First-generation farmer Zo毛 and her partner Chris rent land across Kent, farming sheep, cattle, and pygmy goats. The couple started with 32 pregnant ewes and now lamb some 500 breeding ewes over 100 acres near Maidstone.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not been very conventional, but we鈥檝e managed to make it work,鈥� Zo毛 told Student Farmer, ahead of the launch of her book, The Chief Shepherdess: Lessons in Life, Love and Farming.
Having never considered a career in farming, Zo毛 has since learned to butcher by watching videos on YouTube during one of the Covid lockdowns. The couple now sell their meat online via their shop, The Little Farm Fridge.
鈥淲e were staying in a caravan on the farm during lambing and we were brainstorming and it got to the point we were like, 鈥榠t鈥檚 now or never, we need to strike while the iron is hot鈥�,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we took out a loan, went to our landlady and said 鈥榗an we put a unit in鈥�, brought a second-hand mobile office and decked it all out with the hygiene boards and got all of our certifications.
鈥淐hris and I aren鈥檛 scared to have a go at things because, at the end of the day, what are you going to lose, money? I know money is very important, especially when you don鈥檛 have it, but no-one is going to die. I think, because we鈥檙e dealing with life and death all the time on the farm, you鈥檙e actually not scared of failing because if no-one鈥檚 going to die when you fail it鈥檚 not as bad as situations you have been in.鈥�
Salon to shepherdess
鈥淚 feel passionately that young people now have every opportunity, and they should utilise it to make sure it鈥檚 definitely what they want to do.鈥�
Zo毛 Colville
After Chris brought the first ewes, Zo毛 began spending weekends and holidays in Kent with Chris, who spent some of his childhood on a farm but was working as a plumber when the pair met. But she said it was the passing of her father that made her embrace farming fully.
鈥淔arming became real, it balanced me out,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚 felt really heavy after dad died. It was a sadness I鈥檇 never had before but getting into a routine where you get up when the sun comes up and finish work when it goes dark, it really it sorted me out.鈥�
While she acknowledges farming may appear like a strange choice for someone who is grieving 鈥� threaded through as it is with death 鈥� she said: 鈥淭he thing with farming is death and sadness is always balanced out with new life and growth and beautiful sunrises, whereas in human life it鈥檚 hard to find those things. They don鈥檛 stare at you straight in the face.鈥�
As to how her shepherdess life contrasts to the salon, the biggest difference is being unable to plan ahead.
鈥淢y old life was literally planned to within an inch of its life,鈥� she said, adding her appointments would be booked in weeks in advance with her only stress being turning clients around on time.
The change was a lot to get used to at first. 鈥淚t was quite a hard transition. I had three diaries and it used to drive Chris crazy because I鈥檇 be like, 鈥榳hat are we doing tomorrow鈥� and he鈥檇 be like, 鈥榯his, this and this but it might change for this and this鈥� and I couldn鈥檛 understand. It used to drive him mental.鈥�
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Rollercoaster moments
As with any new career, the transition has had its ups and downs.
Probably the most difficult to deal with is the lack of control over the weather. 鈥淚t鈥檚 when things are completely out of your control and you have to try and claw back,鈥� she said, using the 2020 drought as an example. 鈥淲e had to sell about 300 of our breeding ewes during that because we just didn鈥檛 have the grass and that cut really deep because it wasn鈥檛 anything that we鈥檇 done. That鈥檚 probably the hardest thing, being under Mother Nature鈥檚 thumb.鈥�
Among the highs, she laughed, is surviving in a functional relationship with Chris. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a normal business we鈥檙e running, it鈥檚 high stress and intense 365 days a year. The fact we still go to bed and don鈥檛 want to rip each other鈥檚 throats out, that鈥檚 a real high for me.鈥�
There鈥檚 also the growth from year to year: 鈥淭he first year I lambed I wasn鈥檛 comfortable skinning a lamb to adopt it on to another one, whereas the year after I found the confidence to do it.鈥�
Be sure
For anyone new to or wanting to join the industry, Zo毛 said be sure before committing to it.
鈥淭here are so many opportunities now to try before you buy. We鈥檙e at a time where if you type in 鈥榮hepherdess鈥� on Instagram there are 100 accounts you can contact,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 feel passionately that young people now have every opportunity, and they should utilise it to make sure it鈥檚 definitely what they want to do.鈥�
She added we鈥檙e at a 鈥渞eally exciting time for farming鈥�, pointing to Farmer Will appearing on Love Island and the industry gathering momentum on social media.
鈥淕rowing up, the only thing I knew about farming was foot and mouth disease, bird flu and swine flu. But now if someone鈥檚 farming video is coming up in some 15-year-old鈥檚 feed full of Kylie Jenner and lip plumpers, that鈥檚 amazing.
鈥淣owadays, you don鈥檛 have to have a dad that works on a dairy farm or a grandad that鈥檚 a pig farmer. You don鈥檛 need to have those things now and it鈥檚 really exciting.鈥�
Another must is a sense of humour. 鈥淵ou will not survive without one,鈥� Zo毛 said, adding it needs to be a bit of a dark one at times. 鈥淵ou have to be able to laugh at yourself. Not at the situation, because some of them are horrendous, but you have to be able to see the light in some really dark situations.鈥�
It鈥檚 the toll farming can take on your mental health that makes Zo毛 reiterate the importance of being sure this is the industry for you before you commit.
She explained the darkness of long winters, bad weather, and financial stresses can be drowning, adding mental health is a 鈥渉uge thing鈥�.
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e lost loads of friends because I can鈥檛 keep up the friendship because I鈥檓 so tired, and that can be quite isolating. I think that鈥檚 why I enjoy and kept up the social media so much, because I鈥檝e gone from being surrounded by girls 24/7 and having really deep, meaningful conversations and friendships to it literally being me and Chris all day every day.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why you have to be so certain before you fully dive into a career in farming,鈥� she said.
Farming for the future
With the titles of farmer, butcher, and now published author under her belt, Zo毛 hopes to buy or rent a farm in the future where she can offer open days to anyone interested in getting into farming and to primary schools.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I really want to do. I love kids and love working with kids and would love to be able to offer that.鈥�
Also on the to-do list is to turn The Little Farm Fridge into a collective, offering milk, cream and cheese from local dairy farmers.
鈥淚nitially, we were worried people wouldn鈥檛 want to buy meat from the field in front of their house but it鈥檚 not the case at all. People want to be connected and know the story behind it and learn where it came from and I鈥檇 love to open that up a bit more.鈥�
'The Chief Sheperdess: Lessons in Life, Love and Farming' by Zoe Colville is out now in hardback and is available from all High Street and online book shops.