Tararua District farmer Sally Dryland honoured with Fed Farmers life membership

Sally Dryland out on the farm overlooking the ranges and the Manawatū River. Sally's time with Federated Farmers Tararua has earned her life membership.

Sally Dryland says she is “very honoured” to have been given life membership at the Federated Farmers Tararua Awards.

She says the recognition from her peers is “very special”.

Sally and her husband Chris began farming at their Mangatainoka property in 2007.

She became involved with women in farming which she says was a supportive group and encouraging for people to become informed about things.

“I think that’s something that women do well.”

Sally went on to become involved with the local beef and lamb steering committee.

She says both of those groups were on-farm focused: “How can we do farming better?”

Then an account arrived for Federated Farmers.

“I said to Chris, ‘is this really good value?’”

With his encouragement, she went down to Wellington to find out more and has been involved with the local executive since 2011.

She has recently stepped down as co-president of Federated Farmers Tararua.

Sally believes Tararua District’s farmers are great to represent.

“Because we’ve got some really good stories.”

There are dairy farmers involved in the plantain project, those who have fenced the waterways and hill country farmers who have an active SLUI plan to reduce erosion.

“My role in a lot of that has been to advocate and communicate.”

Sally says advocacy is huge in Federated Farmers.

“There’s so often we’re the only farmer in the room. But you have to be there.”

She says the more a group like Feds is there, the less disruption it is for everyone else.

“I don’t want to have to see farmers taking their tractors to the streets all the time to get things that make sense happen.”

Part of her role has been to have people on the farm and talk through how things work.

“I think they can understand more why it’s impractical to fence some of the hills,” Sally says.

“I think just bringing those people together and having an honest conversation is good.”

Last year, in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, while Rural Support Trust led the response, Federated Farmers supported them in the background.

Sally says that also meant talking to Horizons Regional Council about the problems with culverts, for example.

“There were a lot of those conversations going on in the background,” she says. “It was a different sort of support.”

Sally will continue to stay on the local executive, hoping to encourage others to become involved and provide some historical context as to why certain things are in place.

Carron Perry and Sally Dryland. Carron's late husband, Nick, got the ball rolling with life membership of Federated Farmers Tararua for Sally.

Fed Farmers Tararua secretary Carron Perry says it was her late husband Nick who started the process of life membership for Sally.

“I just made it happen.”

She says Sally has been an inspiring person for Federated Farmers Tararua and the greater national body.

“She’s always getting the job done and knowing how to get everyone together going forward.”

Carron also thanked Chris “for allowing Sally to do what she has done for the whole of Tararua District and our farming community”.