drought feature - april 17

Mahurangimatters 17 April 2013 | 19

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ruralrodneyFarmers in Rodney have been urged to look closely at how new rural zones, contained in the draft Auckland Unitary Plan, will affect their properties.

Farmers are being advised to check the new rural zones, as it may will affect their properties.

Farmers urged to review Unitary Plan zonesFederated Farmers senior policy advisor Richard Gardner says that under the Rodney District Plan, farming land was classed in a general rural zone. This has now effectively been split in to four zones, excluding countryside living. These are rural production, mixed production, rural coastal and rural conservation.“The rules in the rural conservation zone seem particularly harsh,” Mr Gardner says. “In some cases, established dairy farms have become a non-complying activity.”Mr Gardner says the change affects farms located in dune lake zones such as at Tomarata and South Head.“The rules in the rural coastal zone also seem more stringent than expected. For instance, bush clearance has been reduced from 250m to 25m. This compares to 2.5 percent of any given area in the rural production zone.“Building restrictions also seem harsher with a 7m restriction in the rural coastal zone for accessory buildings, compared to 12m in the rural production zone. At the end of the day, these are all just rural production areas and there doesn’t seem any point in differentiating

between the two in this way.”Overall, Mr Gardner says Federated Farmers believes the draft plan is a “useful start”.“We’re optimistic of getting a good result at the end of the process but it is in need of some fine tuning.“We’re pleased to see Council trying to make processes simpler, rather than more complex. For instance, in its approach to nutrient management it’s attempting to control what’s going on the farm rather than what’s coming off. This is far easier to understand and assess than the rules being used in places such

as Wanganui, Canterbury and Otago.”On the issue of fencing off streams, Mr Gardner says Federated Farmers has been working with Council on a long-term strategy to improve water quality. “What’s in the plan might look different, but it really isn’t a huge change from the rules that are currently in place. If you’re farming moderately intensively – around 18 stock units or more per hectare – then the rules will apply. However, this is likely to be mainly dairy farmers who are already required to meet the Clean Streams Accord anyway.”

The Mahurangi farm-forestry trail has been given $8,280 from the Rodney Local Board to help with signage and access.The trail starts at the Parsley Pot Café on Sandspit Road and travels through private property, ending up at the one-way bridge on Hamilton Road.It cuts through plots of totara trees being grown in different ways. Totara seedlings will be planted into an existing native trial plot, which will act as a nursery. Another plot will use pine trees as a nursery.Landowner Shelley Trotter says when the pines get to a certain size they will be removed to allow the totara to grow by themselves.“Pines provide shelter and a better environment for the seedlings to grow in.”She says the focus is on totara trees because they are considered one of the most commercially viable native species. The walk takes an average person around an hour.

Mahurangi farm-forestry trail receives funding boost

| Mahurangimatters 17 April 201320

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Revive, replenish, replace, replantWhile we may have had one of the most stunning summers for years, the resulting devastation to some gardens and lawns is phenomenal, particularly in coastal areas where it is predominantly sand. At Omaha Beach I would estimate 90 percent of the Griselinia littoralis plants have died. Some have been planted for 10 years or more, so you would have thought they were hardened to the conditions, but it is not so.Lawns have developed some very large cracks over this dry period, and it is important to fill these before we get some serious rain. Any deep cracks that have appeared on your property need to be filled with topsoil, avoiding the possibility of erosion. Without this, when we do get a heavy rainfall it will underscore the soil, causing drainage problems and, in some cases, slips.Autumn is the very best time to sow a brand new lawn or renovate a patchy area. April provides ideal conditions for sowing lawn seed because warm soils combine with autumn showers and, unlike springtime, there are relatively few weeds sprouting.If you are starting a new lawn from scratch, the soil needs to be in the best possible condition to give lawn seed the best chance of germination. The area should be weed-free. Spray the area with glyphosate to kill existing grass weeds and moss. If there is time, wait another two weeks to allow any weed seeds to germinate and then spray again. Topsoil may be a worthwhile investment, especially on new building sites, and it is essential on sand. Make sure any topsoil you buy is good quality. The seedbed for a new lawn should ideally have a good 10-15cm of topsoil.The next task is to create a level and compact area for your lawn by raking, rolling, removing and filling in where needed. Sow seed on a fine day at the rate set out on the packaging. Scatter seed in an east-to-west direction, then a north-to-south direction, to ensure an even spread. Rake in and lightly roll, making sure that the seed is in contact with the soil.During the germination stage it is important to water your newly sown seed daily, or up to several times a day in hot or windy conditions. Apply water gently with a fine mist and avoid puddles.Don’t be tempted to mow your new lawn straight away – wait until it has grown to 5cm so the root system has had time to develop. Leave the lawn clippings on the lawn for the first three or four cuts. After three or four mows, a light application of fertiliser will encourage lush, thick, green growth in your lawn.


