Everyone on farm has a role to play - DEL chair

Carpenter says collaboration is important on farm, between the farm owner, sharemilker or contract milker.

"Your role may differ from someone else's, however, each role is important," she told Dairy News.

"Together we can make a big impact for positive change. We are all in this together and overall the outcomes affect everyone."

She points out that as a farm owner, working in collaboration with a sharemilker or contract milker helps with the overall goals of the farm.

"This includes discussing production goals and other goals that you are working together to achieve including environmental sustainability.

"Talking about and being aligned on the farm's overall environmental goals helps keep everyone on track and understand what the targets are - and what it takes to meet them."

Carpenter and her husband Fraser are sharemilkers on a Paparimu dairy farm, milking 450 cows. The couple put a plan in place every season to lower their environmental footprint, such as reducing nitrogen and fertiliser inputs, as well as imported feed.

Carpenter says looking after the environment has always been important to them.

"Working with farm owners who also value environmental sustainability is important to us and we appreciate working with farm owners on Farm Environment Plans and being involve in the conversations when it comes to planting and fencing off wetlands.

"As sharemilkers we work with what is in our control. Understanding our numbers is key.

"We put a plan in place every season to lower our environmental footprint, such as reducing nitrogen and fertilser inputs, as well as imported feed."

Over the last five seasons on the Paparimu farms, the couple have spent a lot of time working with their farm consultant, doing comprehensive reporting to work out what the optimum herd size would be there.

This reduced the herd size by 100 cows, leading to a lower stock rate, lower imported feed use, and lower nitrogen use, all contributing to cows better fed with homegrown feed, without impacting production.

Carpenter says the small changes each day and each season help make a bigger overall impact.

Current farm owners Craig and Kathy Maxwell, along with Kathy's father Neville Markwick, share the same values as the couple when it comes to environmental sustainability.

She says over the past couple of years they and the farm owners have done a lot of work with fencing off waterways and regenerative planting.

The end of last year saw 5,700 native plants planted to restore and create a wetland on farm with 5,000 plants still to go.

Carpenter believes the most important environmental issue farmers are facing is climate change.

"That means reducing our footprint but also farming through the effects climate change is having currently with the increase in frequency and intensity of weather events.

"How we farm today will not be how we farm tomorrow, however, that shouldn't be something we are afraid of. The work we are doing is important and necessary.

"We have challenges ahead of us but with these challenges I see great opportunity - especially if we all work together."

Dairy Environment Leaders chair Amber Carpenter.

World Leaders In Sustainability

Amber Carpenter has been involved with DEL for the past two years.

What she loves about the DEL network is the opportunity to be in the room with like-minded people that share that sense of community, to share ideas, to be educated, to hear different viewpoints or challenges others are up against.

It's also a great opportunity to collaborate and most importantly to make a positive impact - whether it is on your own farm or in your community, she says.

DEL is a DairyNZ-supported farmer initiative launched 14 years ago and now involves 400 dairy farmer members nationwide, who work with dairy farmers, communities and decision-makers to drive postive environmental progress. DEL has a focus on sharing the sector's great work and leading by example, in reducing the environmental footprint.

Carpenter says New Zealand dairy farmers are world-leaders and have the lowest footprint for on-farm milk production.

"And we are constantly working hard to reduce our footprint while running successful farm businesses.

"But yes, there is still work to be done and, like everyone, continuing to reduce our environmental footprint is important for many reasons. For dairy farmers, this includes remaining competitive on the international market and keeping our value proposition as sustainable milk producers.

"We want to keep up with consumer demands but also to sustain the future of our environment for generations to come. We are already feeling the effects of climate change so the work we continue to do each day is securing a future for our industry and our grandchildren."