ve had to learn it’s okay to be in overdraft when it’s just because of timing and that all of our money is out in the paddock waiting to be sold,” says Mark.
Both say handling sheep has been another steep learning curve. “They are totally different to cows and you really rely on dogs,” says Jaime.
“And if there is an animal health issue you can’t just run them down the race, you have to try and catch them on the side of a hill!” “You have to be patient and hang back a bit,” adds Mark.
“It’s about making sure we and the dogs are in the right places and using the right dog for the right job.”
Fortunately, there have been plenty of people on hand to offer the couple advice including Jaime’s brother Steven who is a sheep and beef farmer in the South Island.
A farm advisor and neighbours have also been important sources of information. Jaime’s background growing up on a sheep and beef farm in Hawke’s Bay has also been valuable.
Her first career was as a teacher and Mark worked in the logging industry but when the couple decided they Congratulations Mark & Jaime for all your hard work and the success that you have both achieved.
didn’t like living in town they sold their house and car and took on a farm assistant position in the central Hawke’s Bay marking the start of their dairy careers.
Moving to sheep and beef has been a positive move as they say they are enjoying having their own home so Mark can indulge his passion for DIY and Jaime has been able to buy a horse. They both acknowledge dairy was what got them to where they are today.
“We’ve put in the hard yards but it’s all paid off,” says Jaime. “Every day we are learning something new,” says Mark. “We laugh because every ten years we tend to change our careers,” says Jaime.
“New challenges keep us on our toes and it’s exciting to try something new. We thrive on it. We feel like we’ve found our place now and it’s nice to have our own piece of paradise. Our dreams have come true.”
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Couple thriving on new challenge
