Sustainable Farming

The ability to farm without causing long term or irreversible damage to the health of the environment is of increasing importance to the word's discerning consumers of food, fibre and tourism. Our economic prosperity is dependent on our ability to deliver to what the customer wants.

eCOGENT provides farmers with an approach to farming that allows them to improve both their economic and environmental performance.

We have found that many of our clients, in the process of improving their profit, have also improved their environmental footprint by reducing stocking rates, fertiliser and supplementary feed. This has a positive impact on water quality, soil erosion, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, clients have increased the organic matter in their soils which gives them the potential to sequester atmospheric carbon and offset their farm’s greenhouse gas emissions.

eCOGENT is working closely with early adopters to develop the ability to sell carbon credits on the voluntary market. Watch this space.

Our Philosophy "The Six Laws of Farm Profitability"

Our job is to help you understand and put in place strategies that will improve the long term profitability of your farm business.
The methods to achieve sustained profit growth, healthier livelihoods and healthier environments come from the collective experience and wisdom of the eCOGENT farming network.

We call this approach the Six Laws of Farm Profitability. Summarised these are:

Establish a vision and strategic plan for your business
Make the big decisions in advance. Focus on where you want to be in the future and where you are today. Decide on the most important issues you need to address to get you there. Put together a well thought out plan that will make it happen and track your progress
Identify in advance the profit windows for each type of livestock
Forecast which stock are going to deliver you the most profit for every day of the year. Record key data about your farm (soil temperature, rain, pasture growth, Brix and stock performance) so that you can identify the natural cycles that occur throughout the year. Watch the markets closely and use a range of research tools and sources to make informed decisions on future market prices
Manage cash flow and financing to fund profit windows
Make accurate cash flow projections so that you can deal with shortfalls ahead of time. Make sure the return on investment for capital expenditure items is worthwhile. Have sufficient financial flexibility to manage times of economic stress and to take advantage of new opportunities
Manage pastures to grow healthy soils and nutritious feed
Promote a diversity of grasses, legumes and herbs to improve the natural nutrient/mineral levels available to animals, using species that grow and survive well in your area. Grow more resilient pasture by leaving longer residuals to harvest more of the sun’s energy and put down deeper, stronger roots. Avoid soil damage from pugging or ploughing using careful wet weather management and improved drainage. Build up the soil’s organic matter to enliven soil biology and improve drainage.
Adjust stocking rates to fully feed animals during profit windows
Throughout the year adjust stocking rates to ensure all animals are fully fed and perform when they are most profitable. Focus on both feed quality and quantity.
Establish healthy commercial relationships with customers and suppliers in advance
Connect with customers and deliver to their needs. Establish buy and sell agreements up front to reduce the risk of unfavorable market movements and add certainty to business planning.