Next Generation Modern Farmer
“To city people, stories like this about the countryside often sound romantic.”
It is a story of a family animal farm in Smiljan near Gospić breeding 100 heads of cattle. Before she went to live there Ana had nothing to do with agriculture, had never done anything of the sort and didn't even have a garden. The first calves were granted by her husband Marijo’s parents, then the couple bought more. Next, they applied for the measure 6.1.1. for young farmers’ funding through CAP that allowed them to buy another 20 heifers and gradually built the cow-calf system.
Ana is a fast learner. She has learnt what is best for her stock and her farm and produces almost all the animal food herself, growing cereals and corn and providing pastures. In this way she manages to release about thirty fattened steers to the market annually and would like to open their own butcher's shop in Gospić and offer first-class meat products.
Over the past ten years, the couple have not only increased the herd but also expanded the facilities and introduced mechanisms to clean mechanically and organize the feeding process. Ana Jelinič shares her impression how people believe daily life on a farm to be quite monotonous, but she explains that no day is exactly the same, and a lot depends on the time of the year and the weather conditions.
Ana is convinced that that the countryside has great advantages over city life but only if one is ready to make an effort. She did and per husband Marijo is proud of her, of how she took over the job and became the boss.
My wife did a great job, I have to admit that I didn't expect her to be so successful. Not only did she learn, but she took over the job and became the boss. However, we come up with the key strategy together, usually in the evening when we tell each other how our day went.
Based on materials from: Jutarnji list, HANZA MEDIA; photos: ©Ana JeliničHer message: "Anyone who is persistent and dedicated can make a good living in the countryside, as long as they are not afraid of hard work. It does involve quite a few sacrifices."
