Selwyn Times: November 21, 2018
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2<br />
SELWYN TIMES [Edition datE]<br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
Wednesday <strong>November</strong> <strong>21</strong> <strong>2018</strong> 33<br />
SELWYN RURAL LIFE<br />
Hill country development risks<br />
and opportunities highlighted<br />
Extensive studies commissioned as part<br />
of the Sustainable Hill Farming Tool project<br />
have found that farmers are increasingly<br />
using hill country forage crops and pastures<br />
to finish stock, and that the increased<br />
erosion risk is being partly mitigated by<br />
farming practices.<br />
However, the studies, and an extensive<br />
literature search, also found that some<br />
farmers had difficulty assessing the potential<br />
environmental impact and the financial<br />
return of hill country development, due to<br />
the unpredictability of sediment loss and<br />
the ongoing costs often required.<br />
The Sustainable Hill Farming Tool<br />
(SHiFT) project seeks to determine ways<br />
to provide landowners with information<br />
about the best ways to address these<br />
concerns, says Environment Canterbury’s<br />
zone delivery manager Paul Hulse.<br />
“The project team commissioned<br />
three related studies to gain a clearer<br />
understanding of farmers’ hill country<br />
development practices,” he says.<br />
“Initial interviews were held with 150<br />
hill country farmers in Canterbury and the<br />
Manawatu, and followed up by in-depth<br />
interviews with 16 farmers, advisors and<br />
helicopter pilots focusing on the use of<br />
helicopters for developing hill country land.<br />
At the same time, AgResearch prepared a<br />
report collating relevant research about the<br />
environmental impacts of forage cropping<br />
in hill country.”<br />
Paul Hulse says that the findings will be<br />
used to help develop a free advisory tool for<br />
farmers and advisors.<br />
“Environment Canterbury recognises<br />
that forage crops are an important part of<br />
our farming systems. However, it needs to<br />
be managed in such a way that sediment<br />
does not enter waterways. We’re expecting<br />
the tool to identify high and low risk<br />
areas on a property, estimate the potential<br />
sediment losses, and provide a reference<br />
guide to select effective management<br />
practices and mitigation measures so that<br />
sediment losses to waterways and estuaries<br />
can be minimised.”<br />
A growing awareness<br />
Farm consultant Dave Lucock of The<br />
Agribusiness Group and a member of the<br />
Steering Committee assisting the SHiFT<br />
project team to develop the new tool,<br />
says farmers need to be aware of the risks<br />
associated with any development on hill<br />
country, and plan to avoid or mitigate those<br />
risks.<br />
“It is no longer acceptable to have large<br />
quantities of sediment flowing from poorly<br />
managed winterfeed paddocks. However,<br />
this research demonstrates that only<br />
slightly more than half of farmers consider<br />
sediment loss factors before developing<br />
their hill country pasture,” he says.<br />
“Today, we’re operating under<br />
environmental farming limits, and most<br />
farmers have a Farm Environment Plan.<br />
We expect that this tool will help farmers<br />
through the hill country development<br />
process so that they get the best results<br />
for both their farm business and the local<br />
environment.”<br />
Development of the Sustainable Hill<br />
Farming Tool will be informed by the<br />
farmer survey, as well as the AgResearch<br />
review of research into soil losses from<br />
grazed forage crops.<br />
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