fbpx
Print this page
Thursday, 07 November 2019 10:55

Farmer group is all action

Written by  Staff Reporters
The Ongarue group and two other action groups joined forces to fly Doug Avery from the South Island to talk about mental health and wellbeing of farmers The Ongarue group and two other action groups joined forces to fly Doug Avery from the South Island to talk about mental health and wellbeing of farmers

Firing up effective farm health and safety plans is helping King Country farmers who joined a Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) Action Group based around Ongarue.

Joel Fraser, who farms sheep, beef and deer on 850ha 30km northeast of Taumaranui, says his joining the group soon led him to make small, but important, changes to his farming processes.

 Fraser learned about the RMPP Action Network from Rabobank and found plenty of interest among other farmers locally. 

“There are a few guys around this way of a similar age and situation to me, so we talked about it and thought it sounded like a very good idea,” he said. 

“It’s been great and pretty useful to just get off the farm and meet up with people, and get useful information at the same time. So far we have mainly looked at farm management practices.”

Anna Cuming and Paul Brough, who are Rabobank agribusiness managers in Waikato, were the connectors who contacted farmers to float the idea of joining an Action Group. 

Cuming keeps on at the group meetings.

“I cover a large area as part of my role with Rabobank, so I knew a lot of people in the region,” she said. 

“Paul and I got in touch with some local farmers and organised a meeting to tell them more about the RMPP Action Network.

 “Quite a few of the younger group knew each other already. A number of them are farming on family land and have similar issues they want to deal with. They challenge and encourage each other well with a lot of banter.”

Rob Macnab, a director and consultant with Total Ag, agreed to facilitate the groups.

 “He has been proactive with the group,” Cuming said. “It is an added benefit that he has an established network within the agriculture industry which has helped him source the required subject matter experts, often at short notice from around the country.”

The group early on completed its required extension plan and members are working towards completing their KPIs. It is also working on environmental policy for each farm.

“Their farms are in difficult locations for an environmental plan, with lots of creeks, rivers and valleys,” Cuming said. “They are very forward thinking, looking at things like solar powered water pumps. They are very hungry for knowledge.”

The group started early last year and meets every couple of months, fitting around the demands of work, so more frequently in winter. 

“We had workshops on animal health, soil science, fertiliser application and financial management,” Cumming said. “They covered health and safety at their most recent meeting and were keen to develop H&S plans for their farms and to provide them with a practically based resource.

 “That workshop was run by Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) and a risk management expert, which the group found useful.”

Most of the group members did not have H&S plans prior to the workshop, Fraser says.

“It was very good. We got the folder from B+LNZ and realised that 80% of it has been done for us. What most of us still needed to do were our hazard identification plans, and we left the workshop knowing how to do that. I’m working through mine and the plan should be completed within the next couple of weeks.”

Cuming says the RMPP funding has been useful. 

“It means the group can bring in experts.”

More like this

Otago Action Group keen to carry on

The Otago-based Bruce District Action Group is transitioning to a self-funded group now that the Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) has ended.

The beginning - not end!

After seven years, the Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) came to an end on 31 March, yet chair Malcolm Bailey says it's work is "continuous".

Action network funding change

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) has announced changes to the funding approach for Action Groups from 1 April 2021.

Featured

Sheep drench resistance costly

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.

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

National

Knowing bugs means fewer drugs

A mastitis management company claims to deliver the fastest and most accurate mastitis testing available at scale for New Zealand…

Machinery & Products

AGTEK and ARGO part ways

After 12 years of representing the Landini and McCormick brands in New Zealand, Bay of Plenty-based AGTEK and the brands’…

100 years of Farmall Tractors

Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of…

JD unveils its latest beast

John Deere has unveiled its most powerful tractor ever, with the launch of the all new 9RX Series Tractor line-up…

Biggest Quadtrac coming to NZ!

In the biggest announcement that Case IH Australia/New Zealand has made around its tractor range, its biggest tractor is about…