Efficient farming is the path to the Co-op’s future. Sustainable Dairying Specialist Andy Mourits is helping Co-op farmers understand the changes and continue driving on-farm efficiency.
Fonterra’s Climate Roadmap is providing the Co-op with a blueprint for farming in a more efficient and productive manner. We talk to Sustainable Dairying Specialist Andy Mourits about the wealth of advice and support available to Co-op farmers in this space.
As a Sustainable Dairying Specialist, I’m focused on helping Co-op farmers be more efficient on-farm and support their uptake of the Co-op’s offerings in the sustainability space.
I was born and raised on a dairy farm in Morrinsville in the Waikato and grew up loving farming. After school I went to Massey University to study agricultural science and I’ve been working in the primary sector since graduating. Initially I worked with big co-operative fertiliser companies and then found my way to Farm Source… after a stint playing rugby overseas. I played premier rugby and had the opportunity to play for “The Stags”, the Huntingdon Rugby Club, near Cambridge in England. While I was there I was also an agricultural contractor in the midlands area.
When I returned to New Zealand I went back into dairy farming in the Waikato before moving up to Northland. I worked for the regional council in a land management advisory role and then on to Farm Source where I supported Co-op farmers on the west coast of Northland around Dargaville. There are amazing people up there but the farming is harder due to challenging soil types and extreme weather events.
Through the Northland and Waikato roles I had the opportunity to work on the Fonterra and Nestlé GHG farmer support pilot project. A role came up in Waikato at the Co-op in the Sustainability team, which was a great opportunity and a chance for my wife and I to move closer to family. I have now been with Farm Source for three years and was recently promoted to Sustainable Dairying Specialist.
There are around 2500 farms in the Waikato, which my team supports, with my patch being the south Waikato. We’re in the dairy hub of New Zealand. It’s certainly more intensive farming than up in Northland and there are different environmental challenges. We work closely with catchment groups. In Northland the issue with water quality is sediment. In the Waikato, it’s more of a nutrient challenge. The community is really engaged and it’s cool to work with them – it offers a bit of variance.
Over the past decade I’ve seen quite a lot of change in the sustainable farming space. It’s always moving as regulations and customer expectations change. Our team’s role is to help farmers operate in the regulatory environment and future-proof their business from potential risks that are coming down the line for their farm system.
Farm environment plans have evolved with different regulations. We’re now working closely with farmers to focus more on-farm efficiency, which in turn makes farmers more profitable and productive.
"Profitability, productivity and sustainability all interlink, and all help farms become more efficient. There’s a financial component but it’s more about assessing the business as a whole. So understanding more about the animals, animal health, nutrition, reproduction, rather than simply nutrients and soils." says Andy.
We do a lot of professional development as a team getting everyone up to speed on sustainable dairying so we can help farmers.
Over the coming months we’ll be out visiting farms as part of the Co-op’s On-farm Efficiency Visits, working with farmers to see how we can add as much value as possible. It’s a very privileged position to be in, talking to farmers about their farm systems.
Farm Source’s new On-farm Efficiency Hub is now live. Visit the site to find out ways to improve efficiency on-farm.