I didn’t know then that soil is the world’s largest terrestrial carbon sink and that grazing animals on pastures could be used to mop up so much atmospheric CO2.
I had come to the conclusion that the farming industry was overdue for an innovative business management system that would allow farmers to evaluate procedures for producing quality food while also achieving sustainability and robust profits.
In the late 1990s, as part of a large investment, we developed an innovative key performance profit indicator – the daily profit per kilo of pasture dry matter consumed -- for all classes and types of livestock. Using that, and drawing on experience and international best business practice, we established a business-driven onfarm analytical system that could identify critical success factors and determine the best daily profit windows for each class of livestock farmed.
We also developed innovative computer tools, such as a herd size indicator that allows farmers to adjust stocking rates to ensure that animals receive optimum pasture and supplementary feed levels daily while minimising overgrazing and consequential soil damage.
We added an IRD-compliant financial scenario analysis to determine the specific financial requirements for each profit window and to identify the best species, breeds, animal class, stocking rates, age group and size, and calving, lambing and drying-off dates for each farming situation.
These tools simplified onfarm decisions using forecasts and tactical choices to maximise daily profit. We were able to establish key performance indicators that led to a series of management changes based on optimising soil security, plant agronomy and animal husbandry practices.
But during development, questions arose as to why certain farms had consistently high profits even as they reduced the levels of synthetic nitrogen applied. The advice from international agricultural researchers on why this might be so was, “Measure your soil carbon”.
This recommendation was timely: a number of farmers wanted to adopt management practices that were more soil friendly. They recognised that soil health and animal health are linked and are reflected in farm productivity and profitability.
Rather than rely on computer modelling we chose physical sampling to give us real data to a depth of 1m. A soil corer was built to do all onfarm sampling from September 2008. Total soil carbon and bulk density testing was done to international standards by an accredited laboratory.
We employed an experienced agricultural researcher and software developer to establish onfarm information gathering systems and computer programs to develop online business procedures. As a result, the farmers involved were successful in increasing soil carbon by about 5% per year. This is huge; it would offset all the emissions from a farm many times over.
So now we have the knowledge and technology that harness the carbon cycle to sequester atmospheric CO2 into soil carbon and so achieve the Paris Agreement targets as signed to by the NZ Government.
It means that NZ pastoral farmers could achieve a net zero-carbon economy and avoid the need to pay any ETS taxes or buy $14 billion of carbon units from overseas. In fact, they should earn carbon credits.
There is also an opportunity reduce erosion and clean up waterways without spending billions on expensive mitigation options, and to enhance drought tolerance while reducing the need for irrigation.
This profit-driven approach allows NZ pastoral farmers, their families and the country to benefit from a series of climate change solutions focused on soil carbon.
It needs to become mainstream, and we need leaders with vision and influence to support this better farming future.
• Peter Floyd is a Cambridge-based agricultural consultant and software developer for more info: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
