14 minute read
Farmstrong
by AgriHQ
Leaving detailed farm maps and lists of preferred suppliers who know the farm well and already have accounts set up for the farm will help the new people coming onto the farm after you.
Managing moving day
New herd, new home, new community. Moving day can be a stressful time for contract milkers. Here are a few tips on how to manage the transition.
Maegan Legg and her partner Terry are sharemilkers in Manawatū. They currently 50:50 sharemilk 320 cows on a 128ha Shannon property owned by Spall Farms Ltd. They’ve been in the industry four years and really enjoy the lifestyle farming offers.
“We love the life we live, working with animals and the fact we get to live and work together as a couple. We want to continue to grow great kids, great cows and great grass,” Maegan says.
They’re obviously doing all three well, because in 2020 the couple won
Manawatū Share Farmers of the Year at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.
But Maegan admits moving day can be challenging for any farming family.
Farmstrong asked her for some tips on mitigating the stress of moving to a new operation and community.
Be prepared
“Probably the biggest stress of moving day is getting everything done in time. You’re moving out, someone else is moving in. Same at the other property. So the biggest stress is the timeframe. I’d say, start early, start packing those boxes months in advance. Share the tasks – decide who is going to pack up the home, who is going to do the shed.
“We also make sure we have a bag ready to go with everything we’ll need on the first night – phone chargers, kids’ pyjamas, and a meal for that night. We even include a packet of paper plates because no one wants to do dishes that first night.”
Pass on what you know
“Employers and sharemilkers can really help people moving in by leaving behind detailed farm maps and lists of preferred suppliers who know the farm well and already have accounts set up for the farm.”
“Nothing beats a good water map when you first move in. At a previous farm, we had no contact with the previous contract milker, so we moved in blind and spent many hours walking water lines to find out where they went and where you could turn them off. If someone can provide that information in advance, that saves you a lot of time and stress.”
Getting up to speed
“The first thing we do is get the kids’ bedrooms set up, so they are sorted. It’s a big step for kids and a new house must feel like home as soon as possible. Then you can get to know the farm, get a feel for the place using any information that’s been left behind for you. That means checking that what’s on farm maps corresponds to reality.
“Taking a fence tester around and checking where the power is – there always seems to be a spot on the farm where there is no power and that’s where the cow gets out.
“Once you know you’ve got good water and power, you can make things happen.”
Look after the basics
“Getting decent sleep and eating well are essential during any big change. I’m the first person to admit that I’m tragic without enough sleep, I get pretty ratty.
“That’s why it’s important to make sure people are still heading home at a reasonable hour each day, so they are in
Prioritise tasks
“Farming is not about tackling a long list of challenges all at the same time. It’s about picking the important ones you can get to first, getting those out of the way and then moving on to the next task.
“We find the best way to manage pressure is just to focus on one job at a time. I like to make a list and just cross tasks off one at a time. Once you can see progress it all feels a lot more manageable.
“Obviously, on a new farm there’ll be a few unexpected tasks. But once you’ve dealt with them, go back to your list.”
Schedule downtime
“No matter how busy work gets, we always make sure we get time off. We could possibly milk our cows on our own, but it’s not sustainable for anyone to be working 24/7. That’s why we have a fulltime staff member. It allows everybody to get a bit of downtime. We do that because we know we wouldn’t enjoy farming as much if we didn’t do it.
“It means we can spend time with our kids and do other things as a couple. That’s why we went farming in the first place.
“So even though my husband and I are busy, we’ve just had eight days off attending dairy industry events. And our kids play rugby, so we make time for their practices and Saturday morning games. That’s our chance to catch up with other parents and relax, talk about things other than farming.”
Staying connected
“People are social creatures, we’re meant to be in herds, just like our cows. So, if you’re moving to a community where you don’t know anyone at all, my advice would be to join what’s on offer, find local networks. For example, we have young children, so it’s about getting involved with the local playcentre and schools. All the other farmers’ kids are there too.
“The dairy industry also has amazing local networks.
“DairyNZ discussion groups are great. They’re fun, they’re social and there’s no opinion that’s not valued. Everyone is welcomed.