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ruralrodney n dRouGHt FeAtuRe

Rural Support Trust has received more than 1000 phonecalls for help in the past month, including one from a young farmer who tried to commit suicide.Co-ordinator Julie Jonker says the enquiries have exceeded those taken during the 2010 drought, with most coming from dairy farms on Rodney’s west coast, between Helensville and Dargaville.She says dairy farmers are worst affected because they usually milk through to May but are having to dry herds off early.“Their milk cheques stop, yet they still have to feed animals and bring in expensive supplements … To date the drought has cost them around $10,000 in lost income and increased costs.”Dairy NZ has been telling farmers to put a line under this season, work on getting condition on their cows and get as much pasture as possible.Ms Jonker says when the trust receives a call for help one of seven facilitators is sent out to talk to people, make them realise they’re not alone, and help them access Government assistance. If they need it, counselling is arranged through Victim Support.Fonterra has brought payments forwards and increased the milk payout by 30c, and banks have been coming up with packages, which have helped, Ms Jonker says. “It’s important to make sure people get off the farm once a week and do something different. Sometimes they can get so caught up in day-to-day things they don’t see the bigger picture.”The Rural Support co-ordinator says the aim is to prevent suicide. “We want people to realise they’re

Drought takes its toll on Rodney farmers’ wellbeing

not alone. It will end. Farmers are productive people. Three droughts in four years is a step in a difficult direction, but they will cope.”Former Taipuha dairy farmer Roger Taylor is a Rural Support ag-facilitator and says he makes sure people are making decisions and doing budgets. “Lots don’t know where they are today, let alone in three months’ time. They might need to take their budget to an accountant and revise their tax

situation. The next thing is to talk to your bank manager.”Accountants and bank managers are busy people who don’t have time to ring up farmers and ask them how things are going, so the approach has to be from the farmer, he says.Mr Taylor says it’s mainly women who make the “cry for help”, as men are usually too proud. “When you talk to them about stress their eyes glaze over. Women are the ones that recognise the stress in both parties and call us.”He says he makes sure husbands and wives are together when he visits because most are in the business together. “It’s important they communicate and plan together. If stress gets too much, people close down and all sorts of problems happen.”Mr Taylor says he talks about his own situation with the last drought. “I got to a stage where I couldn’t do it anymore. I literally fell over. I got counselling from then on. They understand it when another farmer talks about something they’re experiencing.”He says some people get on, do the planning work, make the best of the situation and help themselves, while others face a more serious struggle.“I’ve been working with a young man with a young family, who tried to commit suicide twice. His dreams and aspirations have been shattered by the position he’s ended up in. It’s been too much for him but we’re positive we’ll bring him out of it.“The key thing is to remain positive and communicate and do planning so you’ve got light at the end of the tunnel … If you can’t see where you’re going, that’s the danger.”

Rural Support ag-facilitator Roger Taylor


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Dehydration has taken a toll on birds at Tawharanui Regional Park, with 18 North Island robins, seven pateke and a kiwi succumbing to the drought in the past two months.Fish, plants and soil have also been affected but it is hoped the extended dry weather is a one-off and nature will bounce back.Auckland Council’s open sanctuaries coordinator, Matt Maitland, says a kiwi the size of a tennis ball was found in the middle of a paddock during the day in early March. It was around 40 days old and weighed 300g, below the standard 450g-500g for a bird of that age. “Our farming co-ordinator noticed it and thought it was unusual,” Mr Maitland says.“I picked it up and felt its spine. It’s usually padded around the vertebrae but it was just sharp rigid bone. You could feel every lump and bump.” The infant was taken to a Warkworth vet and given fluids, but died overnight.Mr Maitland says kiwis probe for food with their beaks but the ground has been so hard it’s like “banging your nose against concrete. As they struggle to find food to gain weight they become less efficient hunters and start using more energy than they’re packing on. It starts a downward slide, leading to starvation and death.”Many of the estimated 100 kiwi at the park have given up their second nest of the year and moved to the southern coast of the peninsula which is more damp and less exposed to sunlight.Pateke have also become victims, after a pond housing a family dried up. Seven dead ducklings were found.“All the bugs in the mud have retreated deep down or perished, so their food has been disappearing. They use their body fat then suck reserves out of their marrows before using every other available reserve. They’re

This 40-day-old kiwi was found dead and alone in a paddock in the middle of the day at Tawharanui Regional Park. Photo: Mark Paterson / TOSSI member

Drought kills wildlife at Tawharanui Regional Park

weak. Sometimes they get entangled in something or become victim to a harrier hawk or eel attack.”The pateke deaths won’t impact the park’s overall population of 32 pairs as the birds produce large numbers of young and only need a couple of birds to replace themselves.North Island robins produce three nests a year and their third nests, made after New Year, have been failing. “We found around 18 dead babies in their nests with heavy mite infestations,” Mr Maitland says.Meanwhile, a dam supplying reticulated water to the park is lower than normal, making it impossible for banded kokopu and long- and short-fin eels to wiggle their way up the waterway to find spawning grounds. Plant life has also taken a hit, with taraire fruit trees showing dieback,

Drought Breaker LunchFederated Farmers has organised a Drought Breaker Lunch in Whangarei on April 18. It will be held from 10am to 2pm at the ASB Leisure Centre in Western Hills Dr. Guest speakers include comedian Te Radar and Jacqueline Rowarth, professor of agribusiness at Waikato University. Info: Louise Wilson phone 09 401 9331 or email [email protected]

manuka browning off in patches, and coprosma trees not going into fruit.“The fruit drops before it’s ripe so there’s no staggered food resource for the birds, and the seeds inside will be non-viable.”The council worker says soil moisture deficit is approaching permanent wilting point, meaning some trees won’t recover, and large cracks are appearing alongside tracks and fences.“They can run for 30-40cm. They’re 6-8 inches wide and up to 5 feet below the ground and create tunnels for pest

incursions. Fences can become loose and drop out.”Despite the damage, the Mangatawhiri wetland and ecology streams are still flowing and livestock have full troughs of water.“Provided oncoming years aren’t too hard, we should be fine,” Mr Maitland says. “We’re always planting habitat trees and maintaining pest security, which lets natural processes heal. It’s the young that’ll be the hardest hit. They don’t have the fat reserves and are still trying to grow.”


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n dRouGHt FeAtuRe

With the whole North Island now officially declared in drought, farmers of my generation find ourselves in a situation we have never before experienced. Our older, wiser counterparts recall the horror droughts of the 1970s. But for those of us who were carefree children then, this is unlike any drought we have seen – due in a large part to its widespread nature.Unlike a one-off flood or snow event, the dry is a slow, creeping force. It eats away at soil moisture levels so very gradually, that quietly your feed supplies dwindle and stock water begins to dry up. Early on, just as the first sign of prolonged dry begins to niggle at the edge of your consciousness, farmers try all sorts of strategies to make it rain. However, North Island farmers are now well past such strategies. The situation is serious. Workloads have doubled, as we feed out to stock that would normally be self-sufficient at this time. And issues around feed levels – such as de-stocking and ensuring sufficient stock water – have put families and staff under significant pressure. Add in the considerable financial implications of both the drought and dismal stock prices and it

would be fair to say that farmers’ levels of stress are a real concern.Estimates that the drought will cost NZ around $2 billion do not feel outrageous, as I look out the window at the various shades of brown that represent our farm. There is no doubt this is going to bite, in both lost production and unspent dollars in the short and medium term. The flow-on effect for rural servicing and general spending will be significant and it will ripple out into urban New Zealand, as it always does.Sheep and beef farmers now, more than ever, need to be talking to each other and their advisors – bankers, accountants, vets and consultants – about strategies for managing the drought’s effects. Plans made now will impact on production for next season. Bringing the team together will inform the big picture decision-making process and allow the problems to be shared.Beef + Lamb NZ’s “Extreme Dry Management and Planning Toolkit” won’t make it rain, but it is a useful resource that might trigger some helpful thinking at a time when worry can cloud normally sensible thought processes.In the meantime, is that rain I hear on the roof or is it that overflowing cylinder again?

Sharing is a key strategy in challenging timesBy Kirsten Bryant, Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Western North Island director


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179

Notice is given of the Rural Support Trust

Northland AGM Wednesday 15th May 2013

at 10am at the BNZ Conference Rooms,

Bank Street, Whangarei.

All welcome to come along for the annual and financial reports,

appointment of account reviewer, general business.

Nominations in writing are invited for two trustee positions due to the rotation retirement policy of

the trust. They should be received in writing by The Secretary,

PO Box 77, Whangarei 0140 by 8th March 2013.

For more information contact Julie Jonker 021 429 092


The Government’s drought relief package contains virtually nothing new for farmers, says Warkworth accountant Grant Blackbourn.Mr Blackbourn says he is yet to come across a farmer who has benefited. “The Government is saying: ‘We’re bailing you out’, but actually there’s nothing in it.”While there is an “ambulance at the bottom of the cliff ” in the form of WINZ payments, these are essentially an unemployment benefit for farmers who are seriously desperate, and very few farmers will receive them, he says. “It wouldn’t be a saving grace and pay overdraft and feed bills — it’d just cover food for the family.”Another part of the package is tax relief, allowing farmers to re-estimate provisional tax payments, but they can already do that, he says. They can also already negotiate instalment arrangements for overdue tax, and re-estimate their income for Working for Families tax credits or child support. An allowance for adverse events, which lets people spread income across further years, is also already available. The only item peculiar to drought relief is the ability to withdraw funds from an Income Equalisation Scheme. “If a farmer has funds in an IE deposit it can usually not be withdrawn until it has been on deposit for a year. Under the Drought Relief measure it could

Drought relief package disappoints farmers

Grant Blackbourn

be withdrawn earlier, as needed.”He questions why “one small concession” required a public announcement. While banks have been helping clients with additional overdrafts, that is just “banks doing their thing”, he says.The drought has impacted businesses other than farmers and yet there is “nothing for them”. When farmers realise the drought package is just “smoke and mirrors”, they will dismiss it as no use at all, Mr Blackbourn says. “Most farmers have been through this type of thing before. Unless they’re at death’s door they’ll soldier on and somehow survive. Most will just consign it as a another Government announcement that doesn’t do any practical good.”Wharehine sheep and beef farmer Peter Burford says Ministers have been dishonest by giving the impression that cash handouts are available.

“I get irritated by the perception. My city friends ask me why they should be subsidising me, yet there’s none of that at all.”Matakana dairy farmer John Vivian says the Minister of Primary Industries went on TV promising farmers benefits, leading the public to assume farmers would be getting extra money for feed and living costs. “Everyone thinks we’re getting this and that, but there’s really nothing. Only real hardship cases or people who are virtually bankrupt qualify for anything.”He says the drought package is misleading the public and is nothing more than “politics to make it sound like the Government’s doing a lot. They need to be straight up with people and say 99.5 percent of farmers won’t get anything.”


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Federated Farmers has welcomed confirmation from the Government that it supports large-scale irrigation projects.The comments are exactly what drought-stricken farmers need to hear, says Federated Farmers national president Bruce Wills.“It is great to see Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy publicly reiterating the Government’s commitment to investing up to $400 million to encourage third-party capital investment in regional water storage projects to better insure farmers against droughts such as the one currently ravaging the North Island,” Mr Wills says.“We need these schemes because no matter how many on-farm water dams farmers build, they will never have enough capacity to see us through droughts like this one.”It is not just farmers who will feel the

effects of the prolonged dry season, he says. “The entire New Zealand economy is set to take a $2 billion hit, which will affect everyone, from all walks of life, everywhere in the country.”The Minister has “hit the nail on the head” when he says improved water storage capacity would be good for the economy and the environment.“Imagine the good which could be done if, through the better water allocation which water storage projects would allow, we could boost exports by $4 billion a year by 2026.“More wealth coming into this country means more jobs and higher wages for all New Zealanders and farmers who are doing well financially have more money available to spend on environmental protection.”Federated Farmers is delighted the Government continues to see the issue as a matter of national importance, he says.

0800 Drought LineDo you need to find grazing or supplementary feed? Or do you have some available? Federated Farmers have activated their 0800 DROUGHT line (0800 376 844) which primarily provides information to farmers about who has feed available and who is in need of feed. At this stage Federated Farmers are organising the logistics of bringing feed up from the South Island so give them a call to register on their website database. This is available to all farmers.

Water storage welcomed by NZ Federated Farmers


Watercare is asking all Warkworth residents to save water as the dry

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Warkworth water supply critically low

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n dRouGHt FeAtuRe

Farmers are being encouraged to plant trees to help get them through the drought. Federated Farmers says palatable trees can be used as a feed source for stock and should form part of drought resilience plans.The organisation says trees such as poplars and willows also make valuable shade and shelter trees, as well as performing soil conservation and water quality improvement roles.Both poplars and willows are resilient and respond well to the removal of branches by growing more. They can be used as regular suppliers of stock fodder, with mature trees capable of sustaining pollarding.The feed value of poplar and willow is well above stock maintenance requirements. Cattle will eat trimmings up to 10mm and sheep up to 5mm in diameter. Both cattle and sheep will strip and eat the bark. It takes just one feeding to condition stock to eating tree fodder in drought. Massey University research found that 5-10-year-old trees yield up to 22kg dry matter per tree of edible forage and that poplars and willows are similar in nutritive value.Willows leaves are particularly high in zinc and magnesium, which are important animal health minerals. Salt levels can be low in willow leaves though, and if little or no pasture is on offer, a salt

Trees a back-up plan for drought

block should be provided. The tree bark has good nutritive value, too. Researchers also found an improved lambing percentage for stock fed on poplar and willow forage, compared with stock fed on drought pastures alone.Mature poplars and willows shed a large quantity of leaves in autumn and early winter. Once trees are about five years old, leaf fall can provide 60kg or more of dry matter per tree.Special pruning chainsaws are available with their blade partly covered by a plastic guard that prevents the blade reaching your body. They run at much higher revs so cut through the branches much more quickly. Federated Farmers says large branches are dangerous to fell, so it is recommended to use safe methods and make sure re-growth is never left longer than three to four years before re-pollarding.

Willow trees are in focus as a back-up plan for feed in drought conditions.

