Chairman David Birkett was confident FAR had the support of its grower base.
“But it isn’t just a rubber stamp – it’s always good to check the pulse,” he said.
Over its 20-year history FAR had moved as an organisation from its beginnings concerned with simple crop agronomy.
Five years ago it had started to look at the whole farm system, rotations and how they interlinked and looking at that big picture had brought big gains, Birkett said.
“We’re now starting to shift to the next area of the whole farm business because there are components outside the farmgate that are having a big influence on how we operate.
“We need to integrate those issues into farming business and address them.
“A grower survey last year confirmed environmental compliance as the biggest concern facing arable farm businesses and this is just one area were FAR is expanding its capability to provide information to help growers.”
Birkett said FAR’s farm systems focus had produced great results for growers in recent years including successfully challenging the ability of Overseer to accurately estimate N losses from cropping systems.
“This challenge resulted in plans to improve the model for cropping systems as well as delaying its implementation as a regulatory tool by some regional councils.”
Farm environmental plans had been another success story as were biosecurity driven projects in helping prevent weeds like black grass and velvet leaf from becoming established in crops in NZ and supporting growers hit by the ban on growing peas after the pea weevil incursion in Wairarapa.
Birkett said FAR had good links into Wellington and had successfully leveraged funds from central government for numerous research projects including more than 70 Sustainable Farming Fund projects over the past 16 years.
The referendum vote was not about change and would have no impact on levy rates.
Voting would close at noon on Wednesday.