“You don’t need to be a talker or extrovert, you can just turn up and catch up with other people facing the same things as you. It’s as social as it is farming.
“I’d also encourage people to explore what else is on offer in their local community. Check out your local fish and chip shop, RSA or sports club.”
Support your team
“As sharemilkers I think we have a responsibility to make sure our employees are supported when they move into new communities.
“Our last employee came from five hours away, so it was a big change for them. We introduced them to other people, took them along to discussion groups and helped them integrate into the community.
“We’ve found people soon find their own friendships and networks once you give them a hand.”
Live well, farm well
“There are always challenges in farming and more are coming. You’ve just got to be adaptable, sustainable and move with the times.
“Agriculture has really shown its value to New Zealand over the past year with challenges like covid. That’s why it’s so important that we look after the people we’ve got and keep them in our industry.” n
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Manawatū sharemilker Maegan Legg and her partner Terry say the biggest stress of moving is getting everything done in time for the big shift.
Under the pump?
For tips and ideas, visit farmstrong.co.nz
Back with a bang
By Samantha Tennent
After being cancelled last year due to covid, Fieldays are back to showcase the latest and greatest in agriculture.
Around 10,000 contractors and exhibitors have been immersed in building the small city that is Fieldays from the ground up. The excitement around ticket sales launched in May suggests the public are just as excited as the Fieldays crew to see the gates open on June 16.
“Our exhibitors and contractors always go to impressive efforts to get Fieldays up and running and this year is no exception,” New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation says.
“We’ve had many challenges to navigate over the past two years, but as a testament to the strength of the event, and to the primary industries of New Zealand, we are thrilled to see the build kick-off and the excitement around tickets going on sale.”
After the physical event was cancelled in 2020 the Fieldays team made a quick switch to an online platform, with Fieldays Online seeing 90,000 people tune in across the globe. This year they are hosting a hybrid event to cover the best of both worlds, the physical event at Mystery Creek and Fieldays Online, where they will be virtually hosting exhibitor sites and livestreaming an engaging mix of content via Fieldays TV.
“We will have a glass studio on the Village Green, in the heart of the event, similar to the America’s Cup. It will be highly visible to visitors passing by and in a convenient location for live crosses to exhibitor sites,” he says.
“Content will be streamed throughout the day, and visitors can tune in to watch content on-demand at the end of the day, allowing for a seamless Fieldays experience.”
Travel restrictions have prohibited many international exhibitors and visitors from attending the physical event, but a few have support based in NZ so will have some representation. And permitting it continues safely, the trans-Tasman bubble has allowed the opportunity to reinvite Australian exhibitors.
“Usually, we have around 2500 to 3000 international visitors to Fieldays, and at least 11 exhibitors. Last year over 75 countries connected with our online event,” he says.
“Internationally we’re talking a common language in the covid world, despite the different cultures and language barriers, we are all facing the same challenges and learning from each other”.
The team anticipate the Health and Wellbeing Hub to be a hive of activity, with a greater focus under the current climate. And the Innovations Hub also has some exciting exhibitors who have been working on solutions for issues facing the primary sector, such as labour shortages and other covid implications.
“Growing NZ is hosting the Careers and Education Hub, which will have the primary sector opportunities on display. It’ll be great for those thinking of a career change or considering study options,” he says.
The NZ National Fieldays Society has found it challenging to stabilise their business after the events industry came to a grinding halt. They have less staff on the ground and many exhibitors were impacted by covid-19 as well. Now, with 50% of local accommodation unavailable due to MIQ and emergency housing, they have had to be innovative to
Fieldays 2021 kicks off on June 16 and contractors and exhibitors have been busy setting up.
New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation says excitement is building in the lead-up to the 2021 Fieldays.
support exhibitors and visitors to access the event.
“Accommodation has been under pressure for a number of years and it’s amplified this year. To address this, we are putting together the Fieldays Campervan Village at Claudelands Event Centre for our exhibitors,” he says.
“I think the exhibitors are looking forward to coming together and sharing the experience.”
They have worked hard to maintain their sustainability focus too.
Fieldays is ISO 20121 accredited, which is an international standard in Event Sustainability Management that is used for the Olympic Games and other worldclass events.
