Guardian Farming | August 2019 by Ashburton Guardian

Farming GUARDIAN

August, 2019

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Arable wheat plan

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Despite Canterbury being the grain bowl of New Zealand and the centre of high-value seed production, its arable industry tends to fly under the radar. Dairying and sheep and beef always seem to get Heather more attention. Chalmers Ten to 20 years ago, a lack of profitability and dairying’s tempting monthly milk cheque meant many arable farms converted or sold to dairy, at least on part of the farm. However, the tide is turning and it is the arable industry looking to expand with an initiative to become self-sufficient in the milling wheat used to make bread by 2025. Three-quarters of the bread sold in New Zealand is made from grain grown overseas, primarily Australia. While the goal of selfsufficiency by 2025 set by the Arable Food Industry Council may be aspirational, if another 50,000 to 100,000 tonnes could be grown in Canterbury this would be a huge boost to the local economy. The idea is not new, with documents from the mid-1990s showing the issue was also discussed then, but the timing is now better, with the different parts of the arable industry – the growers, flourmillers and bakers – all working together. Improvements in plant breeding and agronomy means the quality of New Zealand-grown wheat is now as good as any

imported grain. Consumers also want to know where their food comes from and while there will always be people only prepared to buy a $1 white loaf, others are willing to pay a premium for bread RURAL made from locally-sourced REPORTER ingredients and specialty grains. While there is no issue with demand, an agreement is needed on price and long-term supply contracts to ensure both growers and millers remain committed. In a sign of good faith, millers agreed to communicate early with growers about this season’s wheat contracts, which were released 45 days earlier than 2018. Prices have also lifted. Demand from the dairy industry means prices can sometimes be higher for feed grain than milling wheat, which is lower yielding and has higher quality requirements. The main problem is transport logistics, with most milling wheat grown in the South Island and predominantly Canterbury, but most bread consumers living in Auckland. High transport costs meant it has been cheaper for North Island mills to ship wheat from Australia. A council working group will investigate transport and grain storage options. Discussions are also under way with representatives from rail and coastal shipping.

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Loving farming, the Kiwi way Valerie Walpot had a dream to enjoy the Kiwi way of farming. So she made her dream a reality. Heather Chalmers details the path that’s led Valerie to running a beef and lamb finishing property in central Canterbury.

Growing up in rural Belgium, Valerie Walpot wanted to experience the New Zealand way of farming. Given the opportunity to travel to New Zealand in 2001, the visit was enough for Valerie to realise that this was where she wanted to live and farm. Since migrating permanently in 2008, she has quickly moved up the ranks and embraced New Zealand farming life. For the past four years she has been farm manager at Pemberley Farm, an intensive beef and lamb finishing property at Charing Cross on the central Canterbury plains. Each year, the property typically buys in and finishes 15,000 to 17,000 lambs and 1300 to 1800 head of cattle. “It can be stressful at times, but I love it,” she told a field day held in conjunction with the Silver Fern Farms’ Christchurch farmer conference. In Belgium, she grew up on her grandparents’ farm amongst pastures and

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

livestock, where her mother was a farmer and her father a chemical engineer. While completing an agricultural science degree in the Netherlands, Valerie was given the opportunity to work on a research project at Massey University in Palmerston North. “When I arrived in New Zealand, I just felt at home even though I knew no one and it was on the other side of the world. “It is the can-do, positive, welcoming, passionate attitude of farmers.” Kiwi farmers are too modest, says Valerie. “They are so capable, do an amazing job and never celebrate that enough.”

Valerie Walpot.

Compared with Belgium, New Zealand farming is larger scale and outside all year round, so farmers have to work more in tune with Mother Nature.

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Returning to Europe to finish her degree, Valerie jumped at the chance to gain practical farm experience back in New Zealand. Continued over page

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From page 3 “I wanted to be a sheep and beef farmer. I didn’t have any working dogs or experience, but I was prepared to work my way up. “With sheep and beef farming, I love the complexity of the systems, with different classes of stock and land. Driving home at the end of a day and seeing happy cattle and sheep, fed well and in the most beautiful scenery, that makes my heart tick faster.” A job at Lincoln University research farms Silverwood, near Hororata, and the Dairy Research Farm gave her the chance to combine her science background with hands-on farm work. At Pemberley, she works with three staff, managing feed and the flow of stock on and off the farm. Pemberley is part of Cross Brothers enterprises, which also owns four sheep and beef breeding stations in Otago. As Pemberley receives all of its stock from these stations for finishing, weather and seasonal conditions in Otago play a big part in when and how many stock arrive.

