| 15 nzdairy “I’ve found sitting down for 10 or 15 minutes and just having a brain dump on a piece of paper has been really helpful.” DAIRY PEOPLE » Bellmea Five metres of rainfall a year a challenge Virginia Wright The last couple of years has seen some big changes for 35-year-old Kane Brisco with his marriage break-up meaning a change of farm, and a return to contract milking, after several seasons of 50/50 sharemilking. Since the 1st June he’s been working with 320 cows on 130 effective hectares north of Mount Taranaki, just out of Inglewood. 500 metres above sea-level the farm enjoys ve metres of rainfall a year making it ‘a pretty challenging environment’ as Kane puts it. “It’s a new farm owner and the farm’s been unloved for quite a few years so there’s plenty of jobs to do to get the system going like it should be. It’s been tough going back to contract milking but it’s also been refreshing having some new challenges.” Alongside those new challenges has come the challenge of writing a book, “Tools for the Top Paddock”, which resulted from Kane’s ongoing ‘farm t’ social media presence. What began a couple of years ago as a boot camp to help farmers stay on top of their physical tness has grown to include a good deal about mental tness. Kane thinks it’s because he targets his agricultural and rural community, with 80% of his followers having rural connections, that he was approached by Harper Collins who were aware of a lack of material in the farming space. “It’s a biography that’s a self-help book. Each chapter is a chapter of my life and I’ve really worked hard to draw the lessons out that I learned from that part of my life.” The book grows out of the ‘why” behind Kane’s starting of ‘farm t’ three years ago when he recognised that ‘everything intertwined’, and that learning to deal with stress and deal with problems, and generally ‘becoming a better person’ also paid dividends on the farm. He realised he wanted to help others do the same. Working with a ghost-writer Kane wrote the book with the idea that anybody could read it and get something out of it, but a lot of it relates directly to farm life bringing a strong response from the rural community. “I’ve been quite blown away by the support that it’s had from the community, and I feel quite humbled by the fact that I’ve become I guess a bit of a spokesperson for the ag-industry, or a promoter,” says Kane. Balancing farm-life, family, tness, and nutrition all feature on Kane’s social media posts, videos and podcasts as well as in the book. “It’s not just tness, a massive part of my life is working on the farm and if there’s something in my day that might start a young fella starting out be better, or save them time or energy, or give them something, I’ll chuck that in as well,” says Kane. Kane’s life hasn’t been without challenges but he believes his separation is the hardest thing he’s ever been through. He’s found writing things down, not to be confused with writing the book, very useful, especially Parker, Ahli, Dempsey and Kane. Proudly associated with Kane Brisco and Bellmea Ltd LIVESTOCK - EXPORT - GRAZING WE DO IT ALL Contact your local PL Agent Kent Myers on 027 247 6970 www.progressivelivestock.co.nz Proud to be major sponsors of Bellmea www.taranaki-vets.co.nz Clinics - Stratford · · Manaia Hawera Patea · · Waverley midst the busy-ness of springtime on the farm which means it’s not always practical to take the time for a bushwalk or a workout. “I’ve found sitting down for 10 or 15 minutes and just having a brain dump on a piece of paper has been really helpful. It’s not to keep or go back to, some of them I’ve burnt,” he says with a laugh. “It’s the process of getting it out of your mind and physically onto a piece of paper stops it swirling around and it’s easier to put a name to feelings, particularly for guys. Once you put a tag on it it’s easier to understand it, it’s sort of like talking to someone. Minds can be pretty creative and it helps me deal with facts. Sometimes I write things out and see how stupid it really is so I end up dealing with facts more than the negative stuff my mind might create.” With summer coming up Kane’s looking forward to getting out and about and spending more time with his children. Meanwhile living on the bushline of Mt Taranaki with a clear view to Ruapeha and Ngaruahoe on a good day helps keep things in perspective, just like the book says.
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