Rob Macnab believes New Zealand sheep and beef (ngā kau me ngā hipi) farming systems are on the cusp of an exciting era but warns that farmers need confidence – and assistance to collect and understand data to drive that change.
A consultant with Total Ag in the Waikato, Macnab was part of an online panel discussing how to match consumer expectation with farm business realities.
He said collecting data on greenhouse gas emissions is a new skill set for many farmers (kaimahi pāmu). They need to be given the tools and scientific support to ensure collection is accurate and the information applicable.
“Once a farmer gets data, then they can look at their farm system,” he said.
Organised by Farmax, the seminar looked at the challenge for farmers when it comes to collecting greenhouse gas emissions data, but panellists agreed that this information has a wider application for farm businesses.
Macnab said he sees this as an opportunity for farmers to tweak farm systems and make them more efficient.
“We are on the brink of significant changes. There are more opportunities than challenges, and I’m looking forward to the next period.”
The dairy industry has “lived and breathed data”, but for many sheep and beef farmers this is new, and the data that is collected has to be accurate.
For example, he said most sheep and beef farmers overestimate the effective area of their farms by at least 15%.
AgResearch farm systems scientist Robyn Dynes agreed, saying data-driven farm transition is a 15- to 20-year project.
Synlait sustainable adviser Nick Vernon said suppliers to the dairy company provide 26 metrics to measure greenhouse gas emissions.
He said some have 10 to 15 years of data that they use to adjust and improve their farming systems.
Vernon said the key is not to be fixated on numbers but to look at mitigation options that make a farm overall more efficient.
Asked how farmers will respond to a levy on greenhouse emissions, Dynes said such a stance is important for the credibility of our exports.
“To me it’s thinking about the whole package.
“We export globally and we need to front foot how we are addressing the global challenges.”
The data will have multiple additional benefits, he said.
Macnab agreed, saying farmers need to make the same or more from fewer animals. “This is another metric on which we will be judged.”
