Farmstrong

The team on Tracey and Roger Miller’s farm in Southland often catch up over a cuppa and share their ups and downs.

You matter, let’s natter

Farmstrong’s You Matter, Let’s Natter campaign is encouraging farmers to catch up with colleagues and neighbours over a cuppa to see how they’re going. Southland dairy farmer Tracey Miller is one of a number of farmers who’ve put the billy on to help promote the idea.

Tracey and her husband Roger run a 1000-cow dairy farm near Riversdale in Southland. It’s a busy operation with four fulltime staff and a couple of calf rearers.

Tracey says the team must be functioning at its best to keep on top of it all, which is why they gather each morning to share breakfast and chat over a cuppa.

“Everyone sits down together for a good hour or so. Me and another calf rearer prepare a cooked breakfast. We plan out the day, talk about what we’ve been up to and how things are going in general,” Tracey says.

She says that a sense of camaraderie is a big part of keeping people well.

“Sharing the ups and downs of farming helps manage stress. It’s my chance to do that too. Like a lot of farmers, I find it much easier to talk about everyone else’s problems rather than my own, but scheduling a regular get-together like that encourages people to open up,” she says.

“Yesterday, for example, I’d had a tough morning, so I just opened up to the others at breakfast today and everyone was like, ‘oh, what happened? Tell us.’ Being able to share how you’re feeling like that with others is so helpful.

“That’s why I think You Matter, Let’s Natter is an awesome idea. Grab a cup and go and have a natter with someone you care about. A lot of farmers are still very staunch about asking for help. But even if you find just one other person to tell how you’re feeling, that will help you feel a lot better if you’re feeling stressed. Whether it’s your partner, boss, colleague or a relative, everyone needs to be able to confide in someone. As farmers we need to support each other.”

Tracey says the team doubles down on efforts to connect during the busy season.

“Often when you’re busy you don’t make time to talk, but that’s exactly when you need to talk the most. So even in the middle of calving I cook everyone a big dinner once a week to show that farming is a team game and fueling yourself with the right food is really important,” she says.

She says the business has prioritised wellbeing in several other important areas. For example, the staff housing is of a high standard.

“It makes a huge difference to how you feel if you’re coming home to a warm, dry house after spending all day outside on a cold, wet day. I think farm owners need to

put more emphasis on things like that to attract and retain staff. A good week for us is not just about the cows and pasture, it’s about everyone having a good day, working well together and going home happy and safe,” she says.

Rest and recovery time is another priority.

“We operate a five and two roster and really encourage our staff to get off-farm on their days off to refresh mentally and not think about anything to do with the farm. We all need that downtime,” he said.

The couple also practice what they preach and head off regularly to Te Anau to recharge.

“We made sure my husband was on the roster too, so he doesn’t miss out on his breaks. If things are quiet on a Thursday afternoon, we might spend the night there and head back the next morning. That helps to keep us well. Even if we’ve just got a bit of downtime, we’re off,” she says.

Tracey believes the key to having time off is welltrained staff.

“We can all Regularly sharing a meal with friends, family and teammates gives everyone a chance to catch up and chat about what is going on in their lives and on the farm.

have time off and relax knowing we’re not going to get hundreds of phone calls because everyone here knows their job,” she says. The fundamental insight is that Tracey and Roger treat their team as the farm’s number one asset. “We simply can’t operate this business on our own. We rely on staff and we’re lucky – we have got really good staff now – but in the past that has been a real issue and source of stress for us,” she says. “When everyone’s pulling in the same direction, it just makes life a whole lot easier. We’ve learnt that looking after yourself and looking after your team is where it all starts.” Tracey says no one is immune to stress and pressure in farming. “Farming can be demanding. When you’ve farmed as long as we have, you realise that no one has it together 100% of the time. When you’re young it seems as if everyone’s got everything under control, but as Farmstrong’s You Matter, Let’s Natter campaign mugs give you grow older you the power to put the billy on and sit down with a mate for you realise the a chat. stuff people share “Yesterday, for example, I’d had a tough morning, so I just opened up to the others at breakfast today and everyone was like, ‘oh, what happened? Tell us.’ Being able to share how you’re feeling like that with others is so helpful.”

Tracey Miller

on Instagram and social media are just highlights, that’s not real life,” she says.

“We all go through tough periods. Keeping well is about taking the time to know yourself and checking in on yourself and others. If something’s not quite right, talk about it before it becomes a massive deal.”

“We’ve got our You Matter, Let’s Natter mugs in our dairy shed office and we use them every morning when we’re having tea and coffee together. I heard one of the staff say the other day, ‘come on, let’s go and have a natter’. It’s a simple idea, but it works.” n

Under the pump?

For tips and ideas, visit farmstrong.co.nz