HB Today - Farming Outlook April 2023

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OurAprilFoolscampaign hasbecome atraditionfor ushereatFMGbutthere wassomerealdeliberationbefore thisyear’sonewith alotofpeople doingittoughfollowingthetwo majorweatherevents.Wearevery happyit’sbeensowellreceived andprovidedsomelightrelief aswecontinuetoworkhardon therecoveryandgettingclaims settled.”

“Insome waystheOld Farmerofthe YearjokeisacelebrationofFMG’s and ruralNew Zealand’svalues.The ones whohavebeen around fora longtimeandbeenthroughallthe upsanddownsandstuck at it,” RichardAitkenFMG’sMarketing Managersays.

April Fools!

We knowfarmingisserious business,andtherehavebeensome realstrugglesoutthererecently. But on 1April we thinkit’simportant to takesometimeouttobe abit irreverent,quirky,andhave afew laughs -afterall alaughis good for ourmentalandphysical well-being. Take awell-deservedbreakand checkoutour Wallof Famelooking back at allthemost ridiculous farminginnovations we’ve comeup with overthe years.

2023 |Fashionfootwearhits thefarm

2023 |FMGOld Farmerofthe Year

Justasour youngerfarmersare recognisedonanannualbasis fortheir ruralknow-how, theolder generation willsoon gettheirchance.FMGhave announcedtheFMGOld Farmerofthe Yearcompetition.Contestantswillneed tobeaged over85 yearsold.Theywill battleit out overjustoneday, rather thantwo, withanafternoonnapafter lunch.Entriesneedtobeposted by midday on 1April.

2022 |New sheepleashlaw

In across-overbetweentownand country,a newfarmbootishittingthe milkingsheds.

Combiningthecomfortofthehugely popularKrockswiththepracticalityof agumboot,theGumKrocksaresettobe ahugesellerthiswinter.Limitedstocks willbe availablefrom1 April.

Aimingto reduce trafficcongestionin ruralareas,a newlaw comesintoeffect todayrequiringallsheeptobeleashed whileonpublic roads.Savvy farmers areofferingsplitleasheswith multiple collarstohelpthosemostinneed.

Add value and profitability to your farm business

Online farm management with Xero and Fig will help you make informed decisions abou farming operation.

usiness gured utyour

FoolsDaywalloffame

2021 |A newruralstreaming service

Researchshowedsheepproduce higherquality wool whenthey’re relaxed.So,a trial waslaunchedacross theNorthIsland,with farmersinstalling largescreenTVsontheirproperties, screeningdedicatedprogrammes onEweTubesuchas‘TheEndless Meadow’,‘OurGrass:NZ’sApproachto GreenerGrazing’,andtheseven-hour epic,‘HowToWearWoolWell’.Thetrial rolledoutfrom6am,April1.

2020 |A seriousapproachto farmsafetylaws

2019 |Highlightingthe dangersofearlymorning milking.

Inanaimtopreventinjuriesondark, early morningwalkstothemilking shed, agroupof Waikato farmers adoptedtheuseofheadlamps for theirdairycows.Aftertriallingtheidea overthecourseof afew months,the cows became wellaccustomedtothe speciallyadaptedheadgear.A rolloutof theinitiative wentlive onApril1.

2018 |Onthescentof innovation

In apushtofurtherimprovesafetyon farms, anew lawcameintoeffect where farm dogs mustalso wearhelmets when travellingonquadbikes.Thankfully, therewas aone monthgraceperiod wherefarmerscouldacclimatisetheir workingdogs.

FromBloodlineSensor Technologies comes arevolutionarysmartphoneapp designedtoassist farmers when buying newstud bulls:theBSDetector®. Theapp worksbysimplyplacingthe smartphonedeepinthe bull’s solid waste. Of course,the BS Detector® is onething youwon’tneed whentalking toFMG.EvenonApril Fools Day.

Nitrate Toxicity– Areyourcropstoohottohandle?

By NicoleLansdown, Veterinarian at VetServicesHawke’s Bay

Cropsareanintegralpartof manysystems,supplying supplementaryfeedwhen pasturecoversgettightduringautumn andwinter.Unfortunately,nothingin lifeiseverthatsimplewithmanyofthe popularchoicesforcropbeinghigher riskfornitrateaccumulation,placingus between arockand ahardplacewhen pushcomestoshove.

Nitratelevelsin fastgrowingautumn cropsandnewgrasses varynaturally butcan become toohighafterperiods

oflowertemperatures,low sunlight, andperiodsofstress.Commonly incriminatedplantspeciesareoats, brassicasandannualryegrass.

Problemsarise whenthelevelsof nitrateare veryhighas alotofnitrite isproducedintherumen.Whenthe rate ofnitriteproductionistoo much,it exceedsthenormalconversion rate to ammoniaandspills overintotheblood.

Thenitritesbindtohaemoglobin reducingthe oxygencarryingcapacity of redbloodcellsandcausingthe animaltobecome oxygendeprived.The signs we seeareassociatedwiththat: fastbreathing,tremorsandwobbliness

markingtheearly stages,leadingto deathwithout rapidintervention.

Aslittleasanhourofgrazinghigh risk feedcanallowananimaltoingesta toxiclevelofnitrate. Theonsetofsigns willusuallyoccursoonafter.

Fortunately,levelsofnitratecanbe testedeasilyatyourlocal VetServices. If youhaveany doubts over whethera croporpastureissafetofeed,graba breadbagsizedsampleandbringitin fortesting.

Managementpracticescanalsohelp reducetheriskofnitratetoxicityif we needto feedstockoncropsthathave moderate levels.Theseincludeensuring

stockdonot go onhungry,feeding inlate morningandearly afternoon, supplyingsomesupplementary feed suchashaywhileonthecrop,checking theanimals regularly whenthey are oncropandlastly, restrictinghowlong theyare grazing fortonomorethan1 hour.

Thisseasonhasbeen extremely challenging forall farmersinthe Hawke’sBay,ifyou wanttotalkthrough yoursituationand gainperspective from aprofessionaloutsideof your business,pleasecalloneour productionanimal vets acall.

VetServicesHastings:068767001 VetServicesWaipukurau:068589060

Good newsfor ruralconnectivity

ByRichardMcIntyre Federated Famers

DairyChairperson& Telecommunicationsspokesperson

enableitsclientstosend texts by cellphonenomatter wheretheywere. Ultimately,thatwouldbe extendedto voicecallsandbasicdataservices. Thecompanywouldallowemergency messagestobesent by anyone,notjust 2Degreescustomers.

In agoodsignthatthere willbe competitiononthisfront –whichcould help keeppricesdown –withinhalfan hourofthe2Degrees’announcement OneNZsaidithad reachedagreement withElonMusk’sStarlink.

Samescenario -i.e.textonlyinitiallybut expandinglatertovoiceanddata.Their service won’tbeturnedonuntillate next year.

FederatedFarmersmemberswill recall someofthefindingsfromourRural Connectivitysurveylast year.Juston 68%of farmersand farm staff regularly work alonewithnoconnectivity(it’s verycommon forsubstantiallylessthan halfof afarmpropertytohavemobile coverage).

PersonalLocatorBeaconsareavery usefulsafetymechanism, butreally anoptionoflast resortthatbringsall theemergencyservicestotheuser’s location.Mosttimesless extreme assistanceisallthat’sneeded while out

onthe farm,andtheability fortwo-way textswillbehugeformatchingneed withbest response.

Surveyrespondents whosaidtheir mobilephoneservicehaddeclinedin thelast12monthsjumpedfrom20% to32%,with asouthernHawke’s Bay showingupasoneoftheproblemareas. Manyfarmersarefindingthatnearby mobiletowershave becomeincapable ofhanding voicecallsandmobiledata astheyhavebecome overburdened by morepeoplemakinggreateruseofthe sametowers.

Totalcommunicationsblackout onmoreremotepartsoffarms, bush,highcountryandevenoff ourcoastinfishingboatsshouldsoon be athingofthepastwithbothOne NZ(formerlyVodafone)and2Degrees announcingthey’veinkeddealswith satelliteservices.

Late lastmonth2Degreessaidit would soonstarttrialswithgloballow-earth orbitsatelliteprovider Lynkthat would

Servicestransmittedvialowearth orbitsatellitescanbedisrupted by badweatherandtherecanbea bitof alag/delaywithsendingand receivingmessages,but foremergency situationsor whentheuserisoutof othercoverage -whatabonus.Infact, potentiallyalife-saverwhen avehicle rollsorsomeone fallsdown aslope. Andas we sawinsomedistricts slammed by CycloneGabrielle when cellphonetowersareknockedout (ortheirback-upbatteriesfinallyrun down),abouttheonlymeansof getting messagestocut-off farmsand rural communitiesisthe faithfuloldbattery transistor radio.

Thegreatunknownaboutthecellphone tosatelliteoptionisthecost going forward.Butgiventhe roll-outof terrestrial-basedserviceshasbeen painfullyslowtosomemoreremote farms, andthebigplusfromthisoption inemergenciesand whennatural disastersstrikeit’sapretty awesome development.

Lastyear’sappleharvestwasseen bymany,includingmyself,as themostdifficultseasoninliving memory.Weenduredhugeamountsof rainduringpickingandhadtomanage ourwaythroughCovid’sOmicron outbreakwhichaddedadditional complexitytowhatwerealready extremelabourshortages.Couldthings

Growbackbetter

getanyworse!Well,weknowthe answertothat.

To be honest asI’msittingherewriting this,I feeltremendousemotionthinking backto February 14,2023 –theday CycloneGabriellestruckourbeautiful regionandchangedmanyofour livesintheprocess.It’sbeen overtwo monthsnowandthelandscapeinsome areas remainsunrecognisable,parts ofHawke’sBay willlikelybechanged forever.

TheEsk Valley, Dartmoor Valley, Puketapu,Omahu, Pakowhai andareas inandaroundtheseplaces feltthefull bruntofGabrielle’sforce.Lives were lostduringthis eventand my heartfelt prayers go outtotheir familiesand friends.Manyhomes were flooded

causingmass evacuations.Thousands ofhectaresoforchards,vineyardsand croppingland were flooded,and much ofthislandhasbeentotallydecimated withhardlyatreeorvinestanding. Largedepositsofsiltanddebriscover vast swathesofthis onceproductive land.

Ihavetwo orchardsinPuketapu,oneis lyingflatdue tothestopbanks failure andtheoneacrossthe roadhadaround 400mmofsiltleftthereoncethe flood waterhad receded.After32straight daysof work withdiggers,tractorsand tippertrailers we’vefinallyremoved 20000cubicmetersofsilt butthere isstill alot moreremedial work to completetogetitbackto whereitonce was.

Asgrowers,workingwithnatureis what we do!Wegrowfood,and we grow thebest foodintheworld.Our region’shorticulturalsectoris aleader ininnovationandits focusonR&D,new premiumcrop varietiesandgrowing techniqueshave allcontributedto ourproduce gainingpremiumprices globallyfor years.The Heretaunga Plainssitsonsomeofthemost fertile

continuedonpage8

Brydon Nisbet

President –HawkesBay Fruit GrowersAssociation

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lands youwillfindanywhereinthe world.Hawke’s Bayisthe food capital ofNewZealand, responsible forfeeding ourpeopleanddriving asignificant portionofournationalGDP.

As we surveythe damagefollowingthe Cyclone,the obviousquestionis“Where tonow?”Thisseeminglysimplequestion remainsnearimpossibletoanswer asthereare somanycomplicated decisionsstilltobemade.Centraltoany rebuildwillbecertaintyaround zoning andwhatrolethe government willplay insupporting arecovery.

The realityisthatrepairingthe extreme damagecaused by this eventis wellbeyond what canbefunded by growers’ ownriskmitigating reserves. Withoutsignificantsupportfrom central governmentlarge pockets oftheindustrywillbelostandthe downstreameffectswillbefeltwidely. Horticulturenot onlyfeedsournation italsoemploysnearly 7,000peoplein Hawke’sBay andis amajordriverof the regionaleconomy. Afuturewithout avibrantHawke’sBay horticultural industrywillcreate significantsocial andeconomicissues –wecannotallow thistohappen.

Theindustryiscertainlynotsittingon itshands.A sub-groupofhorticulture growers,iwi,andindustrygroup representatives(includingHawke’s BayFruitgrowers’Association) was establishedsoonafterthefloods.

ThisHawke’sBay HorticultureGrower Taskforcehas workedtoidentify thespecific needsofgrowersand landownersanddeveloped apackage ofassistance forgovernmentto consider.

Ourindustryhas amixofsmall, medium,andlargefamilygrowers,many of whoselandhasbeenintheir families forgenerations,andcorporategrowers.

Manyofusare facinghugerecovery effortsandcosts.Thechallenge in front ofusishuge, butwemustmove forward andwiththe rightsupportthere isan opportunitytogrow backbetter,bigger, andstrongerthanbefore.

Iwanttofinishoff by thankingour community forstandingwithus.There have beenthousandsof volunteers locallyandfromaroundthecountry whohaveofferedhelpintheclean-up. Ihaveseenpeoplefromall walksoflife cometogetherinunitytohelpothersin need.Our regioncanonlybethebetter forit.

BayswaterIsuzuNapier 115CarlyleSt,Napier ClintHogan -0272546867 clint@bayswatervehicles.co.nz www.bayswatervehicles.co.nz

BayswaterIsuzuHastings 1112HeretaungaSt West,Hastings PaulKerr -0212268218 pkerr@bayswatervehicles.co.nz www.bayswatervehicles.co.nz

RescuingpetsleftstrandedafterCycloneGabrielle

Massey’sVeterinaryEmergency ResponseTeam(VERT)was deployedinHawke’sBayto helprescuepetsstrandedbyCyclone Gabrielle.

The team,comprisedof volunteersfrom Ta¯wharauOra-Schoolof Veterinary Scienceandstafffromotherpartsof theuniversity,wasinitiallydeployedto Ta¯makiMakarau Auckland, wherethey workedalongsideHUHANZtohelpwith the temporaryanimalsheltersetupin Ardmore.

The team’sfirst fewdaysconsisted of vetchecksanddecontamination protocols,whichinvolvedcleaning animalsthathadbeenswimmingor standinginfloodwaters.Theyalso spentsomenoisynightssleeping at the shelter!

VERTmember Patrice PallesonPutt, whoisaLecturerin Veterinary Education,says whileinAucklandit becameapparenthowwidespreadand devastatingtheflooding wasinHawke’s Bay, whichledtothe teambeing redeployed by theMinistryofPrimary Industries(MPI)toHastingsandthe surroundingarea.

“Almostimmediately wewere tasked with evacuatingandconducting technical rescueofanimalsthatwere understandably leftbehind when the cyclonecamethoughontheMonday

night.Our teamsuccessfullyevacuated 14dogs,five cats,six goldfish,one horse,foursheepandtwochickens.The mostchallengingofthese wasadog strandedon arooftop,andthreesheep onanother,”shesays.

In acombinedeffortwithUrbanSearch andRescue(USAR)andtheHawke’s BaySPCA,allanimals were returned tosolidgroundand reunited with their ownersortakentotheHUHANZ temporaryanimalshelter.

TeammemberDrNeroliThomsonsays it washeart-warmingtohearofpeople reunitingwiththeirpetsinthe faceof suchoverwhelmingdevastation.“One

owner reunitedwiththeirdog was overcomewithemotion,saying‘I’ve lost everything,butnowIhaveeverything.

The team returnedtoPalmerstonNorth fivedaysaftertheirinitialdeployment.

SevenVERTmembers were deployed intotaland were abletoconduct evacuationsand technical rescues becauseoftheirtrainingin swift water response,highangle rope rescueand technicallargeanimal rescue.

DrThomsonsaystheyreturnedhome tired, butpleasedtohave beenableto helptheaffectedcommunities.

“The team workedalongsidethe incredibleorganisationsHUHANZ

andSPCAHawke’s Bay, andthere were anumberofMasseystaff who facilitatedthedeployment,including those whotook extraworkload while theircolleagues wereaway.Wealso wanttoacknowledgethe Hawke’sBay community whosaw thefulleffectsof the cyclone.Itwas apleasuretobeable toassist wherewecould.”

VERTisanon-profitorganisationand reliesondonationstooperate.

SourceMasseyUniversity

VERTteammemberSteve DeGreywithan exhaustedsheep.

TheVERTteamwhohelpedoutintheaftermathofCycloneGabrielle.

BE AWARE, STAY CLEAR

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