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As the Otago stations don’t lamb until September-October, weaned lambs don’t start arriving at Pemberley until late December and early January. To manage the spring flush of feed, 1200 rising one-year and two-year cattle from the stations arrive at Pemberley in August and another 500 in September. “While it would be good to have lambs here earlier, it is about finding the right balance for the whole company, rather than just this farm,” says Valerie. Pemberley’s stocking rate is eight stock units/ha in winter and up to 28 stock units/ha in summer. At the peak in January, Pemberley is carrying about 10,000 lambs and 1000 to 1200 cattle. It is a busy time for staff, weighing and drenching stock in the yards and loading trucks. As the farm straddles both sides of busy Bealey Road, a stock underpass has just been installed to make livestock movements easier and safer. Of the farm’s 506 hectares, 331ha is irrigated and 175ha dryland. While the farm previously irrigated from

groundwater, in September last year it switched to the Central Plains Water irrigation scheme which sources its water from the Rakaia River. “It was a huge investment, but I believe we have a role to Below – An early start at Pemberley with the top lambs off to the meat works. play in looking PHOTO SUPPLIED

after our groundwater. “I was also aware that when I arrived, there were a lot of wells being written off around here. There is not much point having a well and a consent if it has no water.” The decision to invest in CPW is a long-term one,

rather than just looking 10 years ahead, Valerie says. The property has four centre pivot irrigators. Pivot one, covering 98ha close to the main yards is used to feed the top animals on quality permanent pasture. Pivot two (107ha) focuses on

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Left – Pemberley cattle.

Right – The first lambs of the season arrive at Pemberley from Otago.

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cattle feeding on permanent pastures and pivot three (83ha) on lamb finishing and cattle for autumn finishing on short-term mixes. As drought tolerant lucerne and fescues are under pivot four (43ha) this can apply lower rates if water supplies are under pressure.

“Irrigation is the biggest stress, but we can’t farm without it,” Valerie says. It is also expensive at $800 to $1000/ha for CPW water charges. “We need to keep watering ryegrasses over summer, but we also have fescues and lucerne that don’t need watering as much.” With so many mouths to feed, managing stock and feed is like a big jig-saw puzzle, Valerie says. “I feed budget just about every day.” Rather than do a weekly farm pasture walk, to save time she now uses monitor paddocks to gauge pasture growth. “I do way too many

spreadsheets, but I love them.” “I am learning all the time and every year the system gets better.” When she first started it was a 50-50 split working on-farm and in the office, but now 80 per cent of her time is spent in the office dealing with irrigation scheduling, feed budgeting and regulatory requirements. During the busy months every animal on the farm is put on the scales every three to four weeks so that any issues can be quickly identified and fixed. Ten per cent of lambs are given an EID ear tag on arrival to monitor their performance.

Valerie speaks with SFF livestock representatives on a weekly basis to co-ordinate consignments of livestock for slaughter. Because of the number of lambs, not all can be kept to optimum weights. In summer there are up to 25 mobs of lambs and cattle, with animals prioritised, so top animals go in the front of the grazing rotation. For lambs, the optimum mob size was 500 to 800. “Once you go over 800 lambs the performance drops, with 500 more ideal.” In 2018-19, 16,795 lambs were finished at Pemberley at

an average growth rate of 331 grams a day and an average carcass weight of 18.5kg. This compares with 201718, when 17,600 lambs were finished at an average growth rate of 235g/day and an average carcass weight of 17.5kg. In 2018-19, 1500 cattle were finished at an average growth rate of 1.3kg/day and an average carcass weight of 298kg. While 90 per cent of lambs are sold by May, Valerie is considering finishing more rising two-year cattle in autumn so fewer are carried on the farm over winter, because of environmental pressures.

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Pasture survival is an enduring challenge for Mark and Helen Andrews, who run a large pig nishing operation in South Canterbury. farming and cattle finishing 28–kilometres inlandfrom fromTimaru, Timaru,isissubject subjectto to Their 136–hectare property, situated 28 kilometres inland environmental extremes which limit the type of pasture that can be planted. The region recently experienced its third driest November since MetService records began in 1956, with only 8.2mm of rain.

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at, with the rest rolling The majority of the Andrews’ farm – 70 percent – is made up of river flat, hill country.

