| 59 Value in BLNZ’s extension services Sheep and beef farmers have come out of two “pretty rough years”, consequently the profitability of the sector is a concern. Russell Fredric One of 14 members of the Beef and Lamb New Zealand (BLNZ) southern South Island farmer council, Matthew Tayler of Lorne Peak Station has been a member for about seven years and its vice chairman for the past year. He sees a lot of value in BLNZ’s extension services and the field days, workshops and events it organises and facilitates, which also encourages farmers to connect and network. “Extension is delivering education, information and resources to farmers; trying to bridge that gap between the research that’s been done and getting it implemented on farm which is often better coming from a fellow farmer.” The council members have good breadth of skills and areas of agriculture they work in and includes two dairy farmers. “Having that farmer lens is pretty important and ensuring we live up to the tag line ‘By Farmers, for Farmers’. I think farmers really value that connection to new practices and ensuring research is farmer-focused.” Recent farmer workshop topics in the region have included better beef breeding, and soil fertility and nutrient management, while a recent event for women was sold out; Ladies Long Lunch featured former Black Sticks Gemma McCaw as the keynote speaker and was themed around empowering and celebrating women in the rural sector. This event highlights the key role wives and partners have, either directly in a farm’s operation or in a support role and with raising children along with the community connections they have, Matthew says. “A sheep and beef business is more than just the hands-on farmer.” Sheep and beef farmers have come out of two “pretty rough years”, consequently the profitability of the sector is an overriding concern Matthew is hearing feedback about. “We’ve had a good year price and climate wise, but we’re probably still not competitive with other land uses and really need a step-change in profitability to compete.” There is also uncertainty around meat processing due to excess of capacity and how this might be resolved, with methane emissions, The Paris Agreement, and the preservation of the ability to farm an ever-present concern, Matthew says. “Tree planting on sheep and beef land I’d put as the number one concern. It’s not a level playing field. MEAT & WOOL » Matthew Tayler At the moment sheep and beef [through tree planting and loss of productive land] is being asked to shoulder everyone’s ETS obligations and eventually we’re going to have an industry that’s not sustainable if we lose our critical mass.” Farmers are divided on their views about methane emissions and whether New Zealand should stay in The Paris Agreement, Matthew says. Beef and Lamb has been strong in their messaging on GWP*, an alternative metric for measuring global warming potential, specifically designed to better assess the impact of short-lived greenhouse gases such as methane, he says. However, considering the amount of sheep and beef land lost to trees since 1990 combined with the reduction in livestock numbers and 700,000 hectares of regenerating native biodiversity on sheep and beef farms, he struggles to see how sheep and beef farmers continue to have a liability “in that space”. “At the moment sheep and beef [through tree planting and loss of productive land] is being asked to shoulder everyone’s ETS obligations and eventually we’re going to have an industry that’s not sustainable if we lose our critical mass..” Two tooth rams prior to sale. Proven Predictable Profitable y Wairere is New Zealand’s most recognised brand in sheep genetics. y The Wairere brand consistently achieves above market premiums for sale stock. y Scale allows us to make faster genetic progress in the traits that are important to our clients. y The Wairere reputation for mothering ability, bouncing back after tough seasons and hogget lambing are second to none. y Whatever or wherever you farm, Wairere have sheep genetics that will suit your needs. Making your sheepfarming easier and more profitable | www.wairererams.co.nz | 0800 WAIRERE (0800 924 7373) He acknowledges being part of The Paris Agreement currently ensures New Zealand producers have continued access to high value markets such as the EU, but is sceptical if consumers are willing to pay a premium for it. “Given the Paris accord protects food production, it is difficult to reconcile why New Zealand has gone out on a limb allowing 100% offsetting through carbon forestry at the expense of red meat production. “I don’t think the science is quite settled. If we could get GWP* accepted along with a revision of the methane reduction targets and disallowing 100% offsetting over the line I think would level the playing field between sheep and trees. A carrot instead of a stick approach would work wonders in New Zealand.”
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