Talking Dairy

As a dairy farmer, how do you go about choosing an accountant who truly understands your specific needs and challenges? How can you take full advantage of their knowledge and expertise? And what are some common mistakes rural accountants see farmers making, and on the flipside, things farmers are often good at in this area? Answering those questions and more in this episode is Nigel McWilliam, chartered accountant and director at MBS Advisors in Morrinsville, Waikato. Nigel is a dairying specialist accountant and is also a director shareholder of a 1200-cow farm in North Otago.

Notes:
Advice and support for your farm business

Chapters:
0:50 – Who is Nigel? 
2:08 – How to choose the right accountant
3:26 – What should a good accountant be able to do for you? 
4:08 - Difference between tax and management accounts
5:06 - How to gauge if an accountant truly understands farming 
6:06 – ‘Interviewing’ an accountant 
8:38 - Getting the most from your accountant on an ongoing basis
9:47 – Building a good working relationship 
10:50 - Does hourly rate or a set annual fee matter? 
11:38 – Benchmarking info from your accountant
12:40 – How accounts can tell a story
14:32 – What to do if your relationship with your accountant isn’t working
15:42 - Common mistakes farmers make with their finances 
16:37 - Things farmers are often good at in this area

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected 

Taranaki dairy farmer Kane Brisco nearly walked away from farming, worn down by the constant physical and mental strains of the job. But at his lowest, he started figuring out practical ways to cope with stress and recharge his passion for life on the land. In this episode, Kane shares the tools he’s developed – ranging from breathwork to boxing – to operate at his best.

Notes
Farm Fit NZ
DairyNZ wellbeing webpages

Chapters:
1:00 - Kane's background and how he ended up in dairy farming 
4:04 - Keeping in top shape and helping other farmers do the same
5:54 - Getting through some challenging years
6:42 - Journey to getting fit again
9:15 - Mental health challenges within the dairy sector
13:14 - New book ‘Tools for the top paddock’
16:02 - Kane’s tools for dealing with the strains of farming 
21:10 - Balancing family and farming 
23:52 – What happens at FarmFit training sessions?
27:08 – Kane’s cold water trough therapy
27:56 - Staying connected with the right people, right places
29:22 - Tricky conversations – talking with a someone who’s struggling
31:27 - Advice for those going through hard times right now
32:53 – How to contact Kane, join FarmFit, and where to find his book

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected 

With entries for the 2023 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards about to open, we catch up with one of this year’s winners, north Waikato farmer Jimmy Cleaver. He took away the regional trophy for Auckland/Hauraki Farm Manager of the Year, as well as a stack of regional and national merit awards, including the DairyNZ People & Leadership Award. So, what makes the 23-year-old such a standout so early in his career? Why is managing people – and giving others a chance to get ahead in dairy farming – so high on his list of life goals? And what are his ambitions personally and for the sector? Find out in this episode.

Notes:
Jimmy Cleaver’s 2022 NZDIA awards include the Auckland/Hauraki Farm Manager of the Year and these merit awards:
Regional
- DeLaval Livestock Management Award
- Fonterra Dairy Management Award
- Franklin Vets Pasture & Feed Management Award
- BlackmanSpargo Rural Law Ltd People & Leadership Award
National
- LIC Interview Award
- DairyNZ - People & Leadership Award

Find out more about the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards
DairyNZ’s people resources

Chapters:
1:29 - Growing up on a drystock farm and switching focus to dairying
2:24 – Studying before stepping onto the farm
3:27 – Jimmy’s first couple of years in dairying
5:39 – Jimmy’s current role and what he finds most satisfying about it
7:11 – The experience of entering the NZ Dairy Industry Awards
7:58 – Learning from the awards process to be a better farmer
8:49 – Managing people on farm
10:18 - Benefits of good leadership and people management
10:49 - Getting yourself – and your team – through tough times
13:25 – Achieving farm production and empty rate records
15:24 – Making improvements across the dairy sector
17:19 – Jimmy’s goals for the future
19:35 - Advice to anyone weighing up a career in dairying

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected 

Fodder beet offers many benefits as an alternative crop to brassicas, but it also presents risks and challenges. So, what can we learn from recent research about how to deal with those risks and challenges? How have farmers adapted their feeding practices over time? And do we have all the answers or is there more research required? In this episode DairyNZ senior scientist Dawn Dalley summarises recent research findings, and North Canterbury dairy farmer and veterinarian Trish McIntosh joins us to share her experiences of using fodder beet.

