Decorative photo Proud to be Me is a series of stories about ordinary and extraordinary people living in Selwyn. As we have now entered Movember, Coen Lammers sat down with former farming and mental health advocate Chris Ford who started a new career in Selwyn to recover from his own personal burn-out.

“To be brutally honest, I was burned out and broken, and we really needed a lifestyle change for health reasons and to get living again,” says former dairy farmer Chris Ford, who gave up his farming career after 26 years to start a new life in Selwyn three years ago.

Ford was a high-profile figure in the farming community in Mid-Canterbury for over two decades in his role as Federated Farmers chairperson, representing the interests of the local dairy farmers. He supported them through some of their toughest days, including the Mycoplasma Bovis crisis and at some level felt personally responsible for their struggles.

“I felt I had to be the wraparound service for all those farmers and some days I’d come home and burst into tears watching those farmers lose their cows and their livelihood. And I often became the whipping boy and had to bear the brunt of their frustrations,” Ford recalls.

On top of running his own farm and his work with Federated Farmers, Ford and wife Jodi had also started a training programme to help MSD trainees transition into the dairy industry, but failed to realise the impact all those good intentions had on his own health and family.

“I forgot about my own life. And it scares me now to realise how little wraparound there was for me. There is support, but you have to ask for it, and many men just don’t ask for help.”

Thankfully, his Federated Farmers colleagues noticed the intense pressure Ford was under and tried to relieve some of his burden.

“One night, there was a meeting in Glentunnel, and the other guys told me that I should sit that one out and stay at home. I was really surprised, but suddenly it clicked,” says Ford, who needed that wake-up call to realise how much his relationship and his own farm had suffered from trying to help others.

“I was trying to help and support others in the worst of times, but didn’t look after myself and it backfired on me.”

Inspired by his own struggles, the man from South Otago is eager to promote men’s health causes like Movember including through his Garden Masters business by dedicating part of his revenue to men’s health support groups.

The landscaping business has grown steadily and Ford laughs when he recalls how the venture was almost created by chance.

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“We had bought a place in Rolleston and were looking for something new. We considered moving to Australia and then I saw someone on the Rolleston Community page looking for someone to mow their lawns.  That just kicked everything off and 2 ½ years later we employ six people.”

He explains that his company now provides an “end-to-end” service from garden design, landscaping to mowing lawns.

“All I knew was how to grow grass for cows, and now I have adapted to domestic grass,” laughs Ford, who has developed a new passion for creating beautiful gardens.

“I never had a creative bone in my body, and now I’m creating artwork in people’s backyards.  I love seeing the joy on the faces of the customers when they see the completed work.”

Ford says the change from dairy farming to small business owner was not an easy path.

“I was used to getting paid my milk check by the 20th of each month and pay my staff and my bills. Now I never know when we are getting paid next and the bank balance can get grim, but that’s the reality of a small business.”

The Doyleston local loves the freedom of his new career and has been on more trips with his wife and children in the past three years than the three previous decades, following his passion for music festivals.

“We have been able to take time off in August for the first time in 20 years, because we were always tied up with calving. In that way farming can be a thankless business.

“I completely changed my life at 46 years old and next year I'm 50 and I'm going to Everest base camp for my 50th. I never would have dreamed of doing things like that a few years ago.”

As his new business grew rapidly, Ford has been careful not to fall into old habits and enlisted a business mentor to sort out any growing pains.

“The most valuable thing I learned from him is that a problem you write down is a problem halved.

“Asking for help when you struggle is a good thing and I no longer call it a problem, but a challenge. And there are always ways to come up with a solution.”

Last modified: 21 Nov 2025 9:39am