Get the FACCTs
Understanding your farm science to improve confidence and protect production and profitability.
As part of our Good Farm project, we’re excited to extend a popular series of workshops to help you better understand your land, protect production and profitability through farm science, and turn that knowledge into real opportunity.
The Farming and Compliance Confidence Taranaki (FACCT) workshops are delivered by local farmer Campbell McCowan. They are a chance to learn more about the science of your farm and how best to manage your land, water and agricultural greenhouse gases to build genuine confidence about potential regulations, and protect productivity and profitability.
"You'll be amazed at how much you will learn and benefit from this."
– Ev, Patea
"Having the science explained to us from a farmer, not from a scientist, makes it much more relatable!"
– Yoana, Patea
"Well worth the 30-minute
drive to get to!"
– Jo, Mania
More about the FACCT series
A new FACCT series is starting mid-October 2026. Join Taranaki farmer Campbell McCowan from PLANit Farming for 15 practical sessions across three modules – Land, Air and Water – designed to help you better understand the science behind your farm, build confidence and make informed farming decisions.
15 sessions | Two hours every two weeks | 60 places available
To register, email hello@taranakicc.nz with your name, location and phone number. Visit taranakicc.nz/events for upcoming dates and locations.
Here are a few other reasons you should join us:
The programme is structured into three modules: Land, Air and Water. Each module includes four learning sessions plus one optional hands-on workshop, for a total of 15 sessions. Sessions are approximately two hours and are held every two weeks, with flexibility around busy farm and family schedules.
It’s free!
There will be 15 x two-hour lunchtime sessions delivered over several months.
The programme is designed to fit around farm and family life.
We promise you’ll leave with valuable knowledge and access to Good Farm resources.
PLANit Farming is totally independent, so you can expect frank conversations and facts.
We’re local and we get it: we invite you to rock up in your farm clothes and promise there won’t be any ‘workshoppy’ stuff.
Previous attendees can’t speak highly enough about the FACCT workshops.
“Campbell’s talks on greenhouse gases and freshwater farm plans are great! So informative, and explained clearly. No biased judgement, just stating the facts. We find these super useful to understand how this might affect our farm business, and is a great catch-up with the neighbours every fortnight.” – Sami and Laura, Awatea.
“Campbell’s series of talks is informative and thought-provoking. Campbell provides non-biased, factual information in a non-confrontational manner, challenging beliefs without alienating listeners. No matter your social, political or environmental opinions, this series of courses will leave you better prepared for the future and better able to understand your particular piece of land and what it needs so you can get the most out of it.” – Thomas, Huiroa.
“These sessions are non-biased and very informative. I’d encourage not only farmers, but anyone who has the opportunity, to attend. I feel a lot more confident around these issues.” – Clarice, Kiore.
“Campbell’s talks provide an amazing opportunity for our small farming community. I feel so empowered being able to educate myself further, and know Campbell’s up-to-date and science-based information is trustworthy and relevant. He puts together engaging short seminars for us to attend locally. His down-to-earth nature, enthusiasm and natural rapport make all his presentations engaging right to the end. The information he provides is so useful for us to move forward making informed farming choices in a time when it’s challenging to find a balanced understanding of the changes that are happening on a local, national and global scale that affect our practices.” – Kathy, Kota.
“I’m not a farmer but I feel very grateful for the opportunity to attend PLANit Farming’s sessions on the environmental and regulatory realities faced by my farming neighbours. I choose to live in a rural community, and whatever affects the farmers in my neighbourhood affects the whole community. None of us can thrive in isolation. So getting to hear the true situation first-hand, both through Campbell’s thorough (and genuinely entertaining) presentation of the facts, and from the resulting Q&A and conversations among the farmers themselves, gives me an insight into the important issues and a number of practical ways I can usefully support the ongoing development of our agricultural sector – without which we simply couldn’t survive, as a community, as a nation and as a society.” – Dan, Huiroa.
"Most farmers have a farm environment plan which was written for them, we do as well and our understanding and use of it is limited. Writing our own FACCT freshwater farm plan is a live document which we use to make everyday farm management decisions and to make things clear for our staff." – Thomas, Patea.
