The Waikato is synonymous with farming and in June hosted yet another epic Fieldays. We chatted to a couple of local farmers about the good, bad and hopefully not too ugly.
Jimmy Cleaver farms just north west of Te Kauwhata and is the new North Waikato Federated Farmers branch chair., He explains how that happened: “ I put my hand up for the role as the former chair, Chris Woolerton, stepped up to be Waikato President, After a conversation with him, I said I’d be keen on this role, which would free him up for his work with wider Waikato duties.”
Jimmy sees the big picture for his role as listening to local farmers about issues they are facing in their area and helping bring those issues to the forefront where regional solutions might be found.
“I also want to create a connection between Young Farmers and Federated Farmers in the area, to make sure our Federated Farmers have young people coming through to lead the next generation.”
Jimmy comes to the role with a fair amount of experience under his relatively young belt. “I’ve been dairy farming since I left school and am currently in my third season of sharemilking 210 cows on my parent’s farm located on the edge of the Whangamarino wetlands.
“I was named Auckland/Hauraki Manager of the Year at the Auckland/ Hauraki Dairy Industry Awards 2022. I also attended Telford back in 2017 and passed with distinction in the Telford certificate in agriculture.”
A recent meeting unveiling the Whangamarino-Lake Waikare Action plan in Te Kauwhata drew a large crowd of farmers concerned at the potential impact on their farms. Jimmy highlights this as a top priority for him and wants to be certain the voice of the rural farming community is being heard.
That, along with local government reform which carries uncertainty about whether the rural sector will be adequately represented, or forgotten in a focus on towns and cities, is a topic of concern as well.
“The thing that worries me most about the reform is the farmers’ voice may not be heard or even considered. Farmers have done a lot of work over the past 10 years with regards to water quality that contribute positively to the Waikare – Whangamarino action plan.
For instance, we now have better effluent management, fencing off drains, and riparian planting which is a huge cost to the farmer, but farmers feel they haven’t been recognised at a council level. But I do agree that more can be done to get the outcomes we all want.”
CHRIS WOOLERTON, newly-elected Waikato provincial president of Federated Farmers, reports a sense of positivity for Fieldays – and a bonus of good weather.
“There’s a bit more money around for capital expenditure and lots of new technology to ponder upon. Like many, I got a deal on wet weather gear for the coming season. And it’s always good to catch up with suppliers over lunch and find fellow farming friends amongst the crowds.”
Woolerton attended the Waikare/Whangamarino Action plan public meeting in Te Kauwhata along with around 50 farmers from the area. He says the Waikato Federated Farmers have been advocating to the Regional Council that the ‘action plan’ title hasn’t helped as it is not near any implementation stage.
“It’s probably more of a scoping study, and we’ve pushed for a lot more feasibility work. Efforts must be workable and affordable as well as acknowledging the work farmers have already done.”
He said his focus as president would be on ensuring Waikato farmers are fully engaged with Federated Farmers’ advocacy work and priorities, and local members feel heard, not just represented.
SHEREE FITZPATRICK, now chair of North Waikato Young Farmers has held committee positions there for the past four years, along with two years as events coordinator on the WaiBOP regional committee.
“ I decided to put my hand up for chair this year as I felt I had gained enough knowledge and made enough connections to be able to lead and do my part in growing the club, gaining the community involvement whether its turning up and helping run events or being able to hold fundraisers (such as our annual bark up) to give back to the community.
“My goal is to see our club grow and have members from all agricultural sectors, where we can make those connections with other people, gain knowledge from others where possible. Also being able to make more connections with our farmers and supporters in the area where they’re able to reach out to us for any help or anything throughout the year.
Sheree moved into farming from a five-year long stint as a bartender. “ I was running a bar with my best mate, but during covid times my uncle reached out and asked for help on his farm during mating time and after that we sold the bar and I got my first dairy farm job in Te Kauwhata.
“I think the main issue young farmers are facing is finding jobs with employers that are actually willing to help support and guide them and train to keep them on farm for a long period of time and progress in their career, but also being able to put them into decent housing that they are happy and comfortable going back to after a hard/long day and properly recover ready for the next day.
Her take on Fieldays is positive with the number and range of vendors that were there, but at the same time a little disappointed in the drop of the small and local businesses that weren’t.
“It was still a good couple of days though with still a good turnout, with some good deals still around, as always.”
