Ashburton Courier: July 11, 2024

More documents

Recommendations

Info

18 Ashburton RURAL LIFE Courier, July 11, 2024 www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz Combat veteran’s rural advice BY TIM CRONSHAW Acombat veteran sent to four tours offrontlinebattle in Afghanistan has told dairy farmerstoshrug off their tough guy image and take up meditation. Australian author Dr Dan Pronk served on more than 100 combat missions as an army special operations doctor after passing SAS selection and hit the wall when he retired from service. He talked to 400 farmers about stress and ways to build resilience including meditation and ‘‘combat breathing’’ asa top speaker at the recent South Island Dairy Event conference at Lincoln University. ‘‘The eyes that are on this industry and the pictures they create are abnormal. You don’t get the average accountant going to work to have some muppet in acow suit yelling at them. This all adds to the stress because there is asocial lens your industry gets viewed through and you’re out there just trying to do your best to maintain profitability and feed yourfamily.’’ As afrontline doctor, some of the casualties he treated included fellow SAS soldiers, commandos, local civilians, and the enemy. Pronk ended up with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after leaving the armed forces in 2014 when losing close mates and being exposed to violence and the realities of frontline battle came to rest. Being unable to save his friendsintheir final moments haunted him. Reintegrating into civilian life was its own battle as he took to the bottle and leaned on sleeping pills. His anger was at a‘‘hair trigger’’, he was in astate of high anxiety and strugglingto cope with bad dreams, flashbacks and just be able to feel again. He was feeling worse than ever even though on paper he was safer and earning more money than before he clocked out. Pronk said he had to work out the resilient factors he lost after discharging from the army and rebalance the scales for his mental health to keep functioning. Hesaid dairy farmers also had to develop resilience as they were in a‘‘uniquely’’ high stress environment. ‘‘It was completely normal as adoctor with those units to be responding to friends of mine who had been shot or blown up on the battlefield. ‘‘What this talks to is the human ability to adapt to high stress environments. You ❛The eyes that are on this industry and the pictures they create are abnormal.❜ —DrDan Pronk spend long periods of time in highstress environments and your body adjusts and adapts to that. It normalises and becomes your new normal and when we look at everyone in this room the dairy farming industry is asuper highstress environment. If you spend long periods of time immersed in that environment you normalise that stress and it was no different for us in the military. ‘‘But this comes at acost.’’ The cost was the body had to upregulate its chronic response stress system and higher levels of hormones such as cortisol ramped people up, but activated too long and it burned them out, he said. Pronk said there were key ways to down regulate the body’sstress response system and build resistance. He developed mechanisms such as practising meditation and mindfulness to control his thought patterns and others to wind down his body's stress response. PTSD BATTLE: Australian army special operations doctor Dan Pronk advises Kiwi farmers to do something about their mental health. PHOTO TIM CRONSHAW ‘‘I get the impression from my interaction with the farming industry is that it’s similar culturally to the military in its response a very stoic mindset, keep your chin up and oftenthese cultures are very dismissive, but this is highly relevant. ‘‘And if there is one thing you should take away from today’s presentation is that all of you should be practising some sort of mindfulness and meditation to be able to wind down your chronic stress response.’’ As little as 10 to 12 minutes started to have positive effect from two weeks. Apps guiding boxbreathing techniques in four second intervals called combat breathing in the miliary helped people to wind down stress. Pronk said alcohol was often wrongly used as acoping strategy but only helped people sleep for three to five hours and was no substitute forgood sleep, diet and exercise. The simple act of being grateful and focusing on positives had benefits. Socialinteraction to build resilience is also important. ~ Central Rural Life Winterfeed option acomfortable fit BYMARY RALSTON It’s midwinter and farmers are well into the daily routine of shifting breaks. Kale and fodder beet havebecome the staples of winter feeding of dairycows – but some farmers are looking at other options. Bale grazing –winteringdairy stock on permanent pasture with plenty of hay –is catching on. Bales are placed in agrid pattern in the paddock; cows are given three days’ worth of rations in one break. Paddocks are taken out of the grazing rotation in March and the ones grazed first can be back to full pasturecover by September. This is abig advantage of the bale grazing system: paddocks are available for grazing for alot moreofthe year than is the case with annual crops. Grass and hay are amorenatural diet for cows, and even though the feed is lower in protein,weight gains are similar to those of cattle grazed on kale. Bale grazed cowsspend more time lying down and ruminating,and they stay warmer and drier. Most of the cows calve on the hay litter. There’s less soil damage and pugging than with annual crops. And there’s lower rates of nitrogen leaching because there’s less nitrogen excreted in urine (duetothe lower nitrogen content of the diet), and partly because of the grass cover. Hororata dairy farmersDeane Parker CONTENTED: Cows on Deane Parker and Melissa Scarlett’s Hororata dairy farm. Bale grazing is aseen as agood alternative to winter grazing of annual crops. PHOTO MARY RALSTON and Melissa Scarletthosted abale grazing field day recently for the farmer network, QuorumSense, attendedbyover 70 farmersand industry reps. Parker and Scarlettare using