\u201cPete and I then worked full-time on his parents\u2019 dairy farm, and Pete also contract-fenced. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe started sharemilking on that farm with 100 cows.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple then moved to a different set-up on 90ha in Galatea, increasing their herd to 250. <\/p>\n
After five years, they took on another sharemilking role on the adjoining 129ha with 300 cows.<\/p>\n
The Manningtons\u2019 herds are mainly Kiwi-cross with some Friesians and Jerseys to raise the overall milk fat\/protein content.<\/p>\n
Full-time on-farm<\/p>\n
Galatea dairy farmers Pete and Gill Mannington on their wedding day.<\/p>\n
The farms are owned by the same person but are run as two separate herds using two cow sheds. <\/p>\n
Gill, Pete, a manager and a farm assistant, all work full-time on the two farms, interchanging as necessary. <\/p>\n
Because of working closely with the land, Gill has always been interested in the medicinal uses of plants and flowers. <\/p>\n
She\u2019s interested in herbalism and has read lots of books before making up blends for different ailments using products from nature. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat began as a small curiosity about natural remedies has grown into a true passion. <\/p>\n
\u201cUsing herbs and natural ingredients, often grown or gathered locally, I handcrafted balms designed to soothe, heal and restore.\u201d<\/p>\n
No garden<\/p>\n
Drying Calendula flowers.<\/p>\n
Moving around from farm to farm as she and Pete work their way up to farm ownership means Gill doesn\u2019t have her own herb garden established, but she does grow calendula (Calendula officinalis) wherever she goes. <\/p>\n
Calendula is known for its anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties and is good for skin issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re fortunate that the farm we are on now has great soil and we have a plentiful supply of plantain (Plantago lanceolata) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium).\u201d <\/p>\n
While yarrow is often regarded as a weed, it was used medicinally as far back as ancient times to stem bleeding and heal wounds. <\/p>\n
Plantain leaves picked fresh from the farm. <\/p>\n
It is claimed to have numerous other medicinal advantages, such as antiseptic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, diuretic and astringent properties.<\/p>\n
Plantain is an effective cellular regenerator and is good for healing wounds. <\/p>\n
Plantain poultices, tinctures, creams and oils can be made for home use.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very lucky that the bush on our winter grazing block has kawakawa (Piper excelsum), a well-known plant used in traditional M\u0101ori medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tallow<\/p>\n
Balms with organic olive oil bases.<\/p>\n
Gill introduced tallow to her ingredients in July 2025 and orders supplies of this pure, natural product that has already been rendered. <\/p>\n
Because of its compatibility with the skin\u2019s natural oils, applied topically, it moisturises, soothes and improves the skin\u2019s health.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no surprise that most of the products Gill makes are centred around the needs of farming life. <\/p>\n
Gill, Pete, Pete\u2019s three sons, the staff and extended family and friends all benefit from her hobby.<\/p>\n
Gill Mannington, dairy farmer by day and herbalist whenever she can find the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe keep Farm Balm close by for those cold winters when we get cracked hands, and I\u2019ve several different flavoured lip balms, which work wonders in the cold\/hot months.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn summer, we use my insect repellent spray, which contains high-grade essential oils \u2013 lavender, peppermint, rose, citronella and lemongrass, which mosquitoes especially don\u2019t like. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we do get bitten, I\u2019ve got an itchy balm to soothe the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gill has made up some bath salts using Epsom salts, which is rich in magnesium, and Himalayan salt, with essential oils. <\/p>\n
She said it was perfect for a muscle soak after working hard on the farm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to learn more and develop a full range of natural products, but for now, it\u2019s heads down and bottoms up while we hopefully fulfil our goal of farm ownership in the next few years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cPete and I then worked full-time on his parents\u2019 dairy farm, and Pete also contract-fenced. \u201cWe started sharemilking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":192196,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[8038,99481,20467,138,10748,7224,3233,12026,7803,2082,71,119725,45783,1905,1364,189,119726,111,139,69,5823,19135,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-192195","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-natural","9":"tag-99481","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-business","12":"tag-came","13":"tag-dairy","14":"tag-farm","15":"tag-farmer","16":"tag-follows","17":"tag-for","18":"tag-from","19":"tag-galatea","20":"tag-gill","21":"tag-healing","22":"tag-her","23":"tag-holiday","24":"tag-mannington","25":"tag-new-zealand","26":"tag-newzealand","27":"tag-nz","28":"tag-passion","29":"tag-working","30":"tag-zealand"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}