The Country 07/03/25: Emma Poole talks to Jamie Mackay

We're joined by the first female winner of the Young Farmer of the Year, our special guest for International Women's Day. We also discuss dairy farm management in a Waikato drought.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is International Women's Day tomorrow, and this is the
most famous woman I know in agriculture, at least I
think she is. She broke the grass ceiling in twenty
twenty three when she beat a male dominated field to
become the FMG Young Farmer of the Year. Emma Paul
joins us and Emma International Women's Day. What are you
doing to celebrate it?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Oh, I'm just celebrating being me, thanks, Jamie. And it's
a pleasure to be here. I don't know about the
most famous woman you know, but yeah, we suddenly had
a few chats over the past couple of years since
the contest wins. So it's it's nice to be here
and nice to be thinking of the women that are
out on farms and doing their thing in agriculture. I
think we often talk about the importance of getting females

(00:41):
an egg, but we don't actually talk about why it's
so important, Jamie. And if we open that conversation up,
it's because, you know, having a diverse set of skills
and your farm teams really really important, especially when it
comes to running a farming business. There's so many elements
you need as a farmer, so having females in there
just helped diversify that skilty and gets extra jobs done

(01:02):
in better.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Ways, unfortunately for us Blokesmma, women are better at multitasking
than men.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Totally, totally. Multitasking is just a tip of it, Jamie.
If we think of a woman actually more nurturing in
nature on because they get up to raise children and
do that sort of thing. That this is a broad generalization,
of course. So if we think of jobs like carfiring
on farm, the best car forreers of even and are
always women. And it's because they, you know, they really care.
That there are men that care out there as well, Jamie.

(01:30):
But the woman certainly do a fantastic job in the
likes of those roles and many others on farm.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, but you can't read a map.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
I can read a map.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
I'm sure you can. You're a very bright woman, right,
I guess. From the Young Farmer competition, and we've got
East Coast the regional final on this weekend, the fact
that twenty five percent of the finalists or entrance female
is great. Do you think we'll get to fifty to fifty?

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Hard to know, Jamie, but it's we're certainly moving in
the right direction, aren't we And it's sort of at
the moment representative of how many females are working in
the agricultural sector. That's about on path. So to get
to fifty fifty, you'd have to see a shift in
who we're employing on farms and the likes shift of
fifty fifty as well, i'd think. So there's a lot
of work to be done there in agriculture and it

(02:20):
would be good to have some more woman coming forward
into the sector because, like I say, it adds at
diversity to the skill set.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
Not only are you the twenty twenty three Young Farmer
of the Year, you're a dairy farmer with your husband Chris,
you're also a vet. How bad is it getting in
the White Caddow where you're based weatherwise with the.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Dry It is very very dry, Jamie, and there's dairy
farmers in the region talking about drying off, which you
know we've only just hit March, so there's a long
way to go in terms of production. But luckily, you know,
the payout is up this year and the price of
the likes of palm kernel isn't too bad, so the
return you get on putting supplement in this year is

(02:59):
the worthwhile well. Of course people are worried about doing
pastoral damage and pulling plants out of the ground and
the likes with overgrazing, so there's going to be a
fair amount of undersowing come this order. I'd say to
pick up the losses of what's even with us drought.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Is facial XMA an issue this.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Season, it has been, It's always an issue, Jamie, and
it should be top of mind for all farmers in
the North Island. And we were just talking off here.
We had a drizzle of rain last week and that's
really dangerous city for farmers out there because that will
just make the spores go boom. The counts have actually
been sort of at a moderate level that I've seen
them a lot higher in the past, and that's probably

(03:38):
because the heat has been so extreme and there's been
such a lack of moisture. But you know, this, March
April are real danger months for facial x ME and
people often button off, so it's really important to keep
that think going into the cows while they can.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
We know that when farmers are faced with climate extremes,
the best reaction to have is a quick one. So
if you're arming and ring about, for instance, drying off early.
You're better to dry off, aren't you, possibly?

Speaker 2 (04:04):
Yep, and I guess in light of Fonterra is a
recent announcement, you've got a way up whether or not
bringing an imported feed onto your farmer's worth it for
your system. Of course, you won't be paid for that
at a premium this season, so it's probably a good
time to just feed your cows, make sure they're in
good condition, protect your pastes where you can, and get
some more production under your belt. It's always a good

(04:25):
thing to have milk in the vet, Jamie.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
As a mathematical equation, even if you had to buy
in nearly all the feed on your farm, does it
make mathematical or financial sense to chuck it in one
end of the cow and get milk out the other
end of ten dollars?

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yes, Jamie, Yep, this season absolutely does. And we are
autumn carving at the moment, so our autumn girls are
going to be on almost a total mixed ration for
the next two months until we see our grass come away,
and for us it makes sense to keep feeding them
and to look after those animals so that we can
get that production later in the season.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Well, I hope you get some rain on the wit out,
Emma Paul, thanks for coming on today. It is International
Women's Day tomorrow and we all need to salute the
better half, those that wear the pants and the relationship.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
Yes, thanks for that, Jamie, and I will be reminding
Chris of that you thanks.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Good on your lovely to chat. Bye bye yeers, Jamie.