Farmer: a jack of all trades, a master of none?
Tony Watson
Finding ways to make farming better for everyone. Grass fed beef finisher, outdoors enthusiast, LandSAR guy. Opinions are my own.
Is this a positive complement, and reflection on someone’s ability to give anything a go?
Or has it become a more disparaging comment, made about someone who muddles through a job, with untended consequences potentially making things worse…
No. 8 wire
Generations of Kiwi farmers have been celebrated for attempting any job, making do with limited resources and applying a fix that will simply get the job done. Kiwi ingenuity and the birth of the No.8 wire mentality is legendary; pioneering farming families have tamed the land against the odds and created an industry that continues to serve this country very well. There is no question that agriculture is the backbone of NZ’s economy and without farmers and farming, all of us would be worse off.
Too many injuries and fatalities
Unfortunately, there are too many injuries and fatalities on farm. There is a significant financial cost to individual business, our sector and the whole economy and tragedies on farm strike at the heart of our families and farming communities.
Perhaps our previously lauded No.8/jack of all trades approach is holding us back as we seek to improve safety on farm. Are quick fixes and "she'll be right" a problem?
What can people working on farm do?
And just because it’s always been done this way doesn’t make it safe. Good farmers are recognising this and taking a few small steps to build safety into everyday farm work. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, and it’s certainly not about folders, paperwork and warning signs at the farm gate.
Farms by themselves are not inherently dangerous places – it’s only when people turn up that there is potential for things to go wrong. One approach is to take a couple of minutes and answer these simple questions before beginning any task:
- What could go wrong?
2. What am I doing about it? And is it enough?
We need to continuously ask ourselves these questions. Try it yourself and encourage people on farm to do the same. And if they're not old enough, or don't have the experience - help them think it through.
You never know, you could save a life one day.
Director of UnisonPsych (NZ) Ltd | Specialising in pre-employment & safety risk strategies for areas of high-fatality.
5 年We would simply say 'Stop and Think'.? Farming is one of the few jobs without an external regulator.? Control that governs action is in the hands of the individual Farmer.? This is the simplist of messages.? What do you value?? Poor safety practice puts everything you love at stake.?
Director of UnisonPsych (NZ) Ltd | Specialising in pre-employment & safety risk strategies for areas of high-fatality.
5 年It is one of the most skillfull, challenging, frustrating roles ever imaged but show me one that delivers such rewards every day.? Our Farmers anchor us but they need to be safe.? It is possible to get through on a personal responsibility level by listening rather than lecturing.??
Councillor at Manawatu District Council
5 年The old adage at FarmSafe was grab a 4x2, that is take 4 steps back and think about what you are going to do for a couple of minutes. Works well!!!
Machinery Editor,Rural News Group NZ
5 年I agree, but the concept shouldn't just apply to farmers....scaffolders, freezing works employees, electricians, boaties,,?etc.. it applies to all where there is a potential risk of injury