July 31, 2025 • 6 mins
Today's brother and sister panel, the 2022 and 2023 Young Farmers of the Year, talk about dairy farming at opposite ends of the country and how the Weather Gods are treating them.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
So today's panel is the Danngeon panel. Brother and sister
(00:03):
Tim Dangen, Emma Paul knee Dangein of course twenty twenty two,
twenty twenty three Young Farmers of the Year. They're both
dairy farming these days, but at opposite ends of the
country and having opposite fortunes weatherwise at the moment. Emma Paul,
I'm going to start with you in the Waikato region.
I spent the last or best part of the last
(00:25):
week in the Bay of Plenty. Would be fair to
say it's fairly wet at the top of the country.
How's carving going good?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
He Jamie, Thanks Evan, I saw them, and yes, it
is fairly wet underfoot at the moment. Unfortunately, there's some
very swollen rivers in some of our big pedics have
gone completely underwater.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
But before that we.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Had pretty much a dream run of ten days of
frost and very blue skies. So it's not all bad news,
but it's pretty hard when it gets wet that quickly
to deal with that volume of water. But I'd say
most people in the Waikato were pretty much halfway through
carving at the moment, and everyone seems to be coping
really well. We've had heaps of sunlight ours which has
(01:04):
really helped the milk fever situation in the White Kao.
I think everyone's experiencing quite low numbers of down cows
this year, which has been good. Would have to watch
with it whether that we don't follow that up with
a few metabolic issues in the following week.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Well, Emma, I've never done a carving. I don't really
have any intention of doing one. It sounds like far
too hard at work. But I've done I've done dozens
of lammings and I've done them in the old line
seven year the Parker and leggings, So I know what
it's like down in Southland when things go wrong weatherwise.
One man who's down there, he must have he must
(01:38):
have the weather God's on his side. He's gone sheer
milking at Riverton for another former young Farmer of the Air,
Simon Hopcroft as Tim Dangein and Tim I was down
in Southland a couple of weeks ago. I've never seen
Southland look better in July than what I saw it.
Look how's it looking now? First day of August?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Yeah, Jamie, good to be here. It's looking spectacular. Mate,
and a few want to do a carving, then there's
always a spot open here for you to get your
boots dirty. But we've had an unreal run, really, and
so I think all of stealth and farmers are just
grateful to be heading into spring with a bit of
room in the soil to handle a bit of moisture
if it does come. Our thoughts go out for those
(02:17):
farmers that are having a very tough time, particularly at
top of the South Island there. But everyone gets their turn,
don't they. So we've certainly taking it while it's here
and we're farming in front of us, and your carving's
just sort of starting to kick off for the region.
So yeah, farmers are excited and pretty buoyant. I think
about the season ahead.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Ama Paul, whether it's carving or lambing or whatever you're
flat out doing on your farm at springtime. Mental health,
keeping the old top paddock rights pretty important. What do
you do because you're flat out You've got two farms,
you and your husband, Chris. I think you've got what
two kids now? You must have your hands full.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, there's a bit of a hands I think there's
two point five kids, said Jamie's another one coming in December,
so that'll keep us real busy.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
But what is that, he Emma, what is it about
you dairy farmers? You're great breeders.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, don't seem to be too better. I stick at
what you're good at, Jamie. So we'll keep going along
that line. But we need someone to help us through
these carvings in future years, so that's the idea. We've
got two from two boys so far, so I'm pretty
sure the third one is going to be a surprise
boy as well, so we'll see how we get on.
But yet it's you've got to really keep your chin up, especially.
