rural news 8 april 2014
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Rural News 8 April 2014TRANSCRIPT
APRIL 8, 2014: ISSUE 558 www.ruralnews.co.nz
RURALNEWS
FINANCEThe commercial sector is keen to start cozying up to Maori. PAGE 8
MACHINERYGood gear makes dairy conversion a success for Burnham farmers. PAGE 50 WORKSAFE
Safety seminar sees agreement
on restrictions of children on
quad bikes.PAGE 9
TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS
THE KIWIFRUIT industry’s recov-ery from vine-killing disease Psa may become one of New Zealand’s great comeback stories.
Zespri’s chief executive Lain Jager agrees with Rural News that,
viewed through the eyes of history, the recovery could well be held up as a tale of triumph in the face of possible annihilation.
The full story of the turnaround will become clearer as exports of the new Gold kiwifruit export variety escalate over the next year or two. But as little as 18 months ago the situation still looked dire as Gold growers were regrafting dying vines to a new variety during a wet soggy spring which played perfect host to the Psa bacteria.
Jager says it’s a story of determi-nation and perseverance by grow-ers, backed by a cohesive industry, good research and Government support. He even praises the banks, describing their response as “won-derful”.• More on kiwifruit pages 10 & 11.
Kiwifruit’s comeback
PAM TIPA
Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy and Beef+Lamb New Zealand chair James Parsons, pictured together, at a field day held in Northland last week. Topics of discussion included the on-going dry spell in parts of Northland and the Waikato; as well as the next moves in the red meat sector following on from last month’s farmer vote at Beef+Lamb NZ’s annual meeting. More on both topics, and much more, in this week’s issue. PHOTO GARETH GILLATT
Dairy boom far from over!DAIRY PRICES are continuing to drop but the dairy boom is far from over. Instead, it’s the commodity cycle at play, says BNZ economist Doug Steel.
At US$4033/t, the whole milk powder price is more than double the US$1800 paid to US farmers after the global financial crisis hit in 2008-09.
Prices are expected to ease further as more milk floods the market but Steel predicts a payout near $7/kgMS next season – relatively high compared
to those of previous years. Long term, dairy prices will remain strong on the back of good demand for milk prod-ucts, he says.
At last week’s auction, the Global-DairyTrade price index dropped 8.9% to US$4124/t from US$4563 a tonne two weeks ago, the fourth straight decline and the lowest level since August 2012.
But Steel observes the 2013-14 season has been “one out of the box” and no one should expect prices to remain around US$5000/t.
“We might just get prices sustained at US$5000/t one day but over the next
12 months prices will ease,” he told Rural News.
He puts this down to increased milk supply from the EU, New Zealand, US and even Australia. The milk supply situ-ation has changed much in the last 12 months.
Last year New Zealand was reeling from a severe drought and an extreme winter in Europe had affected produc-tion. This year EU’s production is up 5% and US up 1%. Steel predicts New Zea-land to produce 11% more milk than last season.
“Twelve months ago milk supply was squeezed and that kicked prices higher…. For 12 months very high prices were maintained. Now milk pro-duction is ramped up and prices are easing… this is the commodity cycle at play.”
However, demand for dairy remains strong in China and the Middle East and this should keep prices strong longer-term.
On the 2013-14 payout, Steel says there is only a small downward risk because much of the season’s milk is now processed.
“Whether its $8.65 or $8.55, it’s still a good payout and there’s a lot of cash around for farmers. Cashflow on farms remains strong.”
Fonterra in February raised its fore-cast farmgate milk price for 2013-14 by 35c to a record of $8.65/kgMS.
SUDESH KISSUN
Doug Steel
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
NEWS 3
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ISSUE 558www.ruralnews.co.nz
Too restrictive
A LOCAL drought could have been declared sooner in western North-land had it been called by central authorities, says Northland Rural Support Trust coordinator Julie Jonkers.
MPI is said to be taking notice of this view.
Little rain has fallen in western Northland, southern Auckland and Waikato since October. Much of the Kaipara district has endured south-west winds blowing away all available moisture.
Kaipara farmers have used up winter supplement reserves, dried off early or de-stocked as a result and Jonker says many are now hoping it will rain soon.
But the drought is ‘localised’. In contrast, eastern Northland and Bay of Plenty are experiencing a kind summer, some farmers still cutting silage as late as February.
The Minister for Primary Indus-tries is the only person who may declare a drought or classify it as medium-scale or large-scale. But ‘locals’ are empowered to call localised ‘small scale’ drought – rural supports trusts, and regional and district councils and affected sector groups.
Jonkers says she began collat-ing the necessary information to classify a drought in February but it wasn’t completed until the end of March due to the diverse nature of the parties involved. This pre-vented some farmers from getting the help available when drought is called, even though some had reached the end of their resources.
“If it was handled by just one organisation it would be much sim-pler,” Jonkers says.
GARETH GILLATT
FEDERATED FARMERS vice president William Rolleston says he will be standing for the role of president at the federation’s annual meeting in July.“I don’t know if anyone else is putting their name forward,” Rolleston told Rural News last week.The federation is “in a pretty good space” at present, he believes, but with a new chief executive coming on board and a new president, whoever that may be, it’s always a good time to review structures and policies.The process to recruit a new chief executive is underway, incumbent Conor English having announced he will leave in July.
VP puts hand up for top job
More left-field research requiredWE ARE only scratching the surface onfarm with adoption and use of tech-nology to aid decisionmaking, says Fed-erated Farmers vice president William Rolleston.
Speaking to the World Farmers Organisation in Buenos Aires last month he said, “we need science to help us do a whole lot more from a whole lot less, all the while ensuring the soil minerals, insects, bacteria and nutrients are kept in optimal balance”.
Any nation’s science system should work to a country’s strengths and for New Zealand that is agriculture, he added. New Zealand’s farmers’ priorities for research and innovation are increased product value, increased productivity and reduced risk.
“When we as farmers stand inside the farmgate, we have two main concerns: can we run a profitable business and do we have the freedom to operate?
“Farmers are essentially price takers so costs anywhere in the value chain tend to be reflected in farm profitability. Productivity inside and beyond the farm
gate is critical.”One of the many
‘arts’ of being a top farmer is managing multiple inputs for crops and stock while heeding unpredictability of weather and commodity markets.
“The role of science is to convert farming’s art into rational decisions, allowing us to intelligently use resources and minimise our impact.”
To increase product value farmers need to understand end markets because that determines “not just how we farm, but what we farm”.
Scientists have a role to play too, coming up with product innovations farmers may not realise are possible.
“We need scientists to be thinking outside the square as well. Research can take some direction from its users… but as Henry Ford famously said, ‘If I listened to my customers I would have
ANDREW SWALLOW
built a faster horse’.”Rolleston highlighted
New Zealand farmers’ productivity improvements
since 1990: 7% more lamb from 55% fewer sheep; 23% more beef from 11% fewer cattle.
“We’ve also managed to reduce carbon per unit
of product by about 1.3% a year.
“Beyond these impressive gains farmers in New Zealand require developments in crops and pastures which require less water and fewer
nutrients. These are characteristics required throughout the world and would revolutionise the economics of farming and provide greater security in the face of climate variation.”
Expanding on the water issue, he said it’s a “huge opportunity for New Zealand farmers”, and critical to the national goal of doubling agricultural export value by 2020.
“Water storage and water harvesting creates a win for our economy and a win for the environment – providing envi-ronmental flows to maintain in-stream water quality and water for agriculture to increase productivity while mitigat-ing against the challenges of low flows and drought.
“However, with increased water use comes the threat of reduced water qual-ity – a value highly prized by New Zea-landers.
“Water storage in New Zealand illus-trates how, when we increase a con-straining input, we create externalities which need to be addressed.”
William Rolleston
RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
4 NEWSDrought-hit farmers prepare for more dryDRY SUMMERS could be the reality for drought stricken pockets of the North Island if El Nino takes effect, says climate scientist Jim Salinger.
Some farmers in North-land have already taken
drastic measures to pre-pare for the changing cli-mate.
Niwa is forecasting a 50% likelihood of an El Nino weather pattern bringing warmer, wetter weather to the west of New Zealand while leaving the east dry.
Salinger says that, based on past weather patterns, if El Nino takes hold, the north and east of the South Island and north and west of the North Island can expect droughts similar to those seen during the past five of six years in Northland, and
GARETH GILLATTtwice in the past two years in Waikato.
Waikato Regional Council says rainfall fig-ures at Ruakura show the region recently had its second-lowest rain-fall on record resulting in big soil moisture deficits. And such deficits are so great in the west of North-land that some farmers are saying if decent rain doesn’t fall in the next two weeks they won’t know what to do next.
DairyNZ farm systems specialist Chris Glassey says farmers must adapt more readily to changed conditions and adapt to, for example, earlier calv-ing dates, less focus on autumn calving and grow-ing summer crops such as chicory and fodder beet. “Crops like chic-
ory or plantain can be useful when dry summers become routine.”
Drought-affected farm-ers are adapting, says Northland Rural Sup-port Trust coordinator Julie Jonkers: more are using maize and some are making drastic moves.
Ruawai dairy farmer Paul Baker (56) has sold his 300-cow farm, saying he felt he needed to get out of farming in the area before it became non-via-ble.
The final straw was having to borrow money from the bank to con-tinue milking this season, despite the high milksolids payout.
“Each year I sat the bank manager down at the kitchen table and asked him if it was worth con-tinuing. He always told me ‘there’re plenty of people out there in a worse condi-tion than you’.
“This year I asked my accountant and he said it was probably a good year
for me to get out, so that’s what I’m doing.”
Baker accepted an offer less than the supposed market value of his farm and is now considering his options.
Drystock farmers on the Kaipara coast have changed their practices: some who previously held breeding cows are switch-ing to a trading stock system because they are not confident of being able to feed capital stock through the summer.
Meat summit still on the cards
DairyNZ’s Chris Glassey says farmers must adapt more readily to changed conditions.
THE AGENDA for an industry-wide red meat summit could be set as soon as next week, says Meat Industry Excellence chairman John McCarthy.
Calls for a summit on the struc-ture of the industry – pitched by MIE – have recently grown louder: farmers and Primary Industry Min-ister Nathan Guy are offering qual-
ified support.Guy said if any such event was
organised and the agenda showed it would not be a ‘talkfest’ he would commit to taking part and would help find a suitable venue.
McCarthy says MIE members have begun laying plans for an event that could be held in early July. The group will meet April 7-9 to discuss
agenda items. “We don’t want to spin our wheels with a talkfest so we will be careful about the items to be discussed.”
While BLNZ chairman James Parsons is looking forward to the summit, he is sceptical about the value of BLNZ spending too much on improvements “beyond the farm gate”. – Gareth Gillatt
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
NEWS 5
Blow for wheatWHEAT GROWERS have lost one of the main tools in their armoury against the yield sapping foliar dis-ease Septoria Tritici.
The Foundation for Arable Research last week announced strains of the disease resistant to the stro-bilurin group of fungicides have been confirmed in New Zealand.
“It will limit the number of fungicide options for control of this disease,” FAR’s Nick Poole told Rural News. “In effect, it strips us back to the triazoles which are already under pressure due to a shift in sensitivity.”
While there may still be pockets of the country where septoria responds to strobilurin fungicides, with resistance confirmed in samples from Can-terbury and Manawatu and poor control recorded from trial sites elsewhere, it’s likely the resistance is already widespread.
Growers should make more use of cultural disease controls such as resistant cultivars and later sowing in light of the news, and mix triazoles with the newer SDHI group of fungicides for the best chemical con-trol. Mixing the fungicides should also slow the build-up of resistance to triazoles, which so far has been a gradual process rather than the single gene, on-off mutation which allows septoria to survive strobilurin applications.
Septoria caused serious yield losses in New Zea-land in 2001, then more or less disappeared until 2010, but has been on the increase ever since.
– Andrew Swallow
Wool growers better than they thinkWOOL GROWERS should take off their “black hat” about wool qual-ity and have confidence they can meet the standards for premium contracts, says Wools of NZ chief executive Ross Townshend.
A premium price of $6 plus per kilo has been on offer from Wools of NZ to supply its contract with UK textile manufacturer Camira, which wants zero vegetable matter (VM) in the wool.
Growers are being too tough on themselves in saying they can’t meet the VM specs for the contract, says Townshend. “But I think we rejected only about four lots out of 150-200 on VM.
“Everybody has a bit of a black hat about how good they are at pro-ducing wool. Farmers are better at growing wool than they give them-selves credit for.”
Wools of NZ wants to boost its
contracts with Camira from about one million kg per season to as much as 4 million kg.
But as Wools of NZ takes its roadshow around New Zealand, Townshend says growers are also asking for more general, non-spe-cific contracts and Wools of NZ will work on that also.
A year on from when Wools of NZ kicked off, it has 720 farmer sharehold-ers and a further 300 ‘supporters’. “If that became 350, that would be first class. We are not actively can-vassing but anybody who wants to come in and support is more than welcome.”
Meanwhile it wants more engagement with shareholders and supporters. Chairman Mark Shad-bolt described communication as
Wools of NZ’s “Achilles heel”. It’s getting about a 40% response to email, its primary communication method, but that’s not enough, says Townshend.
“We don’t want to build a conven-tional field force. I don’t think dupli-cating the other field forces out there is smart,” he says. But they’ve created a grower advisory panel of 15-20 noted grow-ers and they are appointing a share-
holder relations manager and three supplier liaison staff.
Townshend says Wools of NZ’s aim to lift wool returns to 30% of sheep farmers’ revenues in five years is realistic. Sixty years ago 85% of farmers’ revenue came from wool and 15% from meat; now that’s reversed.
“But it needs to be slow and steady, not spiky. Wool volumes are tracking down and no one is quite sure how many sheep are out there, let alone how much wool is out there.
“Wool volume is down… but we need a full season to validate how far down it is.
“We don’t want sudden spikes one way or the other. That’s bad news for everybody but if we can start getting into more value con-tracts we’ll progressively lift it from where it is now.
“The general feedback from the shareholders is they are impressed by what we have achieved so far and they want more wool into contract and less wool into commodity. We will be heading there as fast as we can.”
Townshend says good industry collaboration is starting between main players in the wool indus-try such as Wool Services Interna-tional, Elders and Cavalier scours.
PAM TIPA
Ross Townshend
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
seen transformed from sludgy brown to crystal clear with trout, eels, etc. This has created new fishing opportu-nities for us.Jamie and Linda, Hurunui
I endorse and support the tactic of locking the gate. We farm beef animals and there is no understanding of these large animals’ behaviour by the general public. So it is desirable that no tres-passers enter private property.
Fish and Game ought to note that fewer people have any historical con-nection with farming: the gap is much wider every year. This and the roaming of people of minority cultures across farms has brought about a situation farmers [have forseen]. Farmers always have to pick up the tab for wrongdo-ing. In this climate of profit becoming harder to establish, let’s have farms the sanctuaries they were before.Dianne Cheshire
Congratulations on your stand against Fish and Game’s incredibly biased survey. Great tactic you have adopted.Chris and Jude Engel
My husband and I drove to Oto-rohanga (from Auckland) to fish a stream he and his brothers have fished many times. Upon asking for access, we were denied and were told your newspa-per has encouraged all farmers to ban recreational hunters and fishermen; as a community the farmers in that catch-ment were doing so.
I was aware of the background to this story. However, the farmers who were denying access would neither say why they were doing so, nor explain what action they wanted taken to further their cause.
The message we received was essen-tially, “Your club needs to stop being mean to dairy farmers. You need to write to your club and tell them that.”
Other fishermen we met at the local public access spot had also been turned away, but no information was given about why this was happening, nor what the farmers in the area wanted from this action. When I filled in the backstory for one, he was full of praise for the improvements he’s seen in water qual-ity in this area – a stream he’s fished for 15 years.
I believe these farmers, and possibly
6 NEWS - 'LOCK THE GATE'
Call for farmer action gains tractionThe call by Rural News (March 18) for farmers around the country to take a stand against the constant carping by Fish and Game NZ on the dairy farming sector and ‘Lock the gate’ to fishers and hunters has garnered plenty of attention and feedback.
HERE IS a taste of the feedback received on the topic – positive and negative:
Thanks, you hit the nail on the head!Sam and Bel Gapes
Great call on blocking access to Fish and Game in this week’s issue. Support 100%!!Cam Lewis, Horowhenua
Thank you for suggesting that we stand up to Fish and Game because they have falsely put farmers down for too long. Good on you. I for one will be locking gates.Bruce Hodges
Your call ‘Lock the gate’ as a reac-tion to Fish and Game NZ’s attacks on dairying is an understandable reaction, but on the other hand a sad commen-tary on the appalling situation we have
while 61% of public rivers are report-edly classified as unfit for swimming. Fish and Game NZ’s opinion survey was narrow in its focus and in public rela-tions terms, clumsy. Urban areas still discharge sewage into rivers. The situ-ation varies from river to river. Some, where trout numbers have declined, have little or no dairying. Whatever are the contributing causes, besides dairy-ing, they need to be under scrutiny too.
What Fish and Game NZ should have strived for was to bring everyone together to fight for cleaner rivers and, particularly in an election year as this, put pressure on political parties and the Government to take the problem seri-ously. A concerted, combined effort by farmers, foresters, outdoor interests and urban people is needed urgently. The crisis may be quiet but it is urgent. Squabbling amongst sectors will not bring a solution. ‘Divide and conquer’
brings defeat.Tony Orman, Marlborough
My son and I are keen fisherman and probably the most regular fishers of the lower Hurunui. Fish and Game [locally] recently claimed low trout numbers and fish in poor health. They implied farm-ing was the culprit but this was garbage: talking to some other local fisherman we agreed we have all noticed this season lots of trout in fat, healthy con-dition. So all power to the campaign. I will tell my local Fish and Game rep that I will not be buying a licence next year.
My wife and I own and operate a res-toration environment consultancy busi-ness covering the North Canterbury and Kaikoura area. We work with a lot of farmers including many dairy farm-ers and have undertaken hundreds of stream, wetland and native bush plant-ings. Some of these streams we have
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
RURAL NEWS appreciates it has made a serious and controversial call to ask farmers to block access to fishers and hunters. However, as an advocate for the New Zealand farming sector and farmers we believe it was time Fish and Game NZ’s incessant and anti-farming attitude was soundly challenged. For that we do not apologise.
But this does not mean we are an apologist for, or in any way excuse, those farmers who deliberately pollute waterways. These farmers need to be punished – and punished heavily – as they are not only destroying the environment, but also letting down the entire farming sector and opening the way for the ‘anti-farming’ voices at organisations like Fish and Game NZ to flourish.
We believe most fishers and hunters understand the importance of dairying to our economy and acknowledge the work and resources put in by stakehold-ers – farmers, workers and processors – to promote sustainability and improve water quality. But it is clear the executive of Fish and Game NZ does not and the anti-dairying drum it has been beating for a decade has become tired, cli-chéd and unhelpful.
Nobody wants a permanent rift here: fishers and hunters need farmers and vice versa.
Therefore the onus is now on members of Fish and Game NZ around the country to recognise that the organisation needs to move with the times and start working constructively with farmers by voting for change at the top level of the lobby and clean out the tired, old dead wood on its executive.
Only then can a new and constructive relationship between Fish and Game and the New Zealand farming sector really begin.
others around the country, need to be better armed with information to effect real change. A clear directive on what farmers want done by Fish and Game before access is reconsidered would help get fishermen and hunters on-board and further the cause of farmers.Vicki
Rural News’ call for farmers to ban anglers and hunters from access to New Zealand’s rivers and lands in response to the Fish and Game survey is emotive, extremist, irresponsible and singularly unhelpful to the serious water and land issues facing this country.
You rightly point out that the dairy industry is New Zealand’s biggest earner with annual exports of $13.7 billion but that does not mean other smaller but major export earning indus-tries should be discounted, which you effectively do by encouraging farmers to adopt an ‘either or’ stance.
Like it or not, New Zealand’s chief attraction to overseas tourists, as high-lighted in numerous Tourism NZ and Air NZ campaigns, is its ‘clean, green, 100% pure’ image.
Does it make sense for this impor-
tant tourism drawcard to be destroyed in order to permit unchecked dairy farming throughout New Zealand, even if this is seriously diminishing the water quality and flows of rivers and streams? Why does it have to be ‘either or’?
You should be encouraging all farm-ers to make every effort to prevent pollution of waterways from their prop-erties, and farmers in general to respect the rights of other sectors to our water resources, particularly in relation to pumping water from rivers and streams onto land traditionally suited to drys-tock and cropping.
Instead of viewing trout and salmon as ‘the enemy’, Rural News would do well to encourage farmers to view them as equivalent to ‘the canaries in the mine’. If trout or salmon cannot survive in any waters due to pollution, oxygen depletion and dry riverbeds, then it is time for every New Zealander to become alarmed.Colin Taylor, Auckland
Brilliant. We are one of two new con-versions in Wanaka and have put up with negative news in our local paper as well. We fully support your request and
thank you for standing up and printing what we feel like saying every day Lisinda RickmanLagoon Valley Dairies Ltd
I have had a farm in the southern King Country for over 36 years. It has one point of access through the prop-erty for wonderful wilderness trout fish-ing; alternative access is very difficult. Whilst, for various reasons, we have never allowed hunting access, being a keen trout fisherman I have always allowed fishing access to anyone who asked, provided they respected one or two housekeeping rules.
About six years ago, I became so tired of farmers being bad mouthed as dirty polluters, that I decided to make a stand by closing access to fishermen. I explain to those who turn up asking to go fishing – they are generally pleasant people -- that we have nothing against them personally, but are sick and tired of being branded generically as farmers in such a negative way by the body that represents them –
Fish and Game. I think the situation has got worse since then. David Griffiths
NEWS - 'LOCK THE GATE' 7
Call for farmer action gains traction Next move...
I hope Rural News is big enough to now move forward and engage us, your readers, in the bigger questions about the carrying capacity of our environ-ment and communities of intensive mega-corporate dairying (an increas-ing amount of which is now owned by offshore companies) and the associated
appropriation of our fresh water by tax-payer subsidised private irrigation com-panies.
Is this the future rural New Zealand we want?David HaynesPresident New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
8 NEWS
Lenders cozying up to Maori
THE COMMERCIAL sector is keen to engage with Maori, says a Deloitte consultant, Mana Newton.
He told Rural News they love Maori and want to be involved 100%. Newton says it sometimes takes lenders a while to realise the opportunities, but once the first ven-ture is approved it is easy to roll out the remaining ven-tures.
Newton says the dynamics of Maori agribusiness have changed: once Maori owned and leased out land; now they are developing their own businesses on the land they own. The days of Maori wanting lawyers is largely over and instead they need business people to grow the opportu-nities under the right kaupapa (Maori policy).
“The investors have to understand the culture, they have to understand who we are as individuals and again our different process. I have done a lot of due diligence studies and what I have seen is you can do the due dili-gence on the numbers that shows a certain result.
“But at the end of the day if there is a strong desire to own the whenua (land) the questions are when do you buy it and how much do you pay for it? If you believe that today it’s at the lowest price it’s going to be – even if it’s a high market price – you buy it at that time.”
Newton says a key point investors need to understand is that Maori will never put land up as security for a loan. Lending institutions are starting to understand this and realise they are investing is ‘us’ as people first and fore-most.
“ If they can come to terms with that and support it we can work together.”
Hubs are the future for the development of Maori agri-business, says Newton.
“Maori are collectivising ideas and land, which allows us to have economies of scale, and when we get those economies… we can pull together those leases and [they] have a value for the bank.”
