How dairy farmer Paul Walker gets through 'the winter slog'

Farmstrong ambassadors Paul Walker (left) and Sam Whitelock. Photo / Farmstrong

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Monthly on The Country, Jamie Mackay catches up with a Farmstrong farmer, someone who is doing the right thing when it comes to looking after the top paddock. Today, he speaks with Pongakawa dairy farmer, Paul Walker, who shares his thoughts on getting through “the winter slog”.

Paul Walker farms 300 cows on 110 hectares in Pongakawa, just south of Te Puke, in the Bay of Plenty.

Pongakawa can get very wet in winter and is also at sea level, which poses some big challenges. In the last calendar year, Pongakawa doubled its annual rainfall.

With his farm only 4km from the Te Puke golf course, Walker is a fan of getting off-farm.

Mackay asked Walker if he got to play at that wonderful golf course.

“I do, not as much as I would like to, but I certainly try and get down there once a week over the quieter times of the year,” Walker said.

“Not right now with calving, but I love having a chat and hitting that ball.”

In the Bay of Plenty, it gets plenty of sunshine but also plenty of rain, and wet winters are a mental challenge for farmers.

Given the events that farmers suffered over Cyclone Gabrielle, it can bring back tough memories when rain is heard on the roof.

“How did your mental health handle Cyclone Gabrielle, as you got a lot of rain, and it must have been a challenge”, Mackay asked.

“We felt for guys down the East Coast as they got it a lot worse,” Walker said.

“It did pose a heap of challenges for us here. The way we did cope was by attacking it really slowly day by day.

“Really paring it right back, by going out in the morning and just getting to HQ and sucking in a few deep breaths before you start the day.

“Nothing is worse than rushing out the front door, rushing here and there and not achieving anything.”

Former All Black, and Farmstrong ambassador, Sam Whitelock, has a yarn to fellow ambassador, Pongakawa dairy farmer, Paul Walker. Photo / Farmstrong

Mackay said that getting off-farm and having a mental break were so important.

“I understand you have a local gym set up on one of the farms,” he said.

“Yes, we have had a few farmers take that up but now we have taken up plunging in one of the local rivers, rather than lifting weights,” Walker said.

“In the dry period, some of us met up at 6.30 in the morning and had a five-minute swim in the local river and that set us up beautifully for the day.”

Walker, a Farmstrong ambassador, found that Farmstrong has massively changed his life; having been in a hole and not handling things as well as he could.

“It’s pretty easy to get isolated on-farm and get lost in your own thoughts and sometimes those thoughts aren’t helpful or positive,” he said.

“Farmstrong opened my eyes to a different way of thinking.

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“It shows you how you can coach your mind to have more constructive thoughts.”

Farmstrong has given Walker the tools to enjoy his industry, family, and what he does more.

When he started farming without Farmstrong, Walker found there wasn’t anyone to turn to.

However, when he discovered Farmstrong and the resources offered, it gave him a way to reset his mind and connect with the community.

He also found that Farmstrong’s five ways to wellbeing set him up to handle those tough times.

For free tools and resources on managing the ups and downs of farming, head to Farmstrong’s website.