16 | DAIRY PEOPLE » Stephen Todd Working on the policy development front Stephen, having worked his way up in roles and responsibilities now runs the family farm plus two others. Sue Russell After leaving school Stephen Todd returned to the family dairy farm in Murchison, owned and operated then by his parents John and Debbie. Today Stephen, having worked his way up in roles and responsibilities now runs the family farm plus two others, adjacent to the original block which will be 100 years old in 2025. In all, these properties are home to 1900 cross-bred cows, who, when Rural South spoke with Stephen toward the business-end of 2024, were all doing pretty well, given a really tough spring. “We’re prone to getting quite dry and this season has certainly presented with challenges,” Stephen comments. He has managers on each property allowing him to devote time and effort to another passion, rural governance, in the form of being the Federated Farmers Provincial President for Nelson, a role he has had a couple of years. As such, he is also on the organisations National Council. “Federated Farmers is a ground-up organisation and, as such, National Council takes the ‘feeling and concerns’ of farmers on the land directly into engagement with Board and Staff who then interact with Government agencies and regulators when policy is being developed,” Stephen explains. The organisation is deeply committed to ensuring that regulations and compliances impacting farmers are workable and achievable, something Stephen says has not been the case in recent years, on matters such as access and use of water, emissions management and environmental standards. “In the past a lot of policy got rushed through, without due and appropriate consultation from groups such as Federated Farmers who know directly from their members that one suit doesn’t fit all, when it comes to compliance.” Having said this though Stephen says certainly this Government is recognising and giving status to the rural sectors. Certainly sectors such as the commercial sheep industry are, in his view, still doing it pretty tough. Working as a team at a Nelson monthly meeting recently Stephen had his eyes opened to a report on the extent tourism has impacted emissions levels in the Queenstown Lakes District. “In this report it links international visitor and flight emissions researched for Lakes District Council. It makes for sobering reading and the most profound outcomes that compared with Dairying, 62% more emissions per FTE occur due to tourism. That activity also produced 4.4 times more emissions per dollar than Dairying. This is not something many people would know, or think could be, but the facts speak for themselves.” Working on the policy development front with colleagues in Federated Farmers is something Stephen enjoys. “We approach engagement with Government and regulators in a very productive way. HOCKING TRANSPORT LIMITED Stockfood, Fertiliser, Race Rock and General Cartage HOCKING TRANSPORT LIMITED P 022 155 2505 E joe@hockingtransport.nz For all your Transport and Logistics requirements 03 525 9843 www.sollys.co.nz Freight | Storage | Bulk Cartage Livestock | Stock Feed | Feriliser It’s not just pushing back and saying the policy is rubbish, instead we approach these engagements very constructively, by showing other options. That’s been a very good development and its bringing results.” On the home front, the three farms comprise a total milking platform of 900ha with further land in run off, forestry and some native blocks. Life is busy on the home-front too, with five children with partner Kim, but Stephen says he’s very happy with his lot, with good managers and staff and a buoyant sense in the dairying sector. “We would like to see greater public awareness of what farmers do, how hard they work and the overwhelming significance of their contribution to the economic prosperity of the whole country. That would be a very good thing.”
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