NZ Dairy Summer 2020

| 7 nz dairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Noldy Rust Succession plan falls perfectly into place Natalia Rietveld ENHANCING YOUR PROFITABILITY 07 871 9530 | 027 498 8295 www.langmancontractingltd.co.nz We are proud to support Noldy , and wish him well in his future endeavours B usiness changed a little bit for Noldy and Bev Rust and their 59ha dairy farm in Te Pahu, after their contract milker decided he wanted greener pastures. But, as the saying goes, when one door closes another one opens, I just don’t think Noldy quite expected the other door to open so soon. “I’ve always stayed in touch with one of my pre- vious employees and he actually rang me the same day that my last employee said he was leaving.” That ex-employee was Bernard Kelly. He had been farm manager for Noldy for three years before taking on a 50/50 sharemilking position in Cambridge where he and his family had been for the past five years. He had called Noldy for some advice. “He said he wanted to go into an equity partner- ship and there was a farm he wanted to go and look at. I suggested that he come and see me and see if we could make something work. And it just happened like that. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.” Bernard and his wife Jo were looking for their own patch of dirt, freedom to make their own choices and a place they could call home for them and their two sons Eoin(12) and Seamus (11). They sat down with Noldy and had a chat about what their goals were and then began the process into an equity partnership. “We talked to advisors, who suggested we sell the land into a company so we both put 50% in so Bernard is invested in the land too, and now he works for the company as a contract milker.” The company was named Ballyberg Farm Ltd; Bally, a nod to Bernard’s hometown of Ballycastle in the north of Ireland and Berg, the German word for mountain in a nod to Noldy’s Swiss roots. The Kelly family have been on the farm since June 1st this year and it’s been a seamless transi- tion for both parties. Noldy admits moving off the farm was daunting at first because it was all they had known since 1996 but they’re thrilled with their home in Pirongia Village and are well-settled. Bernard says he is still getting used to dealing with people from an owners’ perspective but has no shortage of support to help him through any big decisions. The Kelly’s have a strong affinity for Te Pahu and are happy to be back among their friends. Eoin and Seamus are making the most of their new swim- ming pool that came with the farm house as well. The intention is that Bernard and Jo will eventu- ally buy more into the company but for now they’re just settling in. Apart from his decision to reduce the number of cows by 10%, Bernard says he will continue to run the farm as it is and Noldy has full trust in his abilities, saying the two have very similar farming philosophies. “They’re top people and the biggest thrill is see- ing a couple like them reaching goals and loving the farm the way we love it,” Noldy says. Bernard and Jo couldn’t be more thrilled with their new patch of dirt and the autonomy that has come with it. “We can just carry on as if it’s our own but if there are any big decisions or we are worried about something we always have Noldy to back us up. We could have never afforded a farm in our own right. “Noldy has been extremely generous in giving us this opportunity. We really appreciate it.” The Kelly family are thrilled to be back in Te Pahu, Seamus and Eoin in particular are making the most of the swimming pool that came with their new home.