60-year tie to the land severed

Hawkes Bay farmer Kevin Mitchell plans to sell up. Photo / Greg Bowker

Kevin Mitchell's family has farmed sheep and cattle in Hawkes Bay for the past 60 years, but he's now planning to sell up and walk off the land - mostly because of falling meat profits.

"We've been mulling over this, as a family, for a couple of seasons," said Mitchell. "The sad part about it is it's happening all over the country."

He said 2001 through to 2004 were the best three years "in the last 30" for his family's business on the 1160ha farm.

"But since 2005 [profits] have been eroding and we've got costs increasing."

Mitchell, who is also Federated Farmers president for Hawkes Bay, said his children quickly worked out that they would not have to work as hard, for a better return, in other jobs away from the farm.

"I'm not 60 yet - I'm in my late 50s," he said. "I would like to farm [because] I actually like what I do.

"If there was a better reward I'd have the next generation helping me."

The falling profits, especially with back-to-back droughts thrown into the mix, were wearing farmers down, Mitchell said.

"We've got a few things we want to do, and if there was plenty of profitability we could have kept farming and done them.

"But to do what we want to do we'll have to sell up and take on other challenges."