A select group of dairy farmers from throughout New Zealand is in Invercargill for a leadership forum.
All 54 are winners of either dairy industry or farm environment awards.
The theme of the three-day forum is about taking a sensible approach to sustainable dairying.
Chairman Martin Bennett, a dairy farmer from near Awapuni in Waikato, says participants will listen to a range of high-powered speakers and will also visit Southland dairy farmers who are managing their environmental footprint and making economic and social contributions to the region.
Speakers include the chair and deputy chair of the Canterbury regional council's commissioners, Dairy New Zealand's chief executive and represenatives from Forest and Bird and Venture Southland.
