National Forage Strategy

Over the course of six months, in wide consultation with forage sector stakeholders, a strategy was developed to guide the sector.

Who is involved?

We worked alongside the Foundation for Arable Research, DairyNZ, AgResearch, the New Zealand Plant Breeding and Research Association, the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries to develop the strategy.

The vision

The 20 year vision of the National Forage Strategy is to ‘grow the sustainability and profitability of individual farmers and the long-term prosperity of New Zealand by increasing the value of forage grown on NZ farms’. At the core of this are sustainable and profitable forage-based grazed farm systems.

The aims of the strategy

• Develop a 5 year action plan in support of the 20 year vision
• Recommend the approach that a joint government and industry investment model should take, including the role of processors and the linkages between markets and farmers, to support the outcomes identified in the strategy

The four themes

• Working together
• Forage improvement
• On-farm innovation
• Ready and responsible

The immediate focus

• Bio-Security
• Forage Value Index
• B+LNZ Future Farms Project
• Forage Improvement
  • Gene technologies
  • Gene editing
  • Pre Breeding Technologies
• Soil Fertility

If you have comments on the strategy or have some issues regarding forage that you want to be considered by the Forage Strategy Governance Group please contact Thomas Chin at Seed Industry New Zealand on 03 349 8430 or Email: thomas.chin@seedindustrynz.co.nz