NZ Dairy Autumn 2021

42 | nz dairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Canlac Holdings: Tony and Dana Coltman Farmers’ well-being part of sustainability Kim Newth S olutions to overcoming sustainability chal- lenges lie in adopting a holistic approach, suggest Tony Coltman and Dana Carver, supreme winners of the 2020 Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards. Farming at Dunsandel as Canlac Holdings, the couple received the Ballance award for their envi- ronmental achievements including substantial cuts to nitrate leaching. Canlac Holdings has been very proactive in this area, having been a monitor farm for Dairy NZ’s initiative, Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL). In January, Tony and Dana hosted a field day at Dunsandel for those interested in learning more about their award winning farm operation. Dana has previously run Dairy NZ’s farmer wellness and wellbeing programme, as well as their Step Change project (designed to help dairy farmers achieve financial gains, while making progress on environmental goals). She is now working as a rural consultant. She and Tony share concerns about the mental health impact of New Zealand’s fast changing regulatory environment and they worry that the pace of change is outstripping farmers’ capacity to adapt. Dana says she is aware that rural profession- als tasked with helping farmers on environmental change are coming across wellbeing issues too but are not fully equipped to respond to that. “There’s pressure on the whole industry,” she observes. A key message shared at their field day was for farmers to think of sustainability in a holistic way. They suggest it all starts with ‘knowing your numbers’, focussing on profit and achieving a fun- damentally strong business. They appreciate that some farmers don’t want to think of themselves as business owners, but their own experience has taught them that running a profitable business is the best way to get set up for change. “This is only our ninth season farming in New Zealand and we’re not from farming backgrounds,” says Tony. “We’ve had to work hard and we’ve still got plenty of debt so making sure you have that cash flow coming through is just so important.” Before taking up farming here, Tony managed a NZ-owned dairy operation in the US and had a suc- cessful career in rural banking and management. Dana’s background is in psychology and personal development. As a consultant, she specialises in practice change and predominantly works in the rural sector. Working hard every day to keep systems going is what keeps businesses like theirs afloat and thriv- ing. “It helps if you are interested and passionate about what you do,” says Tony. Their involvement with the FRNL initiative, for example, yielded so much real data on how to reduce nitrate leaching. He would like to see the government investing more in scientific research to equip the dairy sector for ongoing environmental challenges ahead, such as those arising from cli- mate change. “If they want us to change then they need to help us develop the tools to do so.” As a couple, Tony and Dana have learned to be very honest and open with one another around mental health and well-being. If they notice that the other is starting to struggle then they talk about it. They understand how easy it can be to disappear down a rabbit hole of stress if you don’t share the load. “We also try to keep ourselves physically fit and eat well,” says Tony. “That really helps.” As Dana observes, farmers leading busy lives may bemostly moving around on motorbikes, trac- tors and utes and not realising that they’re missing out on the endorphins that come with a good cardio workout. It may seem counter-intuitive to take a break when the stresses are mounting, but they say getting completely off-farm is often the best way to regain perspective on a problem. Canlac Holdings team members at Dunsandel. TIM RIDGEN Mobile: 027 279 6447 Email: office@ealgroup.co.nz Website: www.ealgroup.co.nz Southbridge & Hororata BALING, CARTAGE, STRAW & SILAGE Servicing the contracting needs of farmers across Central Cantebury. Call us today on 03 324 2949 to discuss your requirements • Concrete • Fertiliser Spreading - Farm Mapping - GPS Tracking - Varible Rate Spreading • Livestock Cartage • Grain Cartage • Shingle Supplies • Daily Freight Leeston: 03 3248 070 Dunsandel: 03 3254 039 reception@ellesmere.co.nz · IRRIGATION SYSTEMS · REMOTE MANAGEMENT · PRECISION VRI IRRIGATEWITH CONFIDENCE