The challenges of land use change
"I just scratch my head in wonderment when people say to farmers, 'just change what you farm'."
Public attitudes are very strong on environmental issues such as clean water and that is driving policy according to the Director of the Farmed Landscapes Research Centre (FLRC) at Massey University.
Professor Chris Anderson told Dairy News at the 33rd FLRC annual workshop in Palmerston North last week, that clearly the public wants clean water.
He says calls for action on this and other environmental issues are coming from a broad cross section of society and they are being motivated to do so based on the situation in NZ but also other climate related events overseas – such as the Australian bush fires.
But he says not everyone in society understands the issues.
“We deal a lot with schools and even there you have got some people there who are really environmentally strong and focused, but some that haven’t got there yet and haven’t made that change. It is the same when we talk to public bodies - there is a difference of opinion there as well,” he says.
Anderson says the science to deal with such issues has always been there and that a lot of good science has been done over a long period.
He says the FLRC has been heavily involved in this work and says the great thing is that they have been given the independence to do the science without any interference from other organisations or groups.
He says while some countries such as Ireland have similar environmental issues, their regulatory system is more complex because it not only has to take account of local issues, but has to do this within the wider European Union rules.
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.