Lifting rates of pasture renewal

Date: 2008-02-01 | Category: News

More frequent pasture renewal is the most effective way significant production gains can be incorporated into a farming system.

That's the view of sponsors who have teamed up to form the Pasture Renewal Charitable Trust (PRCT) with the key objective of encouraging farmers to accelerate the rate of pasture renewal.

Trust chairman Murray Willocks, NZ Agriseeds, says increased pasture quality and productivity is good news for farmers and the whole economy.

Research shows an average annual renewal rate of below 5% in the dairy industry and the rate is even lower in the sheep and beef sectors.

"An investment in a renewal rate of 10-12% annually in the dairy sector and 8-10% annually in sheep and beef would significantly increase profits and production efficiencies," he says.

"The Trust's market research shows that farmers need convincing on the value of investing in more frequent pasture renewal. The current rate of pasture renewal is linked to supplementary cropping rather than the goal of pasture productivity," says Willocks.

The Trust was initiated by seed company personnel in Canterbury who had the vision of increasing the market size for their products to benefit farmers, themselves, other industry organisations and the NZ economy as a whole.

"It was quickly evident that the opportunity to boost the awareness of increasing pasture renewal rates would be of value to a wide range of agribusiness organisations. This lead to a proposal being developed to attract a range of organisations as sponsors of the trust."

Discussion of the vision with other agribusiness organisations led to the formation of the PRCT and the trust deed was signed in August 2006. The trustees are Selwyn Manning of NZ Agriseeds Ltd, John McKenzie of PGG Wrightson Seeds and Vaughan Ormsby of Cropmark Seeds Ltd.

The Trust's primary objectives are:

• To educate the participants in the agricultural sector of the benefits of pasture renewal to individual farmers, communities and the NZ economy as a whole.
• To undertake research into current farming practices, dissemination of information through the media, publications and field days to broaden the industry knowledge of the benefits of pasture renewal.
• To support and assist other NZ entities which have a similar focus.

PRCT's sponsors are:

• Agricom
• Ballance Agri-Nutrients
• Bayer CropScience
• Country-Wide Publications
• Cropmark Seeds
• DLF Seeds Ltd
• Foundation for Arable Research (FAR)
• Genetic Technologies
• Grasslanz Technology
• Merial Ancare NZ
• New Zealand Agriseeds
• Nufarm NZ
• PGG Wrightson Rural Supplies
• PGG Wrightson Seeds 
• RD1
• Summit Quinphos
• Syngenta

The development of the PRCT means organisations are pooling resources and cooperating to promote the broader vision of promoting the value of renewing pastures to farmers.

"Many of the sponsors are direct competitors in the agricultural industry with a strong history of directly competing for market share. This will not change in becoming a member of the trust and already in some cases other co-operative ventures between agribusiness organisations are developing."

Nufarm NZ's Country Manager Patrick Clement says his company became involved for two reasons. "The first is to support our customers to be more productive and profitable in their role of producing more food, fibre, feed and fuel than in the past.

"In turn, by supporting the bigger picture vision for the industry, we will stimulate demand for the goods and services we produce for farmers and growers. Many of our products are critical inputs for renewing pasture and we want to grow our business".

Nufarm has also supported the establishment of the AgRecovery Trust (a joint venture among Agcarm members) which recycles plastic containers off farms.

"As an individual company we couldn't deliver the same benefits as working for the industry in this co-operative approach. The guiding principles are very similar between the approaches of the two trusts - all parties from individual farmers through to the national economy - can benefit from being involved," Clement says.

The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is also a PRCT sponsor. Chief executive Nick Pyke says the reason for the foundation being involved is to benefit its growers.

"Increased rates of pasture renewal will mean more seed production of higher value and quality species will be required and the market will be more assured.

"In turn, from a national perspective profitability and productivity will increase for farmers which has a significant spin-off for the whole economy. Dairy farmers in particular can benefit from the PRCT's initiatives right away."

Published courtesy of Country-Wide - February 2008

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