How to bring more risk factoring into day-to-day farm decisions

Brought to you in partnership with FMG.

FMG Loss Prevention Manager Abby France says preparedness on farm starts at the kitchen table, with the team and a physical map of the property.

“Think about your biggest risks, and the people, your infrastructure, the services you use – where does your prevailing wind come from?” she says.

The gaps can be tackled one practical step at a time, starting with who to call, what needs to happen and how the team stays in touch when cell phones are down.

She says the plan also has to work if the owner is off farm, even on the once-a-year holiday, so the team, family and neighbours need to know it too.

“This is a good opportunity to have that barbecue you’ve been talking about and get together and say, ‘What does this look like for all of us and how could we help each other out?’”

That’s when people find out the neighbour’s shepherd used to be an arborist, or that someone has a digger tucked away.

“We hear a lot about, ‘Oh, farmers are so resilient and they get on with things.’

“A lot of that has to do with their level of skill.”

Building on that can be as simple as brushing up on first aid.

France keeps a laminated copy of how to use their generator, and says every plan on farm, health and safety included, needs to come out of the drawer.

“It’s making sure that it’s actually an active thing that we use regularly, because that’s gonna make it familiar. It’s gonna make it more current and likely to work.”

A plan also has to change with the farm, whether that is new technology, new systems or a driveway in a different place.

“For those of us who now have systems that won’t operate without wifi, have we actually stopped to go, does our wifi work when there’s no power?”

Idle machinery needs testing too. She says a high-country farmer would probably have a date in the diary to turn over the bulldozer before the snow, and the generator needs the same test.

She says the adverse events New Zealand keeps facing leave farmers and growers plenty of lessons to draw on. Putting them into practice comes down to small changes, with risk factored into everyday decisions and how infrastructure is developed.

“Get that map out, figure out what beast you’re dealing with and where your weak spots are.”

Abby’s top three tips:

• Start with what matters most: you don’t need to tackle everything at once. Identify your
  biggest risks, look at where the gaps are, and get cracking on the things you can do now.
• Have a conversation: talk to your FMG adviser about the risks specific to your farm,
  property or business and where you might be able to strengthen your preparedness. And remember, the best time to work through this stuff is before you need it.

Take the next step: head to fmg.co.nz/advice for practical information and resources to
help you understand your risks and start building your preparedness plan.

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CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.

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