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Government needs to stop telling th The myth is that agricultural gases, primarily methane, make up 48.1 per cent of this country’s emissions profile. That is nothing more than a politically and socially convenient half-truth/untruth.

So here are established scientific facts around the Zero Carbon Bill and the Emissions Trading Scheme: • A pre-existing and stable level of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is required in order to maintain our temperature levels and is essential to life on earth. • The Paris Accord calls for countries to take steps to limit global warming to 2°C and preferably 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures. • New Zealand has set a target of zero carbon by 2050, no mandated reduction in gross carbon emissions, just an aspiration to offset by forestry plantings so that carbon

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emitted will be in balance with carbon sequestered. Total methane emissions in New Zealand have increased 6.2 per cent from 1990 to 2017. Agricultural production has doubled in this time. The Zero Carbon Bill has an aspiration of reducing methane by up to 47 per cent by 2050. Methane is a short-lived gas that originated from carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbed by the growing grass and rapidly breaks down into CO2 again to complete the cycle. No additional carbon enters the atmosphere. Fossil fuel carbon has not

been circulating in the atmosphere for thousands or millions of years, but once burnt will circulate in the atmosphere for centuries to come with constant additional warming effect. • The key objective is to limit any further warming. • To represent methane on the same graph as fossil

carbon and state that agricultural gases are 48.1 per cent of our emissions is simply wrong and does not recognise the cyclical nature of methane. I will demonstrate why. Methane is a short lived gas, known as a “flow gas” which rapidly breaks down compared to carbon which is known as a

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“stocks gas”. So let’s represent methane as water and carbon as small stones, I have a bucket that is the atmosphere and the level inside the bucket is the global warming effect. I have a centimetre of water in a bucket which has a small hole in the bottom of it. I start tipping cupfuls of water into

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he methane myth

“

the bucket which drain out the hole. So long as I do not tip water in the top faster than it drains out, the level does not increase. It would be wrong to count the number of cupfuls put into the bucket, only correct to pay attention to the change in level within the bucket. The number of cupfuls has absolutely no

relationship to the level in the bucket. If I take the same bucket and start dropping small stones into it, none of which fit out the hole, every stone is an additional stone in the bucket which gradually fills up the more stones thrown in. The total number of stones added has a direct correlation

to the number of stones in the bucket. Methane and carbon are water and stones. So long as stock numbers remain static, or more correctly the feed fed to livestock remains static, the emission of methane today replaces the methane that degraded today. The cycle stays in balance.

Our Government needs to stop telling the methane myth and stop counting the water and the stones as if they were equal. They are not. Get yourself a bucket and try for yourself.

Every gram of carbon emitted from a power station, factory, car, aeroplane or any other part of our life adds to all the carbon previously emitted from all sources. The only way of reducing that carbon is to effectively bury it by absorption into soil by plants. Our Government needs to stop telling the methane myth and stop counting the water and the stones as if they were equal. They are not. Get yourself a bucket and try for yourself. Agricultural gases are not 48.1 per cent of our nation’s emissions. “Net methane” makes up only a very small portion of New Zealand’s total emissions. Our farmers are

being asked to reduce methane emissions way beyond the equivalent of “zero carbon” and are being vilified in the process. The current fixation on methane is a dangerous, politically convenient distraction taking the focus off the enormous task of eliminating our reliance on carbon for our modern existence. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Ashburton Guardian Co Ltd or any employee thereof

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SEED FEATURE

Growing profit driven crops G & R Seeds Ltd is a locally owned and operated company formed in October 2012 by directors Greg Hubbard and Ryan Ford. With over 30 years combined experience ‘walking the paddocks’ and growing profit driven crops throughout the South Island, the Rakaia based company has experienced growth recently, and employed a new field representative James George who has a wealth of knowledge in various farming systems. G & R Seeds offers a comprehensive agronomy service across a

range of farming types from arable to dairying. They provide small seed contracts, a comprehensive range of agrichemicals, pasture mixes, winter feed crop management and grain trading, all accompanied with sound service and advice. Seed multiplication is one part of the G & R Seeds business which is experiencing a large amount of growth. Each spring they have contracts on offer for Asian vegetable seed such as radish, kale, mustard and choi sum just to name a few as well as garden peas. In autumn they have contracts