“[In] the first venture we get into we are looking at equity ownership of about 30% and getting debt financ-ing up to 70%. I know it is quite risky but a lot of the time that’s what we need to do to get into our first investment.”
Newton says it’s no secret Maori are looking at the value chain and thinking about what point they may wish to invest. They won’t own the whole value chain, but will make strategic choices, be they in the growing, processing or distribution chain.
One of the big challenges for Maori is Maori, he says. “There is often politics around the table, but if we can put those things aside and focus on the commercial opportu-nities our land presents, then we are able to work together and get good results.”
Newton says one way Maori can make gains is by leas-ing rather than buying land. He’s involved in Ngakauroa Farm, one of the contenders for this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Maori dairy farm. • See more on Ngakauroa Farm on pp 24-25
PETER BURKE
PKE supplies dry upHIGH PAYOUT forecasts and a dry summer for some top dairy regions are starting to put pres-sure on grain providers, say farm-ers and companies.
Fonterra’s forecast $8.75/kgMS payout has encouraged dairy farm-ers to buy more palm kernel (PKE) and supplements this season to help them produce maximum
milk without hitting cow or pas-ture condition.
But dry weather has thrown many a ‘curve ball’. Kaipara is offi-cially in drought and farmers in Waikato and South Auckland have called for a similar declaration.
Other regions are also dry, say farmers and consultants: Taranaki, Wairarapa and parts of Manawatu are reporting fast shrivelling pas-tures.
Palm kernel has disappeared from the spot market as suppliers try to meet demands from con-tracted buyers. But many grain importers say even farmers with contracts are finding it difficult to get timely deliveries.
Ravensdown communications manager Gareth Richards says the company is doing all it can to fill contracts but has ruled out filling short orders. It has told custom-
ers it will do all it can to meet con-tracts by the end of the month.
Steele says people who have contracts with BLM need to allow it four-five days to supply product
J Swap director Stephen Swap says while its been working round the clock since January it still needs a lead time of 7-14 days to supply PKE to contracted custom-ers. None is available for the spot market.
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
NEWS 9
Partnership will unlock potentialA loud ‘no’ to kids on quads
STANDARDS FOR the use of quads on farms were agreed recently at a seminar involving 45 representatives of farmer groups, primary sector industry and inter-est groups, government agencies and quad distributors.
Notably the seminar attendees agreed on banning children from driving or riding on quads on farms.
Concern about quad safety has been rising for five years, culmi-nating in a recent review by coro-ner Brandt Short-land. He noted a year ago, “the quad has a low tolerance to a change of stabil-ity and anything that alters that sta-bility can compromise safety”.
Shortland’s work and the high inci-dence of quad acci-dents prompted WorkSafe, the new government agency responsible for workplace safety, to con-vene the two-day seminar on quad safety.
Francois Barton of WorkSafe told Rural News there was agreement on children not operating quads or riding them as passen-gers.
“Children do not have a place on these things. They are not designed for children and the margin between safe and unsafe is so small and consequences are so signifi-cant that it’s unacceptable to have kids on quads.”
Barton also reports agreement to ban
passengers from quads because they are not designed for them. Carrying a passen-ger increases a quad’s instability, he says.
While these changes may seem severe to many people, he says, the seminar par-ticipants insisted on them.
Also discussed were ‘after-market’ attachments such as trailers and spray-ers, proper maintenance and educating
farmers on whether a quad is the cor-rect option for their farm and
intended use.“Imagine the quad
bike is the new horse,” Barton explains.
“You didn’t tow huge heavy imple-
ments behind a horse or carry
six people on it or use it for weed spray-ing. Horses were a way of
getting people from point A
to B. “A quad
is right in a huge range of
situations. For personal transport on a farm a quad is a legitimate option. [Amongst]… a range of vehicles… which is the most appropriate?”
Barton says the workshop agreed that quality and consistency of training needed looking at, probably by the Primary ITO.
“One of the best outcomes of the two days is that we have the commitment of 45 new champions… DairyNZ, vehicle dis-tributors, Federated Farmers and others… communicating and educating the wider sector.”
A small leadership group will build on the achievements of the workshop.
PETER BURKE
THE HEAD of Te Tumu Paeroa, the Maori trustee, Jamie Tuuta, says Maori alone can never unlock the potential of the vast Maori land base.
Tuuta is calling on Maori and pakeha to work together, perhaps outside their comfort zones. He says it’s human nature to be afraid of things you don’t know about and the key for Maori is to break down those barriers to see how they can forge new relationships.
Exploiting the potential of Maori land will require Maori to work in partnership with capital providers and experts, many of whom will not be Maori, Tuuta says.
“Maori should not be afraid of that. We have to build relation-ships and look at ourselves and ask to what extent we have gone beyond our comfort zone to engage in more relationship. I think it’s a two way street.”
Tuuta says Maori established
New Zealand as a produce export-ing nation in the early 1820s. Maori participated in the value chain by owning land, growing crops, har-vesting, processing and exporting to Australia, the Americas and parts of Asia.
“Fast forward to where we are today and there has been a shift in focus and emphasis within Maori-dom. You can look at it in vari-ous ways: moving from grievance to a new space, from the adversar-ial approach to now, when there is greater collaboration between Maori businesses and organisations.
“There is a strong desire by Maori asset holders to move from passively leasing land to actively managing land. With the treaty settlements you are getting a large number of Landcorp farms being transferred to iwi ownership, so you are starting to see scale at an opera-tional level.”
And the benefits of Maori’s
approach to dairy farming and agribusiness are starting to show through, Tuuta says. This relates to their inter-generational view on not farming for capital gain and their emphasis on environmental matters.
“What you are seeing is a sus-tainable business model in an envi-ronmental sense and an economic sense…. This model can be shared with New Zealand dairy farmers, remembering that we are the cur-rent kaitiaki (guardians) and we shouldn’t in any way deplete or damage the land for future gener-ations.”
Tuuta says the new collaborative models being developed by Maori to create greater scale and economic benefits are working well.
He says many trusts, like those represented by the finalists in this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy Awards, are showing what is possible.
– Peter Burke
Francois Barton
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
10 NEWS
so there were organisations such as New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Association Inc that took enormous responsibility for putting a grower welfare programme in place.
“Many growers were under enormous financial pres-sure and their orchards were dying before their eyes.”
A whole new industry body, Kiwifruit Vine Health, was created. “This is an organisation now focused on not only Psa, but broader biosecurity and we have relieved Zespri of that responsibility because we believe we need that spe-cialist focus as an industry.”
Monitoring programmes were initiated so growers knew what was happening across the industry. “What’s rumour and what’s real information becomes all mixed up in the anxiety.
“The industry became more networked as a conse-quence of Psa. This was a regulated primary industry so with Psa we could well have faced deregulation because of grower discontent. In fact that didn’t happen.
“Growers put their heads down – enduring, focused on the technical learning required and receiving good support from their industry institutions.” This was only Zespri but KGI and KVH and the post-harvest operators even helped to put manpower on the ground to help regraft orchards.
“Inevitably when you are a grower and your orchard is dying and you are under financial pressure, the buck stops with you. It is your business… it is hugely lonely, isolating and depressing.
“We couldn’t stop that experience for growers but what the industry institutions could do was make support avail-able as best we were able.
“This was a startling story of endurance and persever-ance at an individual grower level and a functional and effective industry at the institution level.”
Kiwifruit comeback
FROM PAGE 11
Strong growers did not die on vine
‘THIS IS not an indus-try that panicked: it put its head down and said, ‘Right, what do we need to do’,” says Zespri chief
executive Lain Jager. “It’s the growers that make this industry strong.
“Over the next year or two people will look at the New Zealand kiwifruit industry, look at the rate of decline in volume and
the rate of the recovery of volume and they will say ‘wow look at that’.”
Jager says only in 2013-2014 did the industry move from “desperation and determination to ‘yes we think this is going to
work’, then to an emerging optimism.”
Optimism had been creeping back in but surged in the last 6-18 months. Land values are back to pre Psa levels. Growers, many aged 55
or older, now have the choice to leave or stay in the industry, whereas at the peak of the crisis they could not sell.
“The sense of relief we all have is palpable.
“However, although land values have recov-ered, the costs of growing
in the Psa environment are higher and the cashflow disappeared for a couple of years, so for many their financial situations have not recovered. It will take years before they are back.”
“This has been incred-ible recovery.”
THIS YEAR the industry will harvest up to 16 million trays of gold kiwifruit – including about 9 million trays of the new variety Zespri SunGold/Gold3 – and a total crop volume of all Zespri vari-eties of about 85 million trays of kiwifruit. The esti-mated Gold volume is up from about 11 million trays harvested last season. Lain Jager says Zespri is well on track to having 50 million trays of SunGold by 2018 – remarkable given that 30 million trays is the highest previous peak for the industry.
Earlier peaks in site
Lain Jager
PAM TIPA
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
NEWS 11
Kiwifruit comeback a victory under fire
THE STARTING point of the tale was in November 2010, when Psa was first dis-covered in New Zealand vines. “Things were very very uncertain,” says Zespri chief executive Lain Jager. “It wasn’t clear what damage it was going to do to the Green or the Gold variety.”
Damage was severe in the main Gold crop, Hort16a, and it wasn’t clear how Green would be impacted. “For growers, confidence evaporated out of the industry. For a green orchard, land values reduced from on average over $200,000/ha to bare land value of between $80,000/ha and $140,000/ha.
“Those are numbers; but of course orchards weren’t selling – there were no buyers.
“For Gold it was even more disas-trous because orchard values decreased from $400,000/ha down to bare land value of $100,000 and there were abso-lutely no buyers….
“The risk profile of growing kiwi-fruit changed dramatically overnight and equity values, land values were wiped out.”
The worst-hit were the Gold Hort16a growers: their land values were slashed, if they had any debt they were “under water” and they didn’t know what they could graft to. They were geared to growing for higher Gold returns, so Green was not an option. “Now in 2014 we can say the new Gold 3 is look-ing good, but back then we didn’t know if it would work.”
Jager says four or five main factors contributed to the turnaround. “Fantas-tic support” from the New Zealand Gov-ernment was the first. “We went down to the Government and said ‘If you put up $25 million, the growers will put up $25 million’. That was funded out of Zespri’s balance sheet but ultimately growers paid for it.”
That $50m package did not help growers at orchard level but it funded innovation and the management of the
biosecurity as the industry contended with how to react to this disease. “That quick response from the Government was a key part of this.”
Another key to the recovery was the breeding programme already in place, says Jager. With The Government, Zespri invests $5 m to $6 m a year on kiwifruit plant breeding.
“Because we had that programme we had two varieties, Gold 3 and Gold 9, ready to go. We had already com-mercialised a couple of hundred hect-ares of them, they looked more tolerant than Hort16a and a lot of the market and yield trialling work had been done. We knew about these varieties: we would not have commercialised G3 at the same rate if it hadn’t been for Psa, but the point is we had one.
“So the industry structure enabled us to invest in innovation and in partic-ular in plant breeding so it meant that when there was an incursion, we had varieties to go to.”
Another key was the banks, says
Jager. Many of the 3000 growers were suddenly financially “under water” because their land values no longer sup-ported debt, there was no cashflow for a couple of years and higher risk profile.
“The banks were wonderful. They worked with the industry, put time into understanding what was occurring…. ‘What’s this new Gold that Zespri is talking about? Do you have models and market confidence?’
“Because there was a marketing company that believed it could make it work in the market, and that had a track record of success in commercial-ising new varieties, that made the risk bankable. It meant banks could focus
on the horticultural risk knowing that as long as growers could grow it, there was a profitable route to market.”
Jager says another key was the gov-ernance infrastructure already in place. “There was enormous confusion…. ‘How are we going to manage this, do we still have an industry?’ ” There were questions on government support, innovation to grow in the Psa envi-ronment, funding, movement of plant material and how they would work with the Ministry for Primary Industries.
“That whole governance infrastructure existed in the industry because it had a cooperative structure
PAM TIPA
TO PAGE 10
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
12 NEWSNew genetics company formedFORMER LANDCORP boss and Massey University chancellor Chris Kelly will chair the board of the new entity Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics.
Graham Alder, the former genetics business manager of Zoetis, has been appointed gen-eral manager of Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics.
The appointments follow the vote at the BLNZ annual meeting
to combine the organisation’s cur-rent genetics investments. This means Sheep Improvement Ltd (the national sheep genetic data-set), the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Central Progeny Test and Ovita, with added investment in beef genetics, come together with gov-ernment funds to create the new entity Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics.
BLNZ says it will continue
paying $2.9 m a year for the next five years and the Government will pay $3 m a year during that time.
Chief executive Dr Scott Champion says it is an exciting time as the work planned would be speeding up genetic gains to match market requirements and lead to more profitable sheep and cattle.
A range of research will be
funded, especially discover-ing traits that enable animals to thrive on hill country, where typi-cally New Zealand sheep and beef production is based as flatter land changes to dairying.
Champion says estimated genetic gains of $742 million over the next 20 years should boost the confidence of sheep and beef farmers.
@rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
Milk recall in Hong KongA MAJOR Australian dairy exporter has recalled three UHT milk products after tests by Hong Kong authorities showed a bacteria count 4000 times over the normal limit.
Lion Dairy, which owns the former National Foods and Dairy Farmers businesses, last month withdrew Pura brand fresh, skim and Hi- Lo milk from the Hong Kong market.
Tests by Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety showed the total bacteria count of the sample was 130 million per millilitre. According to Hong Kong’s Milk Regulation (Cap 132 AQ), milk after heat treatment by means of pasteurisation should not contain more than 30,000 bacteria per millilitre.
The CFS has suspended imports of Pura milk until fur-ther notice. This is the second bacterial contamination case involving the product in Hong Kong. The recall comes five months after the food author-ity allowed the resumption of imports of all Pura milk prod-ucts after a batch of skim milk was detected to have an exces-sive bacterial count in May last year.
A CFS spokesman says it has informed the sole importer Vitasoy Interna-tional Holdings Ltd that the batch of product has contra-vened the milk regulation. He confirmed the affected products were being sold by retailers including supermarkets and were being recalled.
The CFS says a batch of Pura skim milk imported from Australia was detected to have a total bacterial count exceeding the legal limit in May last year.
“The CFS thus suspended import of all products of the same brand manufactured by the same processing plant for investigation by the Australian authorities and the manufacturer.
“After investigation, the Australian authorities said the irregularity might be caused by a problem of temperature control and asked the trade to make rectifications accord-ingly. The importer of the product was also changed sub-sequently. The product was allowed to be imported again in October last year.
“The total bacterial count exceeding the legal limit indicates unsatisfactory hygienic conditions. It will be pru-dent for consumers who have bought the affected product to stop consuming it. The trade should also stop selling the affected product,” the spokesman says.
Lion, owned by Japanese conglomerate Kirin Holdings, says information received so far from Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety “suggests this is an issue of product qual-ity, not consumer safety”.
Lion is urgently testing to verify the facts and investi-gate the matter thoroughly, the company says.
It says all Pura products undergo extensive testing at its Australian milk plant prior to export, to ensure the highest product safety and quality standards are upheld.
THE USUALLY bi-annual South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) at Lincoln has moved about 20km inland to a new site at Kirwee.
The 2015 event will be March 25-27 on a 40ha rect-angle bought by SIAFDs at the township just east of Darfield and about 20 minutes drive west of Christ-church on SH 73. The event is said to have outgrown the Lincoln site.
Goodbye Lincoln, hello Kirwee
RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
NEWS 13
Grass across the ditch not so green
DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you are enticed across the Tasman to farm, say Jodie and Craig Locke of Whangarei.
The Lockes are one of many Kiwi farming families burned by the experience of buying a farm in Australia. Weather, government indifference to farming, water issues and discrimination against New Zealanders left a bitter taste after their three-year Australian farm ownership experience.
On top of that they say Australians are more laid back than New Zealanders and didn’t like the hard physical work on farm. They had to employ Kiwi lads already living in Australia, friends or family members to get the job done as the
Australian farm staff were not reliable and didn’t have the same standard of work ethic as Kiwis.
Jodie and Craig were prompted to share their story with Rural News after an article in sister paper Dairy News about Australian Rabobank representatives visiting New Zealand to get more Kiwi dairy workers across the Tasman to help boost the dairy industry, particularly in Tasmania and Victoria. Dangling a carrot of a cheaper path to farm ownership, the bank representatives said New Zealanders had helped kick off the dairy industry in the 1990s and they hoped to attract a second wave of fresh talent.
But the Lockes say many Kiwi farmers wished they had had more information before they went. Jodie attended one meeting at an Australian
hotel luncheon where there were about 70 New Zealand farmers frustrated with dealing with various agencies.
After Craig and their two sons attended a Whangarei seminar by local and Australian real
estate agents, the Lockes sold their Northland dairy farm in 2007 and moved to a farm they bought in Cobram, northern Victoria. They farmed for three hard years and returned in 2010. They were only able to sell the farm on a lease-to-buy for three years to a
neighbouring farmer.Socially the family
enjoyed the local farming community, fun activities close by and made good friends. They did not however find farming to be what it had been talked up to be.
Land prices are cheaper in Australia and you can buy water in a drought. But they say that’s only unless the government changes its rules for the season and diverts water to the cities and then there is no water allocation at all for the season.
And that’s just the start. “If you are looking to get Australian residency you will not get it as a farmer.” Farming is not a recognised skills shortage in Australia. Your children will have to pay for all their university studies no matter how long you have been living there after 2001.
Stock feed is readily available, but prices get out of hand when times are tough. There are no grants in difficult times to farmers who are Kiwi.
Overall the Government did not support the farming sector in general as it does in New Zealand, the Lockes say. Many processes through agencies or government seem to take much longer.
The Lockes say we should keep our good Kiwi farmers here to help our own country before
letting them go to help other countries. Banks coming here to lure farmers over the Tasman have their own agendas, the Lockes believe. They did not find the banks helpful when times were tough.
They advise anyone tempted across the
Tasman to do their homework. They are happy to be back home farming in Northland among “trusting” Kiwis in a beautiful, green country they took for granted before their Australian farming adventure.
PAM TIPA
“If you are looking to get Australian residency you will not get it as a farmer.” Farming is not a recognised skills shortage in Australia.”
@rural_news
facebook.com/ruralnews
Jodie and Craig Locke say NZ farmers need to do their homework before crossing the Tasman to farm.
ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited ANZ1551/RN/1
anz.co.nz/rural
Nick was born and raised in Taranaki. He went to school here, he’s involved in the local rugby team and helps out on the family farm where he grew up. Being part of the local community has given him a great understanding of the particular needs of the region and the dairy industry. Nick’s a dairy and equity
partnerships specialist, and part of ANZ’s dedicated Agri Business Team of 15 industry specialists providing expert local service to Taranaki. To fi nd your local ANZ Agri Manager visit anz.co.nz/rural or call Nick himself on 027 230 1699.
Nick Lawn, ANZ Taranaki Agri Manager.He’s a product of this environment.
RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
14 NEWS
Fonterra aims to lift peak processing flexibilityFONTERRA WANTS TO increase processing flexibility by 10% at its plants at peak season.
Most of the $400-500 million of investment it has brought forward will go to achieving this flexibility in processing its New Zealand milk pool. About $50 million will be spent in the next year.
It wants to cope better with a spring ‘super-
flush’ and gain more flexibility to redirect milk to products with more profitability in any season.
Chief executive Theo Spierings says the product mix cost the cooperative about $800 million this year because it could not take full advantage of unprecedented whole milk powder prices.
About 25% of the milk had to be processed into cheese, casein and other products which
do not come within the milk price manual calculations, leading to negative returns. A record cash payout of $8.75/kgMS is forecast but it is 70c/kgMS less than the milk price manual because of the divergence between milk price and non-milk price
products.Spierings says next
season is the first priority for the $400-500 million fast-tracked spending. “We had a super-flush, we had difficulties coping with the milk volume this year,” he said.
“We are, first and foremost, fast-tracking
PAM TIPA
Fonterra chief execu-tive Theo Spierings and chairman John Wilson at the release of the half year results.
de-bottlenecking of factories…. We want to fast-track investments [servicing] milk price products and milk price commodities such as whole milk powder, anhydrous milk fat and skim milk powder. We want to fast-track because that is important for our farms to grow but also important for our milk price.”
Chief financial officer Lukas Paravicini says a growing milk supply will always need more investment. “The other issue is how can we move slightly ahead of our curve, and create the flexibility? That flexibility is about 7-10% in the peak season. So we are not talking about massive changes. But that 7-10% increase at peak has a massive impact on volatility management.”
Spierings says the recent Global Dairy Trade auctions show whole milk powder prices are moving down and he thinks price gap between products will close. But volatility will always be an issue. “But we want to significantly reduce the impact. We think that will happen with 10% flexibility on peak.”
“We want to fast-track because that is important for our farms to grow but also important for our milk price.”
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
NEWS 15
FONTERRA’S OVERALL RESULTS will not be any stronger in the second half of the year and may be a bit weaker, Fonterra’s chief executive Theo Spierings warned at the release of the half year result.
Interim first half results showed revenue up 21% to $11.3 billion. But earnings at $403m are down 41% and net profit after tax is down 53% to $217m. The forecast cash payout of $8.75/kgMS is up 42% on last year includ-ing an estimated full year dividend of 10c per share.
Spierings says the first half has been exceptional for the cooperative, as a result of high volatility driven by record demand for milk powders, resulting in a 21% increase in revenue.
“The season saw record milk volumes collected during the October-November peak period, and milk volumes collected for the season to date increased by 4% on the prior year to 1120 million kgMS.”
But higher dairy commodity prices have put increas-ing pressure on margins in the consumer and foodser-vice businesses. “We had to strike a balance between passing on rising costs immediately or continuing to build our market presence to secure long term growth.
“Taking the longer term view has constrained profit-ability during this run of strong commodity pricing, but we are positioning ourselves for the future with con-sumer and foodservice volumes in key strategic mar-kets like Asia (up 10%, excluding Sri Lanka which was affected by the temporary suspension of operations in August 2013).
“Being disciplined with operating expenses, which were flat for the period, contributed to our ability to offset some of the rising input costs.”
Long term view crimps profit
Warnings over buttermilk lakeTHE WAIKATO Regional Council has issued formal warnings over the ‘buttermilk lake’ created at Atiamuri, Waikato, last October, by the dumping of excess product.
Three parties, including a dairy supply company, got the warnings. The council declines to name them, but Fonterra was named in news reports at the time.
The warnings were over beaches of the Resource Management Act.
Council investigations manager Patrick Lynch says it is satisfied “that changes to procedures at the dairy supply company concerned make a recurrence of this event extremely unlikely”.
Initially it appeared a serious environmental incident but after investigation they are confident it looked far worse than it was, he says.
“We have established that approximately 5 million litres of buttermilk was discharged onto land at the Atiamuri property over a two week period,” he says. “Due to the topography where the buttermilk had been discharged, the soil type there, and some earlier earthworks that had been completed on site, we are satisfied there was no immediate loss of any contaminant to ground water or surface water.”
A high standard of remediation has subsequently been done on site.
“The discharge was a very large volume and its discharge into the storage pond was unlawful; however, taking into account the lack of adverse environmental effect and the positive response by the parties involved we have decided to issue [only] formal warnings
to the land owner, an individual involved in the management of the property, and the dairy supply company involved.”
The buttermilk lake at Atiamuri,
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
16 NEWS
Synlait hit by infant formula woesINDEPENDENT MILK processor Synlait has downgraded its full year profit forecast by $5 mil-lion on the back of lower than expected sales of infant formula in China.
The Canterbury pro-cessor blames regulation changes in China and the fallout from the WPC80 scare for the lower sales of infant formula. The company also expects its annual average for-eign exchange rate will be higher than it applied in
determining the farmgate milk price.
