Dairy farmers Ann and Scott Henderson have proven the property agents wrong and bought their first farm.
"This is home now," Mrs Henderson said about their new farm Endowment Dairies in Central Southland.
"It is a pretty cool place to bring up your kids."
When searching for a farm to buy, property agents warned them they would struggle, unless they had the money available upfront.
Agents doubted they would get a chance to form an equity partnership to get the finance due to strong demand for dairy farms and buyers, including corporates, having the money available upfront to be able to put in high offers with fewer conditions.
The Henderson family proved the agents wrong and moved on to their new dairy farm to start the new season on June 1.
Mr Henderson was surprised how quickly they had progressed to farm ownership.
The secret to progressing to farm ownership was to continually ask questions, work hard, run a profitable business by minimising costs and pay off debt, rather than blow out a farm budget after a good payout.
"You can grow pretty fast if you’re willing to put the work in."
She entered the New Zealand dairy industry on a working holiday visa from Scotland.
Her first job in New Zealand was on a farm in Browns, Southland.
When she met her future husband, a builder from Balclutha, she was a herd manager, milking 650 cows, in Tapanui.
When she got a second-in-charge role on a dairy farm in Gore, he moved with her and drove tractors for a contractor for two years.
In Gore, she won the Southland Otago Dairy Manager of the Year title in 2017.
As part of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards competition, they talked to an accountant and they created a list of goals including farm ownership.
The following year, her third season in Gore, he got his first job in the dairy industry, a second-in-charge role, milking 500 cows, on a neighbouring dairy farm.
Through networking, the couple secured work on a dairy farm in Crichton, near Milton.
They had been on the Crichton farm the past nine seasons and worked as managers for the first two.
When the 50:50 sharemilkers on the farm departed, the farm owner bought a herd of cows.
The Hendersons worked as lower order sharemilkers and were able to buy a third of the herd a season.
In their first year lower order sharemilking, the couple were crowned the Southland Otago Share Farmers of the Year in 2021.
"We wouldn’t be where we are now, without the dairy awards," Mr Henderson said.
The networking from the awards programme had a massive impact on their career progression, he said.
After buying the herd, they began 50:50 sharemilking for four seasons.
A plan was to secure their next career step on a southern farm before their daughter Mackenzie started school.
The couple worked with business advisers Aspire Agribusiness to find two passive investors to form an equity partnership to buy a farm.
A farm search was seeking a place with more consistent rain than Crichton, so they could grow grass in summer, Mr Henderson said.
"We were looking for 1m annual rainfall, a rotary cowshed, good housing and a rolling farm, not dead flat."
The farm in Crichton was rolling to steep and they enjoyed the challenge.
"We get bored if it’s too flat, we enjoy challenges."
Mrs Henderson said big considerations when searching for a farm was being near schools and opportunities for children, such as after-school activities.
The search led the partnership to buying 249ha farm Endowment Dairies in Pebbly Hill, near Hedgehope.
Mr Henderson said he was thankful the previous farm owner sold to them, rather than a corporate, who had offered more to buy the farm.
"We weren’t the highest."
The previous farm owner also operated it, something he wanted to continue, rather than selling to a corporate for the top dollar.
"He wanted young people to come through and keep progressing in the industry."
To help finance their share, the couple sold about 300 cows.
The remaining 500 cows were being wintered on kale on Endowment Dairies.
A couple of pet Highland cattle were also brought across to the new farm.
For their first season on Endowment Dairies, the production target was 260,000kg of milksolids, about 520kg per cow.
Hopefully more favourable summer conditions would grow more feed.
A plan was to feed a tonne of dry matter per cow this season, Mr Henderson said.
"I’m excited to see what we can do this year."
The dream was to one day install a calving pad, a feed pad or a wintering barn.
"It is a beautiful, rolling farm, a turn-the-key-and-go farm but there is stuff we can do to put our own wee stamp on it."
Mrs Henderson said they own half of the farm and the investors own the other half.
"We contract milk back to the company."
A long-term plan was to possibly buy the investors out and own the farm outright, Mrs Henderson said.
"Maybe to look at putting someone else on another farm and letting someone else grow."
There was plenty of opportunity remaining in the dairy sector, he said.
"All the hard work you put in, you get out."
He had heard of other people buying their first dairy farm in the South this season.
"There were a lot of first-time buyers this year, which is really cool to see and it hasn’t happened for quite a few years."
Since entering the dairy industry, he had never considered working in any other sector.
Mrs Henderson said dairy farming was not for the faint-hearted but progression to farm ownership remains possible.
"It is exciting times," Mrs Henderson said.
