HB Today - Real Heartland 2023

REAL HEARTLAND 2023

REAL HEARTLAND 2023

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REAL HEARTLAND 2023 2

Celebrating industry success

By Patrick Crawshaw Director Beef + Lamb New Zealand

L

ast month, the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Awards were held in Christchurch and were a great celebration of the people, the technologies and innovations that contribute so much to our world-leading red meat sector.

As farmers, we don’t tend to be good at celebrating our successes, either within our businesses or in our industry, yet we all have so much to be proud of.

I’m always amazed at the efficiency gains made by the sheep and beef sector in the wake of the economic reforms in the 1980s and 90s and

even in the last 20 years, both plant and livestock genetics and refined management has seen average lambing percentages and carcass weights lift significantly.

We are very good at finding solutions to challenges, and I’m confident we will continue to use science, technology and innovation to help us further reduce our environmental footprint for our planet and to meet the requirements of our overseas markets.

In challenging years, as this one has been, it can be comforting to remember the seasonal and cyclical nature of farming and the enduring resilience of our sector.

B+LNZ’s recent Sow, Grow, Thrive webinar series, which aimed to empower farmers to financial success, featured a wide range of speakers including farmers, farm consultants, bankers, farm accountants and financial advisors. Many of whom had been through a number of these cycles before.

Many of the key messages that emerged throughout the six-part series were very similar and four in particular stood out.

These were the need to plan, the importance of teamwork, the value of connection and self-care.

Planning Many of the speakers encouraged farmers to “not waste a good crisis” and take the opportunity to run a ruler over the business to find where incremental

Surfing for Farmers won the Rural Champion Award at the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Awards.

gains could be made. We are certainly doing this in our business as we try and focus on the factors we can control.

Teamwork A strong team is essential for business growth and this team goes well beyond the farm gate. It could include bank managers, accountants, processors, agronomists, farm advisors as well as farm staff; anyone who has the businesses’ best interests at heart.

Connection Many of the speakers reminded us that they we aren’t going through this economic downturn alone. Connecting with others and sharing experiences

can be a valuable tool during challenging times.

Self care As farmers and business owners/ operators, our health and well-being is our greatest asset. We need to take health and safety seriously and this means using the safety equipment and not taking shortcuts. It is also important to get off-farm regularly to play sport or connect with others. Surfing for Farmers won the Rural Champion Award at the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Awards. It’s a great initiative, so if there is one near you- get along this summer, it ticks a lot of boxes.

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REAL HEARTLAND 2023 3

Water storage essential for productivity, resilience

By Jim Galloway, President Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay

but there will be other benefits too, like supporting land use change and increasing production,” Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay President Jim Galloway says.

C

utting the red tape hampering farmers from storing water is critical for the long-term success of New Zealand agriculture, Federated Farmers Vice President Colin Hurst says.

While recent rain has been welcome, the longer-term threat from El Niño’s weather patterns has farmers in many districts, but especially on the east coasts of both islands, checking feed and livestock levels.

In the lead-up to this year’s election, Feds made unlocking the potential for water storage one of its 12 policy priorities for the next Government.

Galloway says NIWA and the Hawke’s Bay District Council are saying the area is “basically in the same situation now as the lead-up to 2019/20, when the first of those big droughts came two in a row.

National responded in September by announcing that, if elected, they would change the rules so farmers would no longer need resource consent to build water storage in most situations.

“Federated Farmers were really pleased to see National campaigning on a platform of making small-scale on-farm water storage a permitted activity, and developing a National Policy Statement for large-scale off-farm community water storage schemes,” Hurst says.

It makes sense that farmers should be able to capture water when rainfall is plentiful and waterways are flooding, and to store it to help even out those peaks and troughs.

An investigation earlier this year funded

by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Kānoa – the Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit found that by 2040, the region could experience a shortfall between demand and supply of freshwater of nearly 25

“But it’s still back of mind for some because they’re still in recovery mode from Cyclone Gabrielle.”

Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay President Jim Galloway.

