As many regulations start to take effect, farmers are grappling with the complexity of the work they need to get done, the new limits they need to farm to and if or how their property values are being affected as a result.
With all that complexity, visibility and risk comes the opportunity for consultants to offer to help farmers with their challenges.
Professional advisors, e.g. accountants or agri-consultants, are familiar, but farm environmental consultants are a fairly new breed. So how do you know the environmental advice you’re getting is what you need and you’re not just being told what you want to hear?
Here are six questions to get started.
First, are they a certified nutrient management advisor (CNMA)? Having this qualification shows you they have met the nationally recognised standards as providers of certified nutrient management advice.
Advisers are required to have completed appropriate university qualifications, or suitable work experience in agriculture. They also need to have successfully completed the intermediate and advanced courses in Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture via Massey University, and show that their skills and knowledge meet required standards via a competency assessment.