(03:26):
You just get tired during carving, don't you.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
There's lots of days, lots of.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
People cut their time off short, but we just try
and make sure that where we can, we get off
farm in between milkings and in between feeding calves. And
the other day we were lucky enough to shoot up
to see Hugh Jackson and Tiakow. He's been an hour
away from us, and he's of course the twenty twenty
five FMG Young Farmer of the Year, so it was
neat to have a quickly farm tour of his place
and see how he's running his ball operation up there.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Tim Danjon, what do you do to keep the top
paddock right? Because can I make a suggestion if you
get a couple of spare hours tomorrow afternoon or late
tomorrow afternoon, you head along. I know you're at Rutherton,
it's only half an hour from in Picago. You can
go to Rugby Park for Stags Day milk the cows
a bit earlier.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Yeah, certainly on tentson Jamie, my wife and my daughter
hit along with me to that one. We'll try and
pretend like we're true set South Winders now that we're
down here. But yeah, it's always just about finding that balance,
isn't it. And particularly by my thoughts are going out
to those farmers at the top of the South Island
that has had a shopping run the last or a
month or so. It takes me back to our cyclone
(04:31):
Gabrielle days back at home and some of the tools
that we use there that people might find beneficial. We're
just around finding that balance, so making sure that you're
getting off farm. Absolutely, But we did a lot of checklists,
so we put down the things that we need to
try and focus on to make sure that we're working
towards a clear objective, and then as we're sort of
tiding we were tidying things up and ticking things off,
(04:53):
it felt like we're actually achieving something. The most difficult
thing after Gabrielle was really just having a just o
expectation for our goals on farm that year, and we
sort of had to put a few things on the
back burner and just focus on trying to get the
farm back up and running as quick as possible. So
it's all just about balance. So Jommie, make sure you
try and refresh, refresh yourself where you can, and get
(05:14):
off farms, spend time with loved ones and get around
your other members of your community as well, because it's
a team effort when things are tough. So and we
know that in farming, everyone seems to get their turn
of bad luck, so the sun will come out for
everyone and eventually you've worked through these hard times and
there's always good times on the other side.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah. I like your idea of priorities and lists, so
I love lists as well. And you can't, what's that
old saying, You can't. You've got to eat an elephant
one bite at a time. So Anyhow, I've got to go. Guys. Emma,
good luck carving with the two point five kids. And
Simon Simon Simon Hopcroft is your boss. Will try Tim
Danjon because Simon's are keen Stags man, get down to
(05:56):
Rugby Park and support the south On Stags up against
the invaders from Go Philip, David
So today's panel is the Danngeon panel. Brother and sister
(00:03):
Tim Dangen, Emma Paul knee Dangein of course twenty twenty two,
twenty twenty three Young Farmers of the Year. They're both
dairy farming these days, but at opposite ends of the
country and having opposite fortunes weatherwise at the moment. Emma Paul,
I'm going to start with you in the Waikato region.
I spent the last or best part of the last
(00:25):
week in the Bay of Plenty. Would be fair to
say it's fairly wet at the top of the country.
How's carving going good?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
He Jamie, Thanks Evan, I saw them, and yes, it
is fairly wet underfoot at the moment. Unfortunately, there's some
very swollen rivers in some of our big pedics have
gone completely underwater.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
But before that we.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Had pretty much a dream run of ten days of
frost and very blue skies. So it's not all bad news,
but it's pretty hard when it gets wet that quickly
to deal with that volume of water. But I'd say
most people in the Waikato were pretty much halfway through
carving at the moment, and everyone seems to be coping
really well. We've had heaps of sunlight ours which has
(01:04):
really helped the milk fever situation in the White Kao.
I think everyone's experiencing quite low numbers of down cows
this year, which has been good. Would have to watch
with it whether that we don't follow that up with
a few metabolic issues in the following week.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Well, Emma, I've never done a carving. I don't really
have any intention of doing one. It sounds like far
too hard at work. But I've done I've done dozens
of lammings and I've done them in the old line
seven year the Parker and leggings, So I know what
it's like down in Southland when things go wrong weatherwise.
One man who's down there, he must have he must
(01:38):
have the weather God's on his side. He's gone sheer
milking at Riverton for another former young Farmer of the Air,
Simon Hopcroft as Tim Dangein and Tim I was down
in Southland a couple of weeks ago. I've never seen
Southland look better in July than what I saw it.
