Mr Wills, from Hawkes Bay, and dairy chairman Willy Leferink and water and environment spokesman Ian Mackenzie, both from Mid Canterbury, were in Dunedin yesterday to meet Otago Regional Council chairman Stephen Woodhead and chief executive Graeme Martin.
The council invited Mr Leferink, his president and policy adviser to visit after he criticised its approach to water-quality regulations at Federated Farmers national conference in Auckland in June.
Mr Wills said he was "very happy" to come south and find out more about the proposed plan change, in which there were some innovative ideas and aspirations.
While the farming community did have to "lift its game" with environmental matters, farmers also had to continue to grow their businesses and profitability, he said.
Federated Farmers has made a submission and hearings were likely to be held in September.
• A profile on Mr Wills, a banker-turned farmer, will run on next Monday's farm page.
