Emma Poole’s tenure as FMG’s first female Young Farmer of the Year is nearing its end.
Last July, the Pirongia farmer, already the Waikato Bay of Plenty Young Farmer of the Year, became the first female national champion in the competition’s 55-year history.
Waikato Bay of Plenty FMG Young Farmer of the Year Emma Poole
It gave the young mum, farmer and veterinarian a massive buzz, one that prompted her to say at the time, ‘we’ve finally knocked the grass ceiling off the roof’.
She reflected recently on what that win has meant.
“It’s been a blast, for sure, with two main elements to it,” she told The News. “Winning the title creates a lot of opportunities around personal growth, and I’ve really benefited from those. Then there is what you do with the title and how you use that public profile. I hope I’ve used that to create a more positive side to the sector. There has been a lot of negativity around farming in recent years, and I’d like to think I have balanced that out with more positive messaging.
“The fact I’m the first woman to win it has certainly attracted a lot of attention. I’ve been approached by a lot of women since my win, for sure, and quite a few have said they now feel they can give it a go.”
Emma Poole competing in the head-to-head
Emma found her own impetus to give things a go far earlier in life. She is one of five siblings who grew up on their parents’ Muriwai dairy farm and considers herself lucky to have parents who never made her feel her future should be defined by gender.
“I am fortunate with my upbringing. Confidence is the biggest element … my advice is to surround yourself with people who give you confidence.”
Her brother Tim Dangen, now the third generation to run the family farm, was the 2022 FMG Young Farmer of the Year winner, and her husband, Chris Poole – who went head-to-head with Tim in the competition that year – won it for Waikato Bay of Plenty in 2023. Emma was also a finalist in 2019.
All are focused on encouraging the next generation. Tim works with young people in Auckland through an MPI-supported pathways-focused initiative, and Emma and Chris have twice offered a ‘Young Farmer Competition’ at nearby Pirongia School. The latter is more about offering hands-on experiences. Its success is behind a decision to do more school events and perhaps encourage other Young Farmer members to pair up with schools to replicate it elsewhere.
The Pooles rear about 11,000 calves across two family farms in Pirongia. Parked by a shed on the farm they occupy is the fully equipped ute Emma uses when on callouts for her other job – as a veterinarian with Vetora in Te Awamutu.
Emma Poole with the winners of the Pirongia School Young Farmer Competition – Dexter Kurtin, Nixon Taukiri and Padden Mylchreest. Photo: supplied
The win netted Emma around $100,000 in prizes and she’s grateful for the financial leg-up, particularly in the current tough financial climate. She has also travelled a lot during her year, initially linked to an emissions scoping project she was working on with Fonterra and latterly as a trade ambassador for the global agricultural machinery manufacturer New Holland.
“The Fonterra project is finished now but I enjoyed the synergy it provided in combining my two roles – that of farmer and vet,” she said. “Just seeing how other people farm is enormously valuable. The best thing about this year is the people I’ve met, the connections I’ve made.”
There are even busier days ahead as Emma prepares for the birth of her second child next month, a first sibling for the couple’s 2-year-old, Beau.
She is also working on her input into the next FMG Young Farmer final in Waikato, something she said will come this year with a touch of ‘watch this space’ as she looks to change things up slightly.
Emma Poole is the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Young Farmer of the Year
Pirongia’s Emma Poole remains unstoppable even as she awaits the birth of her second child.
