Farming seen as sexy again, but New Zealand lags behind

 “Talking to my colleagues in the States, Netherland and Australia, a lot more young people are putting their hand up to be involved in various agricultural enterprises – the technology and onfarm.

“We are lagging behind a bit. We need to get the good stories across, not only in the media but also directly from farmers,” he told Rural News.

Getting the farming ‘story’ out is high on the list for farmers from all sectors and countries, says Horgan, who was chosen for the Rabobank 2014 Global Farmers Master Class in Australia this month, with 40 other farmers from around the globe.

“Despite the diversity – some were growing coffee, or soya beans, fruit and nuts, I am milking cows, there were grain farmers and pig farmers – we all had a similar level of passion and were facing similar problems,” says Horgan who with his wife Maree and two of their six children manage a 4500-cow dairy operation.

“After we met each other, I doubt the conversation stopped for the next 12 days. The object of the master class was the future of farming and the need to feed the world as we approach 9 billion people by 2050 with limited resources.

“That connection between the process of farming and consumers was highlighted, and farmers as price takers rather than a price makers. Many in the food chain clip the ticket in a more extravagant way than farmers achieve in pricing our product. By getting our story across to the consumers they might be more sympathetic to providing the farmer with an equitable price in the value chain.

“It is important we are rewarded adequately otherwise we are not going to encourage succession – another issue. Unfortunately in this nation where our economic advantage comes from the land we have very few young people coming out of university with their hand up to become involved.”

Last year out of 26,000 graduates only 180 had an agricultural bent, says Morgan, largely because they are discouraged by an education system that does not teach the economic advantage agriculture provides to New Zealand.

“Also everybody thinks ‘who wants to be just a farmer’? We’ve let ourselves down by not informing people about the privilege we have on the land and the responsibility we have in feeding the world. Agriculture is crying out to attract people.”

The master class culminated in the 40 farmers attending the Rabobank F20 Summit where 600 participants from government, industry and academia looked at food security. “When you look at that population of 9 billion by 2050, we will need far more resources to provide that level of production,” says Horgan. “Someone has to come up with smart ideas in the next 30 years on managing water, soil and our environment.

“We need the next generation to feed the world so there is opportunity; colleagues in agricultural entities across the country are looking for good passionate people and they will assure them of a future.”

Facebook and Twitter also provide new opportunities to get the message across and farmers need to be more passionate, show more enthusiasm and counteract misinformation. 

 “We need to secure the chain of connection from soil to consumer, so we must be in the hands of other people in the process who also have passion. We need to provide a quality product but we need to be rewarded for effort and not just be price takers. Unless farmers are rewarded we won’t encourage people to come and work on the land.”

Horgan says there is “genuine concern” about meeting food production requirements to keep up with global population growth. “It will put New Zealand in a good position provided we don’t end up as price takers. Some of the regulation governing agriculture is stifling and increases cost. 

“We have to avoid making things too complicated. We have to have a realistic environment to operate in and enjoy what we’re doing otherwise we won’t get the result the world needs.”