Such Good Medicine
Module Overview
Inch Clutha dairy farmer Brendan Lane is one of a number of farmers who’ve entered Gravel In Paradise, a series of bike races in Otago. He shared with Farmstrong how cycling helps him manage the mental challenges of farming.
Tell us about your farm.
We’ve just purchased our first farm. We’ve been sharemilking 50-50 for the last six years and been in the dairy industry for 15 years. So, we’ve really worked our way up from nothing through to farm ownership. We’ve gone from sharemilking 870 cows 50-50 in Canterbury to purchasing our own 100 ha dairy farm on Inch Clutha (island near Balclutha). We’ve got a very strong herd supplying Mataura Valley Milk.
Good on you. How’s the season been going?
This first season here on the island we’ve had everything, but the kitchen sink thrown at us. [laughs]. We’ve been flooded, half the farm under water and we’ve had such a shortage of feed we’ve only been able to milk once a day. That’s been the scenario up until recently so you can work out for yourself how important it has been to get off farm.
It sounds like a major transition career-wise too.
Yes, there’s a lot of pressure that comes with moving from just herd ownership to farm and herd ownership. There’s more debt to service for a start. And the weather component shifting from South Canterbury to the island this year has been huge. It’s a great place but it has been dealt a very nasty season by the weather. The neighbours have never seen rainfall like we had. We had over 200mls in two or three days and half the farm was underwater mid-calving. So, it’s been a toughie.
Sounds stressful. How does cycling help?
It’s been really important for me to just dilute some of that pressure. To put aside a wee bit of time and actually go and do other things. When I’m on my bike, all those other pressures just disappear because I’m focused somewhere else. I can just switch off. Turn off everything that’s going on in the background, if you know what I mean, and there’s always plenty going on in the background on a farm.
Is it just you or are there other farmers training for Gravel in Paradise?
There’s actually a good community of cyclists down here and there’s even another guy on the island, who’s a farmer too and right into cycling. So we spend the time we have available going for a bike.
How does taking time off to go cycling benefit your farming?
I think the main thing is it puts problems that seem really big at the time back into perspective. It’s like a reset switch for me. You come back and suddenly all of those issues are much easier to deal with.
Something else I’ve discovered is that because you switch off when you’re on your bike, you often find a solution. If I’m training on my bike by myself, often a solution just pops into my head.
What other benefits have you noticed?
Farming can be very draining and it’s like a snowball effect, the pressure just builds until you reach a point when you know you’re being ropey and that’s not good for anyone.
Getting off farm is the key to dealing with that. It puts life back into perspective so you’re in a better space to deal with everything coming at you.
For me going for a bike helps everything fall into place. When you come home you’ve reset, so your relationships are stronger and you’ve got a better attitude. This is such good medicine for me.
What’s your message to other farmers who could be joining you but are worried about taking time off?
It’s just about making that initial commitment. Once you’ve entered, it’ll all fall into place. I can’t say enough about how much value I get out of riding my bike. Not just the riding, but the camaraderie, chatting with other farmers and meeting other people.
This season was the wettest they’ve had on the island. People had never seen rain like it. I told my wife at one point, ‘I’ve entered a bike race but I don’t know if I can make it.’ And she was like, ‘Get on your bike and go get your medicine. Everyone is better off.’
Farmstrong is nationwide, rural wellbeing programme that helps farmers and growers to manage the ups and downs of the industry. Last year more than 15,000 farmers and growers attributed an increase in their wellbeing to the programme. To find out what works for you and lock it in, head to www.farmstrong.co.nz
Gravel in Paradise, New Zealand’s premier gravel cycling series, is proud to introduce Ride Strong as part of the 2025 lineup. Set against the breathtaking landscapes of Otago, this “semi-serious” race class is designed to celebrate the grit and spirit of New Zealand’s farming community, in partnership with Farmstrong, and provide a great chance to get off the farm, “recharge your batteries” and catch up with mates.
Ride Strong will be featured in all four events of the series:
- The Crop Duster (February 23, Alexandra)
- Puketapu Gravel ‘n’ Tar (March 23, Palmerston)
- The Gravel Muster (April 13, Middlemarch)
- White Rocks (May 3, Enfield)
You can enter at www.gravelinparadise.co.nz
