Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s recently refreshed Farm Excellence Strategy will be used to inform the design of the organisation’s Farming Excellence tools, resources and programmes.
DOWNLOAD Summary of Farming Excellence Strategy (PDF, 297KB)
DOWNLOAD Farming Excellence Strategy (PDF, 3MB)
B+LNZ’s General Manager Farming Excellence Dan Brier, says the Strategy, which was developed after extensive consultation with farmers and farming groups including Farmer Councils, puts structure and discipline within B+LNZ around determining the information and extension requirements of sheep and beef farmers operating in an increasingly complex environment.
“Alongside traditional management challenges, today’s farmers are having to deal with changing customer expectations, climatic extremes, competing land-uses, biosecurity challenges, an increasingly regulatory environment and retaining a social licence to farm.”
“This Strategy will help B+LNZ support farmers to navigate these challenges while producing a product that meets the environmental, animal welfare, food safety, nutritional and taste expectations of today’s increasingly discerning consumers.”
Dan says in developing its farming excellence programme, B+LNZ will be taking a much more integrated approach within the business. This includes drawing on consumer insights, the environment team and others within the organisation to identify trends and factors that will impact on farm production. Tools and resources will then be developed to help farmers adjust their systems.
This Strategy, which is based on six inter-connected programmes with a process of continual feedback, ensures information, tools and resources are making a tangible difference to farmers, their businesses and farming communities.
“It takes the concept of continuous improvement to direct BLNZ’s activities and investments on behalf of farmers. It also identifies the future needs and opportunities for the red meat sector and these will be used to inform and direct B+LNZ’s science and innovation programmes.”
The tools and resources developed from these programmes will be packaged and delivered to farmers in number of ways to meet varied learning styles and information requirements while supporting practice change on-farm.
Impact and outcomes will be measured and used to direct future investment.
“B+LNZ’s soon to be launched Farm Plan is a great example of the Farming Excellence Strategy in action. Initiated by regulation and societal concerns for environmental management, it pulled research from a number of sources and was developed using B+LNZ’s first class tool development system. It will be delivered to farmers through workshops alongside other rural professionals. Farmer feedback will inform any future adjustments.”
Dan says the Farming Excellence Strategy is now being rolled out and will be used across the organisation.
Click on the links below for a summary of the farming excellence strategy and full report: