A series of intensive winter grazing workshops are being held by the Otago Regional Council for farmers next month.
The hands-on events will provide farmers with advice on the consenting process, grazing plans and management practices.
The council’s acting consents manager, Alexandra King, said if farmers are unsure of how to prepare a consent they can attend a workshop and should be able to complete their application at the event.
King said the workshops will also allow farmers to update existing consent management plans, a condition of their existing consents.
Farmers should bring whole farm maps and individual paddock maps of forage crops. King said it would also be useful to bring relevant farm and grazing management plans and information on soils and slopes, which could be provided by consultants, Beef+Lamb NZ, DairyNZ or NZ Farm Assurance Programmes.
Consents apply for up to five years and applications must be lodged by mid-April to be in place by May 1 as is required by the council.
Farmers wanting to attend must register for an event, with 14 workshops scheduled across 12 locations over six weeks.
The workshops begin at Tarras and Omakau on February 15, followed by workshops through to late-March at Weston, Palmerston, Lawrence, Millers Flat, Owaka, Clinton, Milton, Tapanui, Middlemarch and Ranfurly.
