90 | nzdairy Total Ag make the ambiguous explicit Farm consulting and management company TotalAg is making the ambiguous explicit and finding a clear pathway forward for farmers through their regulation and compliance liabilities. TotalAg agribusiness consultant Matt Bartleet says there is some fear in the dairy industry of all the changes that have been lumped in front of farmers, who really just want a clear pathway forward, as opposed to ‘maybe this or maybe that’. “What TotalAg is good at is seeing through all of the grey and coming up with black and white plans,” he says. “We have really good connections with the Government and the different organisations who are making the rules or involved in implementing the rules and we’re confident in the information we have that we can create a clear pathway forward. Even though there is a lot of uncertainty out there, I think a lot of it is in the wording and it makes people scared and upset because they don’t understand it. But the outcome our Government wants to get to is the same outcome the farmers want to get to.” The rate of change puts more pressure on farmers and while we see change with every Government, Matt says the previous one wasn’t trying to implement changes quite so quickly as this current one. “When things are happening faster than you’re capable of learning about them or getting on board with them, of course you are going to get scared.” So TotalAg wades through the documents, uses its connections with the Ministry for Primary Industries, the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management, DairyNZ, and Beef + Lamb New Zealand, and its consultants’ own strong understanding of their clients’ farming systems and regional catchment environmental conditions and regulations and turns the grey into black and white, and helping farmers to develop realistic, workable, and cohesive farm environment plans. “We read what the Ministry has written and then tell our clients what it really means. When they are asking about winter grazing, what it really means is they want to know what is in your paddock and how you manage it. So you’ve got a wetland in the paddock and you keep the animals out of it over winter, and now you have a winter grazing plan. You don’t have to change anything, you’re already a good farmer.” In this environment of fast paced regulatory changes, TotalAg is growing quickly and its split between sheep and beef and dairy customers has shifted from about 75:25 to about 60:40 now. TotalAg is seeking new consultants with knowledge and experience in regional council catchment, farming, fertiliser advising, and financial management. The TotalAg team shares a passion for the rural sector and a depth of knowledge and experience. They pride themselves on the gains and growth they have seen their clients enjoy after working with them. Kelly Deeks DAIRY SERVICES » Total Ag Ltd Livestock Dairy Season Buy & Sell with Us! Wanted to Buy & Sell • Herds & Incalf Heifers (All breeds) • Boner Cows • Dairy Beef Weaners • WTB Yrlg Jsy Bulls For upcoming livestock sales head to Agonline.co.nz Subscribe to our Waikato Livestock Market Update Newsletter by emailing WaikatoLSAdminTeam @pggwrightson.co.nz GO PRODUCTS & DEFER-A-BULL Contact your agent for more details. Dean Cook - Matamata Mobile 027 243 1429 Email Address Dean.Cook@ pggwrightson.co.nz Alex Stuart - Putaruru / Tokoroa Mobile 027 494 2544 Email Address Alex.Stuart@ pggwrightson.co.nz Hamish Wills - Putaruru / Matamata Mobile 027 232 4813 Email Address Hamish.Wills@ pggwrightson.co.nz www.pggwrightson.co.nz Helping grow the country Specialising in Rural Earthworks & Drainage • Drain cleaning, Nova flow • Farm races & Track works • Driveway maintenance • House sites & Section clearing • Swimming pool excavation & Landscaping • Hedge, Tree & Stump removal Proudly supporting Total AG Ltd 027 372 3358 phantomearthworks@gmail.com With time spent in fertiliser, banking, advisory, resource management, rural education, and genetics, there is no aspect of agricultural business TotalAg consultants cannot help their clients with. Ewes on Plantain at Te Akau.
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