A Reporoa dairy farmer has backed continuing a three-year project which saw how responsible-minded farmers could increase profits without risking the environment
Euan McKnight was one of 25 farmers involved in the Tomorrow's Farms Today sustainable farming project which began in 2011.
The project has now come to an end and funding will be needed to continue it for another three-year cycle.
Mr McKnight said he had enjoyed being part of a project which had enabled farmers involved to share information.
All the farms chosen were in the Upper Waikato catchment with similar rainfall and soil types.
"All of us are keen to keep it going for at least another three years," he said.
"For the last three years we have had a mix of climatic conditions to contend with, from a wet season, to a drought, as well as an average season.
"We haven't really had three even years which have been similar.
"It would be good to have the project on board with three years of similar climatic conditions."
However he said any extension of the project would have to be backed by a sound reason to do so.
"We can't just say we want another three years - we need to put forward a point of difference from the previous three years as to why it should continue.
"There is still a bit of information to be collected which would help the group if the project was extended."
The project had proved farmers could farm responsibly while also increasing profits, he said.
"Unfortunately dairying has got a bad name due to a a few over zealous media people, and a few bad farmers."
Project co-ordinator Alison Dewes, of Te Awamutu-based Headlands agri-consultants, estimated around $2000-$3000 per farm per year would be needed to fund another three years of the project.
"In reality the farmers should probably pay something towards it but these farmers are willing to share their information openly for the benefit of other farmers," she says.
"Co-funding encourages the results to be shared and help other farmers facing similar challenges.
"These farmers are doing the nation a favour by speaking openly about their challenges."
From the beginning the farmer group had endeavoured to look after the environment without compromising their profits, she says.
"They wanted to find out what farm systems had the lowest environmental footprint and retain the strongest profit, rather than production."
The study found the most consistent profits and best environmental performance came from the farmers who were running simple and efficient systems with their cows producing high amounts from feed grown on the farm, she said.
The farmers had been amazing to work with talking about personal finances and challenges, she said.
"They openly shared their financial and environmental information and learnt the details of what good farm performance looked like.
"It was not all about more milk.
"It was about more profit, working inside environmental limits such as nitrogen leaching, phosphate loss and effluent management."