Ben Troughton, Waikato

Waikato dairy farmer Ben Troughton is on a journey from a high input, high output operation towards a smaller, more diversified and environmentally sustainable system. It’s a slow journey but the benefits for the soil, livestock and the environment are starting to show.

Find out how Ben Troughton is managing greenhouse gas emissions on his Waikato dairy farm.

Transcript

Duration: 5:21

 

VOICEOVER:
Any favourite flavours?

SARAH TROUGHTON:
Definitely Banana Bee - Banana and Honey.

BEN TROUGHTON:
Local honey.

SARAH TROUGHTON:
We've got the hives on the farm.

Jersey Cow Caramel, Ginger and Turmeric, Damson Buttercup.

BEN TROUGHTON:
The damson plums are off the farm and the original trees - my grandfather would've planted them.

That flavour's quite cool because we're using the fruit from the farm and the milk from the farm.

My grandfather Vic came out from Ireland in the early 1920s, so we're coming up to 100 years on the land.

In some respects, we've almost gone back to what my grandfather would've been farming like.

Just a more basic way of farming. If you have your own garden and you understand the basic principles.

Most people don't go out and spray their vegetables with fungicides, herbicides and urea. People don't tend to do that with their vegetables at home, the food that they eat.

And that applies to the grass too because the cows are eating that and we're drinking their milk and eating beef off the farm.

It's the same principle but on a larger scale. We know there's some harmful practices, and without everyone jumping up and down,

we have to do something about it.

Probably the biggest difference in latter years is the stocking rate. We've dropped that considerably from what it was.

We still use a little urea, really selectively. We've gone down from something like 200 units to 20 units.

And we've done that intentionally. We're at the point now that we could cut out artificial nitrogen completely.


SARAH TROUGHTON:
It's cost us a lot of money to do what we've done. The books don't look that good from the bank manager's point of view.

We've had to spend extra on the fertiliser and we've spent extra on the composting.


BEN TROUGHTON:
We have reduced our cow numbers and as a sharemilker, they're actually our asset.

Our bank manager pointed out that our best years financially were when we were milking the most cows.

We were doing good production but it came at a cost.

SARAH TROUGHTON:
They were the worst years in our farming.

Lots of cows, lots of staff.

BEN TROUGHTON:
Lots of pressure, lots of skinny cows and lots of costs too.

So we've reduced our costs. We have reduced our cow numbers and we have reduced our production.

But we're doing a lot better per cow and we are confident that we'll make up the difference when we tweak cow numbers a little more.

I guess our battle is with the land being so expensive, it's hard to manage that. Perhaps we need to look at different ways to diversify to make it work.

The aim of what we're doing with the gelato is to add value to our milk.

We look to overseas examples like the Swiss and their cheese and the French and their dairy products.

They're not producing massive amounts to feed the world.

We should be using our high quality ingredients and producing products that people want in this country.

We can produce this food and it's worth more to us.

It is exciting and hopefully an example of what can be done too.

SARAH TROUGHTON:
For me, I look at the way we farm, the condition of the cows. The cows are happy, you can see in the coat. It makes me proud of what we do.


BEN TROUGHTON:
And to be able to show people that there is another way and we can do it sustainably. Because that's what we all want.

100 years on the land.

We're not trying to destroy it, we're trying to improve it.

 

About the farm

Ben Troughton’s connection to the dairy farm he manages near Matamata in the Waikato runs deep. Grandfather Vic bought the property nearly 100 years ago, and bloodlines in Ben’s current milking herd trace all the way back to Vic’s original animals.

And it’s the farming principles that Vic lived by – keeping it simple and local, and looking after the land, livestock and each other – that Ben is now looking to emulate as they strive for a more sustainable and fulfilling business.

Ben share milks 500 cows on his family’s 200-hectare property. Soils on the farm are silt loams ranging from poor to well-drained, and the average annual rainfall is 1,210mm. Ben runs this as a System 2 operation, with a stocking rate in 2019/20 of 2.23/ha.

Environmental focus

When Ben took over the farm, all the advice he was receiving at the time pointed to increasing inputs: higher stocking rates, more imported feeds, more nitrogen fertiliser, more pressure to produce. He saw the effect it was having on the health of his cows, on staff, and on the environment, and decided that it just wasn’t for him.

More sustainable practices have been incorporated slowly over the last ten years and underpinned by development of a farm plan, a process Ben says is well worth the time and effort.

Change began with a close look at stocking rates. Ben has managed to reduce them from 3.53/ha in 2011/12 to 2.23 in 2019/20, with total stock numbers dropping from 700 to 500 and a corresponding increase in per animal production achieved. Split calving in autumn and spring was also introduced as well as a shift to year-round once-a-day milking. Ben estimates that production dropped by about 7% but that was outweighed by the fact that his cows and their calves are healthier and there are lower breeding costs and vet bills.

Ben also reviewed nitrogen fertiliser use, aiming to reduce leaching and surplus nitrogen. Urea inputs have since been reduced to about 10% of what they were (10-30kg N/ha applied in the three years since 2019) and he’s almost ready to eliminate artificial nitrogen inputs altogether. Other changes have been introduced like establishing a feed pad, improving effluent management, minimising tillage, riparian planting along all the drains and incorporating plantain into their grass seed mixes.

All of this has been aimed at reducing the farm’s environmental impact and removing stress on animals. An improved work-life balance has also been a welcome side-effect.

Ben’s focus on low-input farming might not work for everyone. But – looking back – he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Greenhouse gas numbers

When Ben started on this journey, he wasn’t doing it for the climate – but his numbers show just what an impact he’s had.

 

Ben has reduced his total greenhouse gas emissions per hectare (methane and nitrous oxide) by nearly a third since 2011. At the same time, he’s reduced his nitrogen leaching by a quarter but his productivity per animal (kg MS/cow) has gone up by nearly a third. This is an incredible achievement and proof that it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and remain profitable.

Ben has had help to figure out his greenhouse gas emissions through a partnership with the University of Waikato where his farm is part of a research and monitoring programme. He also has an Overseer file, which gives him access to greenhouse gas data and he receives regular reporting as a Fonterra supplier.

To find out more about the tools for estimating on-farm greenhouse gas emissions, see our Know Your Numbers page. 

On-farm actions

As mentioned earlier, Ben has implemented a range of changes on his farm to improve his environmental impact. Many of these have helped reduce his methane and nitrous oxide emissions:

  • Reducing stocking rates and improving performance
  • Efficiency improvements
  • Reducing nitrogen fertiliser
  • Once-a-day milking

To find out more about these actions and other ways to reduce on-farm emissions, see our Current actions page.

Know your numbers and have a plan

By now, all farmers and growers must have a record of their annual on-farm greenhouse gas emissions (methane and nitrous oxide). By the end of 2024, they'll also need to have a written plan in place to manage them. These requirements are part of the He Waka Eke Noa partnership and are intended to help get farmers ready for agricultural greenhouse gas emissions to be priced from 2025. To find out more on how to do this, see our Know Your Numbers page.