4 minute read
5 minutes with Kate Scott
Landpro Executive Director Kate Scott on how farmers can prepare for increasing water and land-use regulation.
Kate Scott’s advice to farmers and growers on what to do now:
Participate in things like plan changes and catchment groups. Prepare your Farm Environment Plan and nutrient budgets. Implement good management practices. Stay positive as there is opportunity in change and power in knowledge. Remember your passion for the primary sector.
What are some of the common questions you get asked?
I have had my fair share of ‘out there’ questions but some of the more common lately are focused on all the proposed freshwater changes. We are also getting a bunch of questions around the Intensive Winter Grazing standards and how they might impact on our clients. One of the standout ones here, particularly for the sheep and beef sector, is around the slope rules as there is a lot of crop on land over 10 degrees slope, which means that to continue to crop this area they will either need to get a consent or go down the Certified Freshwater Farm Plans route once it’s available. Another question I am asked a lot, usually in the context of farmers and growers looking to purchase additional land or add land to their current property, is what can I use this land for given all the rules that have changed. If you are looking to purchase property, I would really recommend talking to your advisors to make sure that you can use the land the way you intend to.
What should farmers and growers be doing now?
It is sometimes really tough to know where to start, with all the uncertainty and change we have in the sector at present, particularly in terms of the various environmental rules/regulations. It might often feel simplest to do nothing at all.
If you do only one thing that would be to start working on your Farm Environmental Management Plan. This tool will become an integral part of your business into the future, and while some aspects will be mandatory, such as the proposed Certified Freshwater Farm Plan component, the plan should be first and foremost a tool that supports farmers. It will always be easier to update your plan than it will be to start it, so get on and start it so that you can be prepared for the change that is coming. The other thing that farmers and growers should be doing now is getting their heads around the changes as best as they can as this will help them to make decisions even when there is uncertainty.
How can your team give support?
In a range of different ways and with a range of cool tools, including our own aircraft and Lidar [light detection and ranging] system, which helps us to capture really useful information about the landscape that can be used for farm mapping, slope analysis and more. This links in really well with our GIS and geospatial capabilities. This team is working on ways to help our farmers to see and manage their data digitally and will play an important role supporting our Farm Environmental Team. Our Farm Environmental Team operates throughout New Zealand and is continuing to expand based on the need to support farmers and growers to work through Farm Environmental Management Plans and, once mandated, Freshwater Farm Plans. We are also strong supporters of an integrated farm planning approach, which is focused on taking a holistic approach to managing the whole of your business via one plan, typically via a series of modules covering not only your freshwater and biodiversity requirements but also your people, animal welfare and everything else that is integral to operating an agricultural business. Team members are the people who get out and get their hands dirty walking alongside our farmers and growers. They might be troubleshooters, solutions finders or cheerleaders depending on what the day brings. We also have one of the largest planning and environmental science teams in the country. This team is capable of supporting both simple and complex resource consenting processes and helping our clients to navigate the world of regulation. Our water quality scientists, contaminated land experts and hydrologist also support the consenting process as well as helping to collect and analyse data and provide clear advice to our clients.
What is your vision for the future of agriculture?
As part of my Nuffield Scholarship in 2018 I spent a lot of time thinking about what my vision for the future of agriculture might be and since completing it my vision hasn’t really changed, it has simply strengthened, and that vision is “New Zealand – the most sustainable food producers in the world and proving it!”