Synlait is revising its 2014 full year net profit from a range of $30-35m to $25-30m. However, it is still ahead of the prospec-tus forecast of $19.8m.
China is determined to restore its reputation for food safety, damaged in 2008 when its dairy industry was almost paralysed by the melamine scandal. Last June China’s State Council issued a formal notice, making it clear all formula manufacturers in the country have to use a
quality control system as strict as the one used in drug manufacturing. It also banned repackaging.
More importantly, it requires formula manu-facturers to set up their own farms to secure milk sources to help consoli-date China’s dairy indus-try, which has at least 120 dairy companies nation-wide.
Despite the profit downgrade, Synlait Milk managing director Dr John Penno is pleased with the development of the busi-ness. The company’s half-year results announced
last month showed a net profit of $12.1m for six months ending January 31, 2014. This was an increase of $5.3m on the $6.8m for the same period in 2013.
Revenue increased to $284.9m compared to $176.4m for the same period in 2013, due largely to sustained high interna-tional commodity prices.
Penno says higher than forecast earnings and stra-tegic positioning con-tinues to reinforce “the confidence we have in our future”.
“With a favour-able product mix and an increasing amount of product sold into value-added applications we expect our milk powder and cream products busi-ness to outperform our initial public offer projec-tions in FY2014,” he says.
“Despite it being clear that we will not meet our infant formula and nutri-tional volume targets for this financial year, we remain confident of meet-ing our long term objec-tives.”
He says during the first half of this financial year Synlait made good progress with its target first-tier multinational customers.
“As a result we expect to be supplying infant for-mula ingredients and fin-ished products to four of our six target customers in FY2015. This volume we expect will account for as much as 30% of our total production next season with the additional milk supply required to meet these requirements having already been secured,” he says.
“To meet this cus-tomer demand, and with strong interest in milk supply from farm-ers, we have decided to expand the scope of some of our growth initiatives and bring forward some investment.”
Synlait’s second large scale infant formula and nutritional spray drier will now have 25% greater capacity than originally planned.
The Synlait board has also committed $6m of extra spending to prepare the site for an eventual fourth large scale spray drier. Combined with the extra capacity this will increase the estimated cost of the project from $103.5m to $135 m.
“Continuing to con-centrate on operational targets and the execution of our growth initiative projects to support the development of the busi-ness is critical.
“We continue to invest in people, systems and plant and equipment to build technical capability ahead of our market devel-opment.”
The three growth ini-tiatives under develop-ment during the six month period, including the lac-toferrin plant, drystore extension and blending and canning plant, are on track for commission-ing on, or close to, their planned dates.
Westland plans $100m plant expansion
SUDESH KISSUN
INDEPENDENT DAIRY processor Westland Milk Products is building a $102 million nutritionals dryer at its Hokitika site.
A resource consent application to build the purpose-built spray drier, referred to as D7, is lodged with Westland District Council. Also planned are batching equipment, high specification mixing equip-ment, additional warehousing, another laboratory and a 25kg packing line.
Chief executive Rod Quin says the company is confident the
consent will be granted with condi-tions to meet any local concerns about noise, traffic and air discharge.
“Westland has a strong history of producing high quality milk powders and butter,” Quin says.
“But we have [decided] to shift the balance of our produc-tion toward high-end nutritional
products, such as infant formula. Nutri-tionals consistently deliver higher margins than milk powders and will lead to relatively higher pay-outs for our shareholders as well as placing Westland on pathway to a more secure and sustainable
future.” Quin says the D7 project will create up to 36 jobs in Hokitika, and local contractors will be used as much as possible.
Westland chief executive Rod Quin.
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
NEWS 17
Turning the public on to food
MASSEY GRADUATES who go into farming are very technology savvy, says Steve Maharey.
They don’t think about farming in the way he did when he was working on the family farm.
“These are people who are well aware food is the product, so they are working back from the market to their farm and as a result are bringing on-farm a whole range of technologies.
“These include precision ag, the way they might handle a cow and the way they do all sorts of things on their farm. They are tooled-up young people.”
Maharey says there remains a shortage of gradu-ates in the wider food and agricultural sector, and a shortage of farmers, whose average age is now late 50s.
Food technologists are now in short supply and many are being recruited from overseas.
“One of the big challenges, not just for Massey but for the country, is to turn people on to how exciting the food area is and shift the image away from [the notion] that to be involved in food you have to become a farmer. Not everybody wants to and certainly not everybody should be a farmer.”
New graduates tech savvy
MASSEY UNIVERSITY vice-chancellor Steve Maharey sees a huge chal-lenge for New Zealand in getting its people excited about the country being a food producing nation.
He told the annual con-ference of the Science Communicators Asso-ciation of New Zealand (SCANZ) that New Zea-land was now one of the most urbanised countries in the world.
Few Kiwis have any contact with actual food production on a farm, Maharey says. “It’s imper-
ative to turn people on to the notion that food is our natural advantage; not our only advantage, but if we want to be a country with a higher income, a lot of it’s going to come from the food we export.”
Maharey says for 10 years Massey University has changed to pick up the theme of food.
Agriculture is always associated in people’s minds with the production of a commodity and that’s been the history of New Zealand.
“Massey has helped produce those commodi-ties, but now we know that in this century we need to
PETER BURKE
shift the emphasis to food and move up the value chain, to sell at a much higher price around the world and make a lot more money.
“That’s how Mr Joyce’s goal of $60 billion from
agricultural exports is going to be achieved, with the shift from agricul-ture to food. So Massey is moving to ensure it is involved right from the agricultural area through to the food end point.”
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Massey University’s Steve Maharey says it’s a challenge getting NZers excited about the country being a food producing nation.
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
18 NEWS
‘GRASS ROOTS and Green Shoots’ is the theme for this year’s Deer Industry Conference, to be held at Methven on May 20-22.
Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) producer manager Tony Pearse says the theme reflects the industry’s origins in Canterbury and the drive of the Deer Farmers Association to engage future members.
“We want to show them that the conference is not all about politics and constitutional matters,” Pearse told Rural News. “It’s about sharing ideas and having a chance to communicate with the industry’s leader-ship and get your point of view across.”
The conference begins with the formalities of the DFA annual meeting on the morning of May 20, fol-lowed by an agribusiness session in the afternoon with DINZ delivering its ‘state of the nation’ address, guest speaker agricultural trade envoy Mike Petersen and a Q&A session with the board.
Venison and velvet sessions will be held May 21, and a field day on May 22 at Mt Hutt Station, “one of the first major deer farming operations in Canter-bury,” says Pearse.
“Mt Hutt is iconic in what it’s done with deer and what it’s doing now as a large-scale venison and qual-ity velvet producer.”
Meanwhile a group of farmers has begun the first of a new deer training course managed by Primary ITO and presented by Agribusiness Training with DINZ staff, deer farmers and veterinarians, Pearse says.
“For several years training opportunities have been limited, so a 12-month level-3 training course has been developed to fill the gap.”
The inaugural course is at Netherdale Deer Stud, Balfour, starting with three days on deer behav-iour, nutrition, breeding and genetics, deer health and management, farm visits and hands-on experi-ence. A second training session is scheduled for six months later. Throughout the year participants will be assessed on-farm by visiting Primary ITO tutors; on-farm assessment will make up 80% of the course requirement.
Deer conference and training
More Ag Science graduates needed
THE GOVERNMENT may tweak the funding regime for universities to make it more attractive for them to enroll more students in agricultural science-related degrees, says the Minister of Science and Innovation.
Speaking at a recent conference of the Science Communicators Asso-ciation of New Zealand (SCANZ), Steven Joyce acknowledged a shortfall in the number of agricul-tural science graduates from New Zealand univer-sities. About 1200 gradu-ates are needed annually, but only about 250 are
now graduating.It costs less for uni-
versities to train arts and commerce students, and a lack of interest in farm-ing careers among young people is worrying aca-demics and primary indus-try leaders.
Joyce says changes have been made to the fund-ing system to attract more
students into engineer-ing, and the rules could be changed to attract more students to agricultural science.
Schemes are underway to encourage more people to experience science while at school, eg the ‘Sci-ence In Society’ project. Having young people visit science institutions and
universities is part of this, Joyce says.
But school careers advi-sors have told Rural News that the biggest imped-iment to getting young people into ag science is parents who don’t see agriculture as a ‘desirable career path’ and encour-age their children to look elsewhere.
Meanwhile, New Zea-landers are taking a greater interest in food science, Joyce says.
“This will increase in the next several years with people getting more sci-entific or quasi-scientific about what they eat. The science of food is impor-tant to this country. The value-added foods, or food for health, are important, so is validating food and health claims – a currency for the food sector for the
next 30 years.”Joyce says New Zea-
land produces only about 0.05% of the world’s research and that it’s important for scientists to collaborate here and over-seas. “The challenge for New Zealand, a major food exporter, is to be at the forefront of some of the science in those areas. But more importantly [scien-tists must be able] to com-municate some of that science.”
PETER BURKE
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
NEWS 19
Farmers and school join on sustainabilityA SMALL rural school’s partnership with the farm-ing community on sus-tainability is yielding great results.
Netherton School, Hauraki Plains, has won the Green Gold Award from the Enviroschools Foundation, a national not-for-profit trust promot-ing sustainability among schools.
Involved with Enviros-chools since 2008, Nether-ton students started with worm farming, recycling and gardening. This devel-oped learning by the chil-dren, involving planting native trees in the commu-nity, says principal Tracey Adams.
DOC staff taught the children about preserving and nurturing kahikatea and other native vegeta-tion that once covered the Hauraki Plains. The chil-dren have learned about pollination and have grown butterflies and started
keeping bees, Adams says.“We still have ‘butter-
fly gardens’ and a shade house in which we grow swan plants and care for monarch butterfly chrysa-lis until they are hatched and released. Last year we had a school-wide focus on waterways and the ocean, and looked at their conser-vation.
“We also worked with Waikato Regional Coun-cil to adopt ‘The Cut’, a local waterway in our area, we have done planting and looked at carp and investi-gated ways to reduce their numbers at ‘The Cut’.”
Netherton School has five classrooms and 120 pupils. Board of trust-ees chairman Conall Buchanan, a Hauraki Plains dairy farmer, says the dairy industry’s contribution to sustainability shouldn’t be confined within the farm-gate.
In addition to pro-moting environmentally sound farms, the farm-ers’ involvement in local
schools and community projects allows interaction and helps improve public perception of dairy farm-ing and farmers.
Adams says it is great that the school is part of a farming community. Many parents get involved with the school and support the children in a variety of ways: providing trac-tors and labour for school-grounds projects, donating mulch and compost from calf sheds, transport-ing children to projects beyond the school and helping with supervision.
“Also, we had an eve-ning with an expert from DOC on planting. Local farmers and parents came along and as a result are fencing and planting
around stands of kahikatea on their land.
“Also, the farming com-munity helps with pest control. We have had chil-dren come to school with traps they have made to catch rats and stoats... useful learning for the chil-dren. Our community is supportive and makes time to help.”
Taking part in Enviroschools has also helped with the culture of care and respect for the
school environment.Netherton’s motto is
‘Take Pride’, and Adams says when visitors come into the school their first impression is of a school that people care about and take pride in. Its landscap-ing and gardens are attrac-tive and colourful, and there is a lot of ‘garden art’ and sculpture made from scrap metal resulting from Enviroschool.
“This culture of care, respect and pride flows through to the children and community. Being an Enviroschool has contrib-uted hugely to this cul-ture.”
The Green Gold award is given for understand-ing of sustainability and commitment to sustain-
able living. It is awarded for whole-school and com-munity involvement, class-room learning links to the
principles of an Enviros-chool, and guiding prin-ciples being embedded in the school culture.
WINNING THE Green Gold Award is not the end of Netherton School’s journey in sustainability.
Principal Tracey Adams says the school is busy creating a ‘sustainability plan’ to maintain its projects.
“We have chickens at school and are planning a little ‘co-op’ stall from which children can sell eggs, honey, garden produce and worm juice, and also invite the community to sell preserves.
“We have other ideas in the pipeline, and the envi-sioning process will continue with a yearly reflection and vision and action plans for the board of trustees.
“We also plan to help other schools in our area by having them visit and supporting them through the Enviroschool process. Being an Enviroschool brings much to our children’s learning and to our community.”
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
20 WORLD
Fighting sceptics inside the farm gate
TEN YEARS ago one of the largest dairy operators in the US saw the writing on the wall: animal welfare lobbyists were increas-
ing their focus on farming and consumers were keen to know more about their food.
Although environment groups were targeting the pig and poultry sectors back then, Gary Corbett,
chief executive of Fair Oaks Farms, Indiana knew “dairy’s time was gonna come”.
In 1994, Fair Oaks decided to go on the offensive: it opened the 13,000ha dairy farm to the
SUDESH KISSUN
public for them to see how cows are looked after and milked. A birthing barn auditorium also allows vis-itors to see calves being born. Milk, cheese, ice cream and yoghurt are processed and sold at the farm.
Fair Oaks hosts 575,000 visitors annually and is the number one desti-nation for visitors to the town. Fair Oaks’ success has attracted interest from other sectors. Last year Fair Oaks Farms opened a pig adventure operation with 3000 sows.
Last month Corbett told Fair Oaks’ success story to 350 farmers at the Australian Dairy Confer-ence in Geelong, Victoria. He urged Australian farm-ers to take their story to the consumers to coun-ter negative publicity from animal rights groups.
According to Cor-bett, the activists are well funded and passionate in their campaigns.
“Consumers were also becoming well informed; they wanted to know about traceability, the food supply chain and animal welfare.”
Corbett says the dairy industry has always believed someone else will take care of the nega-tive publicity generated by activists. Therefore, dairy has never been ahead of the game.
He says people vis-iting Fair Oaks are very interested to interact with farmers. “In our experi-ence 99% of the visitors have no agenda and come to understand agriculture better. Consumers haven’t let us down.”
After touring the farm, visitors buy locally pro-duced cheese and ice cream from the Fair Oaks store. Corbett believes an emotional attachment arises from visitors seeing how the farm houses cows, feeds and milks them
and takes care of them. Cheese produced at Fair Oaks is sold across the US however ice cream and yoghurt are available only at the store.
Corbett has no regrets about opening the farm to the public.
“The question is not whether we can afford to tell the story but can we afford not to… we can’t.”
Fair Oaks practices sus-tainability on all fronts and Corbett says this will ensure the business will prosper for many years.
Fair Oaks has 37,000 cows; the average herd size in the US is under 200.
The property has 11 milking platforms with a permit to build another one.
The free-stall barn operation milks 800 cows every 6.5 minutes for 24 hours a day serving the fluid milk market; it pro-duces almost a million litres of milk daily.
The 1.6 million gallons of liquid manure produced at the dairy operation is fed through a digester with the end product used in many ways. For example liquid manure is turned into fertiliser and gas to power the businesses’ 45 trucks.
The water is used to grow a source of pro-tein which is added to the herd’s total mixed ration. About 120 calves are born every day on the farm.
Fair Oaks Farms also produces at least 60% of its own feed.
Corbett says he doesn’t want to lose any sleep over what to feed the cows the next day.
“We have two years of feed on hand. We try to have big healthy cows, ensuring we have feed in front of them 24 hours a day.”
The farm employs 450 people.
Check out our websiteswww.ruralnews.co.nzwww.dairynews.co.nz
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
WORLD 21
AUSTRALIAN PRIME Minis-ter Tony Abbott is visiting Asia in the hope of advancing a free trade deal with China.
Abbott will be signing an FTA with South Korea in Seoul and talking to leaders in Tokyo and Beijing on possible trade deals.
A free-trade deal between Australia and China has been considered for eight years but agreement is elusive. Japan is also hesitant to open its beef, rice and dairy sectors to imports.
A trade deal with Korea could add $A650 million to the Austra-lian economy each year. With that deal largely done, Abbott is hoping to get the Japan FTA over the line. But a deal with China appears more distant. Abbott says he hoped to announce “sub-stantial progress towards freer trade” rather than suggesting
a conclusion was close. Abbott’s coalition part-ner National is wary that an FTA deal with China would risk more agricul-tural land and businesses being owned by Chinese.
With Abbott on the Asian trip are about 400 business leaders, taking part in ‘Australia Week in China’ (April 8-11) in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and Guang-zhou, promoting trade, invest-ment, tourism and education partnerships.
Australian farmers are wel-coming the prospect of trade deals with China and Japan but insist there must be good out-comes for the agriculture sector.
National Farmers Federa-tion president Brent Finlay says a trade agreement with China is a priority for the Australian farm sector. It would likely further
improve trade, already impres-sive. From 2003 to 2013 agricul-tural exports to China increased from 8% of total exports to 20% -- $A7 billion in 2012-13. Chiefly these were wool (A$2.2 b), grain and oilseeds (A$1.3 b) and meat and livestock (at A$600 m).
Finlay says farmers strongly support an FTA with China, but it must encompass a holistic view of Australian agriculture and consider trade access to all markets. “We will not support a
deal signed at any cost. A second-rate agreement in any area is not good enough.”
On the Japanese FTA, Finlay expects a deal to be concluded soon, but he insists it must be good for all Australian farmers and agribusinesses.
NFF last month met Japan’s political trade representative Koya Nishikawa who led a
trade delegation to Canberra. Finlay told them Australian agriculture would only accept a trade agreement beneficial to the entire sector.
“Our members are con-cerned there will be carve-outs for certain commodities. If it’s not likely to be a good deal for all it will not be supported by the industry.
“The tariff regime remains a significant point of conjecture
within this agreement. All sec-tors — wool, cotton, beef, pork, lamb, dairy, sugar, grains, hor-ticulture and rice —must get improved market access.
“If the Government is serious about agriculture being a pillar of the Australian economy, there needs to be a genuine commit-ment to commercial results for our sector with trade deals.”
Abbott says he remains com-mitted to finalising FTAs with Japan and China.
“I said on election night that Australia is ‘open for business’ and I committed to driving the finalisation of three key FTAs with Japan, Korea and China.
“These countries represent 40% of Australia’s total two-way trade in goods and services, valued at $A250 billion. The prosperity of our country and other countries in our region depends on increased trade and investment.”
Abbott chases prized FTA deal with Chinese
SUDESH KISSUN
AUSTRALIAN NATIONALS leader Warren Truss says his party would be open to an FTA with China if it contained the same protections for agricul-ture as Australia’s recent deal with South Korea.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has pledged to secure an agreement with China by the end of the year but has faced opposition from the Nationals over foreign investors buying agricultural land and busi-nesses.
China wants the Foreign Investment Review Board to increase its national interest test from A$248 million to A$1 billion. Truss, who is also deputy prime minister, points to the South Korean FTA as a possible compromise.
In this case the A$1 billion threshold applies only to investment in ‘non-sensitive’ areas; agricultural land and agribusinesses are protected.
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MARKET SNAPSHOT LAMB MARKET TRENDSBEEF MARKET TRENDS
RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
Beef & venison prices are reported as gross (before normal levies & charges are deducted). Lamb & mutton prices are reported nett (after levies & charges are deducted).
BEEF PRICES
c/kgCWT Change Last Week
2 Wks Ago
Last Year
NI P2 Steer - 300kg n/c 4.35 4.35 3.82M2 Bull - 300kg n/c 4.30 4.30 3.84P2 Cow - 230kg n/c 3.40 3.40 2.85M Cow - 200kg n/c 3.30 3.30 2.70
Local Trade - 230kg +5 4.30 4.25 3.82SI P2 Steer - 300kg -5 4.05 4.10 3.65
M2 Bull - 300kg -5 3.90 3.95 3.65P2 Cow - 230kg -5 2.85 2.90 2.70M Cow - 200kg -5 2.75 2.80 2.58
Local Trade - 230kg n/c 4.10 4.10 3.80
Slaughter
Export Market DemandChange Last Week 2 Wks
Ago Last Year 5yr Ave
95CL US$/lb n/c 2.25 2.25 2.19 1.90NZ$/kg -10 5.71 5.81 5.77 5.65
Procurement IndicatorChange 2Wks Ago 3 Wks
Ago Last Year 5yr Ave
% Returned NI +1% 75.3% 74.0% 66.56% 69.2%% Returned SI +0% 69.2% 68.8% 63.3% 64.3%
LAMB PRICES
c/kgCWTChange Last
Week2 Wks
AgoLast Year
NI Lamb YM - 13.5kg n/c 5.46 5.46 4.23PM - 16.0kg n/c 5.48 5.48 4.25PX - 19.0kg n/c 5.50 5.50 4.27PH - 22.0kg n/c 5.51 5.51 4.28
Mutton MX1 - 21kg n/c 3.45 3.45 2.48SI Lamb YM - 13.5kg n/c 5.48 5.48 4.21
PM - 16.0kg n/c 5.48 5.48 4.23PX - 19.0kg n/c 5.48 5.48 4.25PH - 22.0kg n/c 5.48 5.48 4.26
Mutton MX1 - 21kg n/c 3.18 3.18 2.30
Slaughter
Export Market DemandChange Last
Week2 Wks
Ago Last Year 5yr Ave
UK Leg £/lb -9 2.05 2.14 1.50 1.83NZ$/kg -49 8.64 9.13 5.98 8.39
Procurement IndicatorChange 2Wks
Ago3 Wks
Ago Last Year 5yr Ave
% Returned NI +3% 71.8% 69.1% 65.2% 65.9%% Returned SI +2% 70.5% 68.5% 64.9% 66.9%
Venison PricesChange Last
Week2 Wks
Ago Last Year 5yr Ave
NI Stag - 60kg n/c 6.15 6.15 6.30 7.04SI Stag - 60kg n/c 6.20 6.20 6.42 7.37
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
BEEF
Cows influence schedules in both islands
A slow down in the numbers of cull cows presented in the NI has stopped the trend of falling export prices in the past two weeks. The upper range of prices have crept up a bit as competition heated up. Export bull in the NI was earning $4.30/kg last week and export steer was at $4.35/kg. A shortage of local trade supply also kept pressure on prices as the local trade price ranged between $4.25-$4.45/kg last week. In the SI cull cows have just started to be presented, with killing space tightening up. Prices in the SI subsequently eased last week with export steer earning around the $4.10/kg mark and export bull back to $3.95/kg. SI local trade is at $4.10/kg.
Imported US beef prices stall
Stalling imported US grinding beef prices have illustrated in the last several weeks that even though supplies of grinding beef are scarce in the US, there is a limit to the amount of imported product the market wants. Volumes of Australian product are pouring into the market and NZ’s offerings of cow have also increased, both in 90 and 95CL form. This has resulted in imported prices stalling even though the domestic price has reached a record high of $2.65/lb. The end uses of the two products have become quite separated, with domestic demanded solely by retailers, and as the essential ingredient in patty formulation. Imported 90 and 95CL are less desirable at present for patties as they need prior blending. 50CL is a nightmare to source, not to mention expensive, and end users would prefer to use Australian 85CL that does not require as much blending.
LAMB
Slaughter numbers fall off
A drop off in lamb slaughter numbers in the NI has seen the upper range of export prices paid increase as procurement competition creeps in. Export prices in the NI averaged $5.60/kg gross last week, with a range of $5.45-$5.75/kg. In the SI the avg was $5.50/kg gross, but $5.65/kg was achieved by some. The local trade in both islands is placing pressure on export prices as lambs become harder to find. Local trade buyers were paying $5.60/kg gross in both islands last week. A higher NZD against major trading partners is reducing processor margins on lamb at present.
