The Te Awamutu farmer was one of the instigators of the Dairy Insight-Dexcel merger in 2006. He maintains it was the best move but said DairyNZ had since managed only to consolidate and stand still, losing farmer engagement in the meantime.
“There is an incredibly good space developing for DairyNZ in an industry good role, as a guardian of NZ Dairy Inc from behind the farmgate,” he said.
He was elected to DairyNZ in 2009 but lost his seat two years later to Ben Allomes.
The sector is experiencing greater scrutiny from overseas consumers and markets, similar to what the pork and poultry sectors have had to deal with in recent years, he believes. But with greater focus on technology and research, many of the issues that will be scrutinised can be resolved.
“We want compliance to be an outcome, not a driver.”
He points to a need to get some of the existing technology like NAIT, dairy company data and fertiliser inputs more capable of interacting to deliver a better return for the investment already made.
“At the moment these technologies are spread throughout various organisations,” he said.
Dairy companies often took the lead on farm production, quality, compliance and sustainability.
“It should be DairyNZ’s domain.”
Issues such as nitrate levels, DCD and Fonterra’s botulism scare have brought home to farmers their vulnerability in the supply chain.
With even greater scrutiny of the industry he believes DairyNZ needs to play a more active part in preserving dairying’s value and status.
Greater productivity gains are also critical, and something DairyNZ needs to push harder.
“We have to fundamentally retain our pasture-based system, but increase stocking rate, grow more grass and develop the science to deal with the environmental issues that arise.”
DairyNZ lacks the boldness and innovation this requires, fostering a culture of “sitting back”, and only a mandate from board level will force that cultural change, he believes.
While much is made about the need to add value to dairying’s output, Ferris wants the focus to fall as equally strongly on adding output and productivity to existing farm systems.
“It’s about not only getting more for what you make, but also making more,” he said.
“It has to be this two-pronged approach.”
DairyNZ has been accused by some farmers of being too cost focused in its extension efforts to help farmers get through difficult seasons, but he doesn’t see this as an issue.
He believes its inertia has resulted from an inherent desire to keep its levy vote and in the process farmers have increasingly disengaged from the body they fund with the evidence being low farmer turnouts at voting time.
The focus needed to change from a standard of farmer acceptance to one they could aspire to. Ferris has spent eight years on Fonterra’s Shareholders’ Council. He and wife Jenny operate a number of dairy farming companies that span herds from 280 to 2400 cows.
While home is Te Awamutu, his family operations extend through the King Country down to Southland, and he spends equal time between the two.
“I think that time spent between the two means I have a good understanding of the cultural differences that do exist within dairying across the different regions,” he said.
“They do make a difference in how people chose to develop their farm systems, and have to be accounted for.”
Ferris has also become increasingly active in local government, and is standing for the Waipa constituency as councillor for Waikato Regional Council, on the One Waikato ticket.
The group aims to build greater efficiency into local body operations, without seeking a mandate for the formation of unitary authorities.
He also completed the Food and Agribusiness Marketing Experience programme in 2009, giving him an insight to the international expectations and needs of overseas customer countries.
