May 12, 2025 • 5 mins
We’re joined by the winners of the 2025 NZ Share Farmers of the Year at last weekend’s Dairy Industry Awards: two dynamic young agribusiness leaders who shunned the corporate world for the cowshed.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We missed them on yesterday's show, but we always get
our man and in this case woman here on the country.
They are the twenty twenty five New Zealand Sheer Farmers
of the Year. Tom and Fiona Langford. They come from
a corporate background, but they shunned the glamour of a
corporate life to go milking cows in South Wakato with
Fiona's parents, become equity partners and contract milkers. Let's start
(00:24):
with you, Fiona, what's your background. I think you're the
one with the farming background.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, so I was born and bred on the farm,
but early on decided that I would like to be
a dietitian. So I studied as a dietitian, moved through
to work with fon Terror and in twenty seventeen there
was a call for someone to come back and help
on farm, so we decided to make that call to
move back on farm.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
So you've got a master's and dietetics. I hope I
got that right. Tom has a science degree and honor
science degree in food science. You both began work in
the Fonterra Technical Graduate program. Interestingly, you now both have
a master's and dairy science and technology. There's not much
you don't know.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, I think that was one of the benefits of
going through Fontierra studying out as graduates. We got the
masters and dairy science and technology through that, but you know,
as time progressed and Fonterra, that was really key for
us in terms of developing skills that we could transfer
to the dairy farming. I think that's really been a
(01:32):
strength of ours.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Tom, You're in Auckland to through and through be honest.
Was it Fiona? Was she wearing the pants? Did she
drag you back to the farm? Did you go willingly?
Speaker 3 (01:43):
She's a strong, strong woman, but no, the pool to
move on to the dairy farm was strong for both
of us. We were living on the farm for a
time whilst I was still at Fontira, and yeah, moving
into dairy farming was certainly a big driver for us
as we started our young family and looking at growing
(02:03):
ol equity and getting involved in the familysh farming business.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Your equity partners and contract milkers for Marion and joss
A van Luna that's a Fiona's mum and Dad's two
hundred and sixty two hectare a thousand or one thousand
and ninety cow farm in the South Wyatto at ten
bucks and an equity partner and a contract milker a Fiona,
you'll be making a fortune this year. Good time to
(02:29):
get into the industry.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Hey, it every year is different, you know. You see
the ups and downs of the dairy system and it's
just around you know, running our goals and our street
key sorry, strategic direction of our business. So we ride
the highs and we ride the lows throughout our career
in dairy as well.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So I'm milking more than a thousand cows, Fiona, what's
the ultimate dame? I'm assuming you want to buy your
parents out eventually and then what expands the operation or
are you happy with that size farm?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Yeah, So it's not just us in the business. There's
other family members in the business as well, so they're
all a key part, an integral part of our business too.
But for us, are we taking on a second contract
mulking role next season? And we probably have a little
bit more of a holistic approach in how we want
to run our business. So we want to have career opportunity,
(03:25):
progressional opportunities for our staff and do some of the
other things that we're passionate about as well. Along our journey,
so getting into things like governance. I did the Fontira
Governance program and so just progressing ourselves in other areas
alongside our dairy business.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
You're in your early thirties, you were first time entrance, Tom,
Were you surprised to win? You shouldn't have been with
the CV like you two have.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Got no like. We definitely didn't enter these awards for
the goods and the glory. You know. It was a
process of you know, looking at our business and seeing
where we could approve. So yeah, it certainly came as
a surprise, and you know, the last week has been
a bit of a will wind, but it's been an
awesome opportunity to get to know a lot of amazing
(04:13):
young farmers, particularly a Matt Scheer farmer category. We thought
we didn't have a chance. You know, there's a lot
of strong farmers out there in the regions. So yeah,
certainly a surprise, but great opportunity to meet and talk
with some great farmers out there.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Well Catto dairy farmers. I'm assuming you dried off you'll
be looking forward to a bit of a break. Maybe
we might we might meet you at field days.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah, no break for us. We asked blitcarving, so drying
off the first lot this week. But we do have
a stage dry off process, so yeah, no real quiet
time for us with this blitcarving system. But you will
see us at the Field Days this year.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Your circus for punishment. I admire your work, ethic and
your academic backgrounds. This is just what the dairy industry needs,
meats people like you leading us into the future. Hey, look,
thank you very much for your time. Fiona and Tom
Langford from south Waycatto the twenty twenty five New Zealand
Sheer Farmers of the Year. Been great meeting you.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Thank you. Jeremy
We missed them on yesterday's show, but we always get
our man and in this case woman here on the country.
