Friday, March 29, 2024

Farmers act on sustainability

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Taihape farmers are exploring ways to ensure environmental sustainability while improving the profits from their sheep and beef farms. The Taihape Action Group formed under the Red Meat Profit Partnership Action Network, which had its first get-together in July, comprises nine farming businesses within a 50km radius of the central North Island town.
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It is at an early stage of the profit-growing process. 

The farmers involved are developing individual action plans that set out the on-farm changes they want to make. 

They have had three sessions with experts who provide advice on issues of common interest. The latest, in September, brought them together for a day of intense discussion on the Emissions Trading Scheme and the complexities of carbon trading.

A couple members have already had experience with the ETS, registering forestry blocks and areas of vegetation to gain carbon credits. 

They include John and Julie Gordon who hosted the gathering. Their 362ha sheep and beef farm northwest of Taihape has some areas of mixed forestry, including a stand of majestic redwoods planted in the 1950s.

Woodnet carbon and land use specialist Margaret Willis, who ran the September session, said many landowners still have little understanding of the opportunities from carbon and the ETS, which is under review. 

But it is obvious from the questions she fielded that farmers are anxious to learn more about carbon trading and how it might work for them.

“Part of the interest is because agriculture may come into the ETS and there could be some accountability in the future.”

John Gordon said it’s an area where a little knowledge can be dangerous.

“I knew with the change of government it’s a whole lot more in vogue and you cannot be an ostrich about it. 

“There’s stuff out there we need to know and this is the beauty of this group – we can get in someone specifically to focus on the carbon thing and go through some of the pitfalls and look at some of the areas where there’s possibly an advantage to be made.”

Rabobank rural manager Byron Taylor, who acts as group facilitator, said with the Government’s billion trees planting programme under way farmers want to be on the front foot. 

“They want to be sustainable anyway but to make it economically sustainable as well.”

Dan and Jacqui Cottrell, who have a 600ha sheep and beef breeding operation with 26 hectares of forestry on the Napier-Taihape Road, said joining the RMPP programme was too good an opportunity to miss. 

“The benefit we are getting as a group of farmers from a pool of funding to get in all this expertise is a huge advantage to all of us for our businesses.” Jacqui Cottrell said.

All the farmers are very conscious of environmental issues on their farms as well as financial sustainability. 

“In a short space of time we’ve created this environment where everybody is ready to share and be honest. No question is a dumb question.”

Dan Cottrell said the group is still benchmarking finances.

“In our next session we are all sharing and crunching through our numbers, which involves a level of trust within the group, so that’s probably the thing that’s getting  the most traction at this stage.” 

Farmers are reassured the information they share remains confidential to the group.

Another huge benefit of the groups is helping to break down isolation in rural communities. 

Derek White appreciates the chance to get off his farm north of Taihape for a day of information sharing with fellow farmers. 

“Obviously, interaction with other people is good when you are quite often toiling away by yourself.” 

Gordon said “When you start talking to others you say ‘yeah, I had that problem too, this is what I am facing and this is how I got around it’.”

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www.actionnetwork.co.nz

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