GUEST COLUMN
Challenges and opportunities By Dr Tim Mackle
2020 has been a challenging year for the world, but Kiwi dairy farmers soldiered on through thick and thin.
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s we reflect on 2020, I’m sure everyone can agree it’s been a year of challenges and opportunities. One thing does stand out, and that’s gratitude for living in such a great country. This year, farmers stepped up during the covid-19 lockdown as part of New Zealand’s essential services and, in true Kiwi fashion, adapted quickly to keep farming despite the constraints. At the heart of this response was a need to keep everyone safe, while producing food for Kiwis and our global customers, and much-needed export income for NZ. Industry organisations, including DairyNZ, helped make sure Moving Day could go ahead, advocating for visa extensions for migrant workers and providing information to ensure farmers could comply with new covid-19 rules. In June, DairyNZ also launched our GoDairy campaign, which offers Kiwis who have lost jobs due to covid-19 the opportunity to move into a dairy career. This is a positive step toward bridging the staffing gap on farms by drawing newcomers into our sector. Covid-19 has also shone a light on the important role the dairy sector plays in NZ. At a time when some of our major sectors have been adversely affected, dairy is playing an increasingly vital role as a source of income and employment. How the public views dairy was also a priority for DairyNZ, and we have been working to lift public perception and understanding of what we do. Our Vision is Clear campaign has been sharing stories of environmental change both on-farm and in our communities with a growing number of Kiwis over the past two years. This included reaching over 400,000 people through The Vision is Clear website, and an average of over 500,000 on social media this month alone.
DAIRY FARMER
December 2020
These stories, and all the work being done in the sector, is helping shift how the community perceives dairy. Our most recent public perception survey found that 73% of people felt positively towards dairy farmers and 62% felt positively towards the dairy sector (up from 58% a year ago). We know some of this stems from the greater recognition of dairy farming through covid-19 disruption, but also from continued improvement in farm practices. Reducing our footprint is also a key part of our future – being the most sustainable producers of milk offers great opportunities. On-farm improvement is an ongoing challenge and we are investing in a wide range of research to help make it easier to develop practical solutions to reduce footprint, while maintaining profitability.
“These stories, and all the work being done in the sector, is helping shift how the community perceives dairy.” Some of this work includes trialling plantain to reduce farm nitrogen loss, and our low nitrogen livestock programme is looking to identify genetic traits as key contributors to nitrogen leaching and tools to breed cows with lower urinary nitrogen. Policy also plays a big part too. This was highlighted through the new freshwater policy, which many farmers and sector groups provided feedback to. DairyNZ alone developed a 240-page submission and submitted 27 technical papers to the Government last year. Some changes were made by the Government, and work continues in
DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle says covid-19 has shined a spotlight on the importance of dairy farming, with the industry gaining greater recognition.
this space, liaising with government, partners and local councils. We will also be working closely with farmers to support on-farm changes and continue advocating for practical regulations. Making environmental improvements while running a profitable business is where our Step Change programme comes in. This project will help farmers increase profitability while making progress towards environmental goals and adapting to future requirements. This year we have also made good progress towards the eradication of Mycoplasma bovis. As part of that, over 1000 farmers have used the free compensation service offered by DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ. DairyNZ will continue to be actively involved in the M bovis programme at governance level and on the ground with farmers. As we look ahead to the rest of the season, DairyNZ will continue to work with you, and for you, to deliver a better future for all NZ dairy farmers. We have committed to three promises to achieve this: developing better solutions through science, shaping a better future for dairy farmers and supporting better farming. Now, with Christmas and New Year coming soon, I hope you and your team take the opportunity to enjoy time with family and friends, and recharge as we head into 2021. Ngā mihi nui. n
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