Dairy power
OPINION: The good times felt across the dairy sector weren't lost at last week's Beef + Lamb NZ annual meeting.
Information technology will be the key to farming in the future, says DairyNZ’s general manager for research and development.
Dr David McCall says to some extent this is a generational thing: baby boomers were not brought up on computers, tablets and smartphones, but the new generation of farmers will take to using information more than older dairy farmers.
Science has progressed much in the last five years, developing new ways to help dairy farmers manage environmental issues, he says. Five years ago there was a question mark over how much science could do for farmers, but many things are now in the pipeline.
“We are now looking at the nutrient problem and finding more ways to manage this including breeding a cow that produces less N, and feeding cows pasture species that dilute their urine -- exciting possibilities.
“Science takes a while to come through and it can be a bit invisible. But we are starting to feel confident about some things that are coming even though it may take another three to five years before we hit the ground running.
The key is to break down problems and deal with them step by step and just keep plugging away.”
Science now has a significant role in changing some of the perceptions about agriculture, McCall says. A lot of dairy industry money, matched by government, has gone into greenhouse gas research and exciting scientific finds are not far from being revealed; when that happens their impact on public perceptions will start to turn things around.
“On the urban/rural issues, we need to remember we are all Kiwis with many things in common. I wonder [if rural people] get a bit too sensitive.... Many urban people back dairy.”
McCall finds it interesting to look at the Irish public perception of farming there. NZ and Ireland have much in common in their agriculture, but Irish farmers have the luxury of public backing. But he warns this may be short lived as their dairy industry expands with the lifting of EU controls on the amount of milk farmers can produce.
“They are running into the same problems we are having to deal with here.”
Rural retailer Farmlands has launched a new casual clothing range available across 42 stores nationwide and through its online store.
Federated Farmers says the health and safety changes announced this week by the Government represent the start of overdue reforms.
The Government is calling on rural New Zealanders to share their views on proposed regulations designed to improve the management of farm plastic waste.
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.
After tasting 240 New Zealand made cheeses, judges have bestowed medals upon 199 of the entries.
Bay of Plenty’s top share farmers Andre and Natalie Meier are no strangers to the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards winning circle.
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