For many, the financial hurt continues from income disruption and damage wreaked during that storm and flooding, “never mind whatever hardship might be ahead of them”, Galloway says.

million cubic metres, increasing to 33 million cubic metres by 2060. Those estimates are under medium scenario projections that assume significant improvements in water use efficiency and conservation.

“Returns have dropped; input costs are up. So, for some of those many hundreds of farmers impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, they were already facing years of recovery. It will really hurt to have a very dry summer on top of that.”

“Water storage has a critical role to play when it comes to improving climate resilience in our rural communities,

It’s too early to fret about the risk of drought, “but it’s not too early to plan”, Galloway says.

“Without that plan, you can take too long to make decisions, and the downsides can be more impactful.”

Galloway recalls talking with someone who’d farmed through several droughts.

“They said the hardest decision to make is to sell some stock you don’t want to sell. But when they’re actually on the truck, it’s the best decision you’ve ever made.

“It’s like a huge weight is off – relief that you’ve made a decision that alleviates some of the problem.”

Keep talking to your advisors, your neighbours and each other, Galloway says.

“There’s always help out there if you need it.”

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REAL HEARTLAND 2023 4

Sheep production from weaning to mating

By Camille Flack, BVSc, Production Animal Veterinarian Group Leader, Vet Services

W

e are in the middle of our busy time on sheep breeding properties, and while some may be working towards the end of our season, for a ewe breeding property the year begins at weaning.

Many farmers spend a lot of time considering the average price and weight of lamb going out the gate through to autumn. But, by focusing on these targets, you may be compromising the ability to get better returns next year.

Some key drivers for profit on a sheep farm are • Kg weaned per hectare (number of lambs weaned per hectare) • Weaning weight per lamb We can’t change the weather, we can’t change the price but we can change the kilograms going out the gate – and it all happens at the beginning, now at weaning. Instead of trying to make up on lost ground by focusing on your lambs now, consider switching your focus on the fed for your ewes – before 2024 mating, and the rest will take care of itself.

Start by body condition scoring your ewes at weaning to identify the tail end ewes. If your ewes have more than 6 weeks of wool on them, the eye is inaccurate and you should use the hand as the measuring tool (Beef + Lamb NZ

have a great guide on their website). If your mob of tail end ewes (with a Body Condition Score < 3) can be minimised at mating and lambing it will bring up your entire flock performance.

For maintenance and growth in ewes with a BCS <3, a ewe requires 1 – 1.2kg DM/day. For example, a ewe weighing 55kg, growing at 100g/day requires 1.54kg DM/day.

Your most efficient use of feed is to target your tail end mob. It takes a lot more grass to gain weight in a good condition ewe than that of a lighter ewe.

This targeted feeding approach ensures you make the most gains out of the feed you have.

Once the mobs have been split on condition post weaning, it is important to monitor ewe condition to ensure gains are made and feeding levels are adequate. We recommend body condition scoring 50-75 ewes in the mob monthly (or when they pass by the yards).

To lift a ewe BCS by 1 (with a weight increase of 7-9 kg) it requires 30kg dry matter (DM) above maintenance requirements. At a growth rate of 100g/ day this increase in condition will take 70-90 days ie from weaning to mating.

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If more of your ewe flock are at or above the body condition score 3 at mating you will see: • Earlier cycling in the breeding period • Higher ovulation rates

• Higher conception rates • Heavier lambs at birth • Better lactation • Wean heavier lambs with higher survival rates Now some farmers may be thinking, ‘I don’t need to worry about this because I will just flush my ewes pre-mating…..’.

Flushing pre-mating can also be a way to improve ewe condition and performance.

However, flushing requires a lot of good quality feed in autumn and is very dependent on weather. As the weather is out of our control, a safer goal is to reduce the number of low body condition score ewes before flushing.

If you want to discuss your options with a vet, give your local Vet Services clinic a call.

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REAL HEARTLAND 2023 6

100% zero waste wood

By Chrys Ayley

F

ounder of Pacific Mulching Ltd, Neville Rodgers, led an interesting life working as a heavy diesel mechanic in New Zealand and Australia before focusing on mulching as a career.

