Value of Adopt-A-Cow initiative for Picton dairy farm
More than a year since the launch of Adopt-A-Cow initiative, Picton sixth-generation dairy farmer John Fairley shares the value of the project to him and his family’s farm.
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Four hundred and forty two days ago, sixth-generation Picton dairy farmer John Fairley was weighing up the future of his 164-year-old family farm, assessing the worst drought in living memory.
His weathered hands hovered over a draft Facebook post he wrote weeks prior.
“I didn’t want to press the button (on the Facebook post) because us farmers are so independent, so stoically stupid sometimes,” he said.
“We just don’t want to ask for help. One of the options I had was to close the herd down, but we had bred this herd over decades. We just didn’t want to do that.”
On May 7 2018, Mr Fairley went live with his Adopt-A-Cow initiative and triggered a mass movement to protect the nation’s dairy industry.
Thousands of people, from as far afield as England and America, adopted Country Valley cows and saved the farm from a terrible fate.
Thirlmere’s Kevin Thomas, a cow adoptee and close friend of John Fairley, said his heart went out to the family knowing of the horrid conditions they were facing.
“For me, it was about helping a mate get through a horrendous, horrendous time,” he said. “I thought the initiative could be one way to see him out of the dire straits.”
Mr Fairley said the initiative not only secured the future of his family farm, but was crucial to his mental wellbeing.
“It was the sort of thing that kept me going mentally week to week. It would build me up every weekend,” he said.
Over a year on the future is brighter thanks to “a good winter”, but the region’s farmers continue to navigate tough drought conditions.
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