Chapters:
1:07 - Dawn give an overview on her role at DairyNZ with fodder beet research
2:38 - An intro from Trish and how she got involved with this project
4:15 - Fodder beet learnings from the Forages for reduced nitrate leaching project
7:42 - Trish talks about how feeding practices have changed on her farm
10:53 - Research to find answers to some of the challenges farmers have experienced
15:54 - Feeding changes Trish has observed with clients over the last 10-12 years
17:50 - Cumulative effects of feeding fodder beet on our replacement dairy stock.
20:58 - The benefits of being involved with the Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) project
22:00 - Do we have all the answers or is there still more research required?
25:06 - Fodder beets role in dairy systems into the future
29:41 - Does fodder beet pose additional environmental risks when being grazed during winter?
31:46 - Practical take home messages from Dawn and Trish

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected 

Recorded on 15 June 2022. We have some real challenges ahead of us as a country over the coming decades when it comes to improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, and reducing emissions. We all want to see improved environmental outcomes, we all have a role to play, and we can’t do it alone. Working together constructively will be the key to our success, but to do this we need to build strong relationships that are based on trust, integrity, and mutual understanding. Hear more about this as we talk with Dr David Burger, GM Sustainable Dairy, DairyNZ, Fish & Game Chair Ray Grubb, and a panel of (non-government organisations) NGOs and dairy sector representatives sharing their perspectives.

For more from the Farmers' Forum Series, visit our website.

Chapters:
2.34 - Dr David Burger – GM Sustainable Dairy, DairyNZ
10.26 - Ray Grubb – Chair, Fish & Game NZ
23:38 - Questions for David and Ray
27.06 - Panel: Nicola Toki (Chief Executive, Forest & Bird), Melissa Slattery (Chair, Dairy Environment Leaders), Richard McIntyre (Dairy Farmer & Deputy Chair, Fish & Game)

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected 

Three years ago, Quinn Morgan was a self-described city slicker, working as a personal trainer in Perth and spending hours sitting in traffic. But then, after a wedding in NZ, Covid’s arrival, and some encouragement from farming family members, Quinn ended up reluctantly taking a job in dairy farming back in NZ. Fast forward to 2022, and he’s now leading a team of eight on a Pamu dairy farm in the Taupō area, raising his young family with a rural lifestyle and progressing quickly with his new career. In this episode, Quinn shares his story about how he ended up in dairying, and the challenging but rewarding experiences he’s faced since making the move. He also talks about what he’s doing to encourage others, particularly young Māori, into the dairy sector – including his involvement in DairyNZ's recently launched Great Futures in Dairying Plan. Quinn reckons we need to be looking in new places for our future staff. He wants others from a similar background to him – urban and/or non-farming – to discover what he has about the dairy sector: the career progression opportunities, the income stability, the supportive culture, and the chance to be a steward of the land.

Chapters:
1:12 – An unexpected career move 
3:25 – Quinn’s first farming opportunity
4:51 - What Quinn loves about dairy farming
6:55 - Winning the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer of the Year in 2021
7:45 - Are Māori values being reflected in the dairy sector?
9:57 – Quinn’s involvement in DairyNZ's Great Futures in Dairying plan
12:15 - Looking in new places for our staff
13:51 - Attracting young Māori to farming
15:30 - Future goals, and advice for other new entrants
17:43 - Mentoring younger farmers
21:39 - Recruiting and retaining staff
24:39 - Reflecting on his first few years in the dairy sector 
25:33 – Getting more rangatahi to enter awards

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected 

Recorded on 20 April 2022. With over 12,000 businesses across New Zealand employing over 30,000 workers on farms, our success in attracting, retaining and growing our people will determine whether the dairy sector thrives or survives. We know dairy offers a rewarding career and lifestyle, so how do we attract the right people in a tight labour market? How do we make dairy appealing for someone considering their career options? And how do we look after skilled and capable workers, so they’ll stay with us? Hear from experts and farmers about their experiences and insights.

