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BLNZ general manager innovation Richard Wakelin.
Sheep and beef producers will soon be able to see how the latest technology and management systems work on a commercial farm.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand is planning to set up a ‘future farm’ to showcase excellence in farming and to prove to farmers that new ideas stack up commercially.
BLNZ’s general manager innovation Richard Wakelin says the organisation is looking to lease a typical, medium hill country property that can run about 6000 stock units.
BLNZ has yet to decide exactly where the farm will be located but Wakelin expects it to be where farmers can easily visit. Its technology will be such that information can be captured and rapidly disseminated to the industry.
“The objective is to get the right farm and the right people around it, rather than a specific location. The aim is to have a fully commercial livestock farming operation with state-of-the-art monitoring, measuring and communication technologies.”
One possibility would be to lease a property or go into a partnership with a farmer now at an age or stage where he would like to be involved in such an initiative.
Onfarm leadership is critical to the project, Wakelin adds.
“The objective of the ‘future farm’ is to focus on the people, getting the right management team around the farm, the right type of governance and making sure the farm has good business plans and can to demonstrate the commercial viability of its operation,” he says.
The main difference between this farm and others run by research organisations such as Massey University is that it will be fully commercial and no research will be done there. The farm will show how research farms such as those at Massey and Lincoln can be applied and make a profit.
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