Danielle Hamlyn is a young broadacre and hay production farmer from Freeling, South Australia. Along with her husband, Dale, and their two small children, they farm approximately four hundred acres of leased and owned land at the edge of the Barossa Valley wine region.
Danielle, like many growers across Australia has farming in her blood, but for her, farming skipped a generation in her parents before she became involved.
“My grandparents were farmers and my brother had a farm and we’d go up there and spend a lot of time on the weekends and holidays working with them.”
“Dale [my husband] has been farming since he was 21 and I’ve been really involved for the last 7 years. At the moment, while we do have our own, rely heavily on Dale’s family’s land and more leased land. Dale’s a part time farmer, part time shed builder, and we have the intention to get more into farming down the track as we get access to more land.”
Farming for many is a mix of struggle and success. The fine balance of lifestyle with business and production. For Danielle, there’s so much about living regionally on a farm that helps get her out of bed in the morning, even on those days when challenging decisions must be made.
“The first thing to understand about farming is that it's not a typical 9-to-5 job. It's not confined to a Monday-to-Friday schedule; rather, it's a demanding lifestyle that requires hard work year-round. Sometimes lucky to get away for a weekend in a quiet period. However, when the season is favourable, the rewards can be substantial.”
“My children are what get me out of bed in the morning first and foremost. We have a 3 ½ year old and a 1 and ½ year old. Waking up in the morning knowing that we live a pretty good lifestyle even if it can get hard; having young children and farming - the lifestyle is worth every bit of blood sweat and tears.”
But farming is more than a lifestyle for Danielle, it’s also a career she’s building to support her family and their farm.
“I’m a uni student, halfway through completing my honours in hay production through Adelaide uni. It’s a one-year degree I’m doing part time.”
When asked how she’s finding it, Danielle is enthusiastic. “With my degree it’s great to know I’m learning something I can apply on the farm” she says, going on to explain some of the complexities of the topics she’s covering as a part of her course. “It’s definitely a learning curve – the work is always varied.”
This enthusiasm continues as Danielle’s hopes and thoughts turn to the future. When asked where she sees herself in ten years, her answer ties strongly to the work she continues to do at home and at university.
“Hopefully I’ve finished studying! I’d love to be in working within the agriculture industry looking at improving quality – I want to be involved in research. And by then hopefully the farm will be bigger too.”