One last word …

Calving is well underway in most parts of the country and from all reports it is going as well as could be expected given the weather conditions.

Mother Nature has not let up all year.

Almost every farmer I have spoken to this season has experienced weather extremes. First the wet summer in some parts, flooding and cyclones in others. Some farmers experienced dry conditions and then more recently more rain and snow. It’s certainly been a mixed bag, and many are asking what happened to summer. It was virtually nonexistent.

I was looking at some back issues of Dairy Farmer and every year it has been the same: there is always something throwing a challenge at farmers. If it is not the weather, it is new rules and regulations or the like.

I had one farmer ring me feeling quite grumpy about the weather and all the new rules and regulations. He told me it felt like he “was on a merry-go-round that never ended”.

“How do we stop it?” he asked. We may not be able to control the weather – no on-off switch has been invented yet, sadly – but as for the new rules and regulations, the only thing farmers can do is work with industry bodies to ensure they are heard when it comes to submissions and consultation. It is vital to have your say as it is your business and future.

Last month I mentioned that Dairy Farmer is celebrating its fifth year of publishing under AgriHQ. This issue also marks my last as editor as I leave the role. Dairy Farmer will continue to be published under the leadership of Farmers Weekly managing editor Bryan Gibson and the Farmers Weekly editorial team.

When I first took over this publication it was owned by Stuff and was called The Dairyman, then NZ Dairy Farmer, and now Dairy Farmer under AgriHQ. That was nearly nine years ago, and I have been honoured and feel privileged to have been at the helm of this quality publication.

I would like to take the time to say thank you to our Dairy Farmer editorial team: Gerald Piddock and Samantha Tennant in Waikato, Anne Boswell in Bay of Plenty, Ross Nolly in Taranaki, Cheyenne Nicholson in Manawatū and Tony Benny in the South Island. You all knew how to wind me up and keep me on my toes. And thanks also to our many contributors for their columns and stories.

Thank you to our fabulous network of photographers and in particular Francis Oliver in Auckland, Stephen Barker in Waikato and Natasha Chadwick in Southland and all the others who donned their gumboots and went out to get all the amazing photos we have run alongside our On Farm stories and profiles.

And a big thank you to the amazing production team at AgriHQ: Stephen Bell, Carmelita Mentor-Fredericks and Claire Robertson for your excellent sub-editing, and Lana Kieselbach, who lays out the magazine each month and makes it look good. Sorry for driving you all crazy with my changes.

Your help and support have been invaluable and greatly appreciated. But most of all, thank you to all of you farmers who have allowed us to tell your stories – without you, the pages would have been empty. Farmers are at the heart of this industry. Every farm and farmer is different and every farmer has a story to tell. I hope we have done justice to those stories.

I wish you all the very best of luck.

Sonita

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