66 | RURAL SERVICES » Agri Intel Opportunities arising from change Karen Phelps Creating positive change in rural communities by taking the challenges the industry is facing and helping farmers to convert them into real opportunities is the focus of agribusiness consultancy Agri Intel. “It’s been hard for farmers to see the opportunities arising from unprecedented changes and that’s where we can help,” says company owner Charlotte Senior. “As advisors and rural professionals we want to change the narrative by showing farmers how to convert regulations and market demands into on-farm value - monetary, environmental and ecological,” says Agri Intel’s other owner Sam Mander. Since starting Agri Intel around a year ago Charlotte and Sam have seen the company go from strength to strength, largely by word of mouth referral. The highly qualified pair supports New Zealand farmers using strategic development initiatives that increase value and improve the sustainability of farming businesses. “We offer specialist agribusiness expertise across a wide range of services to help agriculture, horticulture and forestry businesses facing increasing regulatory and market-driven challenges,” says Charlotte who works in the agribusiness and freshwater regulatory space. “We share a strong passion for the land, farming, biodiversity, and the environment,” adds Sam who finds value for farmers in the area of carbon and greenhouse gas emission management. For example, Agri Intel has helped farmers to take advantage of existing native blocks on their farm by registering them into the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to offset their carbon footprint and increase the value in their business via a new long-term income stream. Sam says many farmers think native blocks can’t be entered in the ETS, and admits that although challenging, that’s where the expertise of Agri Intel makes the difference for its clients. “95% of our ETS portfolio is native forest land on farms. There are limited consultants in New Zealand that know how to get naturally regenerating native into the ETS. There can be a significant income from carbon credits, worth around $600per ha per year at the current carbon price ($54/ NZU)” says Sam. “We also focus on how agroforestry – farming and forestry combined – can work on farms. A popular example of agroforestry is where poplars are space planted on farmland to ETS standard. The benefits of this have been profound. Leveraging the ETS we are able to earn an agroforestry land use a high income from carbon sequestration, while capitalising on the raft of animal and ecosystem services”. In the freshwater space, Charlotte works alongside farmers identifying what environmental constraints they have in terms of regulatory limits and working out what farm system they can operate while having the maximum financial performance. For example she is currently workSam & Charlotte Senior. ing with Amuri Irrigation Company to investigate nitrogen mitigation on farm, identifying cost effective ways for farmers to reduce nitrogen losses on farm. Another growing area for Charlotte has been environmental due diligence assessments to enable transparent and responsible farm sales. “It’s imperative that potential buyers understand what they can do on that farm and how they can farm within the environmental constraints,” she says. Agri Intel’s services are customised to each client and include farm strategic planning, farm environmental consultancy, forestry and ETS consulting, greenhouse gas emissions management and farm mapping and aerial imagery. They work with clients New Zealand wide. “We’ve established a really positive reputation in the rural industry across farming businesses, industry bodies, government, cooperatives, banks, and catchments groups, with a high proportion of our work helping farmers at the farm gate,” says Charlotte. “Face to face credibility is important,” says Sam. “It’s about understanding farmers’ needs and their goals and tailoring our approach to work with them, to identify opportunities and deliver real value.” + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Proud to work alongside Agri Intel – a business, like ours, that truly understands the farming industry and those who work within it. tp.co.nz E you+us@tp.co.nz P 03 374 9999 Christchurch + Ashburton + Darfield + Nelson Ashton Wheelans has worked with farmers, land owners and agricultural business for over 60 years. We understand that agriculture can operate differently to a typical business, so we do things differently too. We have a range of experience in accounting for agriculture and rural businesses and regularly advise livestock, dairy, horticultural, viticulture and arable farms. • Succession Planning • Structuring Advice • Strategy & Change Management • Technology Utilisation • Financing and Capital Raising • Cash Flow Forecasting • Business Planning • Governance Support Christchurch Kaiapoi Wanaka 03 366 7154 03 327 8962 03 443 1219 Level 2, 83 Victoria Street Cnr Williams St & Raven Quay Unit 14 12 Frederick Street ashtonwheelans.co.nz
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