Farmers that lead the way

We have heard plenty in the news about the problems associated with farming. As land use intensifies, our rivers receive more and more nutrients and the result is that you can't swim in over 80 per cent of them after rain.

40 per cent of New Zealand's land area is used by pastoral farming and the great shift away from sheep and towards dairy cattle (which have gone up a herd of 3.4 million to 5.9 million from 1990 - 2010) has increased the impact on waterways dramatically.

So what are we going to do about this? Farmers see themselves as the backbone of the New Zealand economy and yearn to be recognised as such by urban populations who increasingly view them as polluters.

It is clear that simply criticising farming with negativity is not going to change how it works. Those farming who have a negative impact on the land and water are less likely to change their systems if they feel like they are backed into a corner. It is certainly true that a great deal of them do care deeply about the land and see themselves as stewards.

With milk prices plummeting, those of us who are concerned about the health of the waterways are worried that the environment will drop down the priority list - as recent conversions to dairy are suddenly struggling to survive.

What we need to try and fix these issues is to celebrate and spread the stories of those farmers that are leading the way in running farm systems that work for the environment and profit margins.

This is exactly what happened at the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust's Sustainability Showcase last night at Parliament. It was a showcase that proved good farmers do not balance profitability against the environment; they are instead using sound environmental practices and innovations that boost profitability.

A key theme to the showcase was intergenerational succession. It was wonderful to hear the winners of the Gordon Stephenson trophy, Catherine and John Ford - who run a low-impact but highly profitable sheep and beef farm - say that "when you clear away all the distractions in the foreground and take a long-term view, it all becomes easier to see and realise the vision of the land we want to pass on."

Because there is so much demand for our farmed commodities, the industry doesn't really compete with itself in New Zealand. Dairy farmers are effectively all in one big partnership with each other being Fonterra.

What certainly matters for all of them is to increase the value of their product and maintain an international reputation as a clean and green brand internationally, so there is a clear incentive for those leading the way to help others, some of whom are letting the rest down.

This means that they are in a unique position to share the tricks of the trade - which has become a key focus for winners of these awards - they are creating ambassadors that help other farmers improve their profitability through practices that also have environmental benefits.

Being someone focused on capacity development myself, I have great respect for these winners. I take my hat off to them and hope that they may influence far and wide.