Slow down, it’s summer

Summer is one of my favourite times of the year. No school (read as school lunches, rushing to the bus, chasing homework!), after school sport events have a break, and our world just seems to slow down.

Maybe, this is the picture of contentment we should be sharing with our customers and fellow New Zealanders. One where farmers love being a farmer because of the lifestyle.

The pictures where we are hanging with our kids, partners and family in between milkings or heading onfarm for a bike ride, down to a local beach after the farm work is done for the day or being so proud of kids who are out there kicking their own goals because the skills they have learnt being raised on a farm have enabled them to thrive.

What would happen if we set out to capture hearts and minds with the farmer lifestyle so that those that are thinking about their career choices could see farmers enjoying it?

I often hear from my non-farming friends that all you see and hear on social media, or on click bait news feeds, is farming legislation or regulation or grumpy farmers and how farming looks like a less-than-desirable career option.

What if we didn’t just focus on the farming ‘job’ but the farming ‘life’ as a campaign?

What if there was an ad campaign that follows real farmers and captures how farmers can take their kids to lamb and calf day, or contribute to the local community as a volunteer, or their kids riding motorbikes, or climbing Mt Taranaki , or… or…

If you think about what you as a farmer can do with your family during down time on the farm, it is pretty special and I imagine bloomin’ attractive to those people who are about to face 6-8% mortgage rates this year as half the country’s mortgage rates come off 3-4%.

Imagine a job ad like.. Do you want free accommodation that is healthy homes compliant? Do you want to be able to go to your kids’ school events? Or do you want to be home by 5pm after a one-minute commute from work? Are you a beach-goer? Come be a farmer and you can be at the beach during milking on the weekend or after milking each night? Want to spend breakfast and lunch with your children or partner?…

These are the good parts of farming that we don’t tell people about enough. I challenge you to share with networks why we farm and why we love being farmers.

Left to right: Tom competing at Junior Surf life saving, Tom being a conservation champion as a Rotokare Ambassador, Paddy and his lamb and calf day calf, Kids on their motorbikes getting cows in.