Find out more about B+LNZ’s farm planning approach and access key resources.
About Farm Planning
B+LNZ’s farm planning approach is designed to help you:
- ensure the sustainability and profitability of your business by adapting to climate change, understanding and managing your greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting the health of your soil, freshwater and biodiversity
- meet emerging consumer and regulatory requirements
- provide an evidence base to tell your farming story.
The modular approach allows you to initially focus on the aspects that are most important to your business and continue building your plan over time.
The first module to be launched covers the environment.
B+LNZ’s farm planning approach will be primarily delivered through workshops with a strong practical focus. If you’re interested in doing a farm planning workshop, contact your local B+LNZ Extension Manager – if you don’t have their details call 0800 BEEFLAMB (0800 233 352) or email enquiries@beeflambnz.com
In addition to the Farm Plan: Environment Module workshops, Beef + Lamb New Zealand will, COVID-related restrictions allowing, be delivering workshops on specific sections. These chapter specific events enable you to focus on individual parts of your farm plan as they are most important to your business and build your farm plan over time.
Responding to a Changing Climate workshop
This workshop covers the background to knowing and calculating a farm’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) numbers and enables farmers to calculate their farm’s GHG emissions and document their GHG action plan. You can download a copy of the Climate Change chapter (PDF, 3.56MB).
Winter Grazing Workshop
For more information on our workshop to help you plan for and manage your winter grazing, visit the Winter Grazing webpage in the Knowledge Hub.
In this workshop, you’ll work through the ‘Forage Cropping’ section of B+LNZ’s Farm Plan: Environment Module. It covers planning and management to avoid and mitigate the negative effects of winter forage crop grazing and strategies and techniques to look after animals, soils and water. You can find the documents on this page.
Download the Farm Plan document
Click on the button below to download a PDF of the Farm Plan: Environment Module. You will be asked to provide some registration details if not already logged in – this is so B+LNZ can provide you with update details in future, as well as further information about Farm Planning.
DOWNLOAD FARM PLAN (PDF, 9.56 MB)
Farm Plan – Environment Module User Guide
Your step-by-step process to creating the Environment Module of your Farm Plan and keeping it active, for your farm.
This user guide is a step by step process to help create your plan and to keep it active. In addition, it lists the things you need to do before the 1st workshop, the things you need to bring to the workshops, and where you can find more information.
Download the Farm Plan – Environment Module User Guide (1.5MB PDF) or request a hard copy – email resources@beeflambnz.com or call 0800 BEEFLAMB (0800 233 352).
Farm Plan – Environment Module templates
In this section you can find copies of all the templates in the ‘Our Plan’ section of the Farm Plan – Environment Module, should you need extra copies. You can print these off, or download and fill in electronically.
You can download a file with all the Farm Plan templates here (PDF, 7.3MB). Alternatively, find specific chapters and individual templates in the menu below.
- Our Plan: All templates (PDF, 7MB)
- OT 1–4 Our Plan templates: Introduction and overview (PDF, 74KB)
- OT1 Our Plan template: Vision, values and goals (PDF, 39KB)
- OT2 Our Plan template: Describe your farm system (PDF, 35KB)
- OT3 Our Plan template: Farm team (PDF, 34KB)
- OT4 Our Plan template: Resource chart (PDF, 32KB)
- ST 1–4 Our Plan templates: Managing soil health (PDF, 1MB)
- ST1 Our Plan template: Visual soil assessment card - soil Indicators (PDF, 39KB)
- ST2 Our Plan template: Visual soil assessment card- plant Indicators (PDF, 39KB)
- ST3 Our Plan template: Earthworm abundance survey (PDF, 51KB)
- ST4 Our Plan template: Risk assessment - soil health (PDF, 42KB)
- FW 1–5 Our Plan templates: Freshwater Ecosystem health (PDF, 1MB)
- FW1 Our Plan template: Freshwater assessment summary (PDF, 29KB)
- FW2 Our Plan template: Stream health check (PDF, 136KB)
- FW3 Our Plan template: Freshwater risk (PDF, 36KB)
- FW4 Our Plan template: Freshwater actions completed to date (PDF, 39KB)
- FW5 Our Plan template: Freshwater monitoring plan (PDF, 32KB)
- BT 1–6 Our Plan templates: Integrating native biodiversity (PDF, 1MB)
- BT1 Our Plan template: Farm biodiversity assessment – whole farm (PDF, 37KB)
- BT2 Our Plan template: Farm biodiversity assessment – individual sites (PDF, 164KB)
- BT3 Our Plan template: Recording sheets for birds (PDF, 55KB)
- BT4 Our Plan template: Recording sheet for native invertebrates, lizards and bats (PDF, 44KB)
- BT5 Our Plan template: Risk assessment – biodiversity (PDF, 40KB)
- BT6 Our Plan template: Photopoint record data sheet (PDF, 58KB)
- CC 1–8 Our Plan templates: Responding to a changing climate (PDF, 1MB)
- CC1 Our Plan template: Greenhouse gas and climate change values and goals (PDF, 24KB)
- CC2 Our Plan template: Current areas of woody vegetation (PDF, 42KB)
- CC3 Our Plan template: Areas of sequestration map (PDF, 24KB)
- CC4 Our Plan template: Our farm’s emissions and sinks (PDF, 89KB)
- CC5 Our Plan template: Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions risk template (PDF, 24KB)
- CC6 Our Plan template: Action plan to manage emissions and respond to climate change impacts (PDF, 45KB)
- CC7 Our Plan template: Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions management actions to date (PDF, 33KB)
- CC8 Our Plan template: Monitoring plan – to manage emissions and respond to climate change impacts (PDF, 28KB)
- FC 1-10 Our Plan templates: Forage Cropping (PDF, 1.04MB)
- FC1 Our Plan template: Why am I forage cropping? (PDF, 65KB)
- FC2 Our Plan template: Forage crop programme (PDF, 31KB)
- FC3 Our Plan template: Winter forage crop grazing – Farm details (PDF, 32KB)
- FC4 Our Plan template: Winter forage crop grazing – Animal details (PDF, 34KB)
- FC5 Our Plan template: Risk assessment for forage cropping (PDF, 40KB)
- FC6 Our Plan template: Winter grazing paddock (PDF, 33KB)
- FC7 Our Plan template: Adverse weather event planning (PDF, 29KB)
- FC8 Our Plan template: Forage cropping monitoring and review (PDF, 39KB)
- FC9 Our Plan template: Forage cropping checklist (PDF, 58KB)
- FC10 Our Plan template: Catchment values (PDF, 30KB)
- IT 1–4 Our Plan templates: Implementation (PDF, 1MB)
- IT1 Our Plan template: Action plan (PDF, 53KB)
- IT2 Our Plan template: Specific projects (PDF, 58KB)
- IT3 Our Plan template: Monitoring plan (PDF, 45KB)
- IT4 Our Plan template: Annual Review (PDF, 35KB)
Farm Plan – Environment Module resource links
Through the Farm Plan – Environment Module, you will see a number of resources are mentioned, for further information and to help you create your plan. We’ve collected all those links here on this page to make them easy to find. Find the resource links by chapter through the dropdown menu below.
BizPlan
By articulating your business vision and values identify your goals, and set actions to move toward them.
Business Planning Module
The online module on Business Planning outlines more about setting your vision and values.
Catchment Group information
You can find information about catchment groups and getting involved here.
Use Google My Maps to map your farm
A step by step explanation on how you can use Google My Maps to create your own farm map.
Visual Soil Assessment resource book
The guide has been developed to help land managers assess soil quality easily, quickly, reliably and cheaply on a paddock scale.
How to find Soil Data on S-Map
A step by step guide to using S-Map a Landcare Research tool created to help you understand the soil types on your farm.
OverseerFM nutrient budget form
A template to help with data collection for OverseerFM.
Cultivate/ graze test
Is it too wet to graze or cultivate?
Understanding your soils
This online learning module will help you know soil characteristics, assess soil and understand soil management practices.
Stock exclusion and waterways
For more information about stock exclusion and waterways.
Land and Water Aotearoa
The Land and Water Aotearoa site is also a good source of information.
Stream Health Check
The Stream Health Check involves a visual assessment of the stream and its immediate surroundings. View the Steam Health Check video series here.
Rapid Habitat Assessment
This assessment helps give a quick indication of stream health.
Wetland assessment
The New Zealand Landcare Trust have developed a practical tool to assess wetlands which may be useful if you have wetlands on your farm.
Winter grazing and forage cropping
More information on winter grazing can be found here.
Stock water management module
Find the stock water management B+LNZ module here.
Managing stock near water
Find out how to best manage stock near water.
MPI's stock water management webpage
Find the stock water management B+LNZ module here.
Landcare Trust Wetland Assessment
The New Zealand Landcare Trust have developed a practical tool to assess wetlands which may be useful if you have wetlands on your farm. You can find a link to their webpage here.
NIWA's freshwater fish identification webpage
Visit NIWA's page on freshwater fish for help identifying the different species.
DOC native animal identifier
The Stream Health Check involves a visual assessment of the stream and its immediate surroundings.
MPI’s ‘Canopy’ hub for information on tree planting/management
MPI’s new information and knowledge hub, ‘Canopy’ aims to provide New Zealanders with forestry projects of all sizes with sound, practical information to help them with the choices they make when joining or working in the sector.
MPI carbon sequestration look-up tables
You can get a rough idea of carbon sequestration for post-1989 forest land by using the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) look-up tables.
B+LNZ GHG Calculator
Provides a free, farmer facing tool to report the on-farm sequestration and emissions of the business, and reflects the individual farm’s livestock and production system. The tool is designed to help the red meat sector’s reporting requirements to satisfy He Waka Eke Noa regulations.
OverseerFM
A more complex calculator that estimates on-farm emissions and their sources. It can be used to test the impact of farm management changes on emissions (and nutrient flows) before those changes are made. It also accounts for sequestration by trees.
Farmax 8
Provides an estimate of on-farm emissions. It can be used to test the impact of farm management changes on emissions as well as animal production and profitability. It also accounts for sequestration.
GHG factsheets:
- The Greenhouse effect, including long and short-lived gases (PDF, 219KB). Learn more about New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, and what it all means for sheep and beef farmers.
- Biogenic methane from ruminant animals and nitrous oxide from agricultural soils (PDF, 1.2MB). This factsheet outlines the production of methane in ruminants and nitrous oxide from soils.
- Greenhouse gas management and mitigation for sheep and beef farmers (PDF, 538KB). Managing methane – what options do you have? This factsheet will help you understand the options you have to measure and manage on-farm emissions, so that you can meet regulatory requirements.
- Carbon sequestration in woody vegetation (PDF, 538KB). This factsheet explains why woody vegetation carbon sequestration is important for farmers, and how to calculate carbon stocks and sequestration on-farm.
- Adapting to a changing climate (PDF, 321KB). The projected impacts of climate change on New Zealand farming systems and advice on building a resilient system.
AgMatters website
Practical information, backed by science, to help farmers and growers get to grips with climate change.
MfE climate change resources
The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) has a resource available that outlines likely future changes to the climate of each region and what that means for each region.
Extreme Dry Management Toolkit
For more information on drought management, check out Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Extreme Dry Management Toolkit.
Flood management
Resources for preparing for a flood, recovering from a flood and health & safety post-flood.
Snowstorm support
Information on preparing for and responding to snow weather bombs, including factsheets and links to websites and organisations that can provide you with support.
He Waka Eke Noa: the Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership
The He Waka Eke Noa programme will implement a framework by 2025 to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and build the agriculture sector’s resilience to climate change. Find more information about the key milestones and workstreams on the He Waka Eke Noa website.
Winter grazing and forage cropping
You can find more information about management options for winter grazing here.
For more information on our workshop to help you plan for and manage your winter grazing.
Irrigation New Zealand
Access Irrigation New Zealand's irrigation templates here.
