Farmers better focused after high-powered dairy leaders forum

Dairy industry environment leaders at their forum in Wellington. Lorraine Stephenson (third from right in front) stands alongside Tararua District Mayor Tracey Collis and Lisa Charmley.

The opportunity to participate in a dairy leaders environmental forum in Wellington was an amazing experience, says Dannevirke dairy farmer Lisa Charmley.

Lisa and her husband Paul farm at Maharahara and have embraced sustainable land management as fourth-generation farmers on Paul's family farm.

Last year the couple won the Hill Laboratories Harvest award in the Horizons Ballance Farm Environment awards.

Keen to farm sustainably and future-proof their farm, the Charmleys have undertaken a massive riparian planting programme, with all the plants raised from native seeds and cuttings from their farm.

"Attending the forum was an amazing experience, although I was completely out of my comfort zone," Lisa said.

"I was blown away with the level of knowledge, skills, leadership and abilities of the people involved. There are so many people doing such fantastic work which is going relatively unknown in our communities."

The dairy leaders' environmental forum supports, develops and empowers dairy farming leaders to lead positive change, shape a sustainable future for the dairy industry and enhance their communities.

The dairy environment leaders are an active network from around the country who make things happen, Tararua dairy farmer and district mayor Tracey Collis said.

Mrs Collis nominated vibrant environment leaders from our local dairy industry to attend the forums.

For Woodville dairy farmer Tony Kuriger, the environment is at the heart of his farming philosophy.

Mr Kuriger and wife Zoe were the 2014 Hawke's Bay Wairarapa Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year winners in the dairy industry awards.

"We all need something to eat and we all need somewhere to live," he said.

"The environment is at the core of that and solving issues is something we all need to own."

Speakers at the forum included Gilbert Enoka, the All Blacks mental skills coach, businesswoman Teresa Gattung and Dannevirke dairy farmer Lorraine Stephenson, who was supported by Mavis Mullins.

"They were inspiring and powerful speakers," Lisa said.

"We were 99 like-minded nominees, six of us from the Horizons region, all working towards a common goal and the forum has given us a focus and a plan to move forward sustainably and environmentally.

"As dairy farmers we are going to be under pressure soon if we don't pull our finger out and I believe Taranaki farmers are 20 years ahead of us in riparian planting. Our customers are going to be demanding more of us as dairy farmers. But it's an exciting phase in our industry to be going through."