Jaspal Singh found it hard to believe that just five people could look after 1000 cows when he started in his first farm assistant role on a dairy farm in Southland.
India-born Singh says he is used to a completely different farming system in his home country.
“I wasn’t sure how five people could look after that many cows. I was certainly nervous but
excited as well.”
He landed the role through a friend he had met while picking kiwifruit on a break from study. He had come to New Zealand to do some postgraduate study in IT, although he had lost interest in the IT industry and was finding it hard to find a job in Auckland.
It was a complete contrast, moving to Mossburn in Southland in June 2015, and he soon worked out how so few people could manage so many cows.
He climbed the ranks, spending two years on that first farm with sharemilker Sam Richards, then following him when he moved to Kurow.
“After a season in Kurow, Sam wanted to move to a smaller farm but by that point we wanted to find somewhere me and my wife Ruby could both work on the farm.”
Ruby is from India too. Her father was a farmer but farmed completely differently to a New Zealand farmer. She had studied commerce at the same university as Jaspal. In 2016 they got married in India and Ruby moved to Mossburn about six months later.
“She tried a few local retail jobs but she was keen to work on the farm too, so when Sam moved on we were fortunate the farm owner offered us both jobs on another one of his farms.”
Jaspal was the 2IC and enjoyed the opportunity but unfortunately the farm was hit with Mycoplasma bovis and they had to cull all of the cows across three farms. It was a sad time.
The next step was a farm manager role in Waimate, South Canterbury, milking 800 cows. Jaspal spent four years there and during this time entered the NZ Dairy Industry Awards.
“The first time was a big learning experience. I didn’t know how to present, but I wanted to see where I was sitting and what I needed to improve. It was a good eye opener.
“The second time I entered, in 2022, I won the manager title for the Canterbury/North Otago region and then I went on to win the National Manager title.
“It was amazing. Ruby and I enjoyed the whole experience. It was a great honour and we were in the limelight in India as well.”
After winning industry awards, there were a lot of job opportunities available and Jaspal and Ruby chose to go contract milking in Culverden, North Canterbury. But with it being such an isolated area, they struggled to find staff.
“I advertised a role for 45 days and didn’t get a single applicant!” Jaspal says.
“The immigration system was tricky but we worked out how to make it work so we recruited some of our family from back home.”
His younger brother, cousin and brother-in-law now all work on the farm with Jaspal.
“It was completely new for them and the first few months were challenging, having to teach them, but I taught them about the importance of things and now they’re all doing very well.
“It was an investment for me and the return was worth it!”
It is a complete family affair, with Ruby rearing the calves and occasionally milking. She also does a bit of work for LIC in herd testing.
They have two sons now too. Ryan is four and a half, and Angus was born last June,
They enjoy the farming lifestyle with their family. The ultimate goal is farm ownership but they will work towards 50:50 first. They have a plan and are working towards their target.
Jaspal promotes the dairy sector as a great career option. He recommends people go and do a bit of work on a farm first to test the different lifestyle.
“Farming is full of adventures, there is lots to love and it’s a great experience,” he says.
This article first appeared in our sister publication, Dairy Farmer.
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