6 minute read
Leading by example
Former World Young Shepherd Champion Mitchel Hoare says ‘walking the talk’ is critical to a good health and safety culture on the farm.
Mitchel, who was Waikato Bay of Plenty 2020 FMG Young Farmer of the Year winner, was raised on a sheep and beef farm at Te Kuiti and is now second in charge at Moketenui Station in the King Country. “Reminding people about things like wearing a helmet, planning ahead to take the safe approach and always doing so yourself is important,” he says. “We’ve also got strong systems in place around staying in contact and being able to raise the alarm if needed.” Mitchel is a graduate of the Waipaoa Station cadet programme and Lincoln University. He worked at Puketiti station at Waitomo and Arohiwi Station in Hawke’s Bay, before moving to Moketenui in 2019. “Puketiti was a very good introduction to a good health and safety culture,” Mitchel says. “The team would be brought together at the end of the day to discuss things that had happened, such as near misses and anything the manager and others might need to know. It was in a relaxed, unhurried environment and reporting a near miss didn’t mean paperwork for you. For me, good leadership around health and safety comes down to that kind of good communication.” Mitchel says that also extends to talking about the safest ways to do a job. “In my role now, we catch up at the start of the day and discuss what we are going to do and any potential hazards and the best tools and vehicles for the job. An example is talking about the best routes to take, especially if you are going out with stock or mustering and what the best tools and vehicles to use in order to do that safely are. “There may be three or four ways to go, but there is only one best way and that may change according to the seasons. It’s important to know about that beforehand and not find out when you are dealing with stock out of step and out of position.” Mitchel says a daily list is also drawn up, detailing what everyone is due to be doing and where they will be. “Everyone gets a copy of that, so you know where everyone is meant to be. We all have radios and check in during the day and we all carry personal locator beacons on our belts, but the list adds that extra layer. If you haven’t seen someone, or you see something that hasn’t been done, then you check in on them. Vehicle safety is a strong focus. The farm has a ute, four quad bikes, a side-by-side and two tractors. “We have very good lanes on the farm, so access is very good for the vehicles,” Mitchel says. “The basic rule here is that if you have to go off the track, in hill country, then you get off the vehicle and "take the waewae express (start walking).”
FENCING SHORTAGES ON YOUR MIND?
Greenhouse gas numbers − it's all about the plan
Points from He Waka Eke Noa Farm Planning on Greenhouse Gases.
Farm planning is a useful tool to support farmers and growers in managing the different parts of their farm business and for providing assurance of good practice to consumers and other interested parties.
Many farmers and growers already have some form of farm plan, often as part of Industry Assurance Programmes (such as Fonterra’s Tiaki programme, the red meat sector’s NZ Farm Assurance Programme or Horticulture’s GAP assurance programmes). The He Waka Eke Noa Farm Planning guidance is intended to help farmers and growers incorporate a greenhouse gas module into their farm planning. It is designed to integrate with existing programmes and become part of an integrated farm plan. It is likely that existing programmes will provide additional information drawing on this guidance. Developing a greenhouse gas module in a farm plan will help farmers and growers build:
• A clear understanding of their farm greenhouse gas emissions. • The knowledge to make informed decisions on actions to reduce emissions appropriate to their farm business, while considering effects on other aspects of the farm business. The farm plan approach recognises the individual nature of each farm and that choices about how to reduce farm emissions are for each farmer and grower to make. Similarly, a collective approach to farm planning by Māori as kaitiaki is being developed by the Te Aukaha workstream. By 2025 there is expected to be an emissions pricing mechanism, which will further inform individual farmer and grower decisions about the costs and benefits of actions to reduce emissions.
Good Farming Practice Principles for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
The Good Farming Practice Principles guide each farmer and grower to understand their emissions profile and what contributes to it, explore opportunities to reduce it and keep good farm records.
1. Know your farm’s greenhouse gas emissions
Knowing what your greenhouse gas emissions are and where they come from is the first step towards reducing them. He Waka Eke Noa has a target of all farms knowing their emissions levels by December 2022. A list of recognised methods for calculating your farm emissions will be on the He Waka Eke Noa website.
2. Identify opportunities to reduce your farm’s greenhouse emissions and capture carbon
There are many opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and capture carbon. What works for you will depend on the type of farming operation and current practices. The broad opportunities include: • Improving the efficiency of pasture and crop production. • Matching feed demand with pasture growth and utilisation. • Improving the management of livestock effluent. • Capturing and storing carbon in indigenous and exotic trees.
3. Choose your actions
Each farmer or grower will know which of the opportunities to reduce emissions are appropriate for their operation and whether they will involve simple changes to current farm management practices, or more significant action. Based on this knowledge, each farmer and grower will choose which actions to take, as part of optimising their farming operation. By 2025 it is expected there will be a pricing mechanism for emissions. This will inform decisions about the costs and benefits of actions. Farmers and growers will be involved in developing the emissions pricing mechanism, through the He Waka Eke Noa partnership. There is no fixed amount by which each farmer has to reduce emissions and choices will depend on farm-specific opportunities and costs.
4. Keep records, monitor and review
Record keeping is essential to inform future decision-making and allow easy verification of farm emissions, which will likely be a future requirement. Minimum information to record for the calculation of farm emissions includes: • Livestock numbers by stock type, either using monthly values or, for simple tools, a weighted annual average. • Amount of synthetic nitrogen (N) fertiliser applied annually. Additional information that can support a more detailed understanding of farm emissions and reduction opportunities includes: • Farm total and effective area. • Farm topography (slope). • Livestock class, age, number and movements. • N fertiliser or lime applications including product type, rate and timing. • Crop residues. • Production data such as milk solids, liveweight or crop yield. • Woody vegetation planting records.
Planning to succeed
Farmlands is right behind the He Waka Eke Noa Programme. As part of the programme, Farmlands industry partner Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) have launched their new farm planning resource in March, to replace and build on its existing Land and Environment Plans. The farm plan includes a chapter on Responding to Climate Change and enables farmers to both record their on-farm emissions and consider options to manage these. Further guidance from He Waka Eke Noa will be added to the farm plan as it becomes available. Dairy NZ, Horticulture NZ and other industry partners also have farm planning resources available or in development. He Waka Eke Noa will consolidate this information as it becomes available and Farmlands will be standing beside our shareholders to ensure the right information is available at the right time and in the right way.
For more information visit www.hewakaekenoa.nz/resources
Article written with support from He Waka Eke Noa
