New Zealand’s dairy industry has been getting bad press in recent times due to water quality issues.
I was privileged to be invited to participate in a week-long visit to New Zealand with a group of dairy farmers from Victoria. The intention was to meet with some of the more progressive dairy farmers from the Canterbury Plains area, just outside of Christchurch and share experiences and knowledge of regenerative approaches to dairy farming.
The week was organised by Tony Evans of Camperdown Compost and Jade Killoran of Health Farming Systems. Our visit was facilitated by Chloe Dear of Quorum Sense – a New Zealand not-for-profit with a mandate to support sustainable innovation for improved environmental and social outcomes.
I was in the company of some of the most innovative and progressive dairy farmers in Victoria. These included Simon Shultz from Shultz Organic Dairy, Pete Neaves and Kate Mirams from near Maffra, and Andrew Whiting and Sam Doolan from the south-west to name but a few.
Day 1 saw about 80 farmers come together for a seminar at which a range of experiences and practices were shared. A highlight was the quality of data shared by Kate Mirams and Peter Neaves which showed how far ahead of conventional growers they are in terms of feed consumed per kilo of nitrogen applied.
The issue of nitrogen application was high on the agenda given the impact of high rates on NZ water quality. Soils of the Canterbury Plains have high silt and low clay contents. They are very deep with high potential for fertility but to date, much of that fertility has come from a bag. The low nutrient holding capacity of silty soils and high fertiliser application rates results in a high leaching fraction and subsequent negative water quality outcomes.
Of the farms visited across the rest of the week, all were focused on reducing or eliminating nitrogen and other fertilisers. I was inspired by those farmers who have succeeded in freeing themselves from reliance on synthetic inputs, particularly nitrogen. Dairy farmers have been encouraged over the past 30 years to apply more and more nitrogen and phosphorus. This has led to a de-skilling of farmers’ soil fertility capability through adoption of recipes based on routine applications of fertiliser.
Ironically, 40 years ago, dairy farmers were growing 10 tonnes of dry matter per hectare with little or no nitrogen inputs. Many high nitrogen farmers are now struggling to grow this same amount!
The shift to regenerative management is not new. I regard regenerative models as simply best practice for sustainable production. By focusing on soil organic matter and its rapid turnover, soil biological populations can flourish, especially under diverse multi-species pastures.
Through many conversations with our NZ counterparts, it was often repeated that regenerative management requires a change in mindset. These farmers recognise that they are managing a complex and dynamic system and focusing on just one part risks missing cues that nature intends.
Embrace of complexity and a willingness to learn has allowed progressive farmers to free themselves from a recipe-driven approach to production. That regenerative agriculture is knowledge intensive – as opposed to conventional agriculture’s input intensity – gives rise to the additional benefits of reduced risk, reduced stress and increased satisfaction.
Already planning is underway for another visit to NZ next year, this time to the north island. As word spreads of input cost savings and improvement in the natural capital of farms, we have the potential for a major shift in dairy production and a major boost to the sustainability and viability of dairy farms.
