Editorial

Lack of leadership fuelling disconnect

FARMERS across the country descended on towns and cities on Friday to protest against the raft of reforms they say unfairly target their livelihoods.

When asked about the protests last week, the Prime Minister agreed that reform was coming thick and fast and that it was a challenging time for those working in the primary industries.

But she maintained that transforming our economy to limit climate change and environmental degradation would only get harder the longer it was left.

That may be true, but what is also true is that if a sector of society feels that its only way forward is to take to the streets, then there’s been a failure of communication and leadership.

That responsibility falls on the Government, industry leadership and every other stakeholder.

Change requires buy-in and it’s obvious that the opportunities that await along the road to greater sustainability haven’t been sold to those who are being asked to make the journey.

At the moment those opportunities are being obscured by rules, costs and uncertainty.

A couple of weeks ago Silver Fern Farms announced a push into regenerative farming that will boost farm returns.

And last week, Fonterra said the country had reached peak milk and it planned to grow the value it gained from the milk available by telling a sustainability story.

That story will need hard data to back it up and that data will come from rules and data capture.

So in many ways the companies that process and sell our food are on the same page as the regulators. They can see there’s value to be gained in marketing our sustainably-grown food and fibre.

Yet there’s still that disconnect between processors, the Government and farmers.

We’ve just not been able to bring everyone along on the journey and it’s hurting our sector.

What’s most disappointing is that in the end, everyone involved wants the same thing.

Bryan Gibson

LETTERS

Dairying appeal sorely lacking

WHEN I see and hear politicians in pinstripe suits and executives in corporate uniforms extolling the great future for young folk on dairy farms, I cringe.

I taught our dairy farm trainees at The Waikato Polytech decades ago, before it was killed by NZQA units and bureaucracy. It was an ideal course for young 15 to 16-year-olds from January to June 1, who had left school by choice or teachers’ urging. A vital part was two three-week work experience sessions with selected farmers who understood what the then Generation Y young folk needed, so they were eased into the industry and not dumped.

These young folk matured massively at Polytech and got out of school class behaviour, where they were totally bored and moved to be adults. Their parents paying $600 for the course certainly helped them learn responsibility. They needed massive help which the Polytech could provide with reading and writing skills, which 40-50% needed. Today’s Generation Z will be worse having been weaned on the internet.

But the major challenge when teenagers leave for a farm job is the simple fact that they have to live with their employer 24/7. It can be a nightmare with so many social rules not in the employment contract, if there ever is one. There’s the boss in the house and the boss on the farm – or both on the farm, who often disagree, so the student gets conflicting orders. There’s who pays the nightly phone calls home as home sickness can be a problem, what TV channels are watched, acceptable language in the house and on the farm, the music in the shed, the food, sleep and laundry. What about mates coming around or girlfriends for a drink or more? If a sleepout is provided, who does the cleaning, washing or cooking?

What about time off and encouragement to continue classes, and what would they learn on the farm? One top student said all he did was milk, spray weeds and spread urea daily after the cows moved on.

That’s just a few issues. Some good advice I remember from a student was that when going for an interview, call at the nearest service station and store and ask the way to the farm. Say you are going for a job interview and take great note of the verbal and body language. One student said it was important at an interview to ask if the boss indoors was a vegan, vegetarian or especially signed up with Jenny Craig.

But even with the best of our care, the dropout rate was massive when the young folk started to move up the farming ladder. One of our girls kept in touch with all her classmates and after two years only two of the 19 were still in dairying. I can’t see things will have changed much, despite all the good news from those trying to reduce the reliance on overseas staff.

Clive Dalton

Waikato

Letters continued next page

Farmers Weekly is published by GlobalHQ, PO Box 529, Feilding 4740. New Zealand Phone: 0800 85 25 80 Website: www.farmersweekly.co.nz EDITOR Bryan Gibson 06 323 1519

bryan.gibson@globalhq.co.nz EDITORIAL Carmelita Mentor-Fredericks 06 323 0769 editorial@globalhq.co.nz Neal Wallace 03 474 9240 neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz Colin Williscroft 027 298 6127 colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz Annette Scott 021 908 400 annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz Hugh Stringleman 09 432 8594 hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz Gerald Piddock 027 486 8346 gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz Richard Rennie 07 552 6176 richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz Nigel Stirling 021 136 5570 nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com PUBLISHER Dean Williamson 027 323 9407 dean.williamson@globalhq.co.nz ADVERTISING Andy Whitson 027 626 2269 New Media & Business Development Lead andy.whitson@globalhq.co.nz Steve McLaren 027 205 1456 Auckland/Northland advertising steve.mclaren@globalhq.co.nz Jody Anderson 027 474 6094 Waikato/Bay of Plenty advertising jody.anderson@globalhq.co.nz Donna Hirst 027 474 6095 Lower North Island/international advertising donna.hirst@globalhq.co.nz Ernest Nieuwoudt 027 474 6091 South Island advertising ernest.nieuwoudt@globalhq.co.nz Clint Dunstan 027 474 6004 Real Estate & Farm Machinery advertising clint.dunstan@globalhq.co.nz ISSN 2463-6002 (Print) ISSN 2463-6010 (Online) Ella Holland 06 323 0761 Livestock advertising 027 602 4925 livestock@globalhq.co.nz Debbie Brown 06 323 0765 Classifi eds/Employment advertising classifi eds@globalhq.co.nz Grant Marshall 027 887 5568 AgriHQ Partnership Manager grant.marshall@globalhq.co.nz Andrea Mansfi eld 027 446 6002 Salesforce director andrea.mansfi eld@globalhq.co.nz Steph Holloway 06 323 0142 AgriHQ Commercial Leader steph.holloway@globalhq.co.nz PRODUCTION Lana Kieselbach 027 739 4295 production@globalhq.co.nz Advertising material adcopy@globalhq.co.nz SUBSCRIPTIONS 0800 85 25 80 subs@globalhq.co.nz Printed by Ovato NZ Ltd Delivered by Reach Media Ltd