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NZ Grassland Association Inc

Farming with nutrient limits

16 August 2013

Mike Barton, Taupo - to watch the video of his enlightening presentation at a recent Beef+Lamb day click here

 

Excerpt from Mikes presentation - Nutrient limitations are becoming more common around New Zealand. What should farmers be doing?

Nutrient limits are coming. Farmers are ill prepared for it and do not quite understand the effort that is required to come up with a solution. We’re terrified and it’s not a good place to be.

Regional councils and farmers need to sit down and talk in a constructive way – with give and take. This requires a leap of faith for both councils and farmers.

Get together in farmer catchment groups, understand the issues, understand the science, recognise the regional impacts, then work together to determine an appropriate outcome that addresses both the environmental and economic realities.

Alongside this, the red meat industry needs a 10-15-year strategic plan. And it will require our meat processors and marketers having far more intestinal fortitude than they’ve shown to date. We need to stay away from the agricultural commodity space. The two – protecting the environment and commodity trading – are mutually exclusive.Nutrient limitations are becoming more common around New Zealand. What should farmers be doing? 

 

 

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