Store lamb activity picks up across the country
The continuing dry on the North Island’s west coast has seen a greater number of store lambs available in the past two weeks. Prices in the paddock have been steady for two weeks with 32kg male lines earning around the $2.45/kg mark and longer term options 5-10cpk dearer. Ewe lambs are around the $2.50/kg mark. There is a degree of uncertainty about the quantity of store lambs left to come out his season. Widespread rain across the island could see these prices increase. The South Island store lamb market lifted around 10cpk last week on the back of several winter contracts being issued. Firm winter pricing has given farmers the confidence to take a punt on store lambs and demand is firm. The entrance of cropping farmers into the market has also stimulated demand. Between $2.40-$2.50/kg is the range on farm for 32kg male lines with lighter options around 5-10cpk dearer. Ewe lambs are around the $2.45-$2.50/kg range.
DAIRY
Dairy prices under pressure
Whole milk powder (WMP) prices remain under pressure on the back of increased global production and weaker demand from China. The increase in global supplies has had some buyers holding off purchasing WMP, anticipating prices will move lower. SMP prices are following the same trend as WMP, again driven by increased supplies. Production out of NZ is at higher than expected volumes, with manufacturers filling orders and having additional product to sell on the spot market. In the most recent auction the GlobalDairy Trade price index fell 5.2% from the previous auction, the lowest trade-weighted price in 9 months. WMP prices dropped 5.8%. .
WOOL PRICE WATCH DAIRY PRICE WATCH
Indicators in NZ$ Change 27-Mar 20-Mar Last Year Indicators in NZ$/T Change Last 2
WksPrev. 2
WksLast Year
Coarse Xbred Indic. n/c 4.76 4.76 3.96 Butter -142 5451 5593 5108
Fine Xbred Indicator +8 4.96 4.88 4.87 Skim Milk Powder -304 5523 5827 4884
Lamb Indicator +1 5.01 5.00 5.28 Whole Milk Powder -332 5437 5768 5915
Mid Micron Indic. - - - 9.17 Cheddar -105 5868 5973 5198
Overseas Price Indicators Overseas Price Indicators
Indicators in US$/kg Change 27-Mar 20-Mar Last Year Indicators in US$/T Change Last 2
WksPrev. 2
WksLast Year
Coarse Xbred Indicator +3 4.09 4.06 3.27 Butter -38 4738 4775 4275Fine Xbred Indicator +10 4.26 4.17 4.03 Skim Milk Powder -175 4800 4975 4088Lamb Indicator +4 4.31 4.27 4.37 Whole Milk Powder -200 4725 4925 4950Mid Micron Indicator - - - 7.58 Cheddar n/c 5100 5100 4350
CURRENCY WATCH
vs. NZ Dollar Last Week 2 Wks Ago 4 Wks Ago Last Year
US dollar 0.869 0.854 0.839 0.837Euro 0.632 0.619 0.612 0.655UK pound 0.523 0.517 0.503 0.553Aus dollar 0.936 0.943 0.936 0.801Japan yen 88.76 87.37 85.54 79.02
Euro
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
UK Pound
US Dollar
Give them lifetime traceability – register your cattle with NAIT
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
24 AGRIBUSINESS
Ngati Awa vies for big awardNgakauroa Farm, owned by Ngati Awa Farms Ltd, is one of three dairy farms contesting the Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Maori dairy farm in 2014. The farm, near Te Teko, Bay of Plenty, held a field day as part of the judging process. Peter Burke attended.
THE 186ha farm is located on the fertile Rangitaiki Plains and is just across the river from another of this year’s finalists, Himiona Farm owned by the Putauaki Trust.
The backdrop to the farm is the imposing Mt Putauaki. But the con-nections don’t stop there. Putuauki Trust is one of six other trusts, which are shareholders or joint ven-ture partners in Ngati Awa Farms Ltd, and all have leased land to the parent company to make up an
economic farming unit.Ngakauroa Farm’s
milking platform is 186ha effective with a further 46ha run-off block.
This season 620 cows are milked on the property and they expect to produce 240,000kgMS. The farm is run by variable sharemilkers Mike Learmond and Donna Constantine who also employ two full time staff.
Like all three final-ists, Ngakauroa Farm is the result of smaller Maori
trusts collaborating to gain production and eco-nomic scale. This is seen as model other Maori trusts are likely to follow as the race starts to unlock small Maori land holdings.
The history of Ngakau-aroa records the land was confiscated by early set-tlers in the region then reverted to Maori owner-ship until it was sold to a Scotsman, Doug Allen, in 1911. One of his ancestors Alistair was present at the field day. More recently the farm was owned by a
Venezuelan busi-nessman before being acquired by Ngati Awa in 2008.
The chal-lenge, says the chair-man of Ngati Awa Farms Ltd, Graham Pryor, is for all the tribes to cooperate in aggregating the land blocks and grow-ing a dairying operation. Some have
come along with them and others haven’t, Pryor says. Those who haven’t are fol-
lowing their own aspira-tions.
“For this operation
scale is a part of it, and we are going to repeat this model in a couple of other places includ-ing another farm we have
acquired. Ngakau-roa bought a good
farm in the first place, with good
land and infra-structure, and we have added to that as we have grown the farm. This includes upgrading
the irriga-tion system and
extending the milking shed.”
Good gover-nance is helping
Maori trusts and incor-porations to
rapidly develop successful farming enter-prises and Ngati Awa Farms Ltd is no exception.
Pryor says it requires the trusts to come together while retaining their own mana, but committing to structures that will deliver a better outcome for their people.
“We are develop-ing scale and we want to develop our own capabil-ity around this region in agricultural activity. It’s not just dairying. We are interested in food process-ing and getting into prod-ucts that will grow on the land and get further up the value chain.
“Our tupuna (ances-tors) tell us we were big farmers and that we con-tributed a lot to the food production of this coun-try and to its exports. We want to get back to that place and to do that we have to build capability internally and externally. That’s what we are slowly doing.”
Chairman of Ngati Awa Farms Graham Pryor.
MATANGIREIA NGAROPO is Ngati Awa’s farm cadet who spends some of his time on Ngakauroa Farm.
He’s a local lad with Ngati Awa affiliation. His father named him Matangireia – one of the 12 heavens in the sky.
However, it seems his second heaven is dairy farming. He’s been dairy farming for two years and has spent four months at Ngakauroa.
“I love everything about it. I love being out-side doing hands-on jobs and working with the animals. My goal is to be able to run and manage a Ngati Awa farm and I am getting more experience and keep working hard and doing work with the Primary ITO,” he says.
Keen cadet aiming high
Matangireia Ngaropo
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
AGRIBUSINESS 25
She is the boss around here
MIKE LEARMOND and Donna Constantine are the vari-able order sharemilkers on the property and they love the farm and the area.
They employ two full time staff – Richard and Jess – and there is a farm cadet employed by Ngati Awa directly who helps out.
Mike is a local who has been dairy farming since he left school at 16. Donna came up from Paekakariki, near Wel-lington, for her brother’s 21st birthday and stayed in “this little slice of paradise”.
This is where she met Mike, but the dairy farm proba-bly also helped her to stay.
The couple came to Ngakauroa four years ago look-ing for change and found it. The fact that Ngakauroa is increasing its cow numbers works well for the couple. As variable order (21%) sharemilkers they say they are better off in this situation than if they were 50/50 sharemilkers with lower cow numbers, a point echoed recently by many other sharemilkers.
“When we first started in 2010 the line of command was through a consultant and then to a board and back to a consultant and then back to us, which slowed the pro-cess a bit,” Mike explains. “But now Enid is on board it’s fast-tracked and we report directly to her and she will give a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ there and then.”
He also attends the bi-monthly board meetings and is directly involved in running the farm.
Ngakouroa farm is mainly a pasture based-operation, but 400-500 tonnes of supplement is used to extend lac-tation and cover any feed deficits that may incur over the season.
“We use a range of maize grass silage, a bit of hay and we contracted100 tonnes of PKE this year. We grow about 10ha of maize a year and get a 25 tonne yield from that per ha,” he explains. “We usually grow this on our lease blocks, which tend to be lower quality pasture so it links in with pasture renovation because once the maize is harvested we turn it straight into quality pasture.”
A big issue for Mike and Donna is having good and happy staff. As Donna points out happy staff translate to happy cows and an overall happy farm environment.
“We have the two staff who live on farm and join us for breakfast and lunch every day. There are definitely times to be serious, but there is also time to have a good laugh and keep the lines of communication open between everybody and make sure they are happy in their work and in what they are doing. We make a point of praising them for good work and the reward is to see the smile on their faces.”
Donna says it’s hard to get young people to get out of bed early in the morning every day to work on a dairy farm and supporting and encouraging them is important.
As for their future, they like the lifestyle of the dis-trict with good beaches, fishing and hunting opportuni-ties. They seldom venture out of the district, preferring to make the most of local recreational opportunities. As to their farming aspirations, they are keen to stay with Ngati Awa as it grows its dairying operations. That also allows them to grow their business.
Happy couple content with patch
ENID RATAHI-PRYOR is the chief executive of Ngati Awa Group Holdings Ltd (NAGHL) which runs the farms they own, including Ngakauroa.
Her job is to help develop and implement the strategy, espe-cially liaising with all the trusts to ensure they participate and sup-port the new directions of the farming operations of NAGHL.
“With Ngakauroa we think we
have great foundations to spring-board from,” she told Rural News.
“That was one of the reasons for entering Ahuwhenua – to understand where we are com-pared with others and to uti-lise the benchmarking available through Dairybase.”
Out of this has come the pur-chase of a new dairy farm, Tum-urua, which is not entered in the Ahuwhenua Trophy, but high-
lights the move on the part of Ngati Awa to rapidly increase the size of its dairying opera-tion. Ratahi-Pryor says the les-sons from Ngakauroa have been applied to the newly purchased farm. “Tumurua is a big farm and it’s three quarters irrigated, so we are currently running 850 cows and there is the capacity for more cows. It’s also next to other large Maori land blocks, which is a fab-
ulous opportunity for NAGHL to investigate the next level of work-ing with our trust to partner and lease more Maori land for our platform.”
Ratahi-Pryor says the goal is all about Ngati Awa succeeding in agribusiness and being able to lead the way for the trusts that are smaller so they can get their foot into dairying and other busi-nesses.Happy sharemilkers: Mike Learmond
and Donna Constantine.
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
26 OPINION
Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound?
Send your emails to: [email protected] THE HOUND
EDITORIAL EDNA
“He’s coming closer Blue! – I can smell him!”
Change? THE HOUND wonders if Fonterra is betting on a change of Govern-ment after the general election on September 20. It seems the dairy co-op’s latest addition to its ever-growing team of spin doctors is former Labour media manipu-lator and chief of staff Gordon Jon Thompson, now external communi-cations manager with the dairy giant. Mind you, your old mate hears Thompson raised eyebrows among his former political friends when he went off to head casino operator Sky City’s spin operation. So perhaps he is more interested in the 20 pieces of silver than any strict political code.
Good jobTHE MINISTRY for Primary Industries cops its fair share of flack whenever another moth, fly or other biosecu-rity threat breeches our border. So the Hound would like to pay tribute to his cousins in the MPI dog team at the International Mail Centre, near Auck-land airport, who recently detected an unusual bios-ecurity threat. Your old mate’s canine colleagues sniffed out a box of South African animal skulls crawling with maggots. The box contained several wild animal skulls, thought to include zebra and wildebeest. MPI is understood to be holding the skulls.
Thanks dairyYOUR OLD mate reckons despite the attempts by the cow haters at Bitch and Complain (Fish and Game) to destroy the nation’s dairy industry, figures recently released by Statistics NZ show how important the humble moo cow is to NZ’s economy. The numbers show that the increase in the value of dairy product exports saw New Zealand record its smallest seasonally adjusted current account deficit since the March 2010 quarter. The Hound suggests the whingers at Bitch and Complain HQ should note this before throwing any more crap.
Well doneYOUR CANINE crusader congratulates John McCarthy and his Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) group for getting funding from red meat producers. While the Hound ques-tions what MIE will actu-ally ever accomplish, and whether another lobby group is really needed in the red meat sector, he concedes MIE asked for a mandate from farmers and now have one: Mean-while, McCarthy is still planning on a national red meat sector summit and is hoping for Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy’s support. Just what the struggling industry needs: another talkfest – not!
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RURALNEWS
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MIATHE LATEST report on the impact of climate change, released last week was full of the usual cheery stuff. The lead authors of the Australasian chapter were NIWA climate scientist Dr Andrew Tait, AgResearch scientist Dr Paul Newton and New Zealand Agri-cultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre scientist Dr Andy Reisinger. Alas, when the Hound’s jour-nalist colleagues from this fine organ wanted more info about their findings not one of these knowledge-able chaps was available to comment further. One was in Rarotonga “at a five-day workshop”, another was away on ‘leave’ and the other was just MIA.
Apathy rules THE BEEF + Lamb New Zealand board will meet during the next week or so to consider the results of farmer remits to its annual meeting, held in Fielding last month.
All those resolutions and remits were passed by the meeting. However, because so few sheep and beef farmers actually bothered to vote, as one commentator rightly pointed out, “apathy was the only winner.”
Official figures provided by Electionz.com show only a 14.30% voting turnout – 2451 of the 17,142 farmers on the BLNZ voting regis-ter. Meanwhile, the weighted voting percent-age represented only 24% of the potential total weighted vote based on sheep (30.9 million), beef (3.69 million) and dairy (6.44 million) live-stock numbers at June 30, 2013.
So that means fewer than 15% of sheep and beef farmers – only a quarter of the total based on stock owned – bothered to vote. Pathetic!
How can anyone take seriously the con-stant complaints and claims of red meat pro-ducers that their industry is in crisis when so few of them are concerned enough to partici-pate in a vote? This is an indictment of sheep and beef farmers and a very poor reflection on their interest in their industry.
Despite this appalling voter turnout, no one can deny that the Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) group sought and won a mandate for funding to promote red meat sector reform.
If the huge majority of sheep and beef farm-ers were either too lazy or indifferent to cast a vote, that is not MIE’s fault; it did everything it could to raise awareness of its proposal. More problematic for MIE and others in the red meat sector is overcoming such ingrained apathy among farmers.
Calls for a meat industry summit to resolve the red meat sector’s woes are a waste of time when so few sheep and beef farmers are inter-ested. Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is correct in saying change must come from the sector, not the Government.
He rightly wants a significant portion of the sector to come together with proposals for a better industry.
“Any substantial change needs to come with a clear and broad level of support,” Guy says. “I am not prepared to interfere in the structure of a sector without the support of that sector. The Government doesn’t own the industry – you do.”
Judging by the lack of interest among sheep and beef farmers, Minister, I would not be hold-ing my breath.
RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
OPINION 27
AUSTRALIA IS known as China’s quarry for good reason. China is Australia’s largest market for iron ore and our second largest market – and before long it will be the largest – for coal.
About 97% of Australia’s iron ore production comes from Western Australia (which in its arrogance tells the rest of the country to pull its weight and makes noises of seceding). The bill to China last year alone was $38 billion.
Now, there’s a new hunger for multinational energy companies to start digging holes in our wide, brown land. They’re after coal seam gas, and having drilled for it throughout Queensland, they have recently headed south to NSW and Victoria.
The established mining practices in WA rarely trouble farmers. The expansion of the coal industry in Queensland over the past decade has seen mining companies and farmers at loggerheads. Unlike the US, where farmers can receive millions of dollars in royalties if a mining company strikes it lucky on their farm, Australian farmers only own the top metre or so of soil.
Anything underneath it is owned by the federal and state governments, in whose financial interest it is in the form of royalties for miners to extract whatever mineral lurks beneath the surface.
Farmers have little choice if miners want to do testing. Mining companies must pay a negotiated fee – certainly never in the vicinity of those received by US farmers. Farmers must hope mining employees don’t drag weeds onto their property or leave massive holes. You can guess who usually comes off second best.
However, mining companies hoping to extract coal seam gas (CSG) from farmland in NSW and to expand their interests in Queensland have recently found, to their surprise, that they don’t have a free rein. Farmers have received support to ‘lock the gate’ from their respective state governments.
There are currently 3508 active coal seam gas wells, 3249 in Queensland and 259 in NSW.
Miners wanting to test drill last year on some of NSW’s prime (and most expensive) grazing land proved the rallying point
for farmers who cried out that Australia was more than a giant quarry. It was a classic case of the current mining boom versus the potential ‘dining’ boom.
Both the federal and state governments pay lip service to agriculture, saying we are in a prime position to meet Asia’s expanding food needs.
So the thirst for mining expansion has become a litmus test. Do governments give free rein to an industry that can provide them with billions of dollars in royalties, or invest in the long-term future (and export earnings) of agriculture?
There are positive signs for the farming sector emanating from state governments. It was announced late last month (March) that all coal seam gas exploration applications will be frozen for six months
in NSW while the state government reviews the controversial process. All existing licences will also be audited.
The six-month freeze will allow the government to introduce a “new, thorough regime” for allocating future licences, it said.
The government is concerned about the application process, which has seen small companies, sometimes run by one person, being allowed to explore large areas despite not having the experience or financial backing for the projects.
At about the same time in Queensland, the state government tabled a bill that will guarantee protection of prime farm land and communities from encroaching resource development, especially CSG and coal.
The Queensland Government says it will be impossible in future to mine in the prime grazing and farming area in Queensland’s south-east, where it currently runs rampant.
Now call me an old cynic, and it won’t be the first time, but the Government’s preference for polling anything and
Aussie farmers dig in on coal seam gas issue
everything these days may have played a part. There is community outrage there and it would have influenced their decision to do something.
However, it’s a necessary step and we can only hope six-month moratoriums lead to a long-term strategy. Destruction of prime
farming land can’t be undone and the future costs will be enormous.
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• Short beam length with hydraulic draft bar • Independent front and rear hydraulic gang adjustment
• Offset & tandem discs available in all sizes• 26 inch scalloped front and rear blades
FINANCE FROM
1.95%**Normal lending criteria & conditions apply
3.15m VEL DISCS ARE IDEAL FOR NEW ZEALAND HILL COUNTRY DUE TO THEIR ULTRA SHORT
CHASSIS WITH FLOATING DRAFT BAR & DRAWBAR.
Contact your local Kverneland dealer for more information
www.powerfarming.co.nz
TOP QUALITYHIGH SPECIFICATION
VEL OFFSET DISC 3.15m
Clovertone and ActiveNThe Winning Combination
+ =Call 0800 155 605 for your free on-farm assessment today or go to www.clovertone.co.nz to find out more about our full product range.
www.clovertone.co.nzPO Box 13014, Hillcrest, Hamilton116 Mystery Creek Road, Hamilton
RURAL ROUNDUPWHERE YOU COME FOR ESSENTIAL RURAL SUPPLIES & THE BEST DEALS IN THE COUNTRY!
Merino Wool Thermal Long Sleeve Top601139
$57ea
Merino Wool Thermal Short Sleeve Top601134
$55ea
Merino Wool Thermal Pants601145
$53ea
Merino Wool Thermal Beanie665295
$15ea
$182ea
BIG BOY VALVE
Mist Green596513 30000L $3,207ea
Mist Green585554 25000L $2,649ea
Mist Green514423 13500L $2,526ea
Mist Green530431 10000L $2,348ea
Mist Green968454 5000L $1,236ea
Mist Green968453 3000L $875ea
BAILEY TANKSMade from food grade polyethylene used for water pipes, Bailey tanks are safe for your drinking water. All Bailey tanks are U.V. stabilised to protect them from sun and ensure long life - making them last over 20 years!
THINK TANKS, THINK BAILEY
10 X 3/4 INCH FILTERPURE HOUSING 513905
$57ea
10 X 1 INCH FILTERPURE HOUSING 513906
$131ea
SUBMERSIBLE PUMP WITH ADJUSTABLE FLOAT - 6M HEAD MAX678060
$250ea
SUBMERSIBLE PUMP WITH ADJUSTABLE FLOAT - 8M HEAD MAX678061
$309ea
DAVEY WATER
Hydrojet - Robust cast iron construction, run dry protection constant pressure, 2 year warranty. Maxi-Pump - Corrosion resistant stainless steel casing and impellers, run dry protection, constant pressure, 2 year warranty.
PUMPS
Pump Pressure Hydrojet HJ140642772
$452ea
Pump Pressure Hydrojet HJ400520314
$323ea
Pump Maxi 3000 For small to medium 2 storey homes520316
$517ea
Pump Maxi 5000 For large multi- level homes520317
$582ea
WALLACE PUMPS
SPEND $1,500 OR MORE ON ONE INVOICE AND
GO INTO THE DRAW TO WIN A KING TONY
320 PIECE TOOL KIT*
CLOTHING
BRASS MONKEY
FLOATS
APEX VISI-BALL WATER LEVEL INDICATOR642554
$166ea
APEX XCESS FULL FLOW TROUGH VALVE 20/25MM645746
$31ea
* Terms and conditions apply. Prize RRP $3,999
APRIL 8TH - JUNE 6TH 2014
WIN!
BIG BOY RESERVOIR VALVE 32MM• High volume
water inlet• Saves electricity• Eliminates water
hammer• Self cleaning
mechanism to minimise blockages
659307
UNDER BENCH WATER FILTER INCLUDING FAUCETComplete under bench water filter unit. This water filter delivers clean, fresh water for drinking and food preparation.• Easy to install • Taste reduction• Odour reduction • Chlorine reduction• Cyst reduction • Omnipure Filter• Giardia Safe • 1 micron cartridge
566438
$154ea
BAZOOKA CULVERT150mm x 6m683471
$52ea
NEW
Mist Green 616385
260L $228ea
Mist Green 514410
450L $294ea
Mist Green 514412
900L $449ea
Mist Green 514413
1000L $488ea
Mist Green 514414
1100L $511ea
Mist Green 592707
1200L $557ea Mist Green 514415
1800L $683ea
WILSON WATER TANKSThe all new slimline polyethylene liquid storage tank - designed specifically to fit snugly under the eaves of your house. Will not rust or corrode, fully ribbed for strength and durability, ultra violet resistant, light and easy to install.
WATER TANKS
Manufactured from a ‘New Generation’ low density polyethylene material.
• Higher pressure rating than traditional LDPE manufactured to NZS 7601
• Resistant to bloat remedies, tested in accordance with ASTMD 1693 “Environmental Stress Crack Resistance”
• Resistant to kinking, good flexibility
• Sold in coils only – 25m, 50m, 100m
• Price applies to 100m coils only
• Please check pressure rating required
NOMINAL DIAMETER X LENGTH
PRICE
15mm x 100m 503949
$0.86/m
20mm x 100m503953
$1.65/m
25mm x 100m503957
$2.08/m
32mm x 100m503961
$2.60/m
40mm x 100m503965
$3.22/m
50mm x 100m503969
$4.18/m
ASK FOR QUOTES ON BULK ORDERS
200mm650186
$123/6m
250mm650187
$176/6m
315mm650188
$304/6m
400mm650189
$525/6m
500mm650190
$885/6m
Farmtuff is strong, low-cost uPVC culvert pipe that replaces traditional heavy culvert pipes, saving you time and money. Available in 6m lengths.
FARMTUFF CULVERT PIPE
NOVAFLO Versatile design, high crush strength, perforated drainage pipe. For large orders please ask for a quote. Sold in coils only.
110mm x 30m500504
$3.90/m
110mm x 100m500505
$3.40/m
160mm x 45m 500508
$7.73/m
DRAINAGEWATER PIPES
ASK FOR QUOTES ON BULK ORDERS
Bigger bore than traditional low density polyethylene pipe. Connects to existing pipe systems using standard threaded fittings. Sold in 100m coil lengths.
