The goal is to move farmers from having plans in their head or in multiple locations, into having their plans written out and stored in one place so that they can be communicated and provide the goal posts for the farm operations.
Advice is expensive. Bad advice even more so. Good farm has funding to bring in experienced practitioners to provide free advice on how to use planning to improve your farm business and where to get started. You know your farm best, and through getting good advice and having practical conversations, Good Farm is aiming to help farmers like yourself, sleep better at night.
This Good Farm project is a 3-year project run by Taranaki Catchment Communities and funded by MPIs Integrated Farm Planning Accelerator Fund. Taranaki Catchment Communities works with 16 catchments across Taranaki, and about 600 farmers.
The Good Farm Planning Hub is an online site to find planning information relevant to farming businesses. Good Farm will share resources, host discussions and run workshops to bring planning support and expertise to Taranaki farmers.
Involves monitoring and recording animal health and meeting animals core needs of proper and sufficient food and water; adequate shelter: opportunity to display normal patterns of behaviour: appropriate physical handling to minimise distress; as well as protection from, and rapid diagnosis of, any significant injury or disease.
Having a plan on how to protect and support a broad and useful range of native species on your land.
Planning ahead to reduce the risk of diseases, pests and organisms from entering the property.
A freshwater plan for the agribusiness based on the regional council approach and CCCV’s (Catchment Context, Challenges, and Values).
This brings together core information about your farming business in one place.
Plan to meet Greenhouse gas emissions requirements by knowing and reducing emissions, sequestration and adapting to climate change.
Managing livestock on fodder crops in a way that protects both their welfare and the environment.
Managing disposal of chemicals and other farm waste.
Some people will have more planning done than others, and so Good Farm is set up to provide different stages of support along the way to help you get to your goal.
Have you ever gone to the supermarket, bought ten things, only to get home to find you didn’t buy the three things you actually needed for dinner that night? It’s where shopping lists come in. A small plan, but useful. Before you get in your car, you have likely decided where you are going and what you are going to do when you get there.
Have you spent the same amount of time planning where you want your farm business to be in five years? 20 years? And discussed this with your staff and loved ones so everyone is clear on the goal and how to get there? Planning helps you get where you want to go. And even better, it helps other people help you get where you want to go.
Good Farm has come out of the MPI Integrated Farm Planning Fund, which aims to help farmers manage the changes coming in legislation, as well as environmental and social pressures. Knowing where you are now is key to helping us help you.
