North Otago farming couple David and Sarah Smith, participants in RMPP's Extension Design Project, were encouraged to do more soil testing and as a result say they saved $50,000 in fertiliser costs.
* Improved crop yields by 40 per cent. Sent away 500 lambs before Christmas (rather than 270).
* Weaned 700 lambs earlier than usual, and increased average lamb weight by 0.9-1kg. Saved $50,000-$60,000 through improved targeting of fertiliser.
* Increased meat production 9 per cent per hectare. Increased number of lambs 'off mum' by 400, 1kg heavier, and achieved a higher schedule price.
These are some of the end of year-one results reported by three of the 75 farmers from Whangarei to Bluff involved in the Red Meat Profit Partnership's pilot Extension Design Project.
As the RMPP's general manager Michael Smith told the Future Farms conference last month, a lot of thought is now being given on how to roll out the same opportunities, and the "outstanding results achieved so far", across the sector.
"We're working out how we can provide for every single red meat farmer in New Zealand to be involved."
The national programme roll-out hasn't got a name yet but interested farmers can register at www.rmpp.co.nz/page/tellmemore
RMPP is a 7-year, $64.3m primary growth partnership that is 50 per cent funded by government, 30 per cent by Beef + Lamb NZ, and 20 per cent by other partners, including six meat processors and two banks.
The project puts 75 pilot farms into working groups of 6-8 to share ideas on improving
bottom lines, link in experts and mentor farmers
The Extension Design Project is one of nearly 30 underway and puts the 75 pilot farms into working groups of six to eight.
They share ideas on improving bottom lines, link in experts and mentor farmers and also bring to bear a bit of peer pressure to reduce temptation to put the commitments made to the group to try something new on the backburner.
It's now nearly 18 months into a three-year programme and Michael said financial and other results from year one were now being analysed.
A key finding was that 82 per cent of the pilot farmers had adopted a practice change of one form or another over the course of the first year. Agriculture literature suggests this would normally run at 7-15 per cent.
"In fact, we achieved more than 90 per cent but removed 14 per cent where it was indicated the farmers were probably going to do the change anyway. So it's a very, very good result," Michael said.
Around 90 per cent said the extension programme had been effective and some 75 per cent said they had connected with experts that would otherwise not have happened if they weren't in the project.
"That's a little disappointing because those experts are there and available all the time. It's clear a lot of our farming community are unsure how they can connect with them."
In the evaluations, the words 'confidence' and 'trust' kept cropping up.
Because it was independent experts involved, rather than a supplier representative who perhaps had an eye on selling a service or product, the farmers involved felt more confident to get on and put advice into action. The fact the rest of the group were also keen to see the results added extra impetus.
Michael said the uptake of new technology and ideas in the red meat sector was low.
"We're trying to boost that, make it go faster, and improve bottom lines as a result."
Some of the other RMPP initiatives showing good results include:
* FeedSmart App. Helps farmers validate what they are seeing with their own eyes by using data to calculate how much feed it in a paddock, how much stock it will feed and for how long.
*Electronic Animal Status Declarations (eASD). Farmers are well aware of the regulatory requirements when moving stock from farm to farm, or to a processor.
With OSPRI, the RMPP has developed an electronic version of this, which has been trialled with more than 60 farmers and Silver Fern Farms' Finegand plant, Balclutha. ASD is completed on a smartphone or tablet, and the data is automatically sent to Finegand, and to the transport firm to indicate the animals are ready to be picked up.
Using NAIT, the TB status of the herd is known, and the address where the herd is located. It can save time for both the farmers, transporters and the meat processors as the information is much more accurate as a lot of the information has already been pre-populated.
* NZ Farm Assurance Programme. Lowering farmer costs and reducing duplication are key aspects of a new farm audit system being introduced to farmers by many meat processors over the next few months.
There are a range of industry audit systems operating currently and the new programme will streamline the process and ensure everyone is working to the same baseline standard.
More than 500 women have now been through the Understanding Your Farming Business for Women course, run with the Agri Women's Development Trust.
"There has been some fantastic feedback," Michael said. Videos are on the RMPP website. Many are quite humorous, but there is an underlying message.
"Often the male is coming home and finding his female partner has quite an interest in what's happening on-farm, and is quite prepared to tell him he's doing crap, according to the books. It's developing some good conversations but the males are also saying it's like a weight has been taken off their shoulders because now there is someone else who understands what is going on in the business."