Accounting firm Deloitte is currently carrying out research leading to the development of an across-sector strategy for red meat.
Strategy team leader Alasdair MacLeod is currently holding a series of meetings with farmers and other sector groups to get feedback and further ideas on the draft strategy.
According to a recent report in the New Zealand Farmers Weekly, farmers at the meetings are asking for leadership but, when questioned, are unclear what they mean by this.
So Mr MacLeod knows that farmers want more leadership, but has no idea what they mean when they say this.
I frequently hear comments about lack of leaders from the rural community.
I strongly disagree.
I believe we have many excellent leaders in the agricultural and supporting community.
The real issue is that farmers are strong individualists, who frequently refuse to be led.
This is one of our strengths behind the farm gate, where we are good at adapting management techniques to fit our own particular farming situation and set of challenges.
However, it is our greatest weakness when it comes to marketing our product to the world.
Sheep and beef farmers remain as thousands of small fragmented businesses selling (or sometimes just handing over) our product at the farm gate to other businesses, which then extract maximum value for themselves.
Dairy farmers have recognised the weaknesses of this approach and have organised themselves into a strong, co-ordinated approach to market their product to the world.
The results are obvious for all to see.
Sheep and beef farmers generally agree on where we want to go (better farm-gate prices), but we get all hung up on the detail of how we get there.
In talking to farmers about the proposals to form Wool Partners Co-operative, I have been surprised at the number of farmers who agree on the principle of a strong farmer co-op, but refused to support this particular proposal because they disagree with a particular valuation; or don't like PGG Wrightson; or have a past personal grievance with someone involved; or there were too many of the same old faces or too many new faces; or don't want to disappoint their current buyer.
These opportunities don't often come along.
If we support the principal we need to put aside past grievances, disagreements over minor detail and personality issues and work together for the future of our industry.
We will all disagree with some details of any proposal, but we need to be able to put aside small points of difference to work together collectively for the greater good.
I believe sheep and beef farming is potentially going into a period of much stronger financial returns.
However, the returns will be even better if we show stronger vision for the future.
This means putting the past behind us, and seeing ourselves as marketers in a value chain rather than sellers at the farm gate.
We have good leaders in the agricultural community, but we must get in and support them.
This requires some degree of compromise and effort by all involved to reach a common goal.
In the current world leaders cannot achieve much by themselves.
They need the strong support of their constituents so that, collectively, we all achieve the common goal.
- John Aspinall is a Wanaka farmer.