Emily & Sarah

Emily: Was I new to New Zealand when my husband, Anders, and our two children, David and Sarah, moved to Castlepoint in 1998? Not at all. My grandparents and parents had travelled here in the sixties, and my first visit was with my family in 1973, when I was eighteen. I just fell in love with New Zealand. I could see that farmers here were truly valued and were hugely innovative.

That Kiwi spirit of innovation really appealed to me. In New York State, where I grew up, farming was more traditional and urban sprawl was encroaching on the area. Our farm had been in the family since 1809, but things were tough going because of predators and the extremes in weather.

As I became more and more interested in farming, New Zealand was the place I looked to for inspiration. In my twenties, I returned here to help out on different sheep and beef farms. I came again a few years later to complete a shearing course in Tolaga Bay. I even applied to study agriculture at Lincoln College – now Lincoln University – but this was in the days before they accepted international students, so I didn’t get in.

Of course, the shift to New Zealand hasn’t come without its challenges. We had to adjust to the summer droughts and strong winds of the Wairarapa Coast. And, in 2002, just four years after moving here, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The hardest thing was not knowing what that would mean on a day-to-day basis. You just can’t predict the course of this disease. It’s different for everybody.

I choose to get on with things and listen to my body. I rest when I need to and generally avoid the hands-on farm work. Instead, as chair of the station’s advisory board, I focus more on the big picture. I also use a lap pool every day and have a fantastic new mobility chair, designed in Greytown, that gives me better access to the farm, the outdoors and events like field days, which I love.

Every day I count my blessings. I’m very proud of what we’ve all achieved. Sarah is such a wonderfully talented farmer and I know she’ll go a long way. New Zealand is such a wonderful place. When we moved here, our New York friends thought we had lost the plot. Nowadays, since 9/11 and the global pandemic, they get it. They understand. Some even feel a little envious.

Sarah: Mum’s had a huge influence on my life – from her love of farming to her love of arguing a certain point of view. I can laugh about it now, but she used to drive my friends and me crazy growing up. She’d insist we had to defend any opinion we held by backing it up with facts or at least a convincing argument. Little did I know how handy that would become!

I clearly remember the big move from the US to Castlepoint Station. I was eight at the time. I loved my new home in New Zealand straight away. Moving to the beach was like being on a permanent holiday.

These days, I’m part of Castlepoint Station’s management and advisory boards. As well as helping out in the yards, I also provide advice on any new regulations to do with things like staff or the environment. And I help to organise the annual Castlepoint Beach Races. I never miss a race event and definitely owe my love of horses to Mum, who was always a keen rider. Last year, I directed traffic in the morning before joining the judging crew in the afternoon. It’s always a fun day out. Off farm, I’ve clocked up policy and advisory roles with Federated Farmers and Beef + Lamb New Zealand. Like Mum, I’ve travelled a lot, both for pleasure and to learn about farming.

I definitely see farmers like Mum as being part of farming innovation in New Zealand. Mum’s always championed new ideas and approaches. We often joke that she’s a total field day junkie. I have a friend who says a field day without Emily Crofoot probably isn’t worth going to, which is a crackup but probably true!

Mum’s taught me a lot about personal resilience and mental toughness. I remember when her legs stopped working about a year after her diagnosis. I would have been twelve or thirteen at the time. She coped so incredibly well, despite having her dream of hands-on farming essentially ripped away from her. Mum’s passion for the industry has never wavered. I’d like to think I could be like that too. I also like to think that I’m continuing her legacy. I’ve definitely got her passion for agriculture and the land – even if I end up doing it my own way.

 

This story appeared in the Ngahuru Autumn 2021 Edition of Shepherdess.