They are the twenty twenty five New Zealand Sheer Farmers
of the Year. Tom and Fiona Langford. They come from
a corporate background, but they shunned the glamour of a
corporate life to go milking cows in South Wakato with
Fiona's parents, become equity partners and contract milkers. Let's start
(00:24):
with you, Fiona, what's your background. I think you're the
one with the farming background.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, so I was born and bred on the farm,
but early on decided that I would like to be
a dietitian. So I studied as a dietitian, moved through
to work with fon Terror and in twenty seventeen there
was a call for someone to come back and help
on farm, so we decided to make that call to
move back on farm.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
So you've got a master's and dietetics. I hope I
got that right. Tom has a science degree and honor
science degree in food science. You both began work in
the Fonterra Technical Graduate program. Interestingly, you now both have
a master's and dairy science and technology. There's not much
you don't know.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, I think that was one of the benefits of
going through Fontierra studying out as graduates. We got the
masters and dairy science and technology through that, but you know,
as time progressed and Fonterra, that was really key for
us in terms of developing skills that we could transfer
to the dairy farming. I think that's really been a
(01:32):
strength of ours.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Tom, You're in Auckland to through and through be honest.
Was it Fiona? Was she wearing the pants? Did she
drag you back to the farm? Did you go willingly?
Speaker 3 (01:43):
She's a strong, strong woman, but no, the pool to
move on to the dairy farm was strong for both
of us. We were living on the farm for a
time whilst I was still at Fontira, and yeah, moving
into dairy farming was certainly a big driver for us
as we started our young family and looking at growing
(02:03):
ol equity and getting involved in the familysh farming business.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Your equity partners and contract milkers for Marion and joss
A van Luna that's a Fiona's mum and Dad's two
hundred and sixty two hectare a thousand or one thousand
and ninety cow farm in the South Wyatto at ten
bucks and an equity partner and a contract milker a Fiona,
you'll be making a fortune this year. Good time to
(02:29):
get into the industry.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Hey, it every year is different, you know. You see
the ups and downs of the dairy system and it's
just around you know, running our goals and our street
key sorry, strategic direction of our business. So we ride
the highs and we ride the lows throughout our career
in dairy as well.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So I'm milking more than a thousand cows, Fiona, what's
the ultimate dame? I'm assuming you want to buy your
parents out eventually and then what expands the operation or
are you happy with that size farm?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Yeah, So it's not just us in the business. There's
other family members in the business as well, so they're
all a key part, an integral part of our business too.
But for us, are we taking on a second contract
mulking role next season? And we probably have a little
bit more of a holistic approach in how we want
to run our business. So we want to have career opportunity,
(03:25):
progressional opportunities for our staff and do some of the
other things that we're passionate about as well. Along our journey,
so getting into things like governance. I did the Fontira
Governance program and so just progressing ourselves in other areas
alongside our dairy business.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
You're in your early thirties, you were first time entrance, Tom,
Were you surprised to win? You shouldn't have been with
the CV like you two have.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Got no like. We definitely didn't enter these awards for
the goods and the glory. You know. It was a
process of you know, looking at our business and seeing
where we could approve. So yeah, it certainly came as
a surprise, and you know, the last week has been
a bit of a will wind, but it's been an
awesome opportunity to get to know a lot of amazing
(04:13):
young farmers, particularly a Matt Scheer farmer category. We thought
we didn't have a chance. You know, there's a lot
of strong farmers out there in the regions. So yeah,
certainly a surprise, but great opportunity to meet and talk
with some great farmers out there.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Well Catto dairy farmers. I'm assuming you dried off you'll
be looking forward to a bit of a break. Maybe
we might we might meet you at field days.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah, no break for us. We asked blitcarving, so drying
off the first lot this week. But we do have
a stage dry off process, so yeah, no real quiet
time for us with this blitcarving system. But you will
see us at the Field Days this year.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Your circus for punishment. I admire your work, ethic and
your academic backgrounds. This is just what the dairy industry needs,
meats people like you leading us into the future. Hey, look,
thank you very much for your time. Fiona and Tom
Langford from south Waycatto the twenty twenty five New Zealand
Sheer Farmers of the Year. Been great meeting you.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Thank you. Jeremy
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.