A new report on farming and growing in Otago surveys over 150 years of practices for six primary industries.

The report is required to support development of the Land and Water Regional Plan, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) said in a statement to media.

‘Farmers and Growers in Otago’ collates information on primary industries’ production systems, size, distribution, key features and markets.

“In essence, it’s a window into rural businesses and their production systems in 2022 – at a time when the region, and New Zealand, appears to be heading into territory that is new,” the report states.

 The report was developed by an ORC industry advisory group and is the first of five studies comprising the ORC’s economic work programme which supports the new Land and Water Regional Plan.

The group’s membership includes the Foundation for Arable Research, Horticulture New Zealand, Deer Industry New Zealand, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Dairy NZ, and the Central Otago Winegrowers Association, along with the Ministry for Primary Industries.

The report’s six industry-specific chapters cover sheep and beef, deer, arable, dairy, horticulture, and viticulture.

Otago rural business is heading into new territory

The report says an understanding of farming and growing is necessary to developing policy responses to the new Land and Water Regional Plan.

“... it’s particularly the case in Otago, where the region’s distinct environments influence the scale, distribution and nature of rural land use, and their relationship with fresh water.”

The other reports from the programme (expected to be ready in early 2023) are: a summary of Otago’s catchment stories; testing the impacts of environmental actions; an Otago economic profile for Fresh Water and Land; and Fresh water and the economies of Kai Tahu and Māori in Otago.

Read the full Farmers and Growers in Otago report here.