He founded Pacific Mulching in 2008 having purchased two large custom built chipping machines as he saw potential work with farm paddocks full of old stump lines. At this stage Neville was still working in Australia and Egypt for large mining contractors and was looking to cut back on long flights.

Neville decided to concentrate on local work with stump chipping and mulching of wind break shelter stump lines, cut over pine conversions for dairy and winter grazing land, orchard shelter belt removal, mulching standing gorse and scrubby blocks of unproductive land for land owners. Based in the Manawatu his work took him to Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Tararua and Wanganui districts.

In 2014 the decision was made to build a new tracked stump chipper and separate mulching head to tackle the rise in pine conversion work in the area.

“When Covid arrived I managed to work through lockdown to finish a large conversion job in North Otago.” By late 2020 Pacific Mulching had secured a large contract to supply cover mulch for landscaping a large road project and Neville purchased a new 800hp tracked horizontal grinder to produce mulch from forestry slash and waste wood from Manawatu, Tararua and Central Hawke’s Bay areas and trucking it onto site.

“By 2016 I had enquires from the South Island for major stump chipping and mulching work.” In 2018 another machine was purchased from overseas and shipped to New Zealand a custom stump chipping head was built to suit tracked power pak.

Pacific Mulching can offer the full service when it comes to stump chipping, mulching, land clearing and site preparation. Currently with the move to be sustainable and utilize waste wood better, Pacific Mulching Ltd is exploring avenues into using

wood waste for fuel in the lower North Island which involves salvaging forestry waste, wood pallet waste and so on.

Neville is working with local councils and producers, schools etc that may be interested in turning to biomass boilers for heating or just providing wood fibre for pallet fuel manufacturing.

Pacific Mulching Ltd sees a bright future for the waste wood sector in utilizing this renewable resource and providing a better alternative to letting this waste rot or burn.

Other services include tree deconstruction, topping and delimbing, grinding and chipping waste wood, skid site waste reduction, storm clean up of wood debris and river and waterway vegetation maintenance.

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Pacific Mulching Ltd also produces animal bedding products for compost barns, winter sheds, standoff pads and calf sheds.

“If you have large amounts of forestry slash and wood waste on your property after logging operations we can help clean up and dispose of it, our MOTTO is 100 % zero waste.”

“We will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Whether it’s working seven days a week to beat the seasonal changes in weather or just time constraints needing the job completed on time.”

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REAL HEARTLAND 2023 8

In pig we trust

By Chrys Ayley

F

ounded 2017 the Hawke’s Bay Pork Lords is a group of like-minded individuals who raise pigs, boars and sows, to compete in an annual competition with plenty of opportunity to win several categories and also have great fun.

This year there were 28 pigs entered in the competition that was held on 20 October at the Hawke’s Bay A&P Show.

This was followed by the Pork Lords Ball.

The idea originally was the brainchild of Max Tweedie and Ben Hindmarsh who thought they could set up something similar to the Boar Breeders Association competition held at the Christchurch A&P Show.

It was Ben who made the substantial Pork Lord shield (rather more robust than the Ranfurly Shield) that’s awarded to the winning syndicate.

Tom Nichol and his partner Susie Dalgety, who live on a farm on the Taihape Road, are involved with the organisation, along with Paul Peck.

Several members of the syndicates also help out before the competition.

Syndicates tend to be between 3-6 people and they all have distinctive names such as Salty Poakas, the Scinde House Rump Roasters, Makin Bacon and the Posh Piggies. Clearly it’s a fun event for the participants and the audience. Entry is open to anyone, not just farmers. This year there were several very young competitors.

The pigs aren’t judged in their pens but are brought into an arena for each class and it’s chaos with them all together and people trying to get their pig in front of the judge. Before the pigs are judged they are washed and liberally covered in baby oil to make them shine.

There aren’t many rules although all pigs must be less than 12 months old and all syndicates must enter the Bacon and Egg Pie competition.

There were a couple of failures as two pies had runny eggs and one person tried to get away with sneaking in a supermarket bought pie! The pie judges Kent Karangaroa and Jamie Nichol take their task very seriously.

