Downsizing proves better than exiting farming

South Otago farmers Keith and Jill Lowery decided to downsize rather than exit farming altogether.

12-03-2007 | Terry Brosnahan

When South Otago farmers Keith and Jill Lowery sold their Waitahuna West farm, 40km from Balclutha, in 2002, it was after extensive discussion and planning. They discussed succession with their son and three daughters but none of them chose to take over the 440ha farm.

Jill says all of the family have a love of the land but for various reasons decided not to go farming. With a four-way split, it would have been difficult for one to have taken over.

An option could have been for Keith just to sit back and take things easy on the farm but he didn’t want to see a top unit go backwards. Aged 61 when they sold the farm, he didn’t want to retire; just downsize.

It was important to them to buy a place before selling the farm.

“It would be terrible selling, left in limbo and forced to buy something you didn’t really want,” Keith says.

While none of their family was interested in taking over the farm, they still had a stake in it and at that time had not settled down.

“It would have been like pulling the rug from under their feet if they didn’t have a home to go to,” Jill says.

For the five years before they sold, Jill and Keith planned how to exit. They discussed it with other people who had sold farms and sought advice. Everyone’s situation was different and the couple had to develop a strategy that suited them. A family trust was set up several years before selling the farm by auction.

When they first spoke publicly about their experiences at an Easing out of Farming seminar several years ago, they covered the mechanics of easing out of farming as well as the emotional impact.

A catalyst for selling was the death of Keith’s sister. They had booked a trip to see her as she was ill but were prevented from leaving the farm by a heavy snowfall. Unfortunately they didn’t get to see her before she died, so they wanted a small farm below the snowline and closer to amenities.

Having family members help shift out from the family farm had huge benefits and not just because they were a cheap form of labour.

Like the Maoris, most farming families have a close attachment to the land on which they grew up.

Jill says being physically involved in the shift helped the family leave the farm. She had heard of other families where family members had been absent and felt as if they had missed out. This is why they deliberately took over the new house a month before moving out to give the family time to pack up at their leisure and get a feel for the new place.

Initially they bought a good, big house on 10ha near Milton but after the first six months Keith didn’t have enough to occupy himself. He then took on an advisory role until more land became available. While he enjoys the advisory role, he is a hands-on person and loves farming. Early mornings are not a problem and lambing is still a pleasure.

Altogether he farms 112ha of which 100ha is owned by the trust; the rest leased. He runs 500 ewes, grazes hoggets, fattens cattle, rears calves and buys trading stock.

He tries to de-stock as much as possible over the winter. This means he doesn’t have to race home from bowls and can stay out longer. He is only 35 minutes from Carisbrook and rugby games.

For them, selling when they did was the right time to scale down. It was orderly and straightforward.

“We didn’t want to get to the stage where we had to pull the pin because of ill-health.”

Keith had been farming there for 40 years and worried about the transition. It has been easier than he expected but that is most certainly down to the preparation the couple undertook. They also had five years to come to terms with the fact they were leaving.

The couple’s advice to others who haven’t thought about it is to start planning early and pick the right time to move. Maximise the good things, minimise regrets and enjoy the change.

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