DELIVERING THE RURAL MAIL – KEEPING UP WITH RACHEL HUNTER & WILMA SCHIAMANSKI’S HIGH TECH AWARD WINNING DAIRY FARMING WAYS

It’s a long standing Kiwi tradition to deliver the mail.

The simple pleasure of checking the farm letter box is the most exciting event in rural communities. I remember it being that way growing up in my teens on a farm.

To this day, TV that I love watching is Rural Delivery. It’s a TV series featuring stories about New Zealand people who are the unsung heroes of our City populous mindsets. In Rural Delivery I tune in to the faces of people just like us, whose earth romance daily, shows a connectedness to landscape and place that I appreciate, admire and respect. Well mannered people living sun up to sun down as a rule.

On this week’s show: Find out how pine trees in Nelson are being used to create high-tech, architecturally designed buildings that can better withstand earthquakes.

What I learned from last week’s show: The Young Farmers Club have grown their club numbers by 20% during the 2005-12 farming calendar. That’s awesome. Mentoring programs have been established, with new field trips in key areas of agricultural growth teaching skills younger to equip youth showing interest in farming earlier.

What I was thinking: How can the Young Farmers Club help young Maori learn about farming? How can the YFC integrate with Iwi programs to impart knowledge, grow the club in a culturally aware way of New Zealand, showing a good lead for NZ’s bright future in this manner? How can Iwi Development work with the YFC’s Club for win-win partnerships in the upcoming years through cool cross-pollination of ideas, resources co-management and dreaming big as one?

When my mind walks down that country road of thinking, I could spend an entire day, exploring the new frontier of the Aotearoa prairies on that one. However, I don’t want to get too excited about the bright possibilities too much. Iwi and Farmers must do this as one themselves. In future years, delivering the rural mail is just going to get more exciting. More scientific, yet allowing nature to be king too, the story of Aotearoa New Zealand’s stunning cast as observers of all that the land produces for us all. There’s a pretty high standard of rural post delivery traditions to uphold in NZ.

A story that reminds me of my late grandad: Schimanski Dairy Award Winners: Otorohanga farmers Don and Wilma Schimanski are the winners of the Dairy Business of the Year Supreme Award for 2012. The national competition looks at all aspects of a dairy farm owner’s business, in particular farm profitability. Entrants in the Dairy Business of the Year Supreme Award for 2012 were scored out of 70 for their financial performance, 15 for environmental care and 15 for human resources. The competition is organised by Intelact director Chris Pyke. The judges were independent – Professor Keith Woodford of Lincoln University and Emeritus Professor Colin Holmes of Massey University.

Don and Wilma Schimanski have been dairying together for 23 years, and built up their business by putting three farms together. They now milk 748 cows on 184ha. Previously Don was a bulldozing contractor. Their philosophy is to fully feed the cows, keeping them healthy and well. They pay particular attention to grazing at the three leaf stage. Good management means keeping a finger on the pulse all the time, Don says. “You can’t really stop criticizing yourself. My philosophy is to look after my managers and workers. I have been lucky there. The focus of our team is on pasture harvest, and utilizing as much pasture as possible.” The figures show the Schimanskis have higher than average pasture harvested at 13.7tDM/ha compared to the Waikato average of 12.2tDM/ha.”–More@TheGumbootDiaries.

Important too: Is Bruce Wills, National President, Federated Farmers interview on water and its relationship to farming in NZ. “It is our number one issue by far, water,” shares Bruce.

Peace!

Thank you for the news.

~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 16.9.12~

September 16, 2012 | Categories: A Different View, Adventurous Team Achievements, Agriculture, Animal Welfare, Animals Are Beautiful Too, Asia Pacific, Asia-Pacific, Awards Shows, Bruce Wills, Chris Pyke, Colin Holmes, Community, Compliance - Quality Assurance, Confectionary, Country Music, Country-Building, Cross-Cultural Narratives, Cultural Capital Economic Access Tests - New Zealand Inequality Tests, Dairy Products, Diversity, Economic Growth Planning, Entertainment Celebrity News, Entertainment Distribution, Entertainment News, Exclusive Brethren Machinary Companies Profits, Farming, Financial Management, Financial Matters, forestry, Human Resources Management, iwi, Iwi Biz Partners, Iwi Development, Iwi-Kiwi Bank, Keith Woodford, Kool Kiwis, Lincoln University, Maori, Massey University, Milk, Nelson, New Zealand, New Zealand Citizens, New Zealand Food Produce Distribution, New Zealand's Got Talent, Ngai Tahu, Ngapuhi, Ngapuhi Iwi, Ngati Porou, Otorohanga, Pakehas, Race Relations New Zealand, Rachel Hunter, Real Estate, Real People Real LA Faces, Reality TV Stars, Roger Bourne, Smile Club, South Pacific, South Pacific Television Hollywood, Star System - The Art of Aotearoa New Zealand Celebrity, Star System - The Art of South Pacific Celebrity, Tainui, Te Tai Tokerau, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Water New Zealand, What's Cooking in Your Kitchen for The World?, What's Growing in Your Kitchen For The World?, Wilma Schiamanski | Leave A Comment »