James and Melissa Barbour - Putting the building blocks in place

James and Melissa began sharemilking in their early twenties on a 170-cow farm at Te Poi. By today’s standards it was small, but it gave them responsibility early.

“It was affordable, and it was a great start,” James says. “You’re in charge of your own decisions, and you learn pretty quickly to be careful with money. Using those same principles that work on a small farm, and applying them to subsequent jobs was key.”

Over the next decade, they progressed through a series of 50:50 sharemilking roles in Waikato, gradually increasing cow numbers while deliberately consolidating at key points.

“It wasn’t always about pushing bigger,” Melissa says. “Sometimes it was about consolidating, getting on top of everything, and making sure we were ready before taking the next step.”

One of those roles proved especially formative. The farm was owned by Mrs Joan De Renzy, a landowner who took a close interest in how the business was run and took the couple under her wing as a mentor.

“She was someone you noticed,” Melissa says. “Even before the job came up, James had mentioned he’d like to work for her.”

Joan’s expectations went beyond production. She encouraged high standards, professionalism and pride in the workplace.

“She had really high standards,” James says. “Pride in the place, pride in the cows, pride in how the farm looked.”

One of her non-negotiables was that they enter the Dairy Industry Awards.

“She made it a condition,” Melissa says. “Without that push, we probably wouldn’t have done it.”

Winning the Waikato award reinforced the value of low-input systems and strong fundamentals.

“Grass was the main driver,” James says. “That focus was drilled into us there, and it’s stayed with us the whole way.”

Although Joan has since passed away, her influence remains.

“We still talk about things she used to say,” James says. “She had a big impact.”

Looking back, Melissa is clear those experiences shaped later decisions.

“If we hadn’t gone into those years in a strong financial position, we wouldn’t have been able to take the opportunities that came later.”

As their farming business developed, James and Melissa became increasingly deliberate about how they managed both risk and labour.

Staff have always been central to that thinking. Today, the farm employs one full-time staff member, Liam Mitchell, now in his fourth season on the farm.

“Like all staff, Liam has an important role in our business,” James says. “When you hear about the trouble some farmers have retaining staff, we’re pretty proud of that.”

Retention, they say, comes from investing time and trust.

“If you’ve got someone young and keen, it’s 100% in your best interest to put the effort into them,” James says.

Alongside sharemilking, the Barbour’s have leased a 160-hectare drystock block at Piarere, near Matamata; for 11 years now a decision that proved pivotal.

 We wanted more control over our replacement stock. Also, the ability to diversify our business with beef, and minimising wastage from the dairy herd,” James says.

The lease block allowed them to rear their heifer replacements, breed Angus cattle, and fatten beef cattle, reducing reliance on external grazing markets. “As herd owning sharemilking, we were always at the whim of the markets, and having the ability to grow and finish beef helped reduce the risk involved when payouts were low and cow prices slumped.

“That made a real difference.” Melissa says.

Over time, they built their dairy herd deliberately, treating stock as a long-term asset.

“Those cows were everything for us,” James says. “We knew one day they’d be what allowed us to buy land. I was pretty proud of the herd we had built up whilst sharemilking.”

In June 2022, after 15 years sharemilking, they purchased their own farm in the South Waikato.

Affordability was central to the decision.

“We didn’t want to be forced into pushing every lever just to service debt,” Melissa says.

Instead, they chose a property that suited both their system and their family. “It doesn’t have to be perfect land,” James says. “It just has to work.”

Their move into ownership was supported by Rabobank, with expectations clearly understood on both sides. “There was trust there,” Melissa says. “But it came with responsibility.” That reinforced an approach they had followed for years.

A key focus for us is when we take on debt, we focus on paying it down,” James says. “That’s always been our priority, and we feel the bank has looked favourably upon that.”

Family considerations have shaped decisions at every stage. James and Melissa started a family young, raising five sons alongside the demands of sharemilking and ownership.

“There are memories that really stick,” James says. “I remember Melissa feeding calves with a kid on her back and a couple others running round in the calf shed. You look back and smile.”

The boys help out on farm regularly, and are encouraged to understand the value of effort, without pressure about their future paths.

“There’s no expectation they’ll farm,” James says. “But we also want to encourage and inspire them and highlight that farming can be a very rewarding and special career. They see what goes into it, and we expect them to work hard.”

Ownership has allowed the family to settle after years of moving.

“After shifting around so much, it’s been really nice to settle,” Melissa says. “To know we’re here for the long term.”

With that stability has come the ability to plan beyond the next season, from environmental projects to farm improvements, there is always something on the go.

Farming is our way of life,” James says. “And being able to do it as a family has been one of the best parts of the journey.”