Look how's it looking now? First day of August?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Yeah, Jamie, good to be here. It's looking spectacular. Mate,
and a few want to do a carving, then there's
always a spot open here for you to get your
boots dirty. But we've had an unreal run, really, and
so I think all of stealth and farmers are just
grateful to be heading into spring with a bit of
room in the soil to handle a bit of moisture
if it does come. Our thoughts go out for those
(02:17):
farmers that are having a very tough time, particularly at
top of the South Island there. But everyone gets their turn,
don't they. So we've certainly taking it while it's here
and we're farming in front of us, and your carving's
just sort of starting to kick off for the region.
So yeah, farmers are excited and pretty buoyant. I think
about the season ahead.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Ama Paul, whether it's carving or lambing or whatever you're
flat out doing on your farm at springtime. Mental health,
keeping the old top paddock rights pretty important. What do
you do because you're flat out You've got two farms,
you and your husband, Chris. I think you've got what
two kids now? You must have your hands full.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, there's a bit of a hands I think there's
two point five kids, said Jamie's another one coming in December,
so that'll keep us real busy.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
But what is that, he Emma, what is it about
you dairy farmers? You're great breeders.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, don't seem to be too better. I stick at
what you're good at, Jamie. So we'll keep going along
that line. But we need someone to help us through
these carvings in future years, so that's the idea. We've
got two from two boys so far, so I'm pretty
sure the third one is going to be a surprise
boy as well, so we'll see how we get on.
But yet it's you've got to really keep your chin up, especially.
(03:26):
You just get tired during carving, don't you.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
There's lots of days, lots of.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
People cut their time off short, but we just try
and make sure that where we can, we get off
farm in between milkings and in between feeding calves. And
the other day we were lucky enough to shoot up
to see Hugh Jackson and Tiakow. He's been an hour
away from us, and he's of course the twenty twenty
five FMG Young Farmer of the Year, so it was
neat to have a quickly farm tour of his place
and see how he's running his ball operation up there.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Tim Danjon, what do you do to keep the top
paddock right? Because can I make a suggestion if you
get a couple of spare hours tomorrow afternoon or late
tomorrow afternoon, you head along. I know you're at Rutherton,
it's only half an hour from in Picago. You can
go to Rugby Park for Stags Day milk the cows
a bit earlier.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Yeah, certainly on tentson Jamie, my wife and my daughter
hit along with me to that one. We'll try and
pretend like we're true set South Winders now that we're
down here. But yeah, it's always just about finding that balance,
isn't it. And particularly by my thoughts are going out
to those farmers at the top of the South Island
that has had a shopping run the last or a
month or so. It takes me back to our cyclone
(04:31):
Gabrielle days back at home and some of the tools
that we use there that people might find beneficial. We're
just around finding that balance, so making sure that you're
getting off farm. Absolutely, But we did a lot of checklists,
so we put down the things that we need to
try and focus on to make sure that we're working
towards a clear objective, and then as we're sort of
tiding we were tidying things up and ticking things off,
(04:53):
it felt like we're actually achieving something. The most difficult
thing after Gabrielle was really just having a just o
expectation for our goals on farm that year, and we
sort of had to put a few things on the
back burner and just focus on trying to get the
farm back up and running as quick as possible. So
it's all just about balance. So Jommie, make sure you
try and refresh, refresh yourself where you can, and get
(05:14):
off farms, spend time with loved ones and get around
your other members of your community as well, because it's
a team effort when things are tough. So and we
know that in farming, everyone seems to get their turn
of bad luck, so the sun will come out for
everyone and eventually you've worked through these hard times and
there's always good times on the other side.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah. I like your idea of priorities and lists, so
I love lists as well. And you can't, what's that
old saying, You can't. You've got to eat an elephant
one bite at a time. So Anyhow, I've got to go. Guys. Emma,
good luck carving with the two point five kids. And
Simon Simon Simon Hopcroft is your boss. Will try Tim
Danjon because Simon's are keen Stags man, get down to
(05:56):
Rugby Park and support the south On Stags up against
the invaders from Go Philip, David
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