Rural round-up

Queen’s Birthday Honours: Doug Avery:

Doug Avery
MNZM
For services to agriculture and mental health

Douglas Avery is a farmer in the Awatere region and has contributed to developing farm and land practices, as well as being a spokesperson for mental health issues within the farming community.

Mr Avery has successfully adopted land use techniques to drought-proof his farm and has spoken to audiences around New Zealand, Australia and Argentina about his new farming systems that have provided a basis for sustainable environmental and financial growth. . . 

Progress made: farming leader – Dene Mackenzie:

Federated Farmers president William Rolleston is calling for better recognition of the efforts farmers are making in ensuring the improvement in water quality.

Speaking at the Local Government NZ conference, Dr Rolleston said his message to the non-governmental organisations was for them to understand the dynamic and sheer hard work so many farmers put in every day.

The NGOs needed to realise science was providing the tools which would make a difference and was already showing, in most catchments, simply slashing numbers was not the only or the best solution. . .

Pledge to make rural waterways swimmable – Peter Burke:

The Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord is a rock solid commitment by dairy farmers that they are taking action to make rural waterways swimmable.

So said DairyNZ’s chief executive, Dr Tim Mackle, speaking at the release of the three year review of the accord recently.

Mackle says many waterways running through dairy farms are already swimmable but no one is in any doubt that more has to be done. . .

‘Get out and tell your stories’ – Nigel Malthus;

Canterbury dairy farmers are being urged to get involved in telling positive stories about their industry.

Cameron Henderson, of Oxford, told attendees at a recent DairyNZ Farmers’ Forum held at Lincoln University’s Ashley Dene farm that farmers are “a bit p***ed off with how the media is portraying us”.

“Yes, we have some changes to make, but the media is blaming us for a whole lot more than that, and I think it’s something we farmers want to do something about.” . .

Massive dairy plant rising – Nicole Sharp:

Block by block, Mataura Valley Milk’s $240million milk powder manufacturing plant is coming together.

The company has reached the next stage of the project, announcing on Monday it would start laying utilities infrastructure this month which would connect the McNab plant to Gore.

About 5km of utilities would be laid, the route following MacGibbon Rd, then passing under the Mataura River to River St, before heading south to the Gore District Council’s oxidation ponds. . .

Big input cuts, production barely wobbles:

Reducing nitrogen on pasture need not be a detriment to great results when it comes to dairy farming, research by the Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) shows.

The SIDDC (South Island Dairying Development Centre) runs the Lincoln University Dairy Farm on behalf of the university.

In 2010-11, the centre determined the farm should focus on productivity and efficiency to lift profitability, and operate within its historical environmental footprint. . .