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Archive for the ‘Work’ Category

Calving, round 2

29 Jul

Well here I am, one year since I started dairy farming and I’m not regretting it! In saying that, this is a new farm, more cows but more workers! Bonus? I’ve been told the guys help the girls out, but I’m not sure how I feel about this!

I was out the other night at Dairy11 single quarters, and one of the girls was saying how the manager of Dairy22, told her that when she catches a calf, she must put her hands up for one of the guys to come and help, because it’d hurt her back and she’s a “girl”. This pissed her off, and it would piss me off too.

While there are some big arse calves out there, I think both her and I are capable of lifting these calves and putting them on the trailer. Given, I haven’t been put on “calving” yet this season, but it’s coming! I really hope that D2 manager doesn’t say this to me, I will ignore him and pick the calves up anyway, but it really pisses me off when men are so.. sexist. Lately that’s been coming out around the farm, I’m hoping it’s a joke.. but there’s been a lot of “get in the kitchen” jokes. Blah. Last season I picked up a lot calves & one day I picked up all of them!3. Anyhow, I’m hoping I’ll be left to it until I ask for help. Until the time comes I guess, I shouldn’t be getting rarked up about something that hasn’t happened yet.

Rant;

On another note, I called the bank the other day to ask for like $50 because some bill went out and I had to get my car fixed / serviced. They said “Your account has been flagged, we’ve been trying to get in contact with you <blah blah blah”.

Ah, No one has mailed / emailed or called. I changed my address a few weeks ago, as well as my land line & my cell phone has been the same number for the past 8~ years. So I asked them to read me back the address they had. WRONG ONE. “Dude, the guy asked me to spell Rakaia 7 times last time I called to change my address, why hasn’t it been changed?”

Turns out the Post Office doesn’t like my address, and that’s how Westpac go about changing address, on the NZ POST website. Because that is professional.

Anyhow, I asked the guy to change it, and called the number I had to call about my “Over drawn accounts” the next day, you know what? He changed my address, but not the correct one. See, the thing is, I have no number in font of my address, I told him that mulitpul times, and yet he put one in front of it. which made NZ POST change the actual full address. Yet again, fail.So I’ve apparently been getting mail to call them urgently,4 but all sent to the wrong address.

You know what else pissed me off? The customer service. The first guy I called at night said the people I had to call the next day where open from 8am-6pm. So I said “Um, exuse me, but I’m a dairy farmer, I don’t have time to be calling banks during work hours / lunch hours”. His responce? “Oh, well you know what? I’m working till 11pm tonight”. FUCK YOU PRICK, TRY WORKING 2 MONTHS STRAIGHT YOU BASTARD. Getting smart with me. I’ve noticed Westpac doesn’t have great customer service skills.

And how very inconvenient. I would rather call people about this so called “Debt”5 at night, after work, so I don’t get pissed off at work, then do it at lunch or my days off. Because of their freaking attitude towards me, mixed with my easy-ness to get pissed off and ruin my whole day. Bastards.

Talk about lack of communication. No phone call? You think they would CALL before they sent out mail. To the wrong address. I mean, the guy didn’t even write a note for the IT department or something to fix my address. And then second guy went against what I said five times6 and put a number in anyway. Which changed the whole address. Westpac, sort your shit out.

  1. D1 [↩]
  2. D2 [↩]
  3. Although that was 9, this year it’ll be around 200 a day! ARGH! [↩]
  4. Even though they had my number, land line AND mobile [↩]
  5. Which turned out to be their fault anyway [↩]
  6. NO NUMBER IN FRONT OF MY ADDRESS [↩]
 
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Posted in Rant, Work

 

Love your life. Live your dreams.

19 Jul

TATTOO. I think it’s a freaking wicked quote. And I want it. I made it up, although it sounds pretty common, and I guess someone has most likely said it before.

I want this tattoo to remind me that even through tough times, I am living my dream job, working towards my dream goal. Doing more towards my future then most other people do.

It’s been suggested I get “Love your life” on one wrist, and “Live your dreams” on the other. It can be easily hidden if need be, long sleeve shirts or even make-up. My mum has also suggested that I get a tramp stamp. But my friend said it’d stretch out if I had a baby.. and I intend of having kids and not ruining it!

I’m really excited. I would love to get one done at this studio, and have emailed them an inquiry as I need help designing etc. I hope they reply. xD Does anyone here have tattoos? Photos pls?

 
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Posted in Life, Work

 

Thinking about the future.

15 Jul

Does anyone know what they want to do with their future? Settle down and have kids? Dream job? Travel? Bum around from job to job?1. I’m pretty sure I know what I want to do with my life. It’s going to be a long and hard road, and bloody expensive, but the benefits are great. It’s an awesome life-style, you work from home, and if you don’t fuck it up, it’s a great income to support a family on.

Can you guess what I want to do? Dairy farming. I know I’ve only been dairy farming for one season, but it’s something I enjoy. I don’t wake up every morning and say “OH fuck this, can’t be screwed“, it’s more like “Hrm, wonder what today will bring?“.

Dairy does have it’s downs..

  • There will always be that bitch cow who kicks or runs away and jumps fences.
  • The weather isn’t always the best, and water restrictions can mean less irrigation2, which means less feed.. which means spending money to buy it in.
  • To start your own herd, you need to a) Save a fuck load and / or b) Get a huge arse loan from the bank.
  • It takes awhile to get used to each farm, or to train staff to get used to the farm.. then staff leave and you have to train someone new
  • The time off isn’t the best on most farms3. And during busy times, it’s often hard to get a couple of days off because you need all the staff you can.
  • Cows are expensive. :s

That is actually all the downs I can think of. There are a lot more, I know that for a fact, but I can’t think of them off the top of my head.

Buying a farm or going share milking4 is going to be expensive, but luckily dairy has a fast climbing career ladder5. And with promotion comes more money. I do intend  on sticking this job out, to get the most out of it I can, take what I learn from here and go managing somewhere else6.

I’m very excited for what the future holds, I just hope I can make a plan. I would like to speak to a bank person about how to go about setting up a farm etc. Perhaps not yet as I am very young and have only been in the industry for a year, but it’s important I am prepared for costs, that I know what I’m buying into etc.

The problem? Jared doesn’t want to be a farmer. He said he doesn’t mind the lifestyle7, but he would never work outside. He did however say, if I remember correctly, that he may do other things for the business. Which is good to know because if I have to to into it alone, as in, there is no other family who wants to go 50/50 with me, then I would have to do the business side AND the animal side. Which would be.. stressful to say the lest.

I’ve also found out that AgITO has all the courses I need to learn about managing staff, business, farm management, everything I would need to run a farm. So I don’t need to go to Lincoln Uni. Which is good, because AgITO is basically”Earn while you learn”. Plus it’s easy. :)

A few questions? :D

  • What is your dream job? Have you ever been in that career & Did it turn out well?
  • Do you have plans for your future? Even just a rough draft like mine?
  • Do you like cows?8
  1. Some people actually enjoy that.. [↩]
  2. Watering grass [↩]
  3. Currently I work 8 on, 2 off [↩]
  4. You own the cows, and you go 50/50 with the owners of the land / impliments etc [↩]
  5. Said correctly? Er, I should be a 2IC in a year or 2 [↩]
  6. There are already managers here who I don’t see leaving any time soon [↩]
  7. As in, living in the country [↩]
  8. Random I know, but I’m curious! [↩]
 
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Posted in Education, Future, Life, Work