Extension 350

Extension 350 is a programme that was designed to help our Taitokerau Northland farmers succeed, not just with a healthier bottom line, but with a healthier environment and farming community too.

This project - which was completed in 2022 - was designed as a long-term, farmer led and farmer focused agricultural extension project that operates primarily in Taitokerau Northland, but also in parts of Auckland. The original goal of the project was to engage meaningfully to affect change with 350 farmers across the lifetime of the project. To date, the project has reached over 380 farmers, of which 108 of these are directly involved in affecting change on their farms.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Extension 350 was launched in 2016 and completed in 2022. It was led by Taitokerau Northland farmers who we knew were doing great things, but with room to improve. It was based on the premise that when you’re focussed on the day-to-day running of your business, it can be hard to see the bigger picture, get new ideas and have the confidence to implement them. The project looked to improve the resiliency of the farms involved by supporting them to affect positive change across three key aspects of their business, increasing farm profitability, increasing environmental sustainability and improving farmer wellbeing.

The project achieved this through a cluster model, with each cluster made up of a number of target teams. An agri-consultant worked closely with the target and mentor farmers of each target team and the learnings were passed on to associate farmers at meetings throughout the year and via online farmer reporting.

The result was Taitokerau Northland farmers learning from other experienced Taitokerau Northland farmers, who through this extra support were able to see their business with fresh eyes. Having other farmers and people you trust to challenge your thinking and systems can make all the difference to your farming business.