Specialist Resource Consultant
Resource use issues are now so complicated and require specialist skills to respond appropriately that virtually every farm now requires a specialist resource consultant as a member of their team.
Many years ago when the regional councils were just starting to develop their rules around land and water plans, and nutrient loss, a very prominent farmer said to me, “it is just another challenge put in front of farmers and we will meet it and keep moving our businesses forward as usual”.
That comment really struck me, as until then the vast majority of challenges that farmers faced were related to the requirement for improvements in both the productivity and efficiency of their farming systems. There was a vast plethora of research into the various ways that farmers could adapt their systems to achieve productivity gains and tools available to them and a lot of highly competent extension specialists that could help them achieve the required improvements. As to resource use, the cupboard was bare and in the subsequent years there has a been a concerted effort to research and trial a huge range of responses. I think that we have filled that gap and there are now research results, tools and an increasing number of specialists available to help farmers through the solution which is right for them.
One distinguishing feature of our response to resource use issues is that they are all driven by the requirements of either central government or local government regulations. Be it He Waka Eke Noa or the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater Regulations 2020 or Te Mana o Te Wai or your Regional Council water plans - they all require someone to work through the documents and interpret what they mean for the individual's system and then someone to help the farmer develop their response. Solutions vary on individual need; an FEP, a strategy to keep below the maximum N limit or calculate their greenhouse gas emissions. The appropriate mitigations that are right for the farming system, it all requires specialist skills.
At a recent NZIPIM conference in Christchurch, Richard Green offered the opinion that this area had got so complicated that he now believed that every farming business now required a specialist resource management consultant to steer them through this maze. He said that the old days of a farm consultant being able to offer all the advice that a farmer required were over, and there was now a need for a farmer to have a specialist resource consultant. This is just the same as having a lawyer, accountant, etc. available to help you deal with the issues that arose that were impacting your business. It is much more efficient to have one consultant that knows your farm and your goals and history that can deal with the issues that arise on your farm when and if required.
It is my opinion that having a resource consultant as a member of your team is essential. Some of the people that are capable of doing this are sole operators and some are like the team at TAG which can offer a range of specialists.
So my response to the advice given to me by that farmer all those years ago is that we have substantially met that challenge, its taken some time, so now, what’s the next one?
Written by Stuart Ford.
