12 | Adapting to environmental challenges Central to the Buckley’s strategy is the use of Farmax, farm management software that helps track performance. Karen Phelps RURAL PEOPLE » Eight Mile Farms Eight Mile Farms is aiming to help set the standard for how modern farms can adapt to environmental challenges while planning for the future. Matt and Olivia Buckley have taken a proactive approach to farming. “We need to front foot the current challenges and make changes to ensure we stay ahead of the game by designing our own future,” says Matt. The Buckley’s operation is impressive in scale and diversity. It includes an 800-cow dairy farm producing 275,000 kgMS annually, a 400ha dry stock property, and three sheep and beef properties totalling 1,670ha. Central to the Buckley’s strategy is the use of Farmax, farm management software that helps track performance and calculates greenhouse gas emissions. “We’ve been using this for six to seven years. It does several things – it keeps track of our performance. We have a strategy to get to 400kgs of net product (meat and wool) per hectare. It’s also a tool for making decisions and we use it to inform our stock policy for the particular season for best profitability. It helps us decide the pace at which we kill our livestock, how long an animal is on farm. Every kilogram of dry matter eaten produces greenhouse gases, so the less time the stock is on farm the better from an environmental perspective as well.” This data-driven approach has allowed Eight Mile Farms to increase efficiency without compromising production. “We haven’t lowered total emissions over that time as we have also increased our stocking rate, but we’ve lowered our emissions per kilogram of net product by having good grazing systems and animals that grow efficiently that ultimately spend less time on farm.” Environmental stewardship is another cornerstone of the Buckley’s farming philosophy. In the past six to seven years, they’ve planted around 65ha of pine trees, with about 40ha being new plantings. Additionally, they’ve planted approximately 60,000 native trees and entered this into the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to claim carbon credits. Riparian planting has also been a focus, with about 300 Matsudana willow poles planted annually along riverbanks to stabilise banks, prevent sediment runoff, and create buffer zones for waterways. Their forward-thinking approach extends to their employees as well. With a team spread across their various properties, the Buckleys recognise the importance of their staff. “We really value our employees and have some long-standing ones. They are a key part of what we do. Without our staff, we wouldn’t be anything,” says Matt. Looking to the future, the Buckleys are actively engaged in succession planning. With four children - Maddy, Alice, Edward, and Grace - showing varying degrees of interest in rural vocations, the family is keeping options open. Olivia has also been honing her skills to help the family with its planning in this area. She has completed a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) through University of Waikato and also a Mayfield Governance Development Programme. She was also successful in gaining a position on the Ballance Agri-Nutrients board as an associate director to likewise learn more about this important aspect of farming. “We’re keen to see them involved in the future in the business, whether it’s hands-on or higher-level input. We need to be flexible and open to how that might look in the future.” www.pumpn.co.nz 40 Turongo St, Otorohanga 07 873 8673 www.pumpn.co.nz Proud to support Eight Mile Farms
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