9 bar505246
20mm x 100m $1.11/m
8 bar505249
25mm x 100m $1.45/m
8 bar505252
32mm x 100m $1.78/m
6.3 bar505255
40mm x 100m $2.17/m
6.3 bar505258
50mm x 100m $3.36/m
6.3 bar505261
63mm x 100m $5.09/m
REDLINE POLYETHYLENE PIPE Higher pressure capabilities. Sold in 100m coil lengths. Also available in 25m, 50m, 150m and 200m coils.
12.5 bar505197
20mm x 100m $1.65/m
12.5 bar505200
25mm x 100m $1.95/m
9 bar505185
32mm x 100m $2.05/m
9 bar505188
40mm x 100m $2.71/m
9 bar505191
50mm x 100m $4.26/m
9 bar505194
63mm x 100m $6.46/m
GREENLINE POLYETHYLENE PIPE
SAFETY
STEEL BLUEArgyle Boot 312102 Black
Sizes 8-11
531762, 531764, 531768, 531770
$184ea
Hobart Boot 312101 Black
Sizes 8-11
531905, 531906, 531910, 531911
$159ea
RIGGERPremium Cow Grain Glove• Full grain cowhide• Soft durable &
dexterous leatherSize L - 949746Size XL - 949745
$5.95ea
Kokoda Bump Boot 432452 Black
Sizes 8-11
666032, 666033, 666034, 666035
$95ea
Canyon Ankle Boot 432454 Black
Sizes 8-11 666068, 666069, 666070, 666071
$106ea
PELTORH7A 290 Earmuff Class 5• Low frequency attenuation• Light weight• Liquid foam ear cushioning553747
$39ea
PLASSON METRIC
HANSEN
• Use with metric size polyethylene pipe • Manufactured and tested to AS1460:1989• Economical, cost effective• Full range available• Rated to 16 bar (218 PSI)
FITTINGS
Compatible with low density pipes. Quick to connect, easy to fit.
45%OFF
35%OFF
NICKEL PLATED BALL VALVES
15mm to 100mm
POLYPROPYLENE BALL VALVES
• Pressure: 16 Bar - 235PSI. • Temperature: -0c to
+90c. • Full bore PTFE seals. • Available in female/
female. • 15mm to 50mm. BALL VALVES
Ranging from 15mm to 80mm. Larger sizes available on request.
BRASS GATE VALVE
Comprehensive range of brass gate valves available – 15mm - 100mm
VALVES
Mist Green 514416 2000L $753ea
Mist Green 514417(TS) 2700L $921ea
Mist Green 514418(TT) 2700L $916ea
Mist Green 514419 5000L $1400ea
ALKATHENE PIPE
LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE PIPE
Thermal Fleece Turu Blue Top Sock
588999, 589000,589001
$22ea
SAFEMATE2 Bata Black Gumboot
649298, 649299, 649301, 649302
$46ea
HOWLER
NEXUS CULVERTPolyethylene heavy duty twin wall smooth bore culvert pipe. The smooth internal bore gives good flow performance making NEXUS™ Culvert an ideal choice for smaller culvert pipes around the farm. Available in 5m lengths
110mm x 5m500534
$33/5m
160mm x 5m500539
$64/5m
200mm x 5m500542
$104/5m
250mm x 6m567642
$153/6m
Call free Monday to Friday 7.30am To 5pm T: 0800 101 999 F: 0800 101 777 W: www.mico.co.nz
For full address details please see our website www.mico.co.nz or phone us for your nearest store. All major credit cards plus CRT Card and Farmlands Card accepted. Special prices valid from April 8th until June 6th 2014. Discounts are off our normal Mico retail price. Actual product supplied may be different to that pictured but identical in quality and price. To qualify for the prize draw customers must purchase $1500 incl gst worth of advertised Rural Round Up product. The winner will be notified by June 30th 2014. All prices include GST unless otherwise stated. Mico reserves the right to change prices or deals without prior notice. Gifts/prizes are not transferrable and cannot be exchanged for cash, credit or products. * Subject to size & nature of order - see in store for details.
RURAL ROUNDUPWHERE YOU COME FOR ESSENTIAL RURAL SUPPLIES & THE BEST DEALS IN THE COUNTRY!
Merino Wool Thermal Long Sleeve Top601139
$57ea
Merino Wool Thermal Short Sleeve Top601134
$55ea
Merino Wool Thermal Pants601145
$53ea
Merino Wool Thermal Beanie665295
$15ea
$182ea
BIG BOY VALVE
Mist Green596513 30000L $3,207ea
Mist Green585554 25000L $2,649ea
Mist Green514423 13500L $2,526ea
Mist Green530431 10000L $2,348ea
Mist Green968454 5000L $1,236ea
Mist Green968453 3000L $875ea
BAILEY TANKSMade from food grade polyethylene used for water pipes, Bailey tanks are safe for your drinking water. All Bailey tanks are U.V. stabilised to protect them from sun and ensure long life - making them last over 20 years!
THINK TANKS, THINK BAILEY
10 X 3/4 INCH FILTERPURE HOUSING 513905
$57ea
10 X 1 INCH FILTERPURE HOUSING 513906
$131ea
SUBMERSIBLE PUMP WITH ADJUSTABLE FLOAT - 6M HEAD MAX678060
$250ea
SUBMERSIBLE PUMP WITH ADJUSTABLE FLOAT - 8M HEAD MAX678061
$309ea
DAVEY WATER
Hydrojet - Robust cast iron construction, run dry protection constant pressure, 2 year warranty. Maxi-Pump - Corrosion resistant stainless steel casing and impellers, run dry protection, constant pressure, 2 year warranty.
PUMPS
Pump Pressure Hydrojet HJ140642772
$452ea
Pump Pressure Hydrojet HJ400520314
$323ea
Pump Maxi 3000 For small to medium 2 storey homes520316
$517ea
Pump Maxi 5000 For large multi- level homes520317
$582ea
WALLACE PUMPS
SPEND $1,500 OR MORE ON ONE INVOICE AND
GO INTO THE DRAW TO WIN A KING TONY
320 PIECE TOOL KIT*
CLOTHING
BRASS MONKEY
FLOATS
APEX VISI-BALL WATER LEVEL INDICATOR642554
$166ea
APEX XCESS FULL FLOW TROUGH VALVE 20/25MM645746
$31ea
* Terms and conditions apply. Prize RRP $3,999
APRIL 8TH - JUNE 6TH 2014
WIN!
BIG BOY RESERVOIR VALVE 32MM• High volume
water inlet• Saves electricity• Eliminates water
hammer• Self cleaning
mechanism to minimise blockages
659307
UNDER BENCH WATER FILTER INCLUDING FAUCETComplete under bench water filter unit. This water filter delivers clean, fresh water for drinking and food preparation.• Easy to install • Taste reduction• Odour reduction • Chlorine reduction• Cyst reduction • Omnipure Filter• Giardia Safe • 1 micron cartridge
566438
$154ea
BAZOOKA CULVERT150mm x 6m683471
$52ea
NEW
Mist Green 616385
260L $228ea
Mist Green 514410
450L $294ea
Mist Green 514412
900L $449ea
Mist Green 514413
1000L $488ea
Mist Green 514414
1100L $511ea
Mist Green 592707
1200L $557ea Mist Green 514415
1800L $683ea
WILSON WATER TANKSThe all new slimline polyethylene liquid storage tank - designed specifically to fit snugly under the eaves of your house. Will not rust or corrode, fully ribbed for strength and durability, ultra violet resistant, light and easy to install.
WATER TANKS
Manufactured from a ‘New Generation’ low density polyethylene material.
• Higher pressure rating than traditional LDPE manufactured to NZS 7601
• Resistant to bloat remedies, tested in accordance with ASTMD 1693 “Environmental Stress Crack Resistance”
• Resistant to kinking, good flexibility
• Sold in coils only – 25m, 50m, 100m
• Price applies to 100m coils only
• Please check pressure rating required
NOMINAL DIAMETER X LENGTH
PRICE
15mm x 100m 503949
$0.86/m
20mm x 100m503953
$1.65/m
25mm x 100m503957
$2.08/m
32mm x 100m503961
$2.60/m
40mm x 100m503965
$3.22/m
50mm x 100m503969
$4.18/m
ASK FOR QUOTES ON BULK ORDERS
200mm650186
$123/6m
250mm650187
$176/6m
315mm650188
$304/6m
400mm650189
$525/6m
500mm650190
$885/6m
Farmtuff is strong, low-cost uPVC culvert pipe that replaces traditional heavy culvert pipes, saving you time and money. Available in 6m lengths.
FARMTUFF CULVERT PIPE
NOVAFLO Versatile design, high crush strength, perforated drainage pipe. For large orders please ask for a quote. Sold in coils only.
110mm x 30m500504
$3.90/m
110mm x 100m500505
$3.40/m
160mm x 45m 500508
$7.73/m
DRAINAGEWATER PIPES
ASK FOR QUOTES ON BULK ORDERS
Bigger bore than traditional low density polyethylene pipe. Connects to existing pipe systems using standard threaded fittings. Sold in 100m coil lengths.
9 bar505246
20mm x 100m $1.11/m
8 bar505249
25mm x 100m $1.45/m
8 bar505252
32mm x 100m $1.78/m
6.3 bar505255
40mm x 100m $2.17/m
6.3 bar505258
50mm x 100m $3.36/m
6.3 bar505261
63mm x 100m $5.09/m
REDLINE POLYETHYLENE PIPE Higher pressure capabilities. Sold in 100m coil lengths. Also available in 25m, 50m, 150m and 200m coils.
12.5 bar505197
20mm x 100m $1.65/m
12.5 bar505200
25mm x 100m $1.95/m
9 bar505185
32mm x 100m $2.05/m
9 bar505188
40mm x 100m $2.71/m
9 bar505191
50mm x 100m $4.26/m
9 bar505194
63mm x 100m $6.46/m
GREENLINE POLYETHYLENE PIPE
SAFETY
STEEL BLUEArgyle Boot 312102 Black
Sizes 8-11
531762, 531764, 531768, 531770
$184ea
Hobart Boot 312101 Black
Sizes 8-11
531905, 531906, 531910, 531911
$159ea
RIGGERPremium Cow Grain Glove• Full grain cowhide• Soft durable &
dexterous leatherSize L - 949746Size XL - 949745
$5.95ea
Kokoda Bump Boot 432452 Black
Sizes 8-11
666032, 666033, 666034, 666035
$95ea
Canyon Ankle Boot 432454 Black
Sizes 8-11 666068, 666069, 666070, 666071
$106ea
PELTORH7A 290 Earmuff Class 5• Low frequency attenuation• Light weight• Liquid foam ear cushioning553747
$39ea
PLASSON METRIC
HANSEN
• Use with metric size polyethylene pipe • Manufactured and tested to AS1460:1989• Economical, cost effective• Full range available• Rated to 16 bar (218 PSI)
FITTINGS
Compatible with low density pipes. Quick to connect, easy to fit.
45%OFF
35%OFF
NICKEL PLATED BALL VALVES
15mm to 100mm
POLYPROPYLENE BALL VALVES
• Pressure: 16 Bar - 235PSI. • Temperature: -0c to
+90c. • Full bore PTFE seals. • Available in female/
female. • 15mm to 50mm. BALL VALVES
Ranging from 15mm to 80mm. Larger sizes available on request.
BRASS GATE VALVE
Comprehensive range of brass gate valves available – 15mm - 100mm
VALVES
Mist Green 514416 2000L $753ea
Mist Green 514417(TS) 2700L $921ea
Mist Green 514418(TT) 2700L $916ea
Mist Green 514419 5000L $1400ea
ALKATHENE PIPE
LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE PIPE
Thermal Fleece Turu Blue Top Sock
588999, 589000,589001
$22ea
SAFEMATE2 Bata Black Gumboot
649298, 649299, 649301, 649302
$46ea
HOWLER
NEXUS CULVERTPolyethylene heavy duty twin wall smooth bore culvert pipe. The smooth internal bore gives good flow performance making NEXUS™ Culvert an ideal choice for smaller culvert pipes around the farm. Available in 5m lengths
110mm x 5m500534
$33/5m
160mm x 5m500539
$64/5m
200mm x 5m500542
$104/5m
250mm x 6m567642
$153/6m
Call free Monday to Friday 7.30am To 5pm T: 0800 101 999 F: 0800 101 777 W: www.mico.co.nz
For full address details please see our website www.mico.co.nz or phone us for your nearest store. All major credit cards plus CRT Card and Farmlands Card accepted. Special prices valid from April 8th until June 6th 2014. Discounts are off our normal Mico retail price. Actual product supplied may be different to that pictured but identical in quality and price. To qualify for the prize draw customers must purchase $1500 incl gst worth of advertised Rural Round Up product. The winner will be notified by June 30th 2014. All prices include GST unless otherwise stated. Mico reserves the right to change prices or deals without prior notice. Gifts/prizes are not transferrable and cannot be exchanged for cash, credit or products. * Subject to size & nature of order - see in store for details.
RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
30 OPINIONCLEAN UP YOUR OWN ACT!
ARE FARMERS AT FAULT?SOME YEARS ago I was involved with a group of New Zealand sport promoters. We attempted to bring to New Zealand a major international aquatic event, which was to be called the Common-wealth Aquatic Champion-ships.
Some 30 different sports said ‘yes’ to our proposal. One of my duties was to inspect some of the lakes around Waikato to see if we could hold aquatic sports events there. One such lake inspected was Hamilton Lake, found unfit for a major event. Is it fair to blame dairy farmers for the state of all our water-ways?
Consider also: there are no dairy farms beside that lake; and, like many Waikato children I swam in that lake in the 1960s. Today this lake is dead.
What has made it unfit to swim in? Ducks and Canada geese.
Another lake we consid-ered was at Huntly West – the newly developed lake, a disused open-cast coal mine now filled with rain-water. It now has a weed problem caused by ducks and Canada geese. (There are no dairy farms around it.)
Bryce Johnson of Fish and Game blames farming for all the problems found in our lakes. I ask him who introduced these geese to the North Island? From 1880 to 1980 how much lead shot was fired into our Waikato lakes? When can we expect to see Mr Johnson start to remove the lead shot from our lakes and clean up the geese crap?M HillRD Taupiri
DO YOU not find it ironic that this noisy/nosy body (Fish and Game NZ) is using the introduced trout as the ‘canary in the mine’ to attack other introduced animals – being humans, cattle, sheep and deer? At least these introduced animals are working in the mine and are doing their best to keep themselves and their mine workplace safe anyway? While, at the same time, trout are decimating our natural freshwater native species
However, the real culprit has to be the agricultural industry which has allowed the public to be brain-washed so they responded to the slanted survey questions in the way they did.
We have failed for years to match the lobbying and self-promo-tion essential in this world and have only ourselves to blame. Perhaps we can learn that lesson now.Garrick BattenBrightwater
DIRTY CAMPERS
TRAVELLING FROM Opotiki to Gore, with a truckload of horses, we stopped many times to give them a break and a drink in a river. At every stop there was human waste, toilet paper, bottles, food and over-full rubbish bins; all this must end up in the rivers.
I myself would rather drink from the river where six cows have been than one human. We rode over 500k mostly on high county stations staying in baches, most of them private.
The huts can only be reached by 4x4 or chopper. They cart in all their bottles but seem unable to cart them out, leaving them for the farmer to get rid of.
Most of the rivers had didymo and I didn’t see a dirty dairy cow anywhere, but saw a fisherman or two.Ian McLellanRD1Opotiki
OPEN THE GATES
THANK YOU for the invite to express views on the furore created by the Fish and Game survey.
I am a cropping farmer and profit directly and indi-rectly from the dairy industry. I am also a conservationist, commercial realist and like nothing better than a free afternoon to fish in a beautiful pristine river. I also have a passion for the perception of the agricultural industry from the city’s viewpoint.
Slamming the gate shut is wrong. We need to do the opposite.
I suggest we take Fish and Game’s survey and expand it. Edit it for loaded questions so that it becomes indis-putably neutral and put it out to a much wider audience. Then take heed of what is being said. Open the gate and show the members of Fish and Game and all who express an interest what we are doing to alleviate the problem, both perceived and real.
David Carter, when Minister of Agriculture and Fish-eries, said, “You must take the city with you.” Wise words indeed and when I look about these intensive Canterbury Plains where I farm, I believe many farmers are taking heed of what non-farming people may think. The custo-dians of land are beginning to care, they want to take the city with them and I take pride in observing the appear-ance of little pockets of native bush appearing in non-productive, riparian and roadside areas.
The deterioration of the New Zealand farming image in the worldwide market and the local cities is a threat. The dairy industry does have a problem. And the answer lies in opening the gate to all with pride, not slamming it shut and carrying on regardless. Andrew LuddingtonRD2Christchurch(Abridged)
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
OPINION 31
THAT WAS interesting news – ‘New case clouds TB clearances’ (Rural News, March 4) in which it was stated “no TB was found in wild animal popu-lations tested”.
Yet on the other hand OSPRI’s (ex-Animal Health Board) John Deal went into a public spin, pointing the finger at wildlife.
Certainly Tb rates have fallen significantly over the last decade. As your article stated the Taranaki containment was due to “quick and accurate information on livestock movements minimised impact,” and tracing stock movement.
But there is still an uncertain element in the equation and that is the use of the archaic skin test, with its 20% error. Do OSPRI and TB FREE NZ want to eliminate TB? To do so, they must use accurate blood tests and get rid of ‘hidden’ sleeper animals from herds.
And stop blaming wild animals and throwing toxic 1080 around from the air.
It kills native bird life and insects, and game animals, and disrupts the
ecosystem, as scientists told DOC in the mid-1990s. DOC snubbed the research and continued. Also impor-tant is that 1080 (and toxins like brodi-facoum) destroy New Zealand’s claim to being clean, green and 100% pure, vital to getting a market edge on world markets for primary produce.
Yet we have naive ministers like Conservation Minister Nick Smith and DOC advocating more 1080 for a wild assumption that rats are going to explode in massive numbers due to cyclic beech seeding. What hysterical nonsense! Beech seeding has been occurring for millions of years. Rats have been here for 800 years (kiore) and 200 years (brown rat). Why is 2014 going to be ultra-extraordinary?Andi Cockroftco-chairmanCouncil of Outdoor Recreation Assn of NZ(Editor’s note: To be declared clear of the disease, an infected herd must achieve two whole-herd clear skin tests, no less than six months apart, and a clear blood test – as was stated in the article.)
DON’T BLAME WILDLIFE FOR TB PROBLEMS
TBFREE NZ is following some theories in a manner which will bring no conclu-sion.
For 20 years they have been assuming that the possum is a major vector of bovine TB (BTB). Every new outbreak in domestic herds has been surrounded by a poison possum control operation in the belief that possums have been the source of the infection. While poison was used no possums were caught to be tested and for years the theory was not challenged.
But more recently the Animal Health Board has been catching and testing these supposedly infected possums.
For the last seven years, after AHB’s continual surveys of wild life in the North Island, the only wild animal to show up with BTB has been the pig. In 2013, AHB caught and tested 2500 possums and mustelids with not a single
IS IT REALLY POSSUMS?
positive result.The vector-possum
theory remains a theory and yet it is being treated as a fact, which has now blossomed into the major raison-d’etre for the AHB’s wild animal killing industry which is costing the country one million dollars a week.
If the possum were the major spreader of BTB irrefutable proof should have turned up a long time ago. The fact that no such
evidence has yet emerged to support the theory is making more people think.
John Deal of TBfree NZ tells us that the result of their recent survey shows
20% of farmers have already lost faith in this AHB spending.John VeyseyRD 1Coromandel
Scandinavia!Norway, Denmark
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Visit our websitewww.farmtofarm.co.nz
for details!
TURKEY – May/June: Discover something new! Istanbul, Gallipoli, Aegean Cruise, Konya, Cappadocia – fantastic farms and experiences throughout.
WESTERN EUROPE – May/June: A grand farming, food and wine tour! Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and France.
QUEENSLAND – June: “Winter in the Sun” Brisbane to Cairns, outback stations, diverse farms, Darling Downs, Barrier Reef and more.
UK & IRELAND – June/July: Enjoy the best of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland – Highland Show, farms, gardens, villages plus London, Edinburgh and Dublin.
USA – June/July: Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Mid West heartland and more – farms, sights and rural hospitality second to none.
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Fantastic optional extension to Finland.
Be Quick also for...
• Ideal addition to your block• Grow vegetables all year round and reduce your grocery bill• Very affordable and easy to install• Totally NZ made by family business making tunnelhouses for 30 years• Range of models from 2m to 8m long
T/F 03 214 4262E [email protected]
www.morrifield.com
Tunnelhouses
www.powerfarming.co.nz
Contact your local Power Farming dealer today for more information* Normal Lending Criteria &
Conditions Apply
FINANCE FROM
1.95%*
Featuring 6 inch row spacing and an adjustable sowing depth down to 70mm – the Pronta 300 offers excellent ground contouring.
• New electronically driven metering unit with interchangeable dosing rollers for greater accuracy and range of seeds
• Hopper sizes: 815 litre fertiliser and 1575 litre seed hopper
• Fertiliser and seed as standard
• Featuring the mechanical drive system.
PRONTAPNEUMATIC SEED DRILL
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
32 MANAGEMENTMaking his point: farmer and consultant Hamish Buchanan compares Weet-bix and Easter eggs to show the range of pasture quality possible.
Better feeding a
MANY FARMS, sheep, beef and dairy, have room to improve with their feed budgeting, believes a leading finisher from the Lower North Island.
Speaking to a field day north of Feilding recently, Roger Dalrymple, Bulls, said it was staggering the number of skinny cows around earlier this season given the high pay-out forecast from Fonterra.
“It just amazed me that in the spring dairy farm-ers weren’t buying maize silage as a backup to pro-tect against anything such as a drought.”
If he was dairy farming, he wouldn’t have a skinny cow on his property, he maintains.
“Farmers who are just grass feeding their ani-mals have to plan well and be prepared to deal with a ‘tight situation’. They also need to realise the impor-tance of fully feeding their cows.”
Skinny cows are a sign that either feed budgets aren’t being done, or they aren’t being done cor-rectly, he says.
But the problem isn’t exclusive to dairy: there’s a widespread tendency
to not feed stock well enough, he adds.
“We used to be like that on our farm until we put irrigation in and became a finisher. You soon work out the profitability…. A lot of the issues in this country are due to under-feeding.”
Field day facilitator Tom Fraser echoed that, but says sheep and beef farmers can learn a lot from dairy farmers about feeding stock.
“Sheep farmers need to look at what dairy farm-ers are doing and how are they achieving maxi-
mum potential produc-tion, which is by giving the animals as much food as they require to produce at the time of the year – espe-cially during that spring lactation period.”
The twice daily pro-ductivity check of milk in the vat means a dairy farmer should quickly spot if something’s wrong, he adds.
“Dairy farmers supply high quality feed in a manner the cow can har-vest quite quickly…Sheep farmers need to learn from that. I am not saying they should have pasture
Do sheep and beef farmers have more to learn from their dairy farming colleagues or is it the other way around? Peter Burke reports from a recent Beef + Lamb New Zealand field day.
Dairy grazing is having a detrimental effect on sheep performance on some South Island farms with graziers taking condition off ewes in late winter, sacri-ficing lactation, in order to feed someone else’s dairy stock, warns Fraser.
“They are getting cash flow in the short-term but poor performance from their own stock [longer-term].”
Fraser says he can understand why it happens, particularly where there’s pressure from the bank.
“I am not saying they shouldn’t be growing feed for the dairy cow but they need to first of all feed their own multiple bearing ewes,” he stresses.
“At the moment there is no ques-tion that you can make more money out of feeding that twin bearing ewe in the last four weeks of pregnancy and that first four weeks of lactation. If you can feed them properly during that time, it’s certainly going to be better than giving that pasture to a dairy cow.”
Are your priorities sorted?
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
MANAGEMENT 33
message for manymass of 2200kgDM/ha, but they should have pasture mass above 1200kgDM/ha during that early lactation period and ideally some-thing like 1700.”
Farmers’ ideas of an animal’s feed require-ments, and an animal’s voluntary intake, can be two quite different things, warns Fraser. For exam-ple, a farmer might calcu-late there’s enough feed in a paddock for ten days but stock won’t necessarily eat evenly during that period. They might get through all right but if feed gets tight in the last few days they won’t perform to poten-tial.
Fellow field day speaker, farmer and con-sultant Hamish Buchanan, says offer slightly larger feed breaks so stock can select forage of their choice. The result will be a higher energy intake.
But as he points out, it’s a balancing act.
“You still need to graze the paddock or break to a level that will guarantee high pasture quality for the rotation. It’s all very well growing an animal for one or two days, the reality of farming is you want to grow animals well for 20 to 100 days. It’s a balance between making sure that there is quality for the next rotation whilst maximising animal performance in the paddock they are already in.”
Dalrymple stresses the importance of keeping the rumen going with enough feed, even if quality has to be compromised.
“It doesn’t have to be high quality feed when there is a drought on. There are plenty of ‘fillers’ that will allow that rumen to keep going. It’s crucial
to look after the factory of the animal.”
Rearing young stock with rumen development in mind is also crucial.
“If you have an animal that’s fed and reared prop-erly the extra production that you get from a cow is huge.”
Fraser says the stock and pasture genetics avail-able in New Zealand’s sheep, beef and dairy sec-tors are good but farm-ers tend to take a greater interest in the former of the two.
“It’s a human nature thing: a cow or a sheep moves around, they might even kick us around, they react to us, whereas the pasture is almost some-thing they just walk across the top of and it doesn’t respond to us, so as human beings we are always going to take more interest in the animal side
of the operation.“I get it all the time: the
farmer says the seed mer-chant just gave me the seed and that’s it. But I say to them ‘if I just bring along a truck load of rams will you accept them?’ They say ‘hell no!”
More attention to qual-ity of conserved feed in terms of metabolisable energy is also important, says Fraser.
“You are buying energy. If you want that supplement for maintenance for some beef cows it doesn’t have to be high quality, but that means you shouldn’t be paying very much for it. But if you want to feed it to a milking cow or some supplement for ewes just prior to lambing it needs or be high quality because you don ‘t want to be filling the animals up with low quality forages.”
WHILE FARMING is a ‘lifestyle’ it should first and foremost be treated as a business, says Dalrymple, and that requires under-standing the fundamentals of animal nutrition.
“If people do not understand the feeding of animals, the feed demand for an animal and the detail about what feed is and starch, protein, ME and NDF, then those farmers don’t know their busi-nesses. As far as I am concerned I class them as a ‘hobby farmer’ because they are not in it for the real business of farming,” he says.
Fraser acknowledges some older farmers he comes across are really just lifestyle farmers, doing 130% lambing with lambs going to the works “whenever.”
“They aren’t making any money, but they are quite happy. I say ‘why don’t you sell now?’ and they say: ‘we’ve got to do something’. So they are lifestyle farmers and performing at that level and that’s fine but if we are looking at young famers - the guys going in with a large mortgages – they’ve got to be producing to as close to potential as they can otherwise they’re going to go belly up.”
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
34 MANAGEMENT
AS PART of the Primary Growth Partnership pro-gramme, Transforming the Dairy Value Chain, $5m has been allocated to get to the bottom of the widely reported pasture persistence problems, says Dairy NZ.
Project leader David Chapman says while some-times causes of pasture failure are obvious, like major pest strike or serious drought, often yield loss is grad-ual, possibly because poorer yielding species are replac-ing sown species or sown species’ yields are declining.
Chapman says there is not enough evidence to show which of these it is, highlighting a big knowledge gap, hence the research effort.
Over 15,000 individual plant samples taken from 72 paddocks nationwide since August 2011 are being grown on at AgResearch’s Ruakura Research Centre and com-pared to ones sown more recently from the same seed lines.
Chapman notes it’s farmers in northern regions - Waikato, Bay of Plenty, South Auckland and North-land, most often reporting disappointing results, pos-sibly because perennial ryegrass evolved in cool, moist climates and doesn’t like the warm nights of the north, or stress of frequent summer dries, or pests like black beetle, or competiton from weed grasses such as pas-palum.
The research will produce a breeding-worth type of scale for cultivar persistence which will be used as one of three rankings in the DairyNZ Forage Value Index, alongside yield and digestibility.
$5m to plug knowledge gap
Plan to make pasture persist
CORRECT PLANTING and care-ful early management are the keys to making pasture last longer and be more productive, a crowd of about 80 at a Northland Agricul-tural Research Farm Field Day heard last month.
AgResearch scientist Tom Fraser says insufficient planning and substandard sowing are some of the biggest factors behind pas-tures with a lifespan less than three years.
All too often seed is sown too deep. Burying seeds at 30mm to protect from the sun before autumn rains simply slows down ryegrass emergence and absolutely eliminates any chance of the sown clover establishing.
“You might as well pick up your seed and throw the clover seed into a river on the way home: it’s got a better chance of surviving!”
He says sow ryegrass no more than 15mm deep and clover less than 10mm.
But the pasture renewal process needs to start long before sowing
with planning at least a year ahead.Farmers need to examine pad-
docks to understand why pastures are failing and work out how to fix problems, be it drainage, fertility or the type of pasture relative to the environment it’s growing in.
Planning a year ahead provides time to find the right seed while issues such as drainage or fertility are dealt with.
For maximum performance select tetraploid ryegrasses but for those having pasture persistence problems a diploid’s likely to last longer.
Ensuring the right endophyte is chosen for the area and pest pres-sure is as important as getting the right grass cultivar, he adds
In warmer areas with black beetle and army worm, use either
AR37 or NEA2, he advises.Examining the seed lot analy-
sis certificate to ensure possible seeds are up to snuff is also worth-while, he suggests, as it provides a lot of other information including the percentage likely to germinate, amount of endophyte on seed, and how many weed seeds are in each batch.
Fraser says anything less than 99% pure and 95% germination should be looked at twice.
Modern endophytes have relatively short lifespans between cold storage and going into the ground resulting in less long-term protection for the new seed, he explains.
While Fraser says money can be saved using 20kg/ha seed rates, early results of a DairyNZ survey on pasture persistence suggest 30kg/ha is better, whether you’re in Northland or Canterbury. Farm systems specialist, Chris Glassey, who presented the survey results, suggests slightly heavier seed vol-umes may make up for unfavor-able environmental conditions and operator error.
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
MANAGEMENT 35
Clover can halve feed costsRYEGRASS WITH strong clover growth provides cheaper and better feed than ryegrass alone.
It’s also a fraction of the cost of crops such as bras-sica or bought in supple-ments, yet despite these substantial advantages, many farmers and advis-ers have forgotten how to grow it, soil scientist Doug Edmeades told a recent Beef + Lamb New Zealand field day in Northland.
“Not only does clover add free nitrogen, it is a better stock food. For milksolids or lambing growth rates, clover is the preferable food. This is the cheapest feed we can pro-duce for ruminants,” he stressed to the Helensville audience.
Typically clover with ryegrass costs 4-5c/kgDM to grow, straight ryegrass 10-12c/kgDM, and bras-sica 15c/kgDM, while palm kernel is about 40c/kgDM to buy in.
The trick to growing clover is to recognise it has a weak root structure and a high requirement for the 16 nutrients required for any plant growth, says Edmeades. Many of the nutrients are already avail-able in adequate quantities in New Zealand soils while the others are typically added as fertiliser.
The big ones for clover are phosphorus, potas-sium, sulphur, manganese (notably on pumice or peat soils) and molybdenum. Nitrogen isn’t needed because, as a legume, clover fixes its own.
“The plant can only grow as fast as the most limiting nutrient, so that’s the one you attack first. If you have a soil that is say potassium deficient and you keep throwing super on it, which is P and S, you’ll get no return. You get your biggest return for your dollar by attacking the nutrients that are most limiting.”
Phosphorous (P) is the most expensive nutri-ent, costing about $3.20/kg, Potassium (K) is about $1.70/kg, and sulphur “dirt cheap” at about 40c/kg.
“So the approach I take is to bring all the nutri-ent levels up so they are not limiting then do an economic optimisation
in terms of phosphorus. If soil is lacking in P, put some on and you get a big increase in economic pro-duction. The dollars from this extra feed [are] much greater than the dollars to put fertiliser on,” he stresses.
But if P is already high in the soil the increase in production is very small, so it is not always eco-nomic to apply it as fertil-iser, he warned.
“What we are look-ing for is the place in the middle where those things are equal and that is the economic optimum. You are maximising long-term profitability at that point. What determines that point is how many dollars you make for every kilo-gram of dry matter. That depends on how intensive your operation is. Every farmer should know for his own operation where the economic optimum is.”
Edmeades says he reviewed all the potassium research in NZ a couple of years back and came up with new ideas on applying potassium (K).
“You probably have been told these soils have got reserve K in them, that’s why you don’t need to apply potassium. That might have been the case years ago but we’ve been farming these soils for 100 years, stripped out all the potassium so the idea of ‘reserve K’ is no longer rel-evant to modern day farm-ing.”
One trial Edmeades cited showed a 30-40% production increase by correcting K levels.
“The old recipes that dad and granddad used – which were very success-ful – like super or lime or both may not be suc-cessful now because you have exhausted the soil of potassium or one of the other 16 nutrients. The old recipes don’t apply: you have to work it out for your own farm.”
Clover plants with K deficiency show disco-louring round the edge or a speckled look on the leaves. Edmeades says a sure sign it is deficient in pasture is prominent urine patches with clover in the urine patch but not else-where. The plant is the canary in the coalmine for potassium, showing defi-ciency more clearly than
PAM TIPA
other pasture species.Sulphur deficient
pastures will have prominent dung patches with clover growing well in them but not so much further away. Yellow clover is a clear sign of sulphur deficiency.
Adding large amounts of nitrogen is detrimen-
tal to clover growth as the ‘bugs’ which fix nitrogen stop acting and the added nitrogen promotes grass growth, shading the clover.
“If you apply 300 to 400kg (of N) a year, then forget about clover: it won’t survive. [And] your costs have just gone up.”
Consequently, many
dairy farmers are missing out on the cheapest feed available, he says.
Edmeades says he is “sick and tired” of the excuses from farmers about why they can’t grow clover.
“If we get the fertil-ity right, it would be like a weed.”
No more excuses: Doug Edmeades speaking at the Northland field day.
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36 MANAGEMENT
PONGAROA STATION on Hawke’s Bay’s Mahia Pen-insula was bought by Sir Michael Fay’s company Baytown Investments in September 2012.
The aim was to support other farms in the com-pany portfolio, notably central North Island dairy farms, and to finish stock from other sheep and beef properties.
It was inevitable it would be a reasonably complex operation, and there was considerable development to do, so when the position of man-ager was advertised young farming couple Shane and
Fay farm role reignitesEighteen months ago one of the country’s wealthiest men bought an isolated station in Northern Hawke’s Bay. Today it’s a central cog in an extensive farm business. Sarah Charteris reports
Jenna Mildenhall did not think they stood a chance.
However, with two young children they were looking to make a move and put down some roots, so they threw their hats in the ring all the same.
Both in their late 20s, they were surprised to secure an interview among the dozens of applicants. By the end of the pro-cess they knew they’d be “gutted” not to get the job.
“We were so nervous about meeting Sir Michael Fay himself but he put us at ease instantly,” recalls Jenna, who grew up on a farm at Ohuka, inland from Wairoa.
A day later Sir Michael called to offer them the position. Shane says he can’t describe how he felt.
“I just said ‘yes’ straight away, even though he sug-gested I take time to think about it.”
While they admit they’ve been “under the pump” since making the move, they say it’s like they’ve won the lottery, being treated like family and encouraged to think of the station as “their baby.” “My opinion is really valued which makes the job so much more excit-ing and rewarding and the development over the past 12 months to get the farm to where we want it has been huge.”
A reticulated water system with nearly 120 troughs has gone in, farm buildings have been upgraded, new yards and load-out facilities
installed, and 25km of fencing erected.
About 150ha of gorse has been sprayed and an existing farm track improved to public road specifications to improve truck and trailer access.
“There was a point there where we had up to 30 contractors on the farm – it was like Grand Central Station,” says Jenna. While the infrastructure development is easing off, the couple’s work load hasn’t. This summer there were 5500 lambs on the station, 487 R2 heifers and 350 heifer calves. Two hundred carry over cows, due to calve in autumn, were trucked in from one of Baytown’s dairy farms in Taupo. Shane’s set a number of
goals including minimum carcase weights of 19kg for lambs and 300kg for steers. Beef heifers have to be 260kg cwt. The beef stock are bought as wean-ers in March and should be away by Christmas or just after. There are targets for the dairy cattle too. “Even though Pongaroa grazes dairy stock for the other farms within the company, there are key performance indicators (KPIs) just like any graz-ing contract.” Cropping has been a new challenge for the Milden-halls and with nearly 400ha of suitable land at Pongoroa it is central to Fay’s strategy of making his farms business self suf-ficient. “We are not doing any-
Shane Mildenhall wants every lamb leav-ing Pongaroa to be 19kg carcase weight.
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
MANAGEMENT 37
manager’s passion
thing fancy or particularly different here but it is this concept of self sufficiency that makes what is hap-pening at Pongaroa differ-ent,” says Shane.
Last year 320ha of maize produced 4400t of silage and 1600t of grain. This year there’s 162ha. Most of last year’s crop was trucked 300km to Taupo for the dairy farm with the remainder used onsite, wintering 1050 dairy cows.
“All the [Baytown] farm managers work together to not only get the best results for their farm, but the company as a whole.” He’s quick to correct nega-tive comments about lim-itless resources.
“I get the comments about Michael’s wealth and how it must be nice to work on a farm without a budget but that couldn’t be further from the truth…. We have a budget and our own financial tar-gets to meet and while it might be more than what other farms have to work with, I’ve still got to work
hard to make Pongaroa succeed.”
He also recognises there will be those that are critical of wealthy out-siders investing in iconic properties such as Pon-garoa, but he believes Fay has secured its future. “At the end of the day this is a man who, yes, is a businessman, but who is also extremely passionate about prime land like this not being sold to offshore investors…. “He loves farming and when he comes here there is no ‘us and them’. He sits on the deck and has a cup of tea and comes out on the farm. He took a calcu-lated risk with Pongaroa, and with Jen and I, and we are eternally grateful.” Mildenhall has set per-sonal goals for the station five years out and says it’s easy to keep motivated there.
“This place just out performs anywhere we have worked before - the diversification of our oper-ation leaves the door open for chasing the market to
maximise profit.“It all comes back into
the operation and within five years I want to be killing 20,000 lambs per year and seeing 500 to 800 dairy heifers grown out. No two days are the same here - my last posi-tion almost killed my pas-sion for farming but being manager at Pongaroa Sta-
tion has reignited it.”They’ve both thrown
themselves into life off the farm too and with five-year-old Lucas and two-year-old Emmy, they’re already entrenched in the local community.
“This is our home now and we hope it will be for a very long time,” says Jenna.
FARM FACTSPONGAROA STATION❱❱ Location: Mahia Peninsula,
north Hawkes Bay.
❱❱ Area: 980ha, 750ha effective
❱❱ Contour: 400ha flat, 200ha rolling, rest steep.
❱❱ Stock: 850 ewe hoggets (mated), 8000 lambs fattened, 500 R2 dairy heifers, 500 R1 dairy heifers, 5-700 dairy cows wintered, 250 autumn-calving dairy cows, 130 steers/cull heifers fattened.
Crops provide feed for Pongarao and other Fay farms further afield.
Putting down roots: Shane with wife Jenna, Lucas (5) and Emmy (2).
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
40 ANIMAL HEALTH
Survey to quantify calf deaths
CALF REARERS and dairy farmers: next time you visit your rural store, spare a minute to fill in a brief survey on calf mortality.
The survey is the brainchild of lower North Island nutrition spe-cialist Dr Lucy Wal-dron.
“I want to see how we compare to the rest of the world and what intervention strategies farmers are using,” Waldron told Rural News.
Such data isn’t readily available, Wal-dron says, hence the survey. DairyNZ confirmed to Rural News it hasn’t done such a survey.
Waldron’s questionnaire is anonymous to encourage participation. Questions are about herd size, number and sex of calves reared and mortality of those, farm biosecurity measures, labour factors and approaches to treating sick calves.
“We know Fonterra does wheel washes when it drops off milk but the truck could have been to five or six farms in between. What biosecurity measures are there?”
The survey asks where calf-rearing sheds are in relation to vehicle access to the farm, and what mea-sures are taken to reduce disease transmission by people visiting the calf sheds.
The survey also asks for an estimate of the eco-nomic impact of sick calves and calf mortality.
Waldron says data from the US shows losses of up to 25% occur there, but that there is a broad range. UK calf mortality tends to be lower, but again there are spikes.
She suspects there will be a broad range in mor-tality rates here too, given that every year there are horror stories about high losses on occasional farms for one reason or another. But hopefully those will prove to be the exception, not the norm.
“What’s important is not just the average mor-tality, it’s the range. We all know some farms are cleaner or dirtier than others.”
While she admits the recent debate about eutha-nasia was a prompt to do the survey, there’s no spe-cific question included on that.
How long the survey runs will depend on the response rate; she’s hopeful of having data avail-able before the main spring calving season.
E-mail [email protected] for a copy of the questionnaire.
Lucy Waldron
Intra-mammary applicator released
ANDREW SWALLOW
A NOVEL device to make teat-sealing herds easier on the hands has the potential to rev-olutionise how intra-mammary treatments are made, says its inventor.
New Zealand-based Bayer vet Dr Ray Castle came up with the concept for what’s become the Intercept SQ-EZI, a syringe applicator gun, in November 2013 when working with a
vaccination gun.“Traditionally teat sealants
are injected into the opening of a cow’s teat using a syringe, thus creating a barrier to infec-tion entering the cow’s udder. However, because the sealant is quite viscous, it means sore thumbs and blisters for farmers who may have to do hundreds of cows at a time,” says Castle.
“There was also the added
hassle of having to warm the syringes beforehand to make it easier to push the syringe plunger.”
The applicator uses leverage and tension to make injecting sealant much easier.
“It doesn’t have to be heated either, meaning less hassle for farmers,” adds Castle.
It works with existing Intercept syringes, the syringe
simply slotting into the appli-cator. Bayer says it’s not only a first for New Zealand dairy-ing, but an innovation that’s progressed rapidly from idea to implementation, taking just four months from concept to clinic shelf.
Bayer worked with ISL Animal Health on the applica-tor. Both companies own intel-lectual property rights to the
device.“The SQ-EZI has been well
received by dairy farmers and we believe it has the poten-tial to revolutionise the way intramammary treatments are administered,” says Castle.
The applicator is only avail-able with Intercept teat sealant from rural vet clinics.
@rural_newsfacebook.com/ruralnews
Ray Castle demonstrates the teat-seal applicator.
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
ANIMAL HEALTH 41
Condition score 5 tall order in northDROUGHT-HIT farms in the north-ern North Island will have to work hard to get herds to Body Condition Score (BCS) 5 by calving this year, say DairyNZ and Rural Support Trust rep-resentatives.
Cyclone Lusi did little for the North Island’s moisture-starved West Coast with just 5-15mm fall-ing on Kaipara and Rodney, 10-35mm across South Auckland and 0-20 mm in Waikato.
Ground water monitoring done by the Northland Agricultural Research Farm, 5km northwest of Dargaville, shows ground moisture levels last month were as bad as in last year’s drought and dangerously close to per-manent wilting point.
Kaipara Dairy NZ field officer Kylie Harnett says herd average body con-dition scores are typically 3.5 to 4.0, leaving a long way to go to reach the calving target of 5 for cows and 5.5 for first-calving heifers and three-year-olds. With calving in the region start-ing in June on some farms the window
to put condition on is also closing fast.Harnett says priority feeding of at
risk cows by creating a separate mob will be one of the best options to achieve targets. But the dry summer and autumn has eroded farm-grown supplement stocks with most having fed much of their stored silage already to keep cows milking and retain at least some condition on cows.
Consequently, demand is likely to be high for off-farm supplement even as herds are dried off.
How prepared farmers in the region are for that is questionable. When an audience of 80 at a Dairy NZ ‘Beat the Drought’ event in Dar-gaville was asked to raise their hands if they’d done a winter feed budget, only one arm went up. That was despite most having spring calving herds and having either already dried off or plan-ning to dry off by the end of March.
Northland Rural Support trust coordinator Julie Jonker was not sur-prised by the result.
“Most Northland farmers will have worked out feed requirements in their head but won’t have put any-
thing down on paper,” she says.Some may not be fully aware of
the severity of feed shortages loom-ing during and post dry-off, she warns.
“People need to be proactive: get feed budgets and cashflows done and to their accountants so they are able to approach their banks if they require additional funds to get through.”
Jonker says bank managers are still asking farmers if they want help and there is still a limited level of supple-ment on the market, but that situa-tion could well change in less than a month.
Harnett notes considerable pres-sure on the feed market last month had already pushed baleage to $80/bale in Northland and $100 in Waikato. PKE was costing $473/t and a PKE/canola mix $628/t.
Grain is also reported to be becom-ing harder to source, with some suppliers having sold out for spot deliveries. Harnett suggests forward contracting at least some tonnage to ensure supply and reduce risk.
GARETH GILLATT
@rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
Northland veterinary consultant Graeme Eveson says availability of hay, silage and baleage will be a partic-ular concern for autumn and split-calving herds in the region as good dietary balance is key for springing cows.
Only a limited amount of PKE should be fed to such stock as the high oil content can bind calcium and magnesium salts in the rumen, making them unavailable for absorption and increasing milk fever risk.
“This can create life threatening metabolic disease as cows calve, due to the 3-4 fold increase in calcium requirements at this time with severe milk fevers common. PKE feed levels for springers therefore needs to be conservative.”
Eveson suggests a maximum of 25% of the daily energy intake should be PKE, but where possible good quality hay, baleage or maize should be allocated to the springers and the PKE reserved for the milkers where the extra protein in the PKE could be beneficial.
Autumn calvers
Grass is sparse on Northland’s west coast.
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
42 ANIMAL HEALTH
Faith in export systems a priority
BUILDING CONFI-DENCE in New Zealand’s export systems for bovine embryos, semen and live animals is a priority, says the new chair of the trade body representing cattle export organisations.
But in doing that com-
pliance costs must be kept reasonable so smaller operators can continue to trade.
CRV Ambreed’s oper-ations manager Andrew Medley was appointed chair of the Livestock and Animal Germplasm Trade Association at its annual meeting March 11.
“We don’t want to see
increasing compliance costs making it unnec-essarily restrictive for smaller operators to con-tinue because that would threaten the value of the New Zealand export industry,” he said in a carefully worded media statement following his appointment.
“But at the same time,
we need to provide MPI with the assurance that they can put a New Zea-land stamp on our bovine
exports with complete faith in our system.”
Medley says New Zea-land’s bovine genetics
ANDREW SWALLOW
have sig-nificant influ-ence in overseas mar-kets, partic-ularly Australia and South Amer-ica, with about 1.5m doses of semen and more than 35,000 live cattle exported every year.
But it could be con-siderably more is seems, particularly from the sheep and beef sector, if the compliance process, which MPI directs, rec-ognised such exports of genetics are quite differ-ent to food.
“The Government tends to place us in the same basket as other food-related exporters, with many of the same rules for compliance and regula-tions, when in fact we are in a very different trade category with our own unique requirements,” Medley says.
“This was one of the primary reasons for estab-lishing the Association, so that it could get around the table together with all the key agencies within the forum of the Animal Trade Advisory Council which include members of the animal exports teams of MPI, New Zealand Food Safety Authority and AsureQuality.”
Medley failed to return Rural News’ calls last week but others in the sector expressed frustra-tion with what are seen as unnecessarily bureau-cratic and costly com-pliance requirements imposed by MPI. In most cases the requirements go beyond what poten-tial recipient countries require, putting a self-imposed brake on exports. For some, notably in the sheep and beef sector, the costs have become uneco-nomic and they’ve given up exporting, leaving overseas customers disap-pointed.
Individual operators are wary of speaking out publically on the issue for fear of aggravating their
relationship with MPI, one of the reasons LAGTA was formed in 2009.
Medley says the Asso-ciation’s achievements since then include devel-oping guidelines for live cattle exports and contrib-uting to the standards for such trade, which were a “big win” for live export-ers.
“We’re currently work-ing with MPI to develop codes of practice for semen and embryo col-lection centres which is giving us greater input into how we operate to ensure we meet the reg-ulatory requirements on a basis that is logical for our industry. If we don’t feel it is sustainable for the industry and doing the right thing for consumers, we have the ability to push back.”
LAGTA is part of the Animal Trade Advisory Council which includes MPI, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, and AsureQuality.
The council meets four times a year to set and dis-cuss work programmes, and provides a much greater level of industry and regulator collabora-tion. The aim is to prevent regulations being imposed without recognising the uniqueness of the live-stock and genetics export industry.
LAGTA has a “working committee” of four agency representatives: Robyn How from Tararua Breed-ing Services; Steve Carson from PGG Wrightson; Bruce Nowell from Aus-trex; and Dave Hayman from Hayman GD Con-sulting, plus Medley as the committee chair. Hayman is vice chair. The Asso-ciation has 20 member organisations. Member-ship is $300/year and is voluntary.
Andrew Medley
“We don’t want to see increasing compliance costs making it unnecessarily restrictive for smaller operators to continue because that would threaten the value of the New Zealand export industry.”
@rural_newsfacebook.com/ruralnews
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
ANIMAL HEALTH 43
Blocks and nuts boost survivalBIG GAINS in survival of triplet lambs have shown up with the use of a high energy feed block or nuts at lambing.
And though only a 1% difference showed between the survivability achieved with the two sup-plements, the convenience of the blocks over daily feeding of nuts means the blocks will be the choice for the trial’s host farmers next lambing.
Julie Crawford, who farms with Barry Crawford near Gore, Southland, told Rural News they’ll “defi-nitely” be using the blocks again for mobs of triplet-bearing ewes at lambing, and possibly twin-bearing mobs as well.
“We’d used them before when the ewes were on crop but never at
lambing,” she says.The trial was part of
the Farm IQ programme with Dr Mark Oliver, a researcher contracted to Auckland UniServices by the University of Auck-land, overseeing the work.
Of triplet lambs born to ewes offered Crysta-lyx blocks for three weeks before lambing through to tailing, 79% survived, com-pared to 78% for the mob fed a lucerne and grain-based nut and 68% on pas-ture only.
Crawford says the 68% result was worse than they normally achieve but most of the multiples were born in the first ten days of lambing “through some quite nasty weather.”
A lot of effort was made to ensure the mobs of 55-60 ewes on each treatment were compa-rable and went onto simi-larly sheltered paddocks.
Pasture cover and qual-ity were tested to rule out any difference due to that. “It was as fair as we could make it.”
Four blocks per mob were offered so there was no problem with all ewes accessing the molasses-based blocks that are laced with micro and macro-nutrients.
“I noticed after they’d lambed and the blocks had been out that bit longer, the lambs were coming to them as well. At tail-ing some of the lambs had it on the bottom of their chins so you could tell they were getting into it.”
Lamb weights at tailing are still to be statistically analysed but Crawford says she thinks there was a slight advantage. “We have the figures through to weaning but they’ve not done the stats’ yet.”
In a commercial situ-
ation the blocks would require little or no dis-turbance in the pad-dock, unlike daily nut feeding. But, in practice, the nature of the trial – ewes were closely moni-tored and all dead lambs post-mortemed by a vet – meant they were in all the paddocks regularly.
Jackie Aveling, animal nutrition product manager for Ballance Agri-Nutri-ents which sells the Crys-talyx blocks through its SeaslesWinslow subsid-iary, says the trial results suggest good prospects for sheep farmers seeking to boost ewe productivity.
While nuts delivered a similar improvement in lamb survivability, if fed every day as they were in the trial they would be uneconomic when labour costs were allowed for. The Crystalyx blocks, in contrast, gave a benefit
per ewe of $31.51, though Aveling says a further trial using a creep feeder to offer the nuts should be done.
The free access little-
and-often intake from blocks provides an even nutrient intake profile during the animal’s graz-ing day, lifting rumen function and with it
animal performance.Crawford says besides
lambing, they’re using blocks now, as they have before, to boost ewe nutri-tion during tupping.
ANDREW SWALLOW
Farm IQ farmers Julie and Barry Crawford (inset) hosted a trial looking at triplet survival in response to supplementary feeding.
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
44 ANIMAL HEALTH
Refined TB test in trialsA NEW skin test which, for the first time, can differentiate between strains of TB, promises to reduce incidence of false posi-tives, say its creators.
The Assign-bTB DIVA skin test was developed in by Palm-erston North-based Polybat-ics with Dr Bryce Buddle of the Hopkirk Research Institute and AgResearch.
It uses bionanoparticle tech-
nology to Differentiate between Infected and Vaccinated Animals, hence the DIVA acronym, and is the first such test able to differen-tiate Mycobacterium bovis-infected animals from those vaccinated against bovine TB or exposed to other strains of Mycobacterium.
A field trial lead by TBFree New Zealand and the Hopkirk Research Institute is underway.
“We are pleased to be sup-
porting this study using a cutting edge technology and in the pro-cess, reaffirming New Zealand’s place at the forefront of manag-ing and eliminating tuberculosis in wild animals and in our farmed livestock,” says TBfree’s manager of TB eradication, Dr Paul Living-stone.
If the trials are successful, Liv-ingston says he expects Assign-bTB testing will reduce the
number of false-positives from skin tests.
“This will reduce the need for re-testing which will, in turn, pro-vide potential cost savings to the TB control programme.”
A new skin test could cut false
positives for TB, says TBfree New
Zealand.
NAIT promises improved commsTHE NATIONAL cattle and deer traceability scheme, NAIT, says it is making “significant improvements” to its movement notification e-mails which will reduce the amount of time online for farmers.
“We’ve listened to farmers’ feedback and have been actively working to make our systems and processes more user friendly,” says Stu Hutchings, of NAIT parent body, OSPRI.
“This improvement to the notification service is one of several enhancements we will be rolling out this year to make it easier for farmers and companies to meet their NAIT requirements.”
The new style email notifications will contain more detail about what has occurred and clear instructions on what, if any, action needs to be taken. A link in the email will take the user to the NAIT system if they have a move-ment to confirm.
Users can also control the e-mails they get from NAIT by adjusting the preference settings on the NAIT system.
“Everyone has a role to play in safeguarding New Zea-land’s livestock industry and it’s important that farmers keep their NAIT records up to date,” says Hutchings.
“In the event of a disease outbreak, NAIT data will enable a faster and more efficient response, so farmers can get back to business sooner.”
Having a system like NAIT enhances New Zealand’s reputation for producing safe, high quality products and helps maintain access to global markets, he says.
KEY FACT OVERLOOKED?Rural News, March 18, published Dr Roche’s response to my observations and facts on milk urea which ran in the February 18 edition. His response makes the assumption that all Rural News readers will interpret my information the same way that he has.
Dr Roche listed “the facts as stated by Mr Clark” then responded to them. The following fact was in my article but omitted, by Dr Roche, from his list.
Fact: Excessive cow PUN influences uterus pH, as shown by Cornell University’s W Ronald Butler in his 2005 paper, Relationships of Dietary Protein and Fertility. Uterine pH normally increases from about 6.8 at oestrus up to 7.1 on day seven of the oestrous cycle (luteal phase), but this increase failed to occur in both heifers and lactating cows fed excess RDP or RUP (high PUN).
This is a key fact because this study and others have included measurement of trends of uterus pH against conception rates and established the connec-tion between blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) levels, uterus pH and concep-tion trends. Dr Roche should be able to confirm if uterus pH studies have been done on NZ dairy cows and, if they have been done, whether they show that elevated BUN / MUN levels cause no fluctuation of uterus pH in NZ dairy cows and have no influence on conception failure.Steve Clark, Wainui
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Cattle External Parasite TreatmentsPRODUCT COMPANY METHOD
OF APPLICATION
ACTIVE INGREDIENT
CONCENTRATION INGREDIENT DOSE RATE
FORMULATED DOSE RATE
LIVEWEIGHT
WITHDRAWAL PERIOD SAFETY MARGIN(X DOSE RATE)
CLAIMS COMMENTS
MEAT(DAYS)
MILK(DAYS)
BITINGLICE
SUCKINGLICE
TICKS BITING FLY
ECTOPARASITICIDESBayticol Bayer NZ Ltd Pour-on Flumethrin 1.0% w/v 1mg/kg 10mL/100kg Nil Nil >20 No No Yes No Rainfast
Destruct Bayer NZ Ltd Pour-on Propetamphos 10% w/v 10mg/kg 10mL/100kg 3 5 N/S Yes Yes No No Short meat withholding, single dose.
Blaze Coopers Pour-on Deltamethrin 1.5% w/v (15g/L) 0.75mg/kg 1mL/20kg lice and nuisance fly.
28 Nil >3 Yes Yes NoNote 4
Yes Nil bobby calf withholding for cows treated in late pregnancy.
Pouracide NF Jurox NZ Ltd Pour-on AlphamethrinPiperonyl ButoxideTetrachlorvinphos
7g/L75g/L20g/L
0.7 mg/kg7.5 mg/kg2.0 mg/kg
10mL/100kg 7 Nil - No Yes No Yes Fly and lice control
Tempor Merial Ancare Pour-on Temephos 20% w/v 12mg/kg 6mL/100kg 10 14 >8 Yes Yes No No Not affected by rain.
Synergy Cattle Ravensdown Pour-on Alphamethrin, Tetrachlorvinphos Piperonyl Butoxide
7g/L20g/L 75g/L
1mL/10kg 7 Nil - No Yes No Yes Lice and biting fly control
Vetmed Flumethrin Pour On
Ravensdown Pour-on Flumethrin 10g/L 1mg/kg 1mL/10kg Nil Nil >20 No No Yes No Rainfast tick control.
Niltime Virbac NZ Ltd Pour-on Bendiocarb 40g/L 4mg/kg 1mL/10kg 3 Nil 3x Yes Yes No No Can be used on calves 50kg and over.
Vengeance Zoetis Pour-on Temephos 20% w/v 12mg/kg 6mL/100kg 10 14 >8x Yes Yes No No
ENDECTOCIDESBaymec Pour-on Bayer NZ Ltd Pour-on Abamectin 1.0% w/v (10g/l) 0.5mg/kg 1mL/20kg 35 (Bobby calf
16 days)Nil 3x Yes Yes - - Rainfast, controls both internal and external
parasites.Registered for cattle & deer.
Baymec Injection Bayer NZ Ltd Subcutaneousinjection
Abamectin 1.0% w/v (10g/l) 0.2mg/kg 1mlL50kg 49 49 3x - Yes - - Non-sting. Also controls internal parasites.
Eon Bayer NZ Ltd Pour-on Eprinomectin 0.5% w/v (5g/l) 0.5mg/kg 1mL/10kg Nil Nil 10x Yes For the treatment and control of all gastrointestinal roundworms and lungworms in cattle.
iPlus Injection Bayer NZ Ltd Subcutaneous injection
Ivermectin/Clorsulon
1% w/v10% w/v
0.2mg/kg2mg/kg
1ml/50kg 28 14 5x Yes Yes No No Also controls internal parasites and controls Chorioptes bovis and Psoroptes
Outlaw Bayer NZ Ltd Pour-on Abamectin/Levamisole
10mg/ml200mg/ml
0.5mg/kg10mg/kg
1ml/20kg 42 42 3x Yes For the treatment and control of internal parasites including endectocide resistant strains and lungworm in cattle.
Saturn Pour-on Bayer NZ Ltd Pour-on Abamectin/Levamisole
10mg/ml200mg/ml
0.5mg/kg10mg/kg
1ml/20kg 42 42 3x Yes For the treatment and control of internal parasites including endectocide resistant strains and lungworm in cattle.
Bomectin Gold Pour-on
Bayer NZ Ltd Pour-on Ivermectin 10mg/ml(1% w/v)
0.5mg/kg 1ml/20kg 35 - Bobby calf 16 days
Nil 3x Yes Yes NoNote 4
No Rain resistant. Controls chorioptes and sarcoptes mites. Also controls internal parasites.
Bomectin Injection Bayer NZ Ltd Subcutaneousinjection
Ivermectin 10mg/ml(1% w/v)
0.2mg/kg 1ml/50kg 21 21 3x Aids incontrol
Yes No No Non sting. Also controls internal parasites. Also controls mange mites.
Paramectin Pour-on Jurox NZ Ltd Pour-on Abamectin 10mg/ml 0.5mg/kg 1ml/20kg 35 Nil 3x Yes Yes No No Also controls internal parasites
Paramectin Injection Jurox NZ Ltd Injection Abamectin 10mg/ml 0.2mg/kg 1ml/50kg 49 49 3x No Yes No No Also controls internal parasites. Registered for cattle and sheep.
EprinexFor Cattle & Deer
Merial Ancare Pour-on Eprinomectin 0.5% w/v 0.5mg/kg 1ml/10kg Cattle 0, Deer 7, Bobby Calves 0
Nil 10 Yes Yes No No Controls mites, sarcoptes scabiei, chorioptes bovis. Also controls internal parasites.. Weatherproof.
Eclipse Pour-on Merial Ancare Pour-on Abamectin/Levamisole
10mg/ml200mg/ml
0.5mg/kg10mg/kg
1ml/20kgbodyweight
35 35 3x Yes Yes No No Also controls internal parasites.
Exodus Pour-on Merial Ancare Pour-on Moxidectin 0.5% w/v 0.5mg/kg 1mL/10kg bodyweight
Nil DeerNil Bobby
Nil >10x Yes Yes Note 4 No Also controls internal parasites. Rainfast. registered for Cattle and Deer. Controls manage mites. Chorioptes bovis.
Genesis Injection Merial Ancare Subcutaneousinjection
Abamectin 1.0 w/v 0.2mg/kg 1ml/50kg 49 49 3x N/D Yes No No No sting. Also controls internal parasites. Also with Vitamin B12.
Genesis Pour-on Merial Ancare Pour-on Abamectin 1.0% w/v 0.5mg/kg 1ml/20kg 35 Nil 3x Yes Yes – – Also controls internal parasites. Rainfast.
Genesis UltraPour-on
Merial Ancare Pour-on Abamectin/Triclabendazole
0.5mg/kg300mg/ml
0.5mg/kg30mg/ml
1ml/10kgbodyweight
91 91 3x Yes Yes No No Also controls internal parasites, liver fluke.
Ivomec Injection Merial Ancare Subcutaneousinjection
Ivermectin 1.0% w/v 0.2mg/kg 1ml /50kg 35 35 20-30 Aids incontrol
Yes Note 4 No Also controls internal parasites
Ivomec Plus Merial Ancare Subcutaneousinjection
Ivermectin/Clorsulon
1.0% w/v Iver.10% w/v Clor.
0.2mg/kg Iver.2.0mg/kg Clor.
1ml /50kg 28 14 20-30 Aids incontrol
Yes Note 4 No Also controls internal parasites
Fasimec Pour on for Cattle
Novartis Pour-on Abamectin/Triclabendazole
0.5mg/kg300mg/ml
0.5mg/kg30mg/ml
1ml /10kgbodyweight
91 91 3x Yes Yes No No Controls roundworm lice and all stages of liver fluke.
Abamectin Injection Ravensdown Subcutaneous injection
Abamectin 10g/L 0.2mg/kg 1mL/50kg 49 49 3x No Yes No No Controls both internal and external parasites
Abamectin Pour on Ravensdown Pour-on Abamectin 10g/L 0.5mg/kg 1mL/20kg 35 Nil 3x Yes Yes No No Controls both internal and external parasites
TopLine Virbac NZ Ltd Pour-on Abamectin 1% w/v 10mg/mL 0.5mg/kg 1mL/20kg 35 Nil 3x Yes Yes No No Persistent activity against biting and suckling lice for 56 days. Rain resistant. Also controls internal parasites.
Cydectin Injection Zoetis SubcutaneousInjection
Moxidectin 1% w/v 0.2mg/kg 1ml/50kg 35 days 35 >5x Aids incontrol
Yes Note 4 No Also controls internal parasites. Non sting injection. Registered for cattle and sheep.
Cydectin Pour-on Zoetis Pour-on Moxidectin 0.5% w/v 0.5mg/kg 1ml/10kg Nil DeerNil BobbyNil Cattle
Nil >10x Yes Yes Note 4 No Also controls internal parasites. Rainfast. Registered for cattle and deer. Controls mange mites Chorioptes bovis
DectomaxInjection
Zoetis Subcutaneousinjection
Doramectin 1.0% w/v 0.2mg/kg 1ml/50kg 35 35 25x Aids in control
Yes No No Non-sting, also controls internal parasites. Registered for cattle, sheep and pigs.
DectomaxPour-on
Zoetis Pour-on Doramectin 0.5% w/v 0.5mg/kg 1ml/10kg 35 Nil 25 Yes Yes Note 4 No Rainfast. Also controls internal parasites.Controls mange mites Chorioptes bovis
Cydectin Plus Fluke Pour-on
Zoetis Pour-on MoxidectinTriclabendazole
5g/L moxidectin200g/L triclabendazole
0.5mg/kg moxidectin20mg/kg triclabendazole
1ml/10kg 84 84 10x Yes Yes No No Also controls internal parasites, including liver fluke
Note 1 - Do not use in lactating dairy cattle producing milk for human consumption or industrial purposes or within 28 days of the start of lactation.Note 2 - Extra care must be taken to use the correct dose in calves under 100kg weight, particularly if
animals are in light body condition, because they may be susceptible to overdosing.Note 3 - Not to be used in lactating cattle where the milk is used for human consumption or within 14 days of calving.
Note 4 - No claim for New Zealand cattle tick.Note 5 - Not for use in lactating in dairy cows. Effective against external parasites for 135 days for cattle weighing between 100kg & 400kg liveweight on day of administration.
Note 6 - Do not use on lactating cattleNote 7 – Do not use in cattle producing milk for human consumption or within 21 days of calvingN/S - Not supplied.
NOTE
The Rural News External Parasite Treatments guide for cattle is completed from information supplied by animal health companies. Although the information has been checked by our independent animal health advisor, Rural News accepts no responsibility or liability for inaccuracies.K
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
46 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
Pioneer makes for a far smoother comfortable rideONE LESSON Honda learned after the launch of its first side-by-side a few years ago is getting the price right.
The old Big Red
launched in the high-$20k bracket, which hurt sales and forced Honda to lower the ticket price. Its replacement, the Pioneer 700, rectifies that, costing $18,995 for the two-seater and $20,795 for the four-
seater (ex GST). So the price is sharp.
What about the machine? The short answer is it’s a big improvement over Big Red, in the way it looks and performs.
There are a number
of reasons for the better performance: it is 20kg lighter, suspension travel is 50mm longer front and rear and it has dual stage EFI engine mapping.
The 675cc engine and three-stage gearbox are
straight out of Big Red – although the engine now sits on rubber mounts for reduced vibration – but the dual-shift map-ping reads the pattern of throttle input from the driver and selects between
two transmission shifting modes – cruise or sport.
It works a treat and the Pioneer rewards a more aggressive driving style by holding gears longer, and a more relaxed style with better fuel economy.
The better suspen-sion travel and weight reduction dramatically improves the ride and han-dling; the Pioneer is stable and comfortable, but now also ‘chuckable’. Not that we would have discov-ered that had we obeyed the over-cautious safety team on launch day, who wanted moderate driv-ing and 4WD to be used almost constantly. We ignored this, of course, and found the Pioneer knocked off most of the obstacles in 2WD, still leaving 4WD and diff lock in reserve.
With 4WD and diff lock on, it will go anywhere a farmer will want to take it, including across some rel-atively steep inclines with-out tipping over.
It has very effective engine braking, which is welcome in the steeper country, even while towing a trailer downhill with a moderately heavy load. The auto transmission has a heavy-duty torque convertor which enables smooth shifts and should be durable.
Suspension is double-wishbone front and rear, with longer travel than Big Red (now 200mm front
and 230mm rear), so it absorbs the rough stuff better. We put the Pioneer into some heavy ruts at speed and it didn’t bottom out.
The Pioneer comes in two versions, the 700-2 and the 700-4, the latter offering two rear seats that can be folded away when not needed, leav-ing a smooth flat bed. It’s a clever system with the rear seats folding individually. With the seats stowed, the deck still tips as it does on the 700-2.
The disadvantage of the four-seat arrangement is that they take up all the useable storage space in the back. However, it gives you the option of taking extra bodies on board, without losing manoeuvrability because it shares the same com-pact 1950mm platform as the 700-4.
You can pick the 700-4 easily by its full roll-cage. The Pioneer was rolled out at the recent regional field days and according to Blue Wing Honda it has attracted a lot of atten-tion. The more aggressive styling will be part of the reason, pricing will be the other.
All in all a much better effort from Honda in a category boosted by ATV safety concerns. Priced right and with the repu-tation of the red brand behind it, the Pioneer will, we expect, sell well.
ADAM FRICKER
C B Norwood Distributors Ltd
MS1443
RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 47
More accurate fert application
FERT SPREADING accuracy was to the fore in the Central Districts Field Days display of Kuhn’s Axis spread-ers, all with H-EMC (hydraulic drive, electronic mass flow control).
“Accuracy helps crop yield as the plant gets the correct nutrients to maximise yield and by that means farmers can monitor expenses,” said national sales manager, Kuhn New Zealand, Brian Robertson.
The models give spreading widths from 12m to 50m with capacities from 1000L to 4000L. These can be combined with manual/electronic application rate adjustment propor-tional to ground speed.
The working width is changed by altering the drop point of the fertil-iser/seeds onto the disc – manually on some models and electronically from the cab on others.
With the larger capacity models electronically controlled metering outlets can be integrated with GPS to prevent the wastage otherwise caused by overlapping at headlands. Kuhn’s Opti-Point automatically determines the ideal point to open
and close the metering outlets with GPS support.
Models with weighcells working with Quantron E-2 or HEMC Isobus allow the farmer to alter the application rate during spreading. These systems check, several times per second, whether the flow corresponds to the programmed
rate and adjusts it to the correct amount.
The EMC measures and con-tinuously adjusts application on each disc on all hydraulically driven models. This gives high flexibility and accuracy.Tel. 0800 585 007www.kuhn.co.nz
TONY HOPKINSON
Farmer invents simple bale feeder
PULLING THE crowds at Central Dis-trict Field Days was a King Country farm-er’s trailed bale feeder.
