However, like me, as a dairy farmer, he is committed to always knowing more and doing better.
He believes in the importance of continually looking for ways to improve farming for our children and the dairy sector.
I bet there are a lot of dairy farmers and farmers in general who feel the way he does.
Up until a few months ago I really didn’t know what greenhouse gases were, what I did to contribute to them, what I could do better and how relevant my small actions could be to reducing them.
To get in front of climate change I applied for and recently become a Climate Change Ambassador for the dairy sector – one of 15 dairy farmers from around the country wanting and willing to be upskilled in the climate change space so we are better prepared for the changes coming our way.
This is particularly relevant in the current political context.
Whether you believe in climate change or not, New Zealand signed up to the Paris Accord in 2015 to lower our greenhouse gas emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030.
The Government is now full force ahead implementing a Zero Carbon Bill – something all New Zealanders should be taking notice of.
This week I attended the Ministry for the Environment‘s Zero Carbon Bill consultation meeting.
The science presented was pretty bare and they seemed intent on relying on the shock factor of greenhouse gas increases since the 1990s to scare us into taking action.
But one thing I did appreciate was the chance for cross-sector participation in a public forum.
It is clear that NZ needs a clear target set so all businesses have a chance to adapt over time, to survive and thrive during the journey towards a zero-carbon future.
I appreciated Climate Change Minister James Shaw pointing out the reason agriculture has a role to play is because of NZ’s emissions profile.
Agriculture is our number one emitter of biological emissions, particularly methane.
He also made it clear that other sectors, particularly energy and transport, have a significant part to play too.
He believes there is an opportunity for the emission reduction technologies we develop and implement now to be adopted in the ensuing years by other countries, as other countries get on top of their main greenhouse gas emitters.
Recently fellow Climate Change Ambassador George Moss in Waikato suggested that instead of farmers now having another thing to manage and report on, ie climate change, we should develop the mindset of planning to manage our contaminants.
This is because we already have plans in place or in the pipeline to manage contaminants including nitrogen, phosphorous, sediment and E coli.
Much of the work we are already doing to improve the quality of our waterways has the side benefit of improving our greenhouse gas emissions.
So let’s view climate change as just another contaminant within our farm management plan for our farming businesses.
I am still getting my head around all of this.
And I know many of my fellow farmers will feel the same.
On June 21 DairyNZ is holding a climate change workshop in Inglewood for Taranaki dairy farmers – and others are rolling out around the country this week and next week.
I will be attending and encourage all dairy farmers to come along and learn about greenhouse gases, mitigation options and the Government policy under way.
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Farmers can register for a workshop near them at www.dairynz.co.nz/roadshow