bale grazing for all their herd this winter. Parker said it’s agame changer. “It’s chalk and cheese –winter used to be the moststressful time of the year, now it’s the complete opposite,’’ Parker said. “The cows are content and comfortable, they haven’thad to use abunch of energy keeping warm. This has aflowon effect for animal health. “You can stay off the paddocks when it’s wet. Staff are not constantly under the pump. “Imagine awintering system that regeneratesthe soil, animals and people – that’s what bale grazing can do,” he said. IN BRIEF GENETIC GAIN DairyNZ, LIC and CRV are welcoming an Independent Working Group’s (IWG) final report supportingimprovements in New Zealand’s genetic gain system for the national dairy herd. The IWG was charged with evaluating the dairy sector’s genetic improvement progress. DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel said the report was groundbreakingasitcaptured in one place the reasons New Zealand has fallen behind international competitors, while clearly outlining away forward that can involve all sector players. Recommendations included strengtheningthe role and impact of the National Breeding Objective (NBO). BOARD MEMBER Heather McKayhas joined the board of Rural WomenNew Zealand as an associate member. She was astandout candidate for the new role designed to develop the next generation of members and leaders, national president Gill Naylor said. “She brings aunique combination of professional, not-forprofit and practical farm business capability to her work and leadership.‘‘ The one-year role is appointed, not elected by RWNZ members, and does not hold voting rights. However, McKay will play afull role in Board and Committeemeetings, helpingtoshape strategic planning and decision-makingfor the organisation. PORK REP Jason Palmer and Nigel Young have been elected to the NZPork board of directors. Palmer, acurrent director on the NZPork board,isa mid-Canterbury pig farmer with interests in dairy and forestry. Young has 40 years’ experience in the sectorinNew Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia. He is general manager for PIC/Sunpork New Zealand. Palmerand Young were elected by farmers in the Region 3area,which covers the South Island. $1.7M INVESTMENT The New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB) announced a$1.7m fundingboost for two major red meat sector projects. Up to $700,000 is to go to the Informing New Zealand Beef genetics project (INZB) and up to $1 million for the Eliminating FacialEczema Impacts (EFEI) programme.Itfollows consultationwith sheep and beef farmers on the distribution of interest and dividends generated from the NZMB’s $79 million reserves fund towards industry good projects. NZMB chair Kate Aclandsaid the two projects will deliversignificant benefits to red meat producers. “This investment comes at a criticaltime for the sector, which is facing significant financial pressures.’’ SELFSERVICE APP Farmlands has launched online app, FarmlandsPRO, allowing customers to place, track and manage rural suppliesorders. Chief executive officer Tanya Houghton said farming doesn’t line up with normalbusiness hours and customers needed to be able to order rural supplies at atime that met their business needs. The app included everything from full order histories, through to existing contracts and farmer-specific discountedrural supplies prices, and reflected how farmers and growers were adapting the ways they did business.
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz NEWS Ashburton Courier, July 11, 2024 19 Dancers put best foot forward Feet havebeen tapping, pointing and kicking for four days at the Ashburton National and Highland Dancing championships at the Ashburton Event Centre. More than 240 highland, Irish and sailor hornpipe dancers from around New Zealand competed for sashes, trophies and national rankings over the weekend. About 20 members of the Julie Hawke School of Dance from Ashburton were among competitors. Two members achieved national rankings. Britney Moore won runneruptochampion with a second ranking in the 18 and over age group and Leah Maw won 9th ranking in the under 18 age group. Committee member Bridget Prendergast said mid way through the competitions the event was going well and everyone was enjoying themselves. Above Junior winners prepare to dance the champion dance after receiving their trophies and sashes. Dancers from all over New Zealand competed at the National and Highland Dancing championshipsin Ashburton. PHOTOS DELLWYN MOYLAN Right Achieving national rankings in their age groups were Mid Canterbury’s Britney Moore (left) and Leah Maw. PHOTOS SUPPLIED It’stime to registeryour four-legged friend. Look out forthe information pack in your mailboxorvisit the websitetoregisteronline. All dogs overthe age of three months need to be registeredby31July. ashburtondc.govt.nz/dogs
Page 1 and 2: 2550304 Proud to be Mid Canterbury
Page 3 and 4: www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz NEWS Ash
Page 5: WINTER WARMERS BRUSHED COTTON SM-4X
Page 8 and 9: 8 Ashburton NEWS Courier, July 11,
Page 10 and 11: Family Notices Deaths Deaths Deaths
Page 12 and 13: 12 Ashburton NEWS Courier, July 11,
Page 14 and 15: COUNCIL BRIEF 2Baring SquareEast, A
Page 16: 16 Ashburton NEWS Courier, July 11,
Page 23 and 24: www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz PUZZLE P
Page 25 and 26: THE geraldinenews NGĀPŪKŌRERO OT
Page 27 and 28: THURSDAY, 11JULY 2024 |THE GERALDIN
Page 35 and 36: Hampstead 200 Chalmers Avenue Nethe
Page 37: Open Homes SATURDAY 13TH JULY 118 C
Page 40 and 41: RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL PRO
Page 42: Ashburton UNDER CONSTRUCTION 2MCKAI
Page 45 and 46: Tammy McDougall Business Owner &Sal
Page 47 and 48: NEW LISTING Alford Forest 276 Alfor
Page 49 and 50: trusted 2024 GUIDE trades&services
Page 53 and 54: www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz TRADE &S
Page 55: BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA 65’’ MINI

Ashburton Courier: July 11, 2024

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?