Farming hits billion-dollar milestone in Northland

Hats off to Northland's pastoral farmers - they have just become the region's first billion-dollar-a-year industry.

And Three Mile Bush dairy farmer Ray Colebrook, with the 4600 other farmers and farming-related businesses, will tell you business these past few years has been "pretty good".

Colebrook said the milestone - based on Meat and Wool New Zealand data - was "not unexpected".

"A lot of city people don't realise where most of the dollars are generated - it still comes from agriculture."

He also thought the industry offered young people great opportunities. "Those who are keen to get stuck in can make $50,000-$60,000 a year in their early twenties. You'd be hard-pressed to get that in another industry."

Ruatangata dairy farmer Bill Shepherd - a former head of the Northland Chamber of Commerce and former president of Northland Federated Farmers - said some of the reasons behind the billion-dollar milestone were a shift into dairying and good prices for dairy, beef and lamb.

"When you have reasonably good weather and good prices across all sectors at the same time, you've got all your ducks lined up - and that doesn't happen often," he said.

And while research suggests tourism will overtake pastoral farming as the region's biggest money spinner by 2010, Shepherd said there was still a large gap between the production of the top 25 per cent of Northland farmers and the rest - making plenty of potential for growth.

The chairman of the Northland Pastoral Farming Development Group, Laurie Copland, said higher revenue was not due solely to improved prices.

Farmers were increasing productivity by applying research and more value was being added to products off-farm than a decade ago.

Even a 1 percent gain in earnings would pump an extra $10 million into the regional economy.

- NZPA