Our Services

Our main focus is farming operations requiring farm environmental management plans (FEMP) and overseer nutrient budgets (ONB) for :

• Council requirements
• Consenting
• Predictive modelling
• Scenario modelling
• Farm/landholding sales

​Who can develop an overseer nutrient budget for my landholding?

Currently overseer nutrient budgets should be done by an accredited Nutrient Management Advisor or Accredited Consultant with a good understanding of nutrient management tools and farming systems. You can find a list of these people on the Nutrient Management Advisor Certification Programme website. The Central Government is in the process of setting a new benchmark for farm environmental plans which will also need to be done by a certified advisor.

​Baldwin Agri Solutions is currently accredited through this programme.

Who will require our services?

The proposed water and land plan states:

• From 1 May 2019, all dairy platforms and landholdings that have intensive winter grazing will need an FEMP and therefore a nutrient budget.
• From 1 May 2020, all other landholdings above 20ha will need a FEMP and therefore a nutrient budget.

​The Central Govt’s policy states

• These will be required on all farms that are >20 ha (pastoral/arable) or >5ha (hort).
• The plans must be created by a “suitably qualified” person, audited by an independent person and enforced by council. ​

When should I begin sorting an overseer nutrient budget and farm environmental management plan?

You will need to action this when one of the bullet points above applies to your business. Currently all landholdings over 20ha should be in the process of developing a farm environmental management plan. These plans alongside a farm overseer nutrient budget will help you to start understanding your farms losses, numbers, mitigations, and will help you to fully understand what the implementation of the water and land plan will mean to you and your business.

​How often do I need to have an overseer nutrient budget and farm plan prepared for my landholding?

You will need to have a ONB prepared initially and then for any material change on your property. This could include a change in crop area, crop rotation length, type of crops grown, stocking rate or stock type. The ONB will need to be prepared at the end of the year in which the change occurs. However, you will also need to update every three years, after the change occurs. The FEMP will need to be reviewed every year.

What is involved?

• A 15 bullet point ONB list emailed for farmer to collate data before meeting
• On-farm data collection to assess current environmental practises and future improvements.
• Post ONB and FEMP results debrief and understanding meeting.

Benefits of having an overseer nutrient budget and farm environmental management plan

• Council compliant
• Beat the rush
• Know your nutrient losses
• To model scenario changes and how these will impact your business
• Understand your business’ inputs/outputs and how it sits environmentally
• Critiquing current management practises
• Make informed management decisions
• Accountability and traceability
• Identifying any issues
• Environmentally sustainable business