Category: Farmers stories
Lucky to be alive
Sheep and beef farmer Jack Cocks almost died from an aneurysm. Now he’s sharing with other farmers what his recovery taught him about resilience. Jack’s…
Don’t sweat the small stuff
In the Thrive Guide for farming women, Fiona Gower shares her tips for nurturing and caring for yourself. Fiona lives with her family on a…
A near miss
A near-fatal accident completely changed Owen Gullery’s approach to life and farming. Now he’s alerting other farmers to the dangers of fatigue and burnout. Owen…
Circle of care
Tanya Sanders not only helps to run a 380-cow dairy farm in Northland, but also works as a GP locum in the area. She shared…
Stay connected
Wairarapa sheep and beef farmers Richard and Becks Tosswill have farmed their 646-hectare property near Ponatahi for nearly a decade. They run up to 5,800…
A banter over a beer
Paul and Pip Walker run a 300-cow, 90-hectare dairy farm in Pongakawa, just south of Te Puke, in the Bay of Plenty. Pongakawa can get…
Start a conversation
Kane Brisco’s into his seventh year 50/50 sharemilking at Ohangai near Hawera, in South Taranaki. He’s started his own social media page to get farmers…
A bit of a breather
Dairy farmer Daniel Hathaway recently took a couple of days off his hectic farming schedule to play in the Norwood and Miraka Charity Golf Tournament…
Managing fatigue
There are only so many hours in a day, so when life gets really busy on farm having a strategy to manage fatigue is vital.…
A Hawke’s Bay shearing legend
One Tuesday evening recently, Colin Watson-Paul was busy teaching a group of women how to shear, when, much to his surprise, a TV crew walked…
Back in the saddle
When poor health impacted Vicky O’Connor’s ability to work on farm, she picked up a camera and started her photography career again. Now she’s sharing…
Lessons learnt from gruesome accident
Bay of Plenty dairy farmer Paul Walker counts his lucky stars he only lost one finger and not his whole hand in a grisly accident… 