Providing a comprehensive agronomy service to growers

for grass seed, cocksfoot, fescue, clovers, cereals and many other crops. The team provides a start to finish package on all crops with a very strong emphasis on driving higher yields but mindful of trying to keep costs down. The way they achieve this is being regularly present ‘walking the paddocks’, keeping a constant eye on crops and forming tailored recommendations that are going to increase yields and profitability. G & R Seeds also provide pasture mixes, grain

With over 30 years combined experience, G & R Seeds offer a variety of agronomy services. If you have area and are looking for something to grow, then call us today! We are currently offering contracts on peas, mustard, radish, cocksfoot, wheat and other options.

trading services and forage crop management. This season has seen some depressed yields in winterfeed but G & R Seeds have enjoyed strong yielding winter feed crops under water and believe it is down to their simple approach to winter feed management – be active in the field, get the timing right and don’t over complicate it. Being a smaller team G & R Seeds pride themselves on being able to work with farmers in a close and personal manner and are mindful that costs need to be kept in check and increasing farmers

profitability is vital. If you want to discuss small seed contracts, chemical pricing or require someone to manage pastures or winter feed then give G & R Seeds a call, they will gladly come and meet with you for a face-toface consultation. We welcome all enquiries from new and experienced farmers alike who are keen to work together in achieving higher yields and profits. Advertising Feature

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SEED FEATURE

Optimism for seeds The new all-rounder A better, but average 2019 harvest should lift export revenue in the arable sector, says the Ministry for Primary Industries. Arable export revenue was forecast to total $235 million in 2019, lifting to $250m in 2020. In the longer term, gradual export growth was forecast in both prices and volumes. Europe dominates arable export sales, taking 40 per cent by value, followed by Australia at 17 per cent. MPI’s Situation and Outlook report for primary industries said there was some

optimism for clover and grass seed exports, as stock levels in Europe had declined, opening the opportunity for new contracts. Export returns for vegetable seeds from the 2019 harvest were expected to be up on last year, due to a better yielding harvest and an increase in demand for Asian brassica seed crops. Carrot seed yields and quality were reported to be above average and up on last year’s poor crop. Next year’s crop is in the ground, with the area planted similar to 2018-19. Asian brassica seed crops (such as radish, kale, Chinese cabbage and choi sum) had an average harvest. Early orders indicated this market may be picking up after two to three years of poor demand. Herbicide-resistant weeds, resulting from intensive use of herbicides for weed control, were an increasing problem for the arable industry, with several becoming harder to kill, particularly wild oats and Italian ryegrass in Canterbury.

The latest perennial ryegrass from one of the country’s best-known pasture companies sets a new benchmark for dependable all-round performance. Governor is available for sowing this spring and follows 20 years’ development by plant breeders and agronomists at Barenbrug Agriseeds. “If you liked Alto, Governor will be an even better fit for your system,” explains local agronomist Kris Bailey. Governor combines genetics from two of the company’s most iconic cultivars, Bronsyn, and the highly palatable Tolosa. Kris, who works in the Barenbrug Agriseeds pasture systems team, says the result of this mix is a robust, dense pasture that grows well when farmers need it most, during early spring and autumn. “Governor is ideal for both dairy and red meat farmers who are looking for a reliable all-round pasture. “On commercial farms, it has shown outstanding survival in the face of both drought and insect pest pressure. “It combines this with excellent DM yield at those critical times of the year when high quality leafy green pasture is very valuable.” Like Alto before it, it is a diploid perennial ryegrass, with fine, dense tillers which create a thick sward that can withstand the pressures of

modern farming systems. This is particularly important for heavier soils, which are usually more prone to treading damage by cattle in wet conditions. Governor is a denser, finer ryegrass, which helps protect the soil, and at the same time its physical characteristics make it harder wearing. When it comes to persistence, the number of ryegrass tillers in a pasture can make a big difference, Kris says. “The more tillers your ryegrass produces per square metre, the more soil coverage you have, and more plants are present in the paddock to cope with the challenges of insect pests, drought, wet weather, weeds and/or overgrazing. “That’s why dense diploid perennial ryegrasses are often recommended for parts of the farm where conditions are a bit harder.” Governor comes with AR1 endophyte which provides excellent animal health and performance and very good control of Argentine stem weevil and pasture mealy bug for South Island regions. It is also available with AR37, to help in areas with significant porina issues. Advertising feature

