Wednesday, 02 October 2019 09:55

Miraka pioneers farm carbon report

Written by  Staff Reporters
Miraka picks milk up from over 100 farms. Miraka picks milk up from over 100 farms.

Māori-owned milk processor Miraka is now reporting carbon emissions for each of its 100-plus supplier farms.

The Taupo company claims this as a first for New Zealand.

The farm-specific reports give detailed understanding of each farm’s greenhouse gas emissions and compare results between farms.

Miraka’s general manager of milk supply, Grant Jackson, says many of its farmers know little about their carbon footprint.

“Measurement and reporting are the first steps in the journey. Once we’ve identified the biggest impacts on each farm we can start working with our farmers on reduction targets and strategies,” says Jackson.

Miraka’s emissions reports are generated using data from Overseer software developed in NZ to help farmers more effectively monitor and manage nutrient use. Miraka also provides freshwater nutrient reports and detailed environment management plans for its farmers.

“At Miraka we believe in the importance of kaitiakitanga -- about making decisions for the long term,” says Murray Hemi, the company’s kaitiaki and general manager of environmental leadership. 

“As part of the Paris Agreement, NZ has made a global commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. 

“Emissions from the primary sector are significant, and we all have a role to play in addressing the growing threat of climate change.”
Although Miraka believes future innovation will play a big part in reducing agricultural emissions, the company recommends several things farmers can do now.

“Balancing feed to include lower roughage/higher sugar options can help reduce methane emissions, and optimising the application of nitrogen fertilisers also significantly reduces emissions. 

“Improving pasture species and soil quality is another great step our farmers can take,” said Grant Jackson.

Miraka’s emissions reporting and environmental management plans put them at the forefront of sustainability in the dairy sector.

 “Our goal is to have the lowest carbon footprint of any New Zealand dairy processor and we include our farm supply base in that footprint,” said Hemi.

“We are walking this path together. By investing in emissions reporting and environmental management plans we are helping our supplier community take control of the greenhouse gas challenge.

“Providing quality information to our farmer whānau enables us to learn, trial and explore together and find solutions,” says Hemi.

About Miraka

• Miraka is located 30km northwest of Taupo. 

• It uses renewable geothermal energy to generate at least 300 million litres of premium milk products each year. 

• The company is owned by a group of Māori trusts and sources milk from 100-plus farms in the central North Island. Te Ara Miraka (the Miraka Way) was devised in 2014 and supports a culture of excellence through the Miraka supply chain. 

• Miraka’s Farming Excellence Programme assesses farms annually against five criteria: people, environment, prosperity, cows and milk.

• Scores contribute to each farm’s final milk price, with high scoring farms getting a bigger payout.

More like this

Miraka lifts milk price

Taupo-based dairy company Miraka has lifted its forecast milk price for the season to $9.17/kgMS.

H is the 1!

OPINION: Good on Miraka for eschewing electric power for its future tankers, opting for the much more practical heavy-vehicle ‘green’ choice, hydrogen, putting NZ’s first H-powered tanker on the road.

Featured

Tough year for UK farmers

Volatile input costs, fluctuating commodity prices, a reduction in direct payments and one of the wettest periods in decades that resulted in a disastrous harvest, have left their mark and many UK farming businesses worse off.

Ready to walk the talk

DairyNZ's Kirsty Verhoek ‘walks the talk’, balancing her interests in animal welfare, agricultural science and innovative dairy farming.

Dairy earnings bounce back

"We at Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and you at Dairy News said over six months ago that the dairy industry would bounce back, and it has done so with interest.”

National

Machinery & Products

A JAC for all trades

While the New Zealand ute market is dominated by three main players, “disruptors” are never too far away.

Pushing the boundaries

Can-Am is pushing the boundaries of performance with its Outlander line-up of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) with the launch of the…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

'Bee wear' Simeon

OPINION: A keen pair of eyes wandering down the main street of the hub of the Horowhenua, Levin recently came…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter