The environment you farm in is changing.
There are added expectations and pressures around gaining environmental compliance, some of which can be hard to get a handle on.
That’s why Ravensdown offers both the expertise and tools to make the journey easier. This helps free up your time so you can concentrate on what matters most – the productivity and profitability of your farming business.
Whether it’s a Farm Environment Plan (FEP), nutrient budget, resource consent or due diligence for a farm sale or purchase, Ravensdown’s team of environmental experts can help you work towards your compliance goals.
While the landscape may be complex, the solution we provide isn’t. Our experience in nutrient management - from providing fertiliser solutions, right through to environmental support and advice – can help you to meet your compliance objectives.
Ravensdown offers a range of environmental services, each tailored to suit your individual needs. Below is a snap-shot of our range of environmental services.
Farm Environment Plans (FEP) |
Our team will work with you to create a Farm Environment Plan (FEP) that will meet all FEP requirements while also supporting continuous environmental improvement on-farm. |
Resource consents and planning |
Our professional planners are available to work through the resource consent process with you, ranging from initial advice on your individual situation, writing the assessment of effects, planning regulation assessment and preparing and lodging the resource consent application. They can also help advise you on meeting the planning rules for current and proposed farming activities. |
Nutrient modelling |
If you need to determine nutrient losses for regulatory requirements or if you are considering a farm system change to support productivity or regulatory requirements, we can model these changes to show their effect on key outcomes such as nitrogen or phosphorus loss. |
Due diligence for farm sale and purchase |
We can give you peace of mind whether you are the vendor or purchaser by helping ensure environmental constraints and planning requirements are identified. We also model potential farm systems as scenarios for purchasers to ensure they can operate within environmental limits. |
Recording and reporting |
One important part of compliance is keeping reliable records for all fertiliser applications on your property. Ravensdown’s HawkEye software is a farm mapping and decision support solution that can be used to capture and detail the nutrient events on your farm, including all your fertiliser orders. When Ravensdown Joint Venture spreading or TracMap spreaders are used, proof of placement data is also captured helping to build a complete on-farm picture. |
Key Dates – National Environmental Regulations for Farmers
To help you stay current with environmental regulations across New Zealand, we've put together this handy PDF. We are confident that you will find this resource useful for staying on top of all the changes and knowing the key dates on which they come into effect.
Key Dates PDF
This file was last updated and current on September 14 2021.
Understanding the National Environmental Standards - Freshwater (NES-FW)
The following is a breakdown of what the new freshwater rules mean for your farm and whether you will need resource consents.
Overview: new regulation summary Nitrogen fertiliser cap summary Stock exclusion regulations summary
Our team of environmental specialists
Ravensdown's team of agri managers and environmental specialists, supported by the Customer Centre, are here to help with all your on-farm nutrient, environmental and sustainability needs.
Collectively, our team of environmental specialists have many years of experience consulting on farm environmental matters. In fact, some even run their own farms, so they know first-hand the issues you are facing.
Arron Hutton
Environmental Consultancy Manager
B Agr Sci (Hon), Certified NMA
I have been involved in the agricultural industry for over 15 years in a number of roles. I enjoy utilising my knowledge of farm systems and regulations to help farmers work through the ‘compliance headache’. I believe being informed on nutrient management provides as many opportunities as it does limitations for farmers.
Suzanne Light
Business Support Manager (Environmental)
B. Appl Mgt
I have a genuine interest in the agricultural sector, working for Ravensdown for over 20 years and joining the environmental journey in 2014. The waves of regulation over this time have seen the need for farmers to be agile in their approach to farming to support the future sustainability of their farming operations. My primary focus is to manage the procedural operations for our consultants to help them deliver and maintain environmental compliance for farmers.
Colin Tyler
Principal Consultant
B.Agr.Sc, PGDip Bus Admin (Mgmt), Certified NMA
I have been involved in farming all my life - as a sheep and beef farmer in Central Hawke's Bay, and in a variety of roles in the rural industry. Recently my career has focused on how environmental regulations have become part of farming businesses, returning to Ravensdown to help shareholders understand and meet their requirements.
Hannah Foster
Principal Consultant
BSc, PGDip Env. Mngmnt, Certified NMA
I have spent much of my working life directly or indirectly involved in the agricultural sector. I am passionate about helping my customers meet their ever-changing environmental and regulatory requirements as well as looking at options to best achieve their goals with science-based advice specific to their business.
Kat Todd
Principal Consultant
BAppSc (EnvMgt), Dip Marine Studies
I understand the pressures farmers are facing and am committed to helping my customers to achieve their aspirations. With a strong compliance & consenting background, I have the skillset to help farmers navigate the current climate of evolving environmental regulatory requirements. My experience working with Kaupapa Māori provided me an understanding of the complexities involved to ensure the best outcome for the operation, the trustees, and the whenua.
Kelly Morris
Principal Consultant
B Appl Sci (Ag) (Hon), Certified NMA
I am passionate about our agricultural industry. Both the quality products we produce, and the passion, knowledge and technology that is used to produce these products in a sustainable way. I like to work with my customers and offer them science based advice specific to their business to help them achieve their farming goals.
Ruth Prankerd
Principal Consultant
B AppSci (Agribusiness)
I love working in the primary sector and have been dairy farming for over 15 years. I’ve enjoyed a fulfilling career as a Rural Professional working alongside farmers in different aspects of their business. This has enabled me to grow a well-rounded understanding of the pressures of farming and the benefits of sustainability. Helping farmers overcome challenges to maximise efficiencies within their farming operations is what I really strive for. Front-footing the environmental challenges by making farmers’ businesses more resilient is something I’m passionate about.
Anna Macdonald
Senior Farm Environmental Consultant
PhD, BSc (Hons)
With a research background in nutrient management and diverse pastures I enjoy working with farmers to achieve the best possible science-based outcomes for their businesses and the environment. In recent years I have enjoyed working with farmers in both Agri Manager and Environmental Consultant roles.
Jade McRae
Senior Farm Environmental Consultant
PhD, BSc (Hons)
With a research background in nutrient management and diverse pastures I enjoy working with farmers to achieve the best possible science-based outcomes for their businesses and the environment. In recent years I have enjoyed working with farmers in both Agri Manager and Environmental Consultant roles.
Thomas Taylor
Senior Farm Environmental Consultant
Certified NMA
I have had a lifetime of involvement in the agriculture industry, initially in the sheep and beef sector and then moving into the service sector. I have been with Ravensdown for 18 years as an Agri Manager and Environmental Consultant, using my experience in supporting shareholders through the challenges to meeting environmental rules and regulations. My strength is understanding your business and helping you meet the requirements of running a sustainable business, which includes good environmental practices.
Ella Shields
Intermediate Planner
BEPP(Hons).
Growing up in rural Southland, I have always had strong ties to farming and the agricultural industry. Throughout my studies at Lincoln I learnt about the regulatory constraints on the rural industry and the concept of farmers needing a ‘social license to operate’. This has motivated me to use my planning skills and knowledge to help farmers optimise their productive potential while meeting their environmental goals and ultimately gaining the trust of the community.
Nick Sharpe
Farm Environmental Consultant
B.Mgt (Agribusiness)
I was born and raised in the heart of the Waikato and have been a part of the rural sector my entire life. My career to date has given me experience working with farmers to help navigate and understand their regulatory requirements. I have a passion for making things easier for farmers and strive to achieve favourable economic and environmental outcomes.
Nicolas Imas
Farm Environmental Consultant
BSc Agri Eng.
After growing up on a farm in Argentina I have been involved in different roles in the rural industry. With a background in agricultural science I have supported beef and dairy farmers to achieve their goals in South America and New Zealand. This experience gave me a wide vision of the different agricultural systems and their challenges. I enjoy helping farmers to work through the environmental regulations to meet their requirements.
Sophie McClenaghan
Farm Environmental Consultant
BSc (Biology), Certified NMA
I am passionate about our agricultural industry and learning about new products and ideas that will sustain farming in our future. Since leaving university I have been involved in a variety of roles that feed into different parts of the agricultural industry in Canterbury. I enjoy helping farmers navigate their ever-changing regulatory requirements while also achieving farm specific business and environmental goals using science-based advice.
Alastair Wolfe
Farm Environmental Consultant
MRes, Bsc (Hons), Certified NMA
I am passionate about our agricultural industry, the quality products we produce on our farms and the expertise and technology that is used to produce these products in a sustainable way. I want to help ensure we continue to do this by assisting farmers to create robust business plans and operational systems that are able to meet evolving challenges and regulations.
Tim Sheed
Farm Environmental Consultant
B.Ag, M.Mgmt.Agrib
After growing up on a sheep and beef farm in South Canterbury I am passionate about agriculture and motivated to help farmers overcome environmental constraints. I want to help farmers overcome the challenges of modern faming to maximise the efficiencies within their farming operations. I have been drawn into the environmental field as I see this as a space that farmers require support in.