In the late Middle Ages, a new English word came into use. ‘Temperate’ was derived from the Latin temperatus, meaning restrained, moderate, calm, and steady. The opposite of extreme, in other words!    

 

A perfect description for New Zealand’s climate? Not lately, that’s for sure. And probably not so much in the future, either.  

 

But that doesn’t mean a bleak outlook for pastoral farming. Far from it. With science, collaboration and an open mind, we can successfully de-risk our pasture based systems, and build resilience in the face of an increasingly erratic climate. In fact, we’ve already started…  

 

This is the first of two Insights about climate change, and New Zealand pastures. Next time, we’ll dig into emerging strategies on-farm.   

 

Want to read more? Click to read the full article here.