{"id":80755,"date":"2024-01-25T13:43:23","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T00:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/?p=80755"},"modified":"2024-01-25T13:43:25","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T00:43:25","slug":"rural-advocacy-is-a-team-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/people\/rural-advocacy-is-a-team-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"Rural advocacy is a team sport"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Just like players on a rugby field, agricultural groups need to be clear on their specific roles and play them well if we want to win, Federated Farmers national president Wayne Langford says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six months into his role as president, Langford says uniting the sector as one team, ensuring everyone is playing the right position, is one of his main goals for 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a coach of the local under-16 boys\u2019 rugby team and I tell my boys every Saturday before they hit the park, \u2018just do your job well and we\u2019ll get a win out there\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat same idea applies in the ag sector too. We\u2019ve all got our own jobs to do, and we need to make sure we\u2019re not cutting across in front of each other. Otherwise, we\u2019ll knock the ball on and farming ends up losing.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I really want to work on in 2024 \u2013 making sure everyone is working together, sticking to their own jobs and doing them well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before last year\u2019s General Election, Federated Farmers released 12 policy priorities for the new Government, and seeing those policies implemented is another focus for Langford this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really disciplined and clear about what we wanted from the incoming Government with our 12 key policies to restore farmer confidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat discipline and clarity paid off. The Coalition Agreements between National, ACT and New Zealand First had Federated Farmers\u2019 fingerprints all over them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a pretty awesome result for a farmer advocacy group, and for farmers as a whole, but the job\u2019s only half done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy focus now needs to be making sure the Government actually follow through and deliver the change they\u2019ve promised to farmers and rural communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on the newly launched Federated Farmers Podcast, Langford also discussed his mission to see Federated Farmers operating at its best as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy team will get sick of me hearing it, but Feds are quite a big organisation and it\u2019s so important that we\u2019re working as one team for farmers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we want to achieve all the things farmers are expecting us to, we need to be performing really well. That needs to be across the board, from the small meetings we do in the provinces right through to the big crunch moments when I\u2019m sitting in front of the Prime Minister.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Langford says he takes the presidential role very seriously, especially given farmer confidence is at an all-time low, and he\u2019s well aware of the negativity that can exist within and around farming.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, he\u2019s determined to bring more positivity \u2013 and his own brand of humour \u2013 in his remaining two-and-a-half years as president. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI battle with that a little bit. Being a Federated Farmers president is a huge honour and it\u2019s a highly regarded position within the farming community. There\u2019s an expectation that you\u2019ll act kind of statesman-like. That\u2019s meant I\u2019ve needed to tone back some of my jokes and banter at times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m also really working to bring back some optimism for the sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m extremely positive about the future of farming and where we\u2019re going together, but I\u2019m also proud of our history and where we\u2019ve come from. So, I\u2019m hoping that kind of flows through.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers who want to share their thoughts with Langford or Federated Farmers shouldn\u2019t hesitate to pick up the phone, he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFederated Farmers is a ground-up organisation. We\u2019re here to hear the farmers\u2019 voice, so don\u2019t ever feel like you can\u2019t reach out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy phone does ring a fair bit, so I apologise if I can\u2019t take every phone call, but certainly don\u2019t be scared to flick me a text or message and just say what\u2019s going on, whether it\u2019s good or bad or whatever it is. It means we know that when we\u2019re heading into meetings, that we\u2019re really representing the grassroots farmers\u2019 voice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important to me that I\u2019ve got the members\u2019 voice behind me. So, if you\u2019re ever sitting on the tractor and you want to reach out, do it, because I\u2019d really appreciate the feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hear the full conversation with Wayne Langford on episode one of the newly launched Federated Farmers Podcast, on Spotify, Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last year Federated Farmers released 12 policy priorities for the new government, and seeing those policies implemented is another focus for Wayne Langford this year. \n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":80756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"Getting the ag groups working together and sticking to their roles is a big focus for Wayne Langford (centre), pictured with Federated Farmers board members David Birkett, Mark Hooper, Sandra Faulkner and Colin Hurst.\n","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[192,56],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t