Federated Farmers: Teamwork the key

Dr William Rolleston

The 2014 National Council meeting of Federated Farmers has capped off a year of influence and change for the Federation.

The National Council was a three-day affair moving from internal to external engagement and focused on our strategy to make us a more effective organisation for farmers. I was impressed at the enthusiasm and high level of debate that occurred which bodes well for the future.

Central to the discussion was the ability of Federated Farmers across the country to work as a team and that the provinces are well supported and coordinated. This is not just a top down issue but one which needs drive from the bottom up as well. That's what teams do.

Water has continued as a theme this year and nowhere more so than in Canterbury where farmers have had both success and frustration.

Success has been exemplified by the hard work put in to the collaborative process in South Canterbury where good leadership from Federated Farmers and others has seen an elegant and workable solution emerge to deal with water quality in its coastal streams south of Timaru.

I have often said that water quality solutions should not undermine the business value of the high emitters nor the land value of the lower emitters. The South Canterbury solution, with help from the national Land and Water Partnership, has achieved those seemingly conflicting goals.

Frustration has been seen in the Hurunui where dryland farmers realised late in the piece that nitrogen limits were going to hit them as well as dairy farmers, and would limit their flexibility to farm even at very low nitrogen discharge levels.

Ironically, the Hurunui branch of Federated Farmers went into recess at the very time this issue was being decided so the communication so necessary to get farmers involved was missing. With renewed leadership in the province and communication channels back in place we are starting to see some progress.

It does highlight the point that Federated Farmers is not a laissez-faire exercise for local farmers. Engagement is critical with Federated Farmers oiling the wheels.

The way people communicate and interact is changing and Federated Farmers needs to change too to reflect the needs of the modern and progressive farmer. We will be taking the time over the summer break to consider these relationships and work out how we as an organisation can strengthen the ties from Wellington to the farmer in the paddock.

In the meantime, while Christmas is always a busy time on the farm, remember that the central unit of the farm is the family.

Teamwork is not just for the Federation, it starts at the family, and operates at the business, community and national level.