The categories are under 16 years of age, best commercial sow, best commercial boar (champion boar nuts is judged alongside this class), the best porker and best baconer. The four winners then go into the Championship class to be judged for the overall Pork Lords shield. Wayne and Lucy Robinson of the Salty Poakas from Ocean Beach won with their boar called Roger.

The Kiwi Country kids syndicate in the arena.

There’s also competition among the syndicates to select the best dressed team. This year the prize went to Ham Shanks who all looked like country lords complete with flat caps and tweed jackets.

During the ball participants relax and the final award – the Boar and Sow of the ball award is given to a deserving couple. This year Emma Chrystall and Jimmy Downes were the lucky recipients.

The Posh Piggies dressed for the occasion.

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REAL HEARTLAND 2023 10

Love of gardens lures mature student to study at EIT | Te Pūkenga

A

love of gardens and a desire to work outdoors led a mature student to overcome her nerves and study at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

Having left school in 2012, Sophie Worsnop worked in hospitality for ten years before COVID-19 lockdowns made her realise she wanted to work outdoors. She returned home from Australia and was attracted to the New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Level 3) at EIT | Te Pūkenga. She followed that up with the NZ Certificate in Sustainable Primary Production (Level 4).

“I think really recognising the anxiety and frustration that being cooped up inside was giving me, made me really want to appreciate my outdoors. I was raised on a farm out in Tukituki so everyone’s always told me that I’m an earth baby. I’ve always enjoyed being out and tutu-ing around in the garden.”

Sophie says she loved studying at EIT | Te Pūkenga and enjoyed learning from the tutors, whose passion, she says, was “second to none”.

“I think that industry works at the same rate as things grow. So in winter we get to slow down a little bit more because everything slows down and stops growing. And in summer we work a bit harder and faster because everything grows a bit harder and faster.”

“I had wanted to go to university post high school. I graduated 2012, but I had a really bad injury and couldn’t go to school, so I couldn’t go to university.

So I went and did hospitality and I got that hospitality bug and did it for 10 years.”

“I lived in Wellington and then got stuck in Melbourne through COVID-19 and decided that I hated being stuck inside.

I found my biggest peace through all the lockdowns in Melbourne going to the botanical gardens. I came home in July 2021 and didn’t really know what to do with my life.

Then she happened to notice the horticulture programme at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

She also says she found that she was well supported as a mature student.

Sophie Worsnop is now in a career she enjoys after graduating from EIT | Te Pūkenga.

“I saw it and thought, ‘Oh, that’s something that I really love’. I was keen to work in gardens and work with people. I was a bit nervous about being an adult student but I thought I’d give it a go.”

Having grown up on a farm, Sophie always had an interest in landscaping and gardening. This passion was cultivated in Melbourne where she had about 300 house plants during the lockdowns.

Since finishing studying, Sophie has been working at garden and ground care specialists, Bark Limited. She is a team leader working in a number of retirement centres around Hawke’s Bay. “Our shirts say Great Gardens, Great Service. And to me that’s the joy of bringing people and their gardens together, creating that network for them”.

REAL HEARTLAND 2023 11

Chance conversation leads to new career in wine

C

asey Mackintosh was working in Wellington when a chance conversation with a Hawke’s Bay winemaker led to her enrolling at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

Casey, 28, has not looked back since then and is loving the degree. While a fulltime student, she is still keeping her hand in by working at Villa Maria, which is now owned by Indevin.

Currently a third year Bachelor of Viticulture & Wine Science student, the move seems to have paid off because Casey recently came second in the 2023 Tonnellerie de Mercurey North Island Young Winemaker of the Year, following the competition held at Indevin’s Gimblett Gravels winery.

“They’ve just given me a lot of opportunity to upskill and to keep challenging myself. So once I moved into the production side about three years ago, I started for my first vintage as cellar hand and absolutely loved it and was able to organise to work vintages as well as study full-time.”

Originally from Northland, Casey’s wine journey began with a chance encounter in Wellington.

“I was working in Wellington in a pharmacy technician role, and I really enjoyed the chemistry aspect of it, but it was just kind of lacking the passion behind it. So I’ve always really liked wine, and I opted into a sales role in Wellington.”

“That’s when I met Gordon Russell, who was the Esk Valley winemaker at the time, and just the way he spoke about wine, incredibly passionate, prompted me to move to Hawke’s Bay two weeks later to pursue this wine career.”

“Villa kept me on as a part-time student during the off season, and in exchange, I would work vintage and every year I’ve managed to secure supervisor positions and just every year, they’ve just given me more and more opportunity to upskill. Yeah, they’ve been phenomenal.”

She says it has been challenging doing both.

“But I really enjoy learning the theory.

The lecturers are amazing and passionate, but being able to actually see that happen in the winery has really flicked the switch for me.”

“It’s just kind of solidified those theory learnings into actual practical processes that happen in the winery,

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Casey Macintosh is enjoying the third year of her Bachelor of Viticulture & Wine Science at EIT | Te Pūkenga.

so it’s kind of really solidified what I’m learning and it’s been extremely helpful.”

“I am staying on with Villa. I hope to progress further and further into winemaking. I definitely want to get some overseas experience and be able to bring that back. I think it’s vital.”

“Although I joined the wine industry for the love of wine, I feel like I’ve stayed in it because of the people that I’ve met, and just extremely generous with knowledge and the kindness that I’ve been shown is incredible. People are really willing to share things with you if you are interested enough to learn about them,” says Casey.

REAL HEARTLAND 2023 12

Matangi Angus bespoke butchery The Matangi principle is very clear: full control over breeding, animal wellbeing, farming practices and the butchering process.

Quality not quantity!” Robert Haselsteiner

T

he gentrification of Heretaunga Street East continues with Matangi Angus Beef planning to open a bespoke butchery this summer.

could create a herd with outstanding eating quality features. The success of our first release in 2019 proved us right,” says Robert.

Matangi is converting a historic retail property, formerly the UFS Dispensary, into a butchery as it scales from being a solely online store fulfilling orders for its private clients to opening the doors to the public where people can also hand select New Zealand’s finest Angus beef.

The new butchery will sit alongside some of the region’s most sought-after food and beverage businesses, including Ya Bon Bakery and Hastings Distillers.

“We only produce Angus beef which has been bred and grown on our two properties that are in the Tukituki catchment. We breed our animals to produce optimum eating quality in our beef. We aim for high intramuscular fats (marbling), and ultimately a tender product full of flavor. The cattle spend their life in a low stress environment where they are free to roam with the same mates for the duration of their lives. We always have four generations on the properties at any one time, and our cattle are grown for a minimum of 24 months.”

The owner of the business is Robert Haselsteiner who is assisted by farm manager Jamie Gaddum and his wife Nicky who manages the Matangi Angus Beef business. Robert purchased Matangi Station in 2015, and it began as a traditional sheep and beef farm, trading stock. Robert had observed that it was easier to purchase New Zealand’s premium produce overseas, and so together with Jamie they embarked on a project to create top quality grassfed Angus beef for discerning Kiwi customers to enjoy. And so, Matangi was founded on the philosophy of keeping the best product local rather than exporting it.

“We were convinced that with the right mixture of science and experience, we

“We are a boutique producer focused only on quality- our meat is not for export. We are constantly working to improve the eating quality features of our herd. Crafting superb meats starts with the best genetic predisposition and ends with butchering the fine cuts to precision,” Robert says.

The new butchery will also feature a custom-made dry-aging facility, which will be unique in New Zealand. Visitors to the butchery will be able to view the dry aging process, displayed in the oneof-a-kind glass cabinets. Matangi is the only New Zealand beef producer to hang

Nicky, Jamie and Robert in the new butchery that’s under construction.

all its beef on the bone for 21 days and then further dry age its cuts to order.

This traditional technique enhances the meat’s natural flavour, making it more tender. Customers will gain a greater

appreciation of what they are eating and where it comes from.

Matangi business Manager Nicky says opening the butchery takes Matangi full circle. “We’re also incorporating a tasting

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The two Matangi properties are in the Tukituki catchment.

Jamie and Robert out and about on the farm.

space alongside the butchery that will enable our clients to sample our Angus beef, delivering an experience you won’t find anywhere else in the country.”

retail clients. They plan to commence deliveries again before Christmas and have the retail butchery open later this summer.

Matangi’s breeding farm on the banks of the Tukituki River suffered substantial damage in February’s cyclone, which contributed to its 2022/2023 season closing early. Work is ongoing across the farm, repairing tracks, slips and fencing.

“While we had to end our season early - which has severely impacted our business - it’s also allowed us to future-proof Matangi. It was always our vision to have our own butchery.

When the bridges to Napier were impassable, impacting our ability to maintain production, it highlighted the importance of having our own premises nearby.

Robert says the devastating impacts of the cyclone had a silver lining for the business and farm, enabling them to pause and consider future plans.

Matangi is also extending its traditional season, now calving twice a year to help meet the growing demand from New Zealand’s top chefs and discerning

“We are excited to be part of the rebirth of the Hastings East Block, which is becoming a foodie destination. Our new premises fulfil our vision and will provide a unique butchery experience where visitors can learn about our farms, our philosophies and experience our very special Hawke’s Bay product,” Robert says.

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REAL HEARTLAND 2023 14

Building climate resilience The MPI/NIWA tool provides week-toweek predictions of rainfall, dryness and potential drought 35 days in the future. The NIWA and MPI tool can be accessed at https://shiny.niwa.co.nz/ drought-forecast/

By Richard Wakelin, Rural Recovery Manager, HBRC

H

awke’s Bay is recognised as a “summer-dry” farming and growing area in normal seasons, and occasionally extreme dry periods have been a feature of the Hawke’s Bay climate since agriculture and horticulture began in the region.

The most recent of these, which transformed from extreme dry to drought, occurred in 2020 and placed the region’s primary sector under huge pressure.

We know El Niño is now here and that this means more drying westerly winds across the region.

The low-flow system is online and watertake consent holders who have low flow conditions in their consents will receive notifications. We record water levels at 50 river sites in Hawke’s Bay, from the Hangaroa River in the north to the Pōrangahau River in the south. The Regional Council measures river flow at 41 of these sites and this information is combined with water level data to produce continuous flow records.

Despite the rain at the end of October, the region has had below normal rainfall since July. At the time of writing, the region’s soil moisture was only 72% of where it would normally be for this time of year.

If these conditions continue into the new year, we could be heading for a drought.

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council works with individual landowners, community groups, and farming and grower organisations to build climate resilience and prepare for such extreme dry spells.

We encourage farmers, growers and agribusinesses to plan ahead for the potential of more extreme summer conditions so as to reduce stress and any impacts on animals and crops.

You can find out more about weather conditions and low-flow systems at www.hbrc.govt.nz, search #hbdry, search #soe.

An HBRC catchment advisor talking with a farmer.

For pastoral farmers, having a plan in place for feeding your animals during dry conditions is essential. Now is also the time to check stock water systems and access to sources of stock water.

Growers will need to be checking their irrigation to ensure they are getting the best flows through their system.

Guidance can be found at www.hbrc. govt.nz, search #irrigation

Regional Council climate scientists are also closely monitoring the weather and sharing this information with our partner groups. We measure soil moisture, soil temperature, and rainfall across the region. Farmers and growers can access this information through our Drought Risk Indicator app. The app can be downloaded at www.hbrc.govt. nz, search #droughtapp This app compliments the MPI and NIWA Drought Forecasting dashboard.

The following websites offer good advice about planning and preparedness for extreme dry conditions, including developing a feed budget: • Ministry for Primary Industries - www. mpi.govt.nz/funding-rural-support/ • DairyNZ - www.dairynz.co.nz/feed/ fundamentals/ • Beef+Lamb NZ - www.beeflambnz. com/knowledge-hub/adverse-events/ • Feedsmart (Basic feed calculator for sheep and beef) - www.feedsmart. co.nz/

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