In 2023 Deer Industry New Zealand was successful in being selected as a recipient of the Integrated Farm Planning Acceleration Fund from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). This additional funding allows us to provide additional tailored support to our deer farmers.
What is an Integrated Farm Plan?
An integrated farm plan brings together crucial areas of farming, including climate change, freshwater management, animal welfare, biosecurity, and people management. Having an all-of-farm plan approach allows farmers to consider all these factors in a unified way.
Still not sure what an integrated farm plan is?
You may already have completed part of one. Heard of NZFAP (and NZFAP Plus) or freshwater farm plans? These are good examples of farm plans, and we will be offering these and other farm plan modules throughout the programme.
How can a farm plan assist me?
Having a farm plan can help build resilience when dealing with change, improve performance, and manage risk through taking a planning approach to farm management.
It should help streamline compliance and reduce duplication by combining all farm information in one repository.
In some cases, having a farm plan can help you qualify for reduced bank interest rates and higher premiums for your venison.
How can DINZ help me with farm planning?
We’re aiming to fill the gaps between the resources provided by regional councils and local groups, and what you, our deer farmers, have already established on your farms. Whether it’s around compliance, environmental planning, or business resilience, we want to assist you!
- Workshops – We are running workshops with small groups of farmers, tailored specifically to that groups needs. Workshops are available for farmers who want to collaborate with others to determine the best approach for their farm, working alongside trusted farm professionals with knowledge of deer farming.
- Rapid Assessments – Not interested in a workshop but still need some support to achieve NZFAP and NZFAP Plus? We are offering rapid assessments carried out by accredited consultants, who will review material and help you identify any gaps that need to be addressed for certification.
Feeling overwhelmed by the variety of farm management programmes available? We’re developing an unbiased overview of farm planning tools to help farmers identify the format, costs, and what they offer, so you can decide what’s right for your farm.
Only want to know what your compliance obligations are? - National, regional and local council compliance standards sometimes overlap or conflict, and it’s hard to find them all in one place. PerrinAg has been developing a resource (paper binder and online) to help farmers understand local compliance requirements, with workshop support to provide hands-on examples. Where a resource is already available (Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Northland, Manawatū-Whanganui, Taranaki and Auckland), DINZ can support with workshops or resource printing for your group. If your group outside of these regions is interested, get in touch to discuss options for further roll-out.
To register your interest in any of the above offerings please, email farmplanning@deernz.org
