One-stop shop big help
Finding problem-solvers hot topic
Being able to network was one of the key elements at NZ Beef & Lamb’s seminar at Awapuni racecourse aimed at rural professionals.
About 130 people were registered for the first get-together at the Palmerston North venue, including education providers, farm advisers, Ministry of Primary Industries representatives, veterinarians and researchers.
They were all people who deal with information aimed at farmers and agricultural students.
Beef & Lamb chief executive Scott Champion said farmers were busy and did not have time to go to lots of professionals – rather they wanted to know who had the knowledge they needed. ‘‘[This seminar] is a little bit about telling them what Beef & Lamb does.
‘‘But it is about sharing ideas, whether it be the latest technology, information or services.’’
Champion said that over the past year Beef & Lamb had been working with other service providers about ways to get information direct to farmers. ‘‘This seminar has been a bit of an experiment, but judging by the people in the room who all have a shared interest in farming, it is one we’ll continue with.’’
He said the seminar was about helping farmers or rural professionals know who they could go to when they came across a problem. Farmers still had to drench, dag and shear, as well as sell stock and do much more, and people often forgot they did not have the time to figure out who to go to when they had a problem, said Champion. A one-stop shop might work. ‘‘Farmers often come to us for independent information.
‘‘The farmers see that’s a really important role for us [Beef & Lamb].
‘‘We don’t sell a lot of the services out there.’’