“We’re always trying to improve our sustainability practice and we don’t want to drop the ball,” he says.
“To support our ISO accreditation we work with Instep, who helps us incorporate environmental management and carbon footprint calculations into everything we do.”
Despite the challenges, exhibitor numbers are almost on par with 2019, and the excitement across social media suggests they can expect large numbers of visitors this year. Around 130,000 people attended in 2019 and the successful online event in 2020 demonstrates the value people place on Fieldays as a platform to reconnect. n
Fieldays has been announced as a Bronze Award winner in the Virtual Expo category for the 11th Global Eventex Awards for Fieldays Online.
“It’s huge to be recognised, receiving a Bronze Award for the Eventex Awards is an impressive feat in what has been a challenging year,” New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation says.
“With innovation being one of our key strategic pillars, we took a challenging set of circumstances and invented a world-first event of its kind, keeping rural communities connected in a time of adversity.
“Fieldays Online has now become an important part of the Fieldays brand.”
The Eventex Awards recognise excellence in every aspect of the event industry, including events and experiences, as well as event technology, suppliers, venues and destinations.
There were a staggering 561 entries from 37 countries around the world.
It took 108 days to pull together Fieldays Online in 2020 when the physical event was cancelled due to covid-19 restrictions. Fieldays partnered with Satellite Media, an Aucklandbased digital innovation agency, to bring the virtual event to life, and Trade Me supported the event, connecting various Fieldays exhibitors with ecommerce capabilities.
Held over a two-week timeframe in July 2020, Fieldays Online allowed visitors to scope out Fieldays deals and access live content from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
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The latest innovations in agriculture, backyard inventions and commercial improvements are always an integral part of Fieldays, with thousands of visitors eager to view the latest rural advancements.
Invigorating innovations
By Samantha Tennent
Kiwi ingenuity will be once again showcased in the Innovation Centre at the New Zealand National Fieldays, where backyard inventions for the agricultural industry will be showcased.
Labour shortages have inspired innovators, with a number of entrants in the 2021 Fieldays Innovations Awards aimed at solving the challenge. The Innovations
Hub is brimming with entrants largely aimed at making farmers lives easier.
“We have a number of entries utilising robotics, including Zespri and two from
Waikato University,” Fieldays innovations event manager Gail Hendricks says.
“People are seeing the need for robotics due to labour shortages, as well as other innovations focused around helping farmers and growers streamline processes.
“The changing landscape has seen a shift away from apps this round, with strong support for Internet of Things (IoT) and connectivity related innovations.”
Hendricks and the team have been working hard to encourage all industries to be represented in the Fieldays
Innovation Awards, which has proved fruitful.
“We identify great innovations through our partnerships and networks. Not many first-time entrants enter without some encouragement; people need to feel their innovation is worthy and be comfortable to give it a go, she says.
“Sometimes it’s a resource issue or not having enough time to be ready. Or sometimes they don’t have the ability to manage two sites, but we try to help wherever we can.
“We want to ensure innovations coming out of Fieldays are of high value and a possibility of moving forward, New Zealand innovations have great opportunities on the global stage.”
They have regular repeat entrants, including 2019 exhibitors RiverWatch who are moving into the next stage with their concept, which is described as a health monitor for waterways.
Halter is also on board with their solarpowered smart collars, which have gone commercial, and Donaghys have entered their world-first sheep spot-on product.
“It’s exciting to see what comes through the hub; both St Paul’s and St Peter’s schools have some entries this year too,” she says.
The hub itself has had a revamp this year, building the story of the innovation journey. Starting from a prototype and moving into the early commercialisation stage and onto the growth and scale stage. Entrants will be grouped in their categories from the backyard invention to manufacturing and onto the global scale.
Judging for the $50,000 prize pool takes place on the Wednesday of Fieldays, and the awards ceremony is being held on Thursday evening for the first time.
Be sure to head along to the innovations hub to view the entrants and catch a glimpse of the future of the primary sector. n
Many regular repeat entrants will be attending Fieldays, including 2019 exhibitors RiverWatch who are moving into the next stage with their health monitor for waterways invention.
