The Country 16/12/24: Dr Jacqueline Rowarth talks to Jamie Mackay

We pay tribute to those lost to farming in 2024, as a leading academic says while 2024 is a good year to be leaving behind, it is important to acknowledge the losses and focus on the gains. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Wrapping the farming year that was twenty twenty four. Every fortnight,
our next guest writes a wonderful column for our website,
Thecountry dot co dot nz. She starts this week's offering
with this, in the midst of feeling that twenty twenty
four is a good year to be leaving behind, it's
important to acknowledge the losses and focus on the gains.

(00:21):
Doctor Jaquelin Rawath, Let's look at the losses because we
lost a lot of huge totora. Can I use that
analogy when it comes to farming and agriculture in the
primary sector this year?

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yeah, we did. They gave us such a foundation, made
advances in all their different areas and now they're gone.
So yes, we acknowledge their passing. So we started at
the beginning of the year. Warren Parker, he actually died
at the end of last year, but his big, big acknowledgement,
a celebration of his life he was only sixty eight,

(00:55):
occurred at the beginning of January, and he was in
academia and then leading the CRIS. He had Sion and
indeed land care and then of course moving into governance.
Then we had Alan Pie in March, that great entrepreneur,
the investor started off with potatoes, moving into dairy and

(01:15):
all over the place, encouraging youth and to come into
the industry. How about Jock Allison May and he was
only eighty he was a big science person but also
started germinal seeds with the high sugar grasses. And James
Skilled in September a farmer deer right from the beginning,

(01:35):
but huge environmentalist. So how lovely for him that with
his sons he was given the Balanced Farm Environment awarded
the year this year. Brian Cameron at the beginning of December,
a person, a farmer, Lincoln graduate, always had students on
his farm, encouraging the next generation. And he was served
on Lincoln Council for many years. And then of course

(01:59):
Chris Allen and he was the untimely at sixty two
Federated Farmer's Environment working with all of the community. And
it was a very moving ceremony on or acknowledgement of
his life on Saturday.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
He let me just add one to the list and
I apologize to anyone we've left off there. And this
was tragic. It was a farm accident. Neil Evans, the
Captain of the New Zealand dog trial team and a
farm accident, so I think that was midyear, So all
huge contributors, and I just doctor Jock Allison was a

(02:34):
great bloke. And the other one I want to just
say something about is James gild because not only did
he win the balance farm environment towards you mentioned his
contribution as an environmentalist, but he did a hell of
a lot of work for the Q two National Trust
as well.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
All of these people doing so much good, like many
many people on the land, trying to look after the
next generation, the land, the food they're producing, and make
a difference, make a difference, provide us with the foundation
for the future.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
In your column you write that Johann or Johann, I'll
go with Johan Norberg, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, Washington, DC,
is an historian and economist. His analysis concludes that the
good old days are now.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yes, absolutely, you read his book Progress or any of
the other who's writing, and he says, we forget what
it was really like. And I think many women would say, yes.
They don't talk about the struggles of childbirth because they
focus on what they've got after it, which is the
new life. So things diminish over time, and we remember

(03:41):
the good bit. It's part of the rose colored spectacles
which allows us to pick up after something has happened
and move on, and we make progress all the time.
The best time is now, and if we can remember
that and tomorrow will be even better, then we can
move into the future in twenty twenty five with a
positive spring in our steps that we need.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
Let's furnish on a positive and a happy note, your
egg person of the year. All my regulars are going
to be asked this question this week. Who have you got?

Speaker 2 (04:11):
Mine? Is the unknown farmer? We think of the unknown warrior,
the acknowledgment or unknown soldier, to the people who did
all their good work but weren't named. So I name
the unknown farmer. Across the world, of course, across New Zealand.
The farmers. They are the male female, the partners that

(04:32):
actually milk the cows, move the sheep, feed the cattle,
harvest the crops, spread the nutrients, do and put plant
the trees and protect the environment while producing great food
and fiber foraw New Zealand and for the world. And
they those people are my people of the year.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
Well spoken Jacquelin and the unknown farmer, the Jane Doe
or the John Doe works often seven days a week
and it's not a nine to five job like a
lot of us have. And their grafters and they keep
the country running. And I'm one hundred percent with you.
Well done, Thanks for your contribution throughout twenty twenty four.
We'll catch you back next year. You enjoy that growthy

(05:12):
season you're having in the Waikato region.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
Thank you, Jeremy. Look forward to twenty twenty five working
with you.