Paul Walker: Why Farmstrong matters when ‘life happens’ on-farm

Pongakawa dairy farmer Paul Walker knows a thing or two about coping with the ups and downs of farming.

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Bay of Plenty dairy farmer Paul Walker knows better than most that even the best‑laid plans can be derailed.

Walker runs a 300‑cow, 90‑hectare dairy farm at Pongakawa, just south of Te Puke, on low-lying, sea-level land that’s no stranger to flooding.

That’s why he leans on a simple mantra when times get tough: “life is what happens while you’re making other plans”.

“Once I heard this, I thought, man, that really makes sense to me,” he told The Country’s Jamie Mackay.

“You can do everything in your power to make a plan, but there are going to be some things that life throws at you that upset the apple cart.”

For farmers like Walker, the weather is often the biggest apple‑cart‑upsetter.

“It’s massively challenging, and it’s just one of those uncontrollables,” he said.

In those moments, his “life happens” mantra reminds him that he can’t control every situation.

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“My plan is that the weather’s going to be great and we’re going to get the right amount of moisture, the right amount of sunlight, the grass is going to grow, we’re going to hit our covers for every stage of the season, and it’s going to be hunky dory,” he said.

“But there are so many uncontrollables, and weather’s one of them for farmers and growers – so it’s all about trying to find things that you can control.”

Walker is a Farmstrong ambassador and has found the nationwide wellbeing programme another source of strength and coping mechanisms for tough times.

He said the Farmstrong mental skills toolbox helped farmers take back a sense of control.

“When you’re in those dire weather situations, you can choose how you react to those times – also, what you do to recharge and refresh," Walker said.

A change of scenery was an effective way to achieve this, he said.

“One of the things in that regard that I love so much is Surfing for Farmers because it gets you off-farm and you’re thrust into a situation which is a very long way from the act of farming, which is being in the sea."

He advised choosing off-farm activities wisely, as they could create more stress.

For this reason, golf was sometimes a no-go for Walker.

“When things aren’t going 100% on-farm, I actually tend to pull the pin from going down the golf course because of how much of a mental game golf can be.

“And if your thought process isn’t a positive one, then it can destroy your golf game in a matter of minutes.”

- Learn more about the Farmstrong mental skills toolbox here.