Thursday, 12 July 2018 14:55

Embrace sustainable farming to survive – ambassador

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Jacqui Hahn. Jacqui Hahn.

Waikato Federated Farmers Vice President Jacqui Hahn is one of 15 dairy farmers chosen as New Zealand’s climate change ambassadors.

It's not surprising given that the Te Kuiti farmer has been obsessed with protecting the environment ever since her childhood. 

“Ever since I was a little child, it was pretty much ‘fence off that bush for me’,” she says.

Hahn, who holds a bachelor in environmental management, says she strongly believes sustainable farming is the future.

“If we don’t embrace sustainable farming, we won’t survive.”

Hahn and her husband Sofus milk 1400 cows on three farms at Te Kuiti, including the one she was born and raised on.

She says they run the farming business profitably and sustainably and are serious about reducing onfarm greenhouse gas emissions.

She describes most of their farms as “intensive system one”; pasture and home-grown silage and maize make up the bulk feed for cows. Winter crops are fed and fodder beat is being trialled.

Palm kernel expeller (PKE) is on its way out;  last season one farm used a load of PKE. Hahn says “we are moving away from it”.

Buying extra PKE during the high payout year wasn’t all good, she adds.

“During the high payout year, when I looked at our figures I decided there was whole heap of PKE we shouldn’t have bought because we didn’t actually make any more money from it.”

Hahn says they don’t put too much focus on productivity, instead they focus on micromanaging animal health and efficient pasture utilisation.

We avoid wasting inputs like fertiliser because “wasting it is losing money and likely increasing emissions”.

“We aim to apply to seasonal requirements this past season we used 69kgN/ha down from 120kgN/ha; you don’t have to add extra quality is more important than quantity”

 On their farms, Hahn has put up about 30km of fencing around any running water. 

Work on protecting about 50ha of wetlands is progressing.

She says dairy farmers have done great work fencing waterways and continue working on environmental issues. But she says what people call environment is NZ is different from what Europeans regard as the environment.

“In Europe, when they have cows outside they think it’s organic; as organic cows are required to be out 17% of the time. We should be careful not to put labels on what others think.”

Hahn’s advice to other dairy farmers is don’t take the foot off the pedal on climate change and the environment.

“Pick off things you can do; look at critical source areas, take the worst of them and attack them,” she says.

“It’s a work in progress; keep working at it. I still can see areas to improve, we’re not finished and see this journey as a life-long one but then I will never be happy because I’m a perfectionist.”

More like this

Another win

OPINION: Feds Southland 'pres' Jason Herrick and colleagues who continue the good fight against bureaucratic madness on behalf of farmers, have had another win - for now, at least - getting a court decision granting a 'stay' on rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan until changes can be made to section 70 of the RMA by central goverment, somtheing they clearly signaled after the election.

Court decision a win for Southland farmers

Federated Farmers says it welcomes a recent court decision which granted a stay on rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan until legislative changes can be made by government.

Featured

Pāmu farm opens gate to urban visitors

For many urban New Zealanders, stepping into Pāmu’s Pinta dairy farm near Taupo last month was the first time they had had the chance to experience farm life up close.

National

Machinery & Products

Gong for NH dealers

New Holland dealers from around Australia and New Zealand came together last month for the Dealer of the Year Awards,…

A true Kiwi ingenuity

The King Cobra raingun continues to have a huge following in the New Zealand market and is also exported to…

Data crucial to managing water

Watermetrics was formed as a water data collector and currently supplies and services modern technology such as flow meters, soil…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Dairy power

OPINION: The good times felt across the dairy sector weren't lost at last week's Beef + Lamb NZ annual meeting.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter