On the farm – Growing optimism

What a difference a month makes. Because of May rains, most of us are now growing grass and other crops, water tanks are full and the general outlook is greener, even if winter feed is still in short supply. Government largesse has been competing with nature’s as freshwater reforms have finally been revealed, and the 2020 “Covid recovery” budget announced.

Most commentators seem to have been reasonably sanguine about the final rules in the freshwater reforms, having been expecting them to be more severe and accepting that the balance is about right for our current situation. The intent is to mitigate the effects and halt the further intensification of farming, which has been incrementally advancing in living memory, using a suite of new regulations. All farms will now have to have a Farm Management Plan with a focus on their freshwater impacts. Toxicity levels for nitrates and ammonia have been tightened to protect a higher percentage of freshwater life. However, levels for dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus are under consultation for a further year. A cap of 190kg /ha/year for nitrogen fertiliser has been introduced.

For our region, reducing sediment run-off is particularly pertinent. To that end, the new 3-metre set-back for fencing stock out of waterways larger than 1 metre is an acceptable compromise, especially since existing permanent fencing will not now need to be shifted to meet these criteria. Winter grazing practices will have to be adjusted to meet the rules on slope and distance from waterways or else consents will have to be sought.

Local regional councils will be responsible for implementing and enforcing these reforms and required to update their plans to incorporate these changes within seven years. An essential part of this will be having staff that are adequately trained and experienced to work with farmers on drawing up farm plans to address these issues on the ground.

Another approach may be to set up quasi-autonomous regional implementation hubs – partnerships between councils, industry bodies and others – using some of the funding announced for regional job creation and environmental objectives in the budget. This will have the benefit of being more farmer-friendly as well as providing employment, and possibly be more likely to be embraced wholeheartedly by the rural sector.

We are fortunate in our region to already have The Forest Bridge Trust helping farmers to fund and tackle freshwater set-backs, as well as bush protection and pest control. A similar model, utilising staff trained in farm planning, could be adopted more widely to roll out much needed reforms that are embedded within our communities, rather than operating from on high. The Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group is another community organisation working in this space locally. Councils seeking to implement these new reforms should look at bolstering such established efforts.

Something most of us took from our weeks of enforced isolation was just how much the Kiwi psyche is forged and kept whole by our connections to our bush, wetlands and coastal environments, as well as by working together to achieve our endeavours.

Bev Trowbridge