In 50 years’ farming I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such a shambles in New Zealand agriculture.

The withdrawal of Fonterra capital restructure plan, the controversial mega-merger in the meat industry, and the drought – which is already being estimated to cost farmers more than $1 billion this season alone. Next season, when the increased costs for feed supplements show up on the books, the situation is likely to be even worse.

On top of this, agricultural research continues to lack the innovation and development to help farmers. Handouts for more research are being made without any real visionary leadership. Yes, I can hear my old colleagues sigh, but I am afraid farmers are in danger of being misled by research projects on production and what we can kill today, instead of what we can do to farm sustainably and produce healthier food, at a profit, for our grandchildren.

New Zealand agriculture seems to have lost its way. What are the issues? Ask most farmers and they will tell you – ‘What about a fair go and a fair return from our investment in land, buildings, time and effort?’

We have been provided with a great basic natural resource of land and climate. That’s what New Zealand is all about but, for example, we have tried to turn mountains into intensive production units for the wrong reasons.

Why not farm those hills as profitable breeding units capable of producing healthy store animals for those farmers on the flats to finish at a profitable return from their investment?

There are many lessons from the world of business that as farmers we need to be alert to. It’s really about best business practice, regardless of whether it is manufacturing agricultural products, shoes, computers or fancy clothes for specific markets.

It is time to take stock and make a change that will sustain New Zealand agriculture into the future. More of the same is not an option. Since the Farming for Change conference in Christchurch in February it has never been simpler to get out there and adopt a paradigm mindset change to produce healthy food that is profitable, and sustainable for the environment.

Farmers I have witnessed increase their profit haven’t followed fashions. They’ve been brave and really thought about the future. Climate change is part of that, and carbon sequestration options are shaping up to be a viable part of meeting that challenge. There are real profits to be made, especially by farmers.

And about time I say. The world is crying out for quality food and price is not of concern. What New Zealand agriculture needs now is the ability to produce critical mass of quality food for discerning markets.

My business was born to address these issues. By being able to measure daily profit available for every animal on the farm, we can measure the impacts of sustainable approaches… and we are seeing that these can be both sustainable and profitable.