CSB - Toby Williams - Fed Farmers

Celebrating the 125th birthday of Federated Farmers. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
From the cricket field to the cow shed. It's the
Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on Gold Sport.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
I should have baked a birthday cake today on the
show or got Marilyn Monroe to sing Happy Birthday, because
today marks the one hundred and twenty fifth birthday of
the formation of what was then the New Zealand Farmers' Union,
which eventually became Federated Farmers Joining us out of his
Gisblane Farm, Toby Williams Beacon wool chair, Morning Toby, Morning, Bryan,

(00:29):
Happy birthday to you.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Yeah, thank you. It's pretty exciting yet for us, it's
a mess of milestone.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah, let's go back to its beginnings one undred and
twenty five years ago. It all started actually, I believe
in where was it Katia on the eighteenth of September
eighteen ninety nine.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, So Thomas Portland Smith decided that, you know, all
the regulations and the challenges farming were facing, that they
needed a united voice. So he started that, you know,
started the Zeta Farmers Union. And you know there was
at the beginning of our lustrial history in the North
at least.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Anyway, it was interesting to read the story about it
that basically the farmers back then eighteen ninety nine were
virtually facing a lot of the same problems that you
have today, market fluctuations, land management issues, navigating complex government policies.
Quite similar, really a really really similar.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
And I think I cast my mind back to my
family is on our farm then and you know down
here on the East Coast, and yeah, and the challenges
we knew they were facing just keeping the life of
a life let alone or the government and experience and
not having a market. So it was an incredible forethought
from you from Thomas End.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
And then the South Island eventually caught onto this whole
thing of having a union because they didn't come on
board to the what around nineteen ten.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Yeah, so Henryette and off Mountfield Station in nineteen ten
he started the Sheep Farmers Union and they were independent
for a number of years to after World War Two
when they combined forces to become Confederated Farmers we know
and love today.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
It's absolutely fantastic. So how fed farmers sort of celebrate
this amazing achievement.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah, so we're in the process of organizing what we're
doing now as staff are flat out it looks like
we're going to have a big dinner down at Government
House celebrate the politicians towards the end of the year.
And we've got a few members things planned coming out
towards the end of this year as well, and give
aways and peaces like that. But it's you know, it's
really really quite an exciting time for us.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
It is really, And I mean, you do such a
great job I guess behind the scenes for all farmers
right across the country, don't you.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Yeah, And I said, you know, one hundred and twenty
five years, our remit hasn't changed. You know, we're there
with the farmer's voice and our strength is really and
what gave us our strength really was that you know,
it was the particularly a dairy union in North Island
for joining up with the sheep Union in the South
Island create the federation. So we cover all voices, you know,
we don't we don't have a particular view on only
for sheep farmers, only for deiry or only for arable.

(02:51):
So having yet strength behind us is really what makes
Federated Farmers unique and pretty special.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
And Toby, what's the feeling like out there on the
land with farmers and both eyes.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yeah, I've just been down at Southiland. It's you're probably
better than what you'd expect, especially for a sheep farming.
It's all very tough financially, but we're starting to see
some of those financial headwinds ease a little bit. See
if we're going to remain a challenge the next twelve months,
there's no sort of doubt about that. Uh, But farmers
are We're on the right side of the year. The
grass is starting to grow and if you're in the

(03:21):
south and at the moment breathing, you know, you're pretty wet,
it's pretty cold, it's pretty miserable. But in general farmers,
you know, we we're on the right side of the
year to be looking forward to a warm summer and
you know, hope's in better pricing.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Can
you see any light at the end of the tunnel
for wool?

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah? I can, Like I'm a very positive wall person. Yeah,
and it's not the need is not really moving and
it was so it's really quite frustrating. There's lots of
really cool stuff happening. There's lots of individual groups going
out to an incredible thing and that you can highlight
Stony Creek and bring with for two really great companies.
And then there's as a devolved the other day with

(04:00):
the filters and things going into those yes On filters.
So there's some really really great stuff hppening. But I
fortunately for Joe Blocks Farm which is not moving it
fast enough and the cost of our sharing continues to rise,
and you know, we'll stay pretty stagnant. So we had
hope to see five dollars by Christmas, but I think
you know that's really a bit of a piet dream,
and then we need to start reassessing, well, what is

(04:20):
there if you're going to look like going into the future,
because we can't keep going the way we are.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
No, you're absolutely right. Well, Toby again, congratulations to Federated
Farmers celebrating one hundred and twenty five years.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Thank you for joining us, mate, Thanks Brian, have a
great down mate.

Speaker 2 (04:33):
Toby Williams Meat and Wool Chair and Federated Farmers Well.
Started eighteenth of September in Kaitaire. As he mentioned Thomas
Portland Smith, the early pioneer of the dairy industry, who
settled on some pretty raw land in the far North.
You could Imagine what they would have been like back
in eighteen ninety nine,