Farmers spend big on environment

Federated Farmers Manawatu-Rangitikei provincial president James Stewart says the huge investment tells a really positive story about where we are heading environmentally and the buy in that is coming from the farmers.

"As people vote tomorrow I genuinely hope they will realise that farmers are doing a lot to farm more sustainably.

"It is very difficult to put a number on environmental spending, but we wanted to try, so we sent a survey out to all 918 dairy farms via the Horizons Regional Council. We were stunned by the response, not just the figures but how many people replied during their busiest time of year, calving season."

Of the 165 responses (18%), there was over $18 million spent by all manner of farmers from the small family farms to the bigger corporate farms.

"If you equated that to the 918 dairy farms in the region, we are looking at over $100 million spent by farmers on environmental protection, upgrades and sustainable practices in Horizons alone," says Stewart.

Breaking down the $18 million into effluent, riparian and other categories, 61% was spent on effluent management and upgrades; 9% on the initial instalment of riparian planting and fencing; and 30% on stock exclusion such as bridges, culverts and feed pads.

It's important to remember that riparian planting also requires ongoing management and maintenance, which represents further costs in future, says Stewart.

"Whichever way you look at it there are sizeable figures being invested into systems, which minimise the environmental impact of dairy farming.

"Our stand out performers, were the smaller husband and wife teams, in particular one couple spent $360,000 on effluent management and upgrades, an individual who spent $183,000 on building 30 culverts, a feed pad and a irrigation monitoring system, and another who spent $430,000 on riparian management, retiring 30 hectares of land and fencing off waterways.

"We are seeing the positive work of farmers, Horizons Regional Council and other entities is paying off, with the overall trend of our rivers stable to improving. We know we've got a long way to go, but it is nice to finally be able to say 'hey we're pulling our weight" with some proof.

"I'd like to thank and congratulate all the farmers who are doing their bit and making the positive changes happen. We are the caretakers of the land and your time, investment and care is acknowledged and appreciated."