Being smart and profitable

WE IN agriculture were recently given a couple of challenges, one being we need better representation around our district council table, the second being where do you see agriculture in the next 10 years.

It's the second challenge I would like to expand on, as farmers we need to look, and own our industry issues, let's look at throwing some solutions out for debate, both within the industry and outside the industry to encourage a better understanding of agriculture by our urban neighbours.

Hill country sheep and beef farming has for years been the so called backbone of our New Zealand economy supplying the likes of free education, free dentistry care, free medical care and a host of other necessities of life over the last 60-odd years.

With the removal of agriculture subsidies in 1984 saw Government assistance fall from 30 per cent of total agriculture income to just three per cent.

Today, with our declining sheep numbers, less than 30 million, it becomes vitally important for us to look ahead as in future we may have no meat and wool worth selling in a few years.

As a start we need to look at water quality, quantity, sustainability both environmental and economic, hill country erosion along with social issues?

-Water Quality: This can be enhanced by managing stocking rates in sensitive areas, managing the rates of fertiliser, specifically phosphate and gully regeneration to start with.

-Environmental Sustainability: Sustainability is where a whole farm plan looks at such areas as soil type, slope, pasture cover and type, vegetation cover and management practices along with a host of other options to get a good overview of the farming operation.

-Economic Sustainability: It is important to define whether the total farming operation will be in a profit or loss situation, with the loss being something hill country farmers are all too familiar with over the last few years.

-Social Issues: How far do you have to drive to educate your children, play sports on Saturday, get to a secondary school, buy groceries, get to the doctor or just have a social life for children and adults?

Councils all around the country are looking at just these issues in an attempt to slow our accelerated soil erosion leading to water quality issues downstream. In some instances council will offer financial incentives which can be seen as subsiding work, a good or bad thing some may say. All of these issues are not unsurmountable particularly if we as an industry need to continue operating as viably and profitably.

Post the adverse events of 2004 many farmers in our region have made the change to, let's call it sustainable farming a bit like learning to walk, small steps turn into leaps and bounds given encouragement by the community.

We know about our mistakes, we know how to correct them, all we need to do now is have the wear with all to prove to the community at large we can look forward, take our responsibility seriously, so future generations will remember us for our ability to see a future, while remembering the past.

Brian Doughty is president of Federated Farmers Wanganui