Dairy farming family Henry Heald (left), with dad Russell, mum Charlotte, and William. Photo / Michaela Gower
Dairy farming family Henry Heald (left), with dad Russell, mum Charlotte, and William. Photo / Michaela Gower
The cows have names, and the butter churner’s made of wood. It took a lot of work — and a life-changing diagnosis — but a 170ha organic farm near Norsewood is finally getting the plaudits, and nationwide ones at that. Michaela Gower reports.
As a rural mum, dairy farmer, andholistic health coach, Norsewood woman Charlotte Heald knows what a busy life looks like.
In 2017, she found herself in a position where she had taken on too much at once.
She had three young children, was managing staff, working on her and her husband Russell’s farm, and had volunteer roles within the community.
Dairy farming family Henry Heald (left), with dad Russell, mum Charlotte, and William. Photo / Michaela Gower
“I was very determined I was going to heal my body.”
She trained as a holistic health coach and focused on integrative nutrition in a bid to empower rural women to live sustainable lifestyles by understanding the bigger health picture.
“I came out the other end and thought I could help other women achieve this as well.
“It’s been my mission to empower women to put themselves first and create a life involving family and farm that fills their cup.”
At the time Charlotte and her husband Russell were going through a long slog to convert their dairy farm near Norsewood into one entrenched in organic and regenerative practices.
Charlotte’s experience with her own health would ignite the passion for that further. She was determined to focus not only on her health, but on the health of the land they stood on and the animals they farmed.
The farm was officially certified as organic in 2021, eight years after purchasing it with her family, and the pair took on full ownership in 2022.
Now their focus is to create a farm system that helps soil, staff, and animals through organic practices.
Charlotte Heald said most of their cows were pets with names, and had become an extension of their family. Photo / Michaela Gower
Their hard work was rewarded and they were named Organic and Regenerative Farmer of the Year at the Organic NZ awards in Wellington on Friday.
Russell Heald churns cream into butter at the Regenerative Farm open day. Photo / Michaela Gower
The couple gained the title for their work to create an organic and low-stress farming system on their 170ha property where they milk 330 cows once a day.
“Just about all of our cows are pets, heaps of them have names, they are an extension of our family,” Charlotte said.
This year’s Organic NZ Week ran from May 1 to 7, and was themed Where Nature Thrives, to showcase organic producers as guardians of biodiversity.
As part of it, the Healds ran a regenerative farm open day to give the public a first-hand experience of a milking shed while learning about the work that goes into the animals and their health to achieve the best product.
The Healds’ cattle have access to a diverse range of pastures and plant species, “so that they have a healthy, balanced diet”, and natural remedies are used instead of drenches, antibiotics, and chemicals.
“For me, it is about looking at the bigger picture and the whole system, and understanding that the health of all things on our planet begins in the soil,” Charlotte said.
She said she wanted to continue to use her knowledge of regenerative farming and human health and hoped others would be inspired to look at life through a sustainable lens.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay newsrooms. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love of sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