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How to prevent a horrible deathRecently, I had a case where a 6-week-old pup had her first vaccination for parvovirus, but later died at 13 weeks. She never left the home property and the property didn’t have a history of parvo, but she didn’t have her booster vaccine at 10-12 weeks. This still sounded a bit strange to me because parvo is usually contracted from the ground or an unvaccinated dog, so I did a little digging.It turned out that two out of the three adult dogs on the property were unvaccinated, and regularly go away with the owner. This is one way that the virus could have come in; they must have brought it back in from another area, or it was transported in on someone’s shoes or another soiled item. Another pup from the litter has since caught the virus at the time of writing this article and I am not sure whether he will make it.So what is parvovirus? Well, it’s a virus, so antibiotics do not kill it. In my 15 years’ veterinary experience in Northland, I’ve seen it kill pups up to 6-8 months. Parvo causes severe enteritis with dysentery, which means the stomach and intestines become so upset that vomiting and watery bloody diarhhoea occurs. The disease progresses so that anything the young dog drinks will come straight back up. This — along with the profuse watery scour — quickly leads to massive dehydration, the blood turns to sludge and stops moving around the body, and death follows.During the progression of this disease, a pup will go from happy, bouncy and eating well, to not eating with vomiting, to tired and slow, to collapsed and unconscious. This may occur through a 24-hour period, or may take up to a few days, depending on the individual’s size, breeding and general health prior to infection.The treatment offered for parvo is centred on keeping the pup alive until the virus runs its course. Deaths occur due to severe dehydration. If oral fluids cannot be kept down and the pup is getting dehydrated, we inject (intravenous or subcutaneous) fluids during the course of the disease, for 48 hours and up to a week. This intensive care comes at a cost unfortunately and, even then, there can be no guarantee we can beat parvo’s race to dehydrate and destroy the young dog. They can literally scour out the entire lining of their bowel.Preventable? Yes. Make sure all dogs in your care are vaccinated for parvo. Ensure breeding bitches are up to date with vaccinations prior to breeding. Make sure pups follow the vaccination course recommended by your vet, and don’t let them on the ground away from home, or contact unvaccinated dogs, until they are fully vaccinated.

Hoping for a cracker harvestThe 2013 harvest is well underway. Sugars have been high, acids balanced and, more importantly, flavours have begun to show in the past 14 days or so. Producers have been very happy with what they have harvested thus far and look forward to the flavours and characters emerging from the ferments in the weeks ahead. Most varieties relish the dry, warm conditions and a key component of this season is a distinct lack of disease pressure and picking grapes unhindered by weather issues. The rain which has recently appeared actually helps the grapes ripen. It also gives the vines a bit of a burst before the winter dormancy. After harvest, the leaves will turn a golden yellow or bright red, giving the region a patchwork quilt of colour before the chill of winter blows them away. After a few weeks, teams of labourers will begin the prune, cutting out the spent canes and laying down new buds for the 2014 harvest. There is always something to do in a vineyard. I recently attended a tasting of local, national and Australian syrah wines at The Vintry in Matakana. An Auckland-based hospitality magazine came up to Matakana to hold the tasting and thought the delightful setting of The Vintry would be ideal. It proved to be an excellent location for the three-hour tasting, with several local winemakers in attendance with celebrated writer Keith Stewart and industry stalwart David Batten. I was pleased to see the local Matakana wines pulled no punches when tasted alongside some cracker wines from Hawke’s Bay and Australia. I felt the locals cheerfully sat alongside the top quarter of the wines tasted, and really did the region proud.In the next couple of weeks, I will have the opportunity to present a selection of Matakana wines to media at the 2013 Trenz conference (New Zealand’s premier tourism trade event) in Auckland. The Matakana Winegrower Association is actively seeking opportunities within Auckland to market and promote their products and we have long known of the tourist and visitor pull that vineyards have. As such there may be opportunities to have local (by this I mean from Puhoi to Pakiri Beach) food producers tag along with us at various promotional events. Those interested should contact me via email ([email protected]).Lastly, Robin Ransom sent me a link regarding how wine consumption is declining in France. In 1965, per capita consumption was 160 litres — about 213 bottles per person per year. Today, that number has declined to 57 litres – a mere 76 bottles a year, or barely 1.5 bottles a week. NZ, by contrast, consumes a miserly 12 litres per capita per year. I will not encourage you to consume more – just ensure that it is of excellent quality. Cheers.

Winewith Ben Dugdale [email protected] Chairman, Matakana Winegrowers Association

Animalswith Rachel Blackie BSc, BVSc

drought feature - april 17

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