Reporter Shawn McAvinue asks southern dairy farmers for a tip on how to survive calving.
Logan Kelly, of Kaitangata ... "Be organised so you can go to bed at the right time to make sure you get eight hours of sleep."
Michael Berkers, of Invercargill ... "One Square Meal bars and Up & Go drinks. I have a good team around me on farm, that’s really important."
Andrew McGregor, of Otaraia ... "If you are in trouble, make sure you talk to your neighbours and friends because a problem shared is a problem halved."
Dylan Ditchfield, of Wendonside ... "Don’t worry about the stuff you can’t control, just focus on the stuff you can control ... You can waste a lot of energy on stuff that is way beyond you so what’s the point? It just gets you down."
Adrian Frei, of Riversdale ... "I’m doing my 30th calving in New Zealand. My dairy farm is well set up, we are wintering inside and calving indoors, so there is no pressure points at all. We’ve got plenty of the right feed and we don’t have animal health problems. We are in paradise."
Callum Kingan, of Enfield ... "Eat well and don’t worry."
Cameron Edgecombe, of Woodside ... "It’s all about organisation and getting all your maintenance done in the winter."
Blake Korteweg, of Hedgehope ... "Get plenty of sleep and eat good food."
Suzanne Hanning, of Grove Bush ... "Eat. Keep your energy levels up, keep rested and fed. People run out of energy because they do just one more job and all of a sudden it is 3pm and you haven’t had lunch yet. Make meal time a priority, because if your tank is running on empty, little things are going to become big things and stress will build up. That is the biggest problem I see, especially with younger people and then when they do eat, it is a pie or a can of energy drink. You need to eat and you need to eat good food."
Scott Bixley, of Tussock Creek ... "Be super organised and try and have everything ready a month out — have your calving shed, calving pad and your cow shed ready to go — so all you’ve got to focus on is keeping the cows going and keeping the calves healthy."
