A passion for outside work

“The best thing about beef farming is being able to work on the land in an outside job,” says 18-year-old Zach Donovan who farms beef on his family's 177-hectare block in Upper Moutere.

When Zach was seven his father surprised him with his own cow and calf.

“It was almost dark, and Dad said come on down and see the animals getting unloaded, I asked why, and he said he may have a surprise for me. I had just had a bath and wasn’t really keen to go out. But I did and when I got there it was dark and I couldn’t really see anything,” Laughs Zach.

“It was a great surprise to see them both the next morning in daylight on my way to school.”

Zach says that he was very thankful for his first cow and calf which got him started in calf rearing.

“Beef cow calving isn’t anywhere near as intensive as dairy calving. Most of the animals we have are mature and don’t have many problems calving,” Zach explains.

“However we still have those days full of pressure where you have a lot to get done and start running out of time.”

At age eight he started to show his calves at the A & P show, only stopping abruptly because of M.bovis.

In 2019 Zach and his dad built an 8-bay calf shed on the farm and started rearing 220 dairy-beef calves a year, which with his previous calf rearing experience, became his main job. A few years later Zach purchased 50 breeding cows and moved away from rearing calves.

The 50 breeding cows, as well their offspring from this season, and the 45 calves from last season now run with the other cattle on his family’s farm.

Running 440 head of beef and helping his family with their lifestyle block and bed and breakfast lodgekeeps Zach busy. However, he points out that “the job itself can be isolating and I’ve found it especially hard as I left school at 16, so I left the people that were my age.

“It’s definitely helped to join the Young Farmers group and hang out with people closer to my age who understand what it’s like to work on a farm like me.”

Zach also says that it helps if you don’t go home for a quick shower just head out: “Once you get home it’s harder to get back out.  You have to force yourself. It’s best not to go home first if possible.”

The farm, in Moutere, has 11 hectares of QII native bush and Zach says one of the things he enjoys the most about his job is being able to walk the hills that you can’t access by vehicle. He also enjoys all the weather elements and says “it’s always nice to be outside, rain or shine, enjoying the environment. It’s what I like most about farming.”