Former city boy and hip-hop dance instructor Junior Taulago now manages a sheep and beef farm in Patoka near the Kaweka ranges in Hawke’s Bay. Here’s how he got there and how he handles the challenges farming sends his way.
Tell us about your background.
I was born in New Zealand, moved to Samoa just after birth, then returned to NZ when I was eight. When we arrived back in NZ, I had to learn to speak English! So, we started from scratch in Christchurch and Mum and Dad worked so hard to support us. Their sacrifice still motivates everything I do.
How did you end up farming?
I know, [laughs] even now I get people saying “I can’t believe you’re farming Junior!” because I was just the biggest city kid, didn’t ever want to wear gumboots or get my hands dirty. I was living in Christchurch, teaching hip-hop dance and studying to be a social worker. But after the suffering of the Christchurch earthquakes, I just decided I needed a fresh start and enrolled at Taratahi Agricultural College in the Wairarapa. When I first started farming, I was as green as the grass I was looking at, but as soon as I tried it, I thought, “Wow, this is awesome!”
You’re keen to get more Pacific people involved in farming. What’s stopping them?
I think Pacific kids aim for careers they know about, and they don’t know enough about farming, which is ironic because farming is actually in our DNA. Back in Samoa I used to help plant and raise crops like taro, so it’s part of our culture, but somehow, we need to inspire more kids to give it a try. I go along to local career expos to help do that.
Okay, let’s give it a plug here then. What do you like about farming?
I really like the way you can see all your hard work come to fruition. It counts for something. For example, if you invest in your stock, you get good growth rates. I also love working outside rather than in an office and the Hawke’s Bay is an awesome place for us to raise a family (we’ve got two kids) and get ahead. With farming, I know if I work hard the rewards will be there and so will the enjoyment – that’s very motivating.
Tell me about your farming operation.
It’s a sheep and beef farm with 1000 grazing cattle and 700 stud sheep. We also rear around 200 calves. It’s just the farm owner and myself working here. This is my second-year managing.
That sounds a big job. What are main pressures?
It’s the stuff you can’t control, like when the weather packs up. We had a storm here a few weeks ago and had 300ml of rain in the space of three days! That was stressful, it just didn’t stop raining. And sometimes in farming you get so busy, it feels like you’re chasing your tail. But that’s just part of the industry.
What do you do to manage these challenges?
I’m big on my fitness. I run a fitness class called Rural Rise for the farmers in my area. We get together at the community hall once a week and work out. It started off with one or two people, now there’s up to 15 of us.
Farming’s a pretty physical job anyway. How does doing a workout help?
If you work on the body, it clears your head and makes it easier to deal with whatever comes at you. It also makes physically demanding jobs like calving a lot easier. But you know what I enjoy most about these sessions? It’s the chat afterwards. You soon learn everyone’s going through the same things. Chatting about things is a huge part of getting through a hard week.
Sounds like you’re breaking down a few barriers there.
Yeah, farming’s got a bit of macho culture. It’s a big thing for some people to share this stuff. If you ask them how they’re going, they’ll usually just say “It’s all good”, when maybe it’s not. But once people work up a sweat, they tend to drop their guard and open up.
You already have a busy job and a family. Why do you devote time to running this?
There’s just something about it that really fills my cup. Even if you’re having a tough week, you’ve got something to look forward to, so it breaks up my week and it’s fun.
Any other tips for keeping well on-farm?
You need other interests, something other than farming. So, I still dance and I’m big into reading too. I like reading self-help books that improve your mindset and help you think outside the box.
What about food. How do you “fuel up”?
I’m on my own nutrition plan. I really watch what I eat, so I eat the right things and make sure I drink a minimum of three litres of water a day to stay hydrated. I learnt early on that quick fixes like pies and energy drinks were no good and neither was just eating and eating.
Has it made a difference?
Yes, it really has. When you’re eating the right food, your energy levels are up, you can think more clearly, and you’re not as easily fatigued.
What about workload? Burnout’s a big issue for many farmers.
I make sure I stop for lunch every day. Eat for half an hour and read for half an hour so I can recharge and just have a breather mentally. When we’re calving in August and doing long hours, it’s easy to get tapped out, so we roster the weekends. That means I get a break every second weekend, even though it’s really busy.
It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into how you work on-farm. What’s the biggest change you’ve made?
When I first started farming, I was just going hard out all the time. These days I’m much more planned and pace myself. I’ll get up early, do my workout, have breakfast, go to work, and schedule activities properly, so I’m not just running round trying to do all these things at once. I also build in proper breaks – morning tea and lunch and take my lunch with me so I don’t skip meals.
What difference has it made?
You’re just in a better space. You feel more in control and can enjoy the job more. Farming’s a marathon, not a sprint. Anything that helps you stay in the right shape and headspace is good.
What’s your main message about staying well on-farm?
It all comes down to knowing your “why”. If you don’t know why you’re doing a job, any job’s going to feel tedious. I know I’m farming so I can provide for my family and achieve equity partnership here.
Have you heard of Farmstrong?
Yes, I think it’s great. I follow your news feed and I also know your ambassador Sam Whitelock, who has a farm near here.
What does Farmstrong mean to you?
I think it means looking after yourself mentally and physically on-farm. It’s also about bringing your community together – if you’re Farmstrong yourself, it gives you the ability to help others.
Farmstrong is nationwide, rural wellbeing programme for farmers and growers. For free farmer-to-farmer tools and advice on how to cope with the ups and downs of farming, visit www.farmstrong.co.nz
