Extension 350 farming initiative off the ground

Extension 350 project manager Luke Beehre (left) with mentor farmers at a Northland Inc workshop.

Extension 350 - a Northland initiative to improve farm profitability - is getting under way with 15 target farmers around the region each matched with a mentor farmer who will coach them to build environmental sustainability into their farm systems and make their businesses more profitable.

The project, which is a priority within the Tai Tokerau Northland Economic Action Plan, is chaired by Ken Hames who runs 500 bulls on about 300ha at Paparoa and is a shareholder in two Wellsford dairy farms milking 970 cows.

He said there were so many variables in farming that learning from other farmers was a straight forward way of understanding and applying research and technology to generate profit and therefore create choices.

Northland's pastoral sector is a billion-dollar industry producing around 25 per cent of Northland's gross domestic product and contributing strategic, economic and social
benefits to the region.

Considerable skills and technology would be applied to the target farms with the potential of greatly increasing sustainable their profitability, he said.

The target farmers are not being publicly named at this stage. It is understood they have agreed to take part in assessments of their farms, but will have the opportunity to withdraw if they are uncomfortable with recommendations which will follow for the future direction of farm management.

The 15 target farmers are being divided into these three clusters of five, each with a consultant to provide advice and direction.

* A Far North sheep and beef cluster with AgFirst consultant Gareth Bayhnem.

* Whangarei North cluster with LIC/FarmWise consultant Neil Smith.

* A Whangarei South cluster with AgFirst consultant Tafi Manjala.

Mr Hames said the next step was to get five associate farmers around each target farmer.

The associates would follow their target farmer's journey to get a close appreciation of how to make on-farm changes and therefore create choices for themselves and their business.

Extension 350 is based on Alister and Lyn Candy's DairyNZ Focus Farm project at Okaihau and the Northland Partner Farm projects such as Tony and Briar Lunjevich at Takahue which have clearly demonstrated how farmers choose to learn from other farmers and have dramatically increased improved profitability.

The bulk of funding for Extension 350 is coming from the Ministry for Primary Industries and Northland Regional Council as they recognise the benefits to Northland's overall economy from increased farm profitability. Dairy NZ and Beef + Lamb NZ are also engaged in the project, providing resources for its establishment and operation.

Profitability equals choices giving farmers the flexibility to make decisions that support longer-term goals for on-farm improvements, debt repayment, managing succession or improving livelihood.

Northland's pastoral sector is a billion-dollar industry producing around 25 per cent of Northland's gross domestic product and contributing strategic, economic and social benefits to the region.

Studies and ongoing industry benchmarking support the view that as a whole Northland's pastoral sector tends to underperform relative to both its resource base and against wider industry trends.

Farmers interested in associate farmer roles can contact the Extension 350 project manager Luke Beehre on 027 630 0065.