Ohura drystock farmer Wessel Eksteen farms 200 cattle and 2000 ewes on 600ha at Ohura, west of Taumaranui.
He developed his Rollit A-Frame round-bale unit as an inexpensive, easy-to-use means of feeding out haylage, towed by a quad.
He saw the need for it when he bought round haylage bales but had no tractor to feed them out. His children’s old swing set gave him the idea for an A-frame device.
It worked well and his wife and sons pushed him to commercialise it, an idea he took seriously in 2013 when he had an
engineer build a second unit. “The original model fell apart after sev-
eral years. I got a local engineer to make a properly engineered one for me.”
Few moving parts and ease of use differentiate it from other quad-towed feeders, he says. A sharpened point on the bale spindle bar ensures it will easily pierce a bale – so easily that “even my nine-year-old niece could do it,” Wessel says.
He uses his quad to tip bales on their sides for loading. At the feeding site he strips the plastic and gets busy.
Maintenance is minimal: long-life graphite bushes hold the bar and the trolley wheels have bearings. “I’ve put in a circlip so people can grease or replace the bushes and bearings themselves.”Tel. 07 893 [email protected]
GARETH GILLATT
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
48 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
Duncan Ag expandsRemote control mower makes slopes a snitch
A REMOTE control mower can tackle 55o slopes at no risk to its operator and with little effort, the distributor told visitors to Central Districts Field Days.
Steelfort spokesman Russell Refoy showed the European-made Dvorak Spider to a fascinated crowd.
The operator may stand as far away as 200m, though Refoy recommends a work-ing distance of 10-15m. “Then the operator can see any obstacles or dangers.”
Steelfort says Dvorak has shown the 800mm model can cut as much grass as five people with line trimmers, and the 1200mm model can do the work of 15 people or a tractor-mounted boom mower, at lower cost.
The smaller Spider Mini, for small properties including lawns, can cut up to 1500m2 an hour.
Refoy says the mower draws a crowd everywhere it’s shown. “It didn’t matter what time of the day we turn it on, people are drawn to the site.”
Models ILD01 and ILD02 are for com-mercial use, powered by 18hp and 24hp
engines, respectively, and having 800mm and 1230mm cutting decks. The Spider Mini has a 6.5hp Briggs & Stratton engine and costs about the same as other “quality mowing devices”.
Operators tend to need one week of constant mowing to get used to the con-troller and the motion of the mower. With
all-wheel drive and all-wheel steer, the wheels move and turn, not the unit itself, which has a zero turning circle. And when the wheels are turned 180o all the direc-tional controls are reversed – disorientat-ing for an inexperienced operator.Tel. 06 350 1350 www.steelfort.co.nz
DUNCAN AG has bought Agmech, Christchurch, a manufacturer and distrib-utor of farm trailers, bale feeders and other heavy agricultural gear.
Agmech products will be sold through Duncan Ag’s local dealer network and through its distributors in Australia, South America and southern Africa.
Duncan Ag chairman Don McFarlane said, “Over many years Duncan Ag and Cloughs have manufac-tured reliable and practical farm machinery. This purchase was in line with the company’s strategy of strengthening its market position and Duncan brand in its home markets.
“The Agmech product stable complements Duncan Ag’s own range and its addition to the Duncan stable gives us the largest integrated range of drills, bale feeders and trailers in the New Zea-land and Australian markets.
Says Duncan Ag chief executive Craig McIsaac, “This offering of well-engineered products enables us to better support our deal-ers and customers.” Duncan Ag has been in the business 75 years, and “understands that no two farm businesses are the same. [For farmers] to get the best result often requires a specialised solu-tion.”Tel. 03 688 2029www.duncanag.com
Duncan Ag’s Craig McIssac
GARETH GILLATT
The ‘Spider’ mower wowed the crowds at the Central Districts Field Days.
UreaBoronCalciumMagnesiumThistle Sprayor whatever
Mix and apply
0508 747 040www.towandfarm.co.nz
Sample RecipeUrea: 35kg/haBoron: 1kg/haLime Flour: 100kg/haMagnesium: 5kg/haThistle Spray: 2litres/ha35 hectares 1 Tow and Fert load3 minutes per hectare
Or have the mix formulated by your nutritional
consultant based on soil and pasture tests
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 49
A boost to farming with N restrictions
A PATENTED nitrogen booster, Donaghys N-Boost, is said to use world-first technology for pasture and selected crops. The product is a re-issue, under a new name, of Donaghys LessN.
Designed to double nitrogen response of pasture, increase crop yields, reduce nitrate leaching and save money, N-Boost is a science-supported option for farming with nitrogen restrictions and maximising farm production.
Donaghys says it has re-named the product due to international success of its N-Boost brand. “Instead of focusing on ‘Halving urea use’, Donaghys is now focus-ing on ‘Boosting your nitrogen response’ which is what this product has always achieved.”
The N-Boost system (designed for application on pasture) is 40kg/ha of urea dissolved in water with 3L/ha of N-Boost, typically sprayed at 200L/ha with a con-ventional boom sprayer or boom jet. Urea can easily be dissolved in water in a free mixing station or by agitat-ing in a spray tank.
In cropping situations, foliar applications of 3-6L/ha of N-Boost are applied at specific growth stages to complement standard fertiliser. Modelling of a typical 160ha Canterbury dairy farm using Overseer nutri-ent budget software indicated up to a 15% reduction in nitrogen leaching from using N-Boost at 40kg/ha of urea compared to 80kg/ha of urea only, without com-promising pasture production, Donaghys says.
Trials showed N-Boost doubling the nitrogen response of pasture. Results showed an average nitro-gen response of 24.25kgDM/kg of nitrogen applied when using N-Boost compared to 10kgDM/kg of nitro-gen applied when using 40kg/ha of urea. In trials using 80kg/ha of spread urea, the average nitrogen response was 12kgDM/kg of nitrogen applied.
Based on mean trial results and a urea price of $800/tonne delivered on farm, dry matter can be grown for 12.5 cents/kg using N-Boost compared to 15.6 cents/kg using solid urea. Tel. 0800 942 006www.donaghys.com
Ploughing towards national finalsTHOUGH SOME rain would be ideal, New Zea-land ploughmen are ready to roll with the 2014 New Zealand Ploughing Cham-pionships at Blenheim on May 10-11.
Organising committee chairman Graham Gifford says all their preparation and arrangements are fall-ing into place.
“At the end of March the ground is dry and we could do with some rain; other than that we are ready to go.”
The contest has four divisions with all com-petitors having qualified after competing in events nationwide in the previ-ous year.
Conventional ploughs
compete in the CASE IH-sponsored Silver Plough Championship. Revers-ible ploughs compete in their own division spon-sored by Farmlands Fuel, the vintage ploughing is sponsored by Mainland Minerals and the horse ploughing is sponsored by Rural News Group.
Competitors plough stubble plots on the first day and grass on the second day. The crop will be green barley stubble now grazed by sheep and sprayed closer to competi-tion time.
Gifford has had long association with plough-ing. He first competed in the mid-1960s, qualifying to represent New Zealand at world championships in Canada in 1986 at the
same venue as the 2013 championships, “and the conditions were not any better.”
He represented New Zealand in 1988 in US, 1990 in the Netherlands
and 1991 in Northern Ire-land. His best placing was sixth in US. He has also coached and managed New Zealand teams and judged world champion-ships.
Gifford has been an executive member of the New Zealand Ploughing Association since 1998 and says this year’s cham-pionship will be his “last hurrah” before retiring. Graham Gifford
TONY HOPKINSON
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
50 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
Good gear makes conversion a successBURNHAM DAIRY farm-ers Mark and Kelsey Wil-liams have turned a 100ha sheep block into a high performing 600-cow dairy farm in a little over two years, says machinery sup-plier Landpower.
They expect to produce
300,000kgMS this season. After running a small
business, Williams bought the property in 2011, rede-veloping it over 12 months with an 80ha centre pivot, 20ha of fixed irrigation and a 40-bail herringbone dairy and adjoining con-
crete feed pad. The dairy has automatic livestock identification and drafting, cup removers, teat sprays and back-up gate.
The farm employs three staff.
“Having good infra-structure and machin-
ery and keeping them that way makes work easy and keeps everyone happy,” Williams says.
Charlotte Westwood, a veterinary nutrition-ist with PGG Wrightson, supervises a feeding pro-gram that provides about
“Having good infrastructure and machinery and keeping them that way make work easy.”
Mark Williams says good machinery makes work easy.
one third of the herd’s feed intake. Cows get about 8kg of maize and lucerne silage, plus vege-table waste or barley, each day.
“Our goal is to main-tain production and body condition throughout the lactation,” Williams says. “After calving, we want to get the weight back in our cows so we give them a high-carb diet that con-tains more energy than protein.
“By mating time, we cut the maize back and increase the lucerne con-tent to increase the pro-tein levels.
“We also [feed] trace minerals, vitamins, salt, lime, cider vinegar and canola oil.”
About 1500 tonnes of silage is grown on a neigh-bouring block, which sup-ports 60ha of permanent lucerne stands, annual maize and kale.
A Dutch-made Trioliet Solomix 2000ZX-T mixer wagon and a JCB 536-60 Loadall telehandler are used to feed out twice a day after milking.
The wagon con-tains two PTO driven augers that mix the feed which is discharged out a side-mounted hydrau-lic conveyor. The mixer has electronic weighing system, allowing accurate formulation and batching.
Williams says both machines have more than paid for themselves in just one season.
“Those two machines are loading and mixing out 1400 tonnes of ration a year in remarkably little time. I like the wagon; it’s simple and solid.
“We feed out one load per milking and it easily mixes about six tonnes per load. By the time we finish
loading and drive to the feed pad it’s ready to feed out.”
The telehandler has an assortment of attach-ments, including forks, a bale grab, a bucket and a scraper.
“The JCB is… so versa-tile. We use it for every-thing from loading the wagon to scraping the feed pad, picking up silage and bales, carting gravel and installing gateways.
“There’s no way we would ever go back to using a front loader. It’s easily 50% faster than a front loader and it’s [highly] manoeuvrable. Being able to stretch the boom [enables it to] get in or over areas we can’t reach with a tractor.”
Other equipment includes a Claas Arion 630C tractor and a Claas Disco 3100RC mower conditioner bought from Claas Harvest Centre, at Templeton.
With a stocking rate 50% higher than the Can-terbury average and almost double the national average, Mark accepts his operation is not without detractors.
“Our overriding objec-tive is to run a profitable but sustainable dairying operation. We have free-draining soils, so [can] run high stocking rates… with-out impact on herd health or the environment. We only have one or two cows with mastitis at any one time.
“In our opinion, putting on high volumes of acid fertilisers or nitrogen is not sustainable. We are recycling all our liquid and solid waste, supplemented with guano (rock phosphate), kieserite (magnesium sulphate) and lime.”
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 51
New sponsors for Fieldays main feature
PGG WRIGHTSON and software com-pany Xero will jointly sponsor the pre-mier feature at National Fieldays 2014.
The feature, ‘Managing Resources for a Competitive Advantage’, will show where and how farming can best develop systems and processes to manage resources and remain competitive.
Feature exhibitors in the main pavil-ion are “highly visible”, Fieldays says. “Hot topics” there include feed sources, nutrient management, animal health, workforce, security, control, traceabil-ity, water management and power inno-vations.
Fieldays chief executive Jon Calder says New Zealand’s competitive advan-tage is its efficiency in converting resources into protein.
“As a nation, maximising productiv-ity in [using] resources we have done incredibly well… and will continue to do if we [collaborate] across industry and sectors. With PGG Wrightson and Xero we look forward to exploring this theme further at Fieldays 2014.”
Xero last month launched its ‘Farm-ing in the Cloud’ software solution during its annual conference, says
spokesman Ben Richmond, rural strat-egy head.
“Managing resources for farms [requires best] milk production and stock levels, [and] extends to the heart of farm management – running a farm as an efficient business.”
“The ability to pinpoint a farm opera-tions financial position at any time cou-pled and the ability to share information with key advisors in a seamless and col-laborative way is central to… a sustain-able business…. Farmers together with Xero can use the power of the cloud to increase efficiency and productivity.”
PGG Wrightson general manager marketing Shannon Galloway says the company is proud to be a feature spon-sor. “We know farming is a challenging and complex business and our fortunes are tied to those of our customers.
“This year’s theme is a cornerstone foundation for PGG Wrightson. Every-day our staff work with farmers on their immediate on-farm needs while helping our customers plan.
“We aim to stay abreast of develop-ments in the industry and… provide new products and services.”
Less wrangle, no tangle
A NEW electric fence standard from Galla-gher is less prone to tan-gles and shorts, and will last longer, says com-pany spokesman Martin Kinney.
The Ring Top Post is a big leap from conven-tional standards, Kinney says. No protruding ‘pig tail’, a centred round head, and a sleek new foot profile make the stan-dards less likely to tangle. Also, the standards can be pulled out of bundles 35% faster than traditional standards: “They’re much easier to handle.”
A blade at the bottom of the foot is used to hold the standard in place. This prevents the unit from tangling and gives the standard foot more integ-rity over time. “The foot is durable and won’t bend as do traditional standards.”
The foot withstands 200kg of foot pressure, being made from a better grade plastic. Hardened plastic is also used to make the head.
Heavy glass-fibre nylon
prevents wire wearing the head. In fact, after 200m of nylon was run through a conventional standard and a Ring Top Post, the metal of the traditional standard was found to be
exposed, while the ring in the Ring Top Post was not scratched. A longer sleeve gives an insulated handle for farmers to grab. Tel. 0800 731 500 www.gallagher.co.nz
GARETH GILLATT
Gallagher’s Martin Kinney and the new standard.
Th
e g
en
u i ne w e e d w
i pe
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s
ince 1987
JFM
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
52 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
Growers are happy to see orangeKUMARA GROWERS Doug and Ann Nilsson, Dargaville, are constantly seeing orange.
But it’s not a warning light; they have colour co-ordinated crops and tractors. Of their 15 tractors, 13 are Kubota orange, like much of their crop.
Nilsson’s father bought their first Kubota in 1980, going from “old trac-tors with no power steering and leaking oil to the Kubota with power steering, easy to change gears and no oil leaks. We’ve had a good run ever since.”
The Nilssons have bought four new Kubota tractors over the last year: two M126GXs, an M135GX and an L5740. Their oldest Kubota is a 1989 63hp 6030.
It’s still hard at it – planting, carry-ing water, or doing general duties.
Their 160ha property Dunsmore Gardens grows kumara intensively and the tractors work hard.
“Some growers with less crops have 25 tractors. We make all our tractors work, so for us it’s better to keep a trac-tor for back-up rather than trade it in.”
The Kaipara clay soil needs a lot of work before kumara cuttings can be hand planted. “If everyone has broken fingernails and bleeding hands we know
we haven’t done a good job,” Doug says. “But it’s also the clay and our climate that give Kaipara kumara their unique flavour.”
Planting is mid-October to mid-December. Eight people ride on a three-point linkage sled to plant the cuttings. During the planting season two tractors could be planting, while six more pre-pare the ground, and several others tow
water carts to give the newly planted cuttings the regular waterings they need.
Harvest is February to April. One of the Kubotas tows the harvester, which digs the kumara and transfers them to a platform where eight people sort, clean and grade them.
Nilsson likes the Kubota colour. “They are nice and bright and stand out
in the paddock. They don’t get lost in the growth.”
The operation employs up to 40 people at a time, and there are a lot of casual drivers and that’s another good reason for Kubota.
“I like the simplicity of Kubota; people aren’t scared of them. The cabs aren’t cluttered up with unnecessary stuff so the drivers don’t get confused. Some tractors can look like the cock-pit of a 747.” The transmission is part of that. Most of the Nilssons’ Kubotas have three ranges with push-button gear changes.
The new Kubota L5740 has been converted to a forklift for loading trucks. It has a hydrostatic transmis-sion – push the toe of the foot pedal for forward, push on the heel for reverse.
The Kubotas’ gear ratios also suit the operation. They are slow enough to
crawl while towing people on the plant-ing sled and fast enough for a 40km/h road speed.
“They go slower than a lot of tractors will but now they also have the higher road gear. The ratios are good, they don’t have big jumps.”
Nilsson also likes the tractors for their low weight. “We don’t get the
same compaction. The brakes are good and so is the turning radius. They can turn around in a tight area, which is good for headlands.
“They’re reliable. They always go and they don’t leak oil. We don’t want oil on our crops or in the environment. If we stuff up our soil we’re buggered.”
Nilssons appreciate the service they get from Redline Farm Machinery in Dargaville. “We get on well with the local mechanics. You can usually con-tact someone, whatever the time. A lot of people say they are a 24-hour service but they don’t answer the phone. Red-line does. If anything breaks down they get it done straight away.”
The service from Kubota has also been good. “We’ve had a few visits from Japanese chaps from the factory. They listen to what you have to say and what you think needs improving.
“In the past the cabs were too small and noisy; but they’ve listened and cor-rected. Now the cabs are amongst the biggest for that size tractor and they’re quiet.”
Kubota is imported in New Zealand by C B Norwood Distributors Ltd. Tel. 0800 KUBOTAwww.kubota.co.nz
Dargaville kumara growers (from left) Ann Nilsson, Tanya Nilsson, Mark Hansen, Doug Nilsson, Ben Nilsson and John Moolenschot, Redline Farm Machinery.
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Subject to credit approval, fees, terms and conditions apply. Based on a 24 month Hire Purchase Contract. To approved Registered GST No. Holders for business purposes only on applications for Ranger 900 Diesel models. Offer expires 30/6/2014. Polaris Finance is a program operated by De Lage Landen Ltd Company No: 135515. Overseas Model Shown with optional accessories.
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RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 53
Quality fleet keeps contractor on gameHEAVY EMPHASIS on quality gear is keep a Wairarapa rural contractor on top of its game, reports supplier Norwood Farm Machinery Centre, Masterton.
B&B Contracting, run by Richard Blundell and Sandy Bidwill, works in southern Wairarapa, doing ploughing, cultivation, mowing, baleage, drilling and harvesting.
Operations manager Tim Linton says the Bidwills have invested heavily in top-quality gear in recent years.
The business has been running a 5.0 m Vaderstad Carrier seed drill for seven years, doing about 6000ha with it. The business also runs a Vaderstad BioDrill bought at the same time.
“The Vaderstad Carrier is still going strong. We like the build quality of the levelling boards and the small discs,” says Linton. The accuracy is second to none and it’s a good machine. We use it for drilling mainly grass and brassica crops.”
B&B Contracting bought a new seven-furrow Lemken Vari Diamant 10 plough last year, the first semi-mounted plough they have owned.
“We used to have a fully mounted plough, but we chose this because we could operate a larger plough more efficiently without having to run a bigger tractor,”
Linton says.“We wanted to go to a Lemken
plough. We like them because of their strength and the job they do. Fitted with the new Lemken W52 bodies, this Vari Diamant leaves a much wider furrow bottom which means we can run much wider tyres. Tractor tyres have been getting bigger, and that’s been quite a problem.”
A New Holland T7070 tractor pulls the Lemken Vari Diamant and Linton says it is a good match.
“The T7070 copes with the plough well and does a good job.
It has a much longer mouldboard, so it gives good inversion with a level consolidated finish. It’s also good on hills.”
B&B Contracting also bought a 6.0m Lemken Rubin 9 intensive disc cultivator just over az year ago. It was chosen for the size of its large scalloped discs and the angle they work. “That was a big factor for our autumn work. The rubber roller on the back is [unusual] and the strength of the discs makes it go well in hard stony ground.”
The business also runs a Vaderstad RX620 roller with a
StocksAG seeding unit – a “good, strong, reliable” implement with an accurate seeding unit.
“It’s simple to use, which is a key point for… the variety of operators who use this gear. It’s all user-friendly and easy to learn.”
B&B Contracting also operates a Horsch Pronto DC6 drill – their second Pronto.
Horsch, Lemken, StocksAG and Vaderstad are imported in New Zealand by C B Norwood Distributors Ltd. Tel. 06 356 4920www.equipnz.co.nz
B&B Contracting’s Matt Purdy (left); Aaron George, Norwood Farm Machinery Centre, Masterton; and Tim Linton and Richard Blundell, B & B Contracting.
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SHEEP CONVEYORS
www.ruralnews.co.nz/survival-kit
FIELDAYS SURVIVALKIT GIVEAWAY
Get ready for National Fieldays by entering the draw to win a great Fieldays survival kit.
The winners of the two Packs each receive a cap, back-pack andan umbrella to set them up for a successful Fieldays.
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CAMBRIDGE FARM ROLLERS
Vee Ring Roller Seeder Drill with Vee bottom seed box, hydraulic clutch, ext. drawbar, ...................... $18,500 Special rollers made to order, Spare parts, Rings and Bearings. 26"dia rings ................... $85.0024"dia rings ................... $80.00 Ph: 0800-838 963
• All prices ex-Factory, Excl GST •Competitive freight rates to the North Island
NEW 10ft Roller with Extension Drawbar & Screw Jack $6700
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Get upto date news at www.ruralnews.co.nzLATEST STORIES EVERY DAY
RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
54 RURAL TRADER
ONE STOP WATER SHOP
Culvert Pipes Phone 0800 625 826
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800mm x 6 metre .............................. $1399
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Check out the latest news and information atwww.ruralnews.co.nz
working with farmers for 40 years
see your local CRT Farmlands Store or ph 0508 805 801 for your nearest supplier
Order your Dual Axle or Tandem Trailer NOW for July / August Delivery
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~~ Specialists in ATV Trailers ~~
RURAL NEWS // APRIL 8, 2014
RURAL TRADER 55
MOBILE FEED TROUGHS4.5M (3 Wheel) Jumbo Culvert
PK Feeder$3499.00 inc
4M - 800L Budget Drawbar
$2050.00 inc
6.0M (6 Wheel) Jumbo Culvert
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6M Culvert (mobile)
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McKee Plastics, Mahinui Street, Feilding | Phone 06 323 4181 | Fax 06 323 4183McKee Plastics, 231 Kahikatea Drive, Hamilton | Phone 07 847 7788
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FOOTWEAR LTD NZ MADE BOOTS
LASTRITE IS CLOSING DOWN ITS FACTORY IN WHANGAREI
Hear yee Hear yee
Nev is relocating to his home in Pataua North. Just making 3 products: Yardmate (also known as the Farmer),
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We also make a high end fashion boot for men, which is not on the web site as of yet.
For those of you who have ordered from us before, we will still have your records. Those of you who have bought off the shelf or
field day’s, take note of your size for future purchases.So business as usual – just a better view.
Contact details as usual until further notice. New address and phone number pending. Keep an eye on our website.
• ATV Carrier Mats • Exit/Entry Areas• Calf Trailers • Horse Floats & Trucks
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RURAL ONLINEREADING THE PAPER ONLINE HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER.
GO TO WWW.RURALNEWS.CO.NZ
Follow-up coming onwww.ruralnews.co.nz
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Please add $10 Freight per order
Flexiskin Rainwear - 100% Waterproof, Lightweight, Breathable!
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what you do in autumn
sets you up in spring
With PhaSedN, an autumn application does more than boost your pasture heading into winter – it’s also a great way to set your farm up for early spring growth.
PhaSedN is a granulated combination of SustaiN, elemental sulphur and lime. While the nitrogen offers an immediate boost to pasture, the elemental sulphur delivers a long-term supply of sulphur. This form of
sulphur remains in the soil over winter, slowly releasing to provide adequate levels in spring when pasture starts growing again.
To get more from your pasture on the shoulders of the season, talk to your local Ballance Field Consultant or call 0800 222 090.
Set up your farm for early season growth with PhaSedN.
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