For more from the Farmers' Forum Series, visit our website.

Chapters:
1.56 - Tim Mackle, DairyNZ chief executive
14.35 - Lee Astridge, HR/Recruitment specialist
36.47 - Dairy farmer panel – Jordyn Crouch, John Totty and Jo Sheridan

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected 

Foot-and-mouth disease has reached the tourist hot spot of Bali, and the risk of it entering NZ on the footprint of an unwary traveller or by other means, is now a little too close for comfort. So, what are the risks to farmers and primary industry as a whole? And more importantly, who is responsible and what do we need to do to be prepared? We chat to Liz Shackleton, Biosecurity Manager for DairyNZ, who talks about the level of risk, who is involved, and shares some tips for farmers on what to look for and what to do.

Notes:
DairyNZ foot-and-mouth disease webpage

Chapters:
1.00 – Intro from Liz and what led to her role in biosecurity at DairyNZ
2.25 – Where in the world is FMD now and how much of a threat is it to our primary industries?
5.28 – What steps are being taken to contain it?
6.19 – Addressing the concern of FMD arriving with imported stock feed or imported goods
8.23 – What can be done now and who is responsible?
11.18 – The importance of a tracing system
12.37 – How do we recognise an outbreak it before it spreads and what actions can we take?
13.32 – How does FMD get onto farm and what would you see if it does?
15.37 – What would the first days of an FMD outbreak look like?
17.19 – FMD has been in some other counties for a while, so how would an outbreak in NZ be different?
18.56 – How can farmers keep updated?

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected 

Recorded on 9 March 2022. Kiwi dairy farmers are increasingly under pressure with ever-changing regulations, acute workforce shortages, and all the complexities that come with a changing world. Sometimes it can be hard to navigate while still making time for family, friends, and the stuff that matters most. What are these challenges? How do we manage the juggle and still feel ok? What is being done for us as farmers … and who is speaking up for us? How do I notice I’m not handling so well? Who can I talk to?

For more from the Farmers' Forum Series, visit our website.

Chapters:
2.18 - Overview from Jim van der Poel, DairyNZ Chair
7.22 - Former farmer and rural mental health advocate Doug Avery
34.32 - Dairy farmer panel – Wayne Langford, Loshni Manikam and Neil Bateup

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected 

Wintering on crop isn’t just a Southland issue. New National Environment Standards for intensive winter grazing will come into effect in November 2022. Farmers all over New Zealand are having to review their wintering crop practices now and put some thought into how they’re going to winter into the future. In this episode, we chat with Central Hawke’s Bay sheep farmer Ben Tosswill and Southland dairy farmer Ewen Mathieson about winter grazing practices now and what’s next.

Chapters:
0.51 – Ben: banking back to farming
2.32 – Ewen: third generation farmer
3.20 – Changing consumer/market expectations
4.14 – What’s different now compared to five years ago?
5.13 – Ewen’s move away from cropping
7.18 – Meeting new regulations
7.59 – Flexibility to cope with curve balls
9.40 – Wintering as a North Island sheep farmer
10.20 – Sheep farmers lifting their game
11.34 – What Ben’s changed on his farm
13.10 – Reducing risk to animals and environment
15.10 – Cow lying time
16.39 – Lowering stress on sheep and staff
17.39 – Team culture and wellbeing
20.34 – Benefits of a written wintering plan
21.54 – Team buy-in on the plan
23.55 – Preventing small issues from becoming big ones
26.13 – Protecting waterways: silt fences (Ewen), temporary hot wires (Ben)
28.52 – Ewen: keeping the power on
29.49 – Ben: sharing the wintering plan
30.17 – Final thoughts: one thing farmers can do now

Visit our website for more on wintering

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at [email protected]

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected