Hawkes Bay Federated Farmers
The Future of our Water
“Agriculture”
Will Foley
Farmer
President Hawkes Bay Federated Farmers
Friday June 2 2017
Freshwater Forum
• My Farm in pictures
– What we are doing and our challenges
• Examining the Challenges and how farmers are meeting them
- Improving water quality
• How are farmers working towards improving water management
– The New Way Forward
– What Needs to be changed to be successful
Farming in 3 different locations
1300 hectares Flat, Rolling, Medium to steep Hill in
Central Hawkes Bay. Sheep, beef, forestry
My farm in pictures
Takapau – Rolling & medium hill
Nitrogen Loss
Allowable = 19.8kg
Actual = 5kg
Phosphate Loss
0.7kg/ha/yr
Waterways
Onga Onga – Flat
Nitrogen Loss
Allowable = 24.8kg/ha/year
Actual = 8kg/ha/year
Phosphate Loss
Actual 0.1kg/ha/yr
Intermittent stream
Wakarara, Jan 2017 – Medium to steep Hill
Dry January this year.
Nitrogen
Allowed= 15.66kg/ha/yr
Actual = 7kg/ha/yr
Phosphorous
Actual = 0.9kg/ha/yr
Erosion
Waterways
Wakarara – More normal scene
How Can Farmers improve water Quality
• The steps of change
– Awareness
– Engagement
– Focus on the values
– Profitability
– Focus on the hotspots
– Celebrate success – Go around again
Examining the Challenges
• Nitrogen – LUC, DIN
• Phosphorus
• Stock Exclusion
• Water Quantity
Nitrogen
• Stock Class
• Fertiliser timing & application.
• Feed type
• Efficiency of system.
Phosphorus
• Optimum soil Phosphate levels.
• Fertiliser type and timing
• Stock exclusion
• Stock class – cattle on wet soils.
Stock Exclusion
Innovation
The New Way Forward
• Community Catchment Partnerships
– Focus on the Values rather than the numbers
– Fund more monitoring and research – need to build trust
– Engage the community and farmers in understanding impacts –
Connect the good work that is currently ongoing
– Prune the rules and beef up the partnerships
• Non reg
• Adaptive planning
• Own the data and own the results don’t leave it to council or govt