Today I Met Scott McFadden by Olivia


 

Located in the hill country of New Zealand lies Acheron Station, run by Scott McFadden. We all arrived and Scott immediately greeted with the biggest smile. His energy was contagious and I could tell he was excited to share his farm with us. Scott McFadden runs a beef, sheep and timber farm extending to 800 hectares (1976.84 acres). He led us into his woolshed where we settled in to learn about Acheron Station. Inside, I noticed a University of Delaware pennant hanging from the beams signifying the relationship our program has had with McFaddens since 1999.


Scott began by explaining how Acheron Station got its start. His parents bought the farm in 1956 and he has since taken over from his father. He was excellent at answering our questions and really facilitated the conversations so it didn’t feel like a Q&A. I learned how passionate he is about holistic management. Just changing 1 or 2 habits to allow for time to get off of the farm can be so beneficial for a farmer's mental health. Scott himself is trained in recognizing mental health issues in farmers. He shared with us how important it is for farmers to have a break from thinking about management and how appreciative they are of someone just  listening to them.

Scott led us up a “wee hill” on his farm after we had asked all of our questions.
I will be the first to say a “wee hill” is much more steep than one would imagine. We began our trek conversing with Scott, but it quickly turned into 34 hunched over students struggling to keep up with him. The view at the top was incredible and we were truly able to see far Acheron Station stretched across the hill country.

I asked Scott what his favorite part about being a farmer was and he replied that he enjoys the relationships with others that he has made. He operates a wool press business that allows him to travel around his district and talk to farmers and check in on them. Scott said to me he aims to, “Make each day a good day, have a good laugh”. It’s an idea I plan on taking home with me from this experience in New Zealand, and one of the many one liner life lessons Scott shared with us all.

 

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