25 years on - where are they now?
To celebrate 25 years of the Hugh Williams Memorial Scholarship, Ravensdown caught up with past recipients to see where their careers have taken them, and what the future holds for the industry.
The Farming Leaders’ Pledge was signed by a group of NZ pastoral farming leaders representing at least 80% of farmed land, committing them to working to make rivers swimmable for their children and grandchildren.
Henderson said Ravensdown is an organisation whose purpose is strongly aligned with the pledge.
“I grew up and now farm beside the Rangitikei River. I’m committed to seeing this pledge to fruition,” said Henderson.
“Those who are not familiar with Ravensdown may have thought it odd that a fertiliser company is represented in the group making the pledge. But the truth is it couldn’t be more appropriate.”
Henderson said the co-op does more than import and manufacture key nutrients for the pastoral farming sector.
“We have the fastest-growing environmental consultancy business in NZ and in the whole team employ the largest number of certified nutrient management advisors in the country.
“It’s not the size of our consultancy we pride ourselves on though, it’s the quality of advice and our sense of common purpose -- to enable smarter farming for a better NZ.”
The leaders group making the pledge includes a Ravensdown director, sheep and beef farmer Bruce Wills.
But Henderson said that with Wills there in his own right as a farming leader, Ravensdown wants to clearly state its support for the pledge. The co-op is intent on minimising sales of its products to only what is necessary, he said.
“We’ve had this debate in the boardroom. If a farmer rings up and says ‘I want 500 tonnes of nitrogen and I’m going to put it on at 200kg/ha’, we’re going to say to him ‘We won’t sell it to you’. There’s a bigger picture here than just Ravensdown’s profit. We’re all in the same boat, whether you live in Auckland or Tutira.”
The co-op is putting a lot of effort into technological advances such as computer-controlled variable-rate precision spreading from the air.
Henderson said NZ needs smarter farming for the sake of its environment, prosperity and for communities.
“As farming faces disruptive trends that will have a bearing on the value it contributes to NZ, Ravensdown is evolving so that the children of today and tomorrow benefit from our efforts. It’s long-term thinking and stewardship, building something lasting that collectively we can be proud of.
“The water pledge is a great example of this kind of thinking and Ravensdown has an important role to play in making this vision a reality.”
Henderson said Ravensdown was formed 40 years ago by farmers who wanted robust science, quality products and advice on working smarter and more efficiently.
“The shareholders of today are looking for ‘smarts’ that centre on trusted science, strong relationships and a concern for the environment.
“The pledge to make and keep NZ rivers swimmable requires a long-term commitment and is a multi-faceted challenge. But with collaboration, science, technology and the will to do so, we will be able to achieve this goal,” Henderson said.
