South Otago dairy farmer Stephen Korteweg has been elected president of Federated Farmers Otago.
Mr Korteweg takes over from Taieri dairy farmer Mike Lord, who has been at the helm of the province for the past three years.
In his president's report, Mr Lord said he had enjoyed the role very much and he had been challenged by the variety of things with which he had been involved.
The role of Federated Farmers in New Zealand would continue to grow.
The standards that people were now demanding at every level in society came at a cost.
"While none of us want to pollute our waterways and damage our environment, we also recognise that mankind does have an impact on the earth in which we live.
"Regulators and government officials do not have all the answers to these problems, but that does not stop them designing plans and schemes like the Emissions Trading Scheme which just adds costs to us and would often hamstring our productivity," he said.
Federated Farmers membership in Otago has increased by more than 100 members in the past 18 months.
• Russell MacPherson has been elected president of Federated Farmers Southland, taking over from Hugh Gardyne.