Friday, March 29, 2024

Nothing more constant than change

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George Bernard Shaw probably had very little exposure to dairy farming. The Irish playwright died in 1950, so he definitely knew nothing about modern dairy farming. But he was an intelligent guy with a sharp wit and his wisdom is certainly applicable – “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything”.
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In my eyes, dairy farming is a dynamic industry. Change is a constant. This was once again brought home to me when I attended the Massey University Fertilizer and Lime Research Centre (FLRC) three-day workshop in mid-February.

I first attended an FLRC workshop almost a decade ago. On that occasion, as the event title would suggest, it was about fertiliser and lime – particle ballistics, spreader accuracy, proof of placement, fertiliser consistency. In contrast, the main theme of this year’s event was “moving farm systems to improved nutrient attenuation” and presentations were focused on regional council policy, Overseer nutrient budgeting, nitrogen pathways through the environment, and precision agriculture. There was relatively very little about fertiliser or about lime.

It is clear farming and support industries have changed a great deal over the past decade. It is clear that farming had to. I sometimes wonder if those outside the industry realise just how much ground has already been covered. Yes, there is still a ways to go. They will be hard yards. It is likely there will be winners and losers and that will create tension within our communities.

This month’s special report is a roundup snapshot of regional rules around much of the country. It is a topic New Zealand Dairy Exporter examined in the April and May issues last year, but such is the rate of change that we deemed another look was needed. At this stage, the rules seem as uneven as a paddock mown with blunt knives and a dodgy top link.

We also have a look at a few higher input systems. The pages of Dairy Exporter are usually dominated by low- to medium-input operators, reflecting the fact that most NZ dairy farms are of that ilk. In this issue some higher input operators open the gates and let us see the path they are treading.

There’s also a few articles drilling down into the m-word – mastitis, that is – water efficiency, green water systems … it’s all here in the March issue.

We welcome your feedback – feel free to flick me an email at erin.hutchinson@nzx.com or polish off the twitter device and follow me @dairyexportersc.

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