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Significant leap for China exports By Heather Chalmers Exports of beef and lamb to China have taken another significant leap, as demand for protein and the devastating impact of African swine fever drives even greater sales. Silver Fern Farms’ chief customer officer Mark Adam said its beef sales to China had jumped from 18 to 34 per cent in the last year. This was at the expense of the United States, where sales dropped from 40 to 29 per cent. African swine fever (ASF), which is deadly to pigs, but not harmful to humans has spread throughout China in the last year, decimating pork supplies. The fast-spreading disease has no vaccine or cure and it was estimated that 200 million pigs – nearly half the number in China – could be culled or die from the disease during the epidemic. Lamb sales to China have also lifted from 26 to 34 per cent in the last year. In comparison, sales to Europe dropped from 36 to 30 per cent. “We are getting as good, if not better, prices in China for lamb as from the United Kingdom, a traditional, strong lamb meat market,” Adam told the SFF farmer conference in Christchurch. “The challenge, in future, will be how much do we sell to China, compared with other markets.” SFF’s 50 per cent shareholding by Chinese company Shanghai Maling gave it better access and ability to expand in that market. “Traditionally we have always been an export business, but haven’t done a lot of business in-market and that is the opportunity. “My problem is having to say no to people, rather than

Silver Fern Farms’ chief customer officer Mark Adam says its beef sales to China jumped from 18 to 34 per cent in the last year. PHOTO HEATHER CHALMERS

yes and prioritising what markets we supply in the world. “It costs a lot to sell $2.5 billion worth of product. SFF sells to 60 countries and 500 customers and has to make mindful decisions about where to extract maximum value.” SFF was changing its focus from mature markets like the UK to its two priority markets China and the US, as well as New Zealand domestic sales, Adam said. Beef consumption in the US was 26kg per person, compared with 11kg in New Zealand and 5.9kg in China. “The US has a massive consumption of beef, but it raises questions about how to grow the market in a country that is already consuming so much. The opposite is true

in China, which has low, but growing beef consumption.” Market trends were grassfed meat and consumers wanting less fat in their diet. In the US, a section of the market would pay a 10 per cent premium for grass-fed over grain-fed (feedlot) beef. Adam said that SFF shouldn’t be competing with other New Zealand grassfed meat processors and exporters on price. “It is so self-defeating. To go into the market and have another meat company undercutting on price is mindblowingly stupid.” Meat companies needed to compete on attributes, rather than price, he said. SFF group sales manager Peter Robinson said that it was not just about selling

high value products, but extracting value from all parts of the carcass. The US dominated sales of manufacturing cow and bull beef, used in burger meat, but in the last 12 months this reliance had dropped from 94 to 71 per cent. In contrast, exports to China had increased from 1 to 23 per cent. “This has mainly been driven by China’s ability to take certain bull cuts out of the traditional grinding meat category and utilise them in the food service sector in their primal form.” China’s growth was not just limited to commodity product, taking increased volumes of premium steer meat for food service and potentially retail and e-commerce.

Beef markets were positive, Robinson said. As well China looking for protein to replace the expected pork shortage, tariffs into Japan had dropped to match Australia’s following the signing of the CPTPP trade agreement. Areas of caution were China continuing to approve new export processing plants around the world which would increase competition. ASF had led to stockpiling of beef in China in anticipation of price rises. A global oversupply of hides had led prices to collapse in recent weeks. China was also of increasing importance for lamb. In China, traditionally low value cuts such as lamb flaps were being turned into higher-value products such as kebabs, with one factory producing 300,000 kebabs a day by hand. China was also finding applications for lamb legs, a product traditionally reliant on UK and European sales. While lamb markets were stable and the outlook promising, an uncertainty was Brexit and how this would impact on the UK and European markets, Robinson said. For venison, a high carryover of stock in European markets had led to lower demand from importers. The US pet food market, which had earlier pushed up prices had cooled, with processors holding enough product. Demand was expected to remain positive for the traditional high-value European spring chilled market from September to early November. “Beyond that we are exploring new options for frozen product and it is no surprise that China is on our radar,” Robinson said.

MCMULLAN ENTREPRISES NOW MOBILE Peter is now working in different areas around Canterbury and can come to your farm when needed. Freight of goods can also be arranged. FOR ALL YOUR CULTIVATION CONSUMABLES, PHONE PETER TODAY. Phone: 03 308 2059 | Mobile: 0274 326 847 mcmullanent@xtra.co.nz - www.mcmullanenterprises.com

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WATER AND IRRIGATION FEATURE

Draft dam regulations alarm farmers NZME New Zealand lacks any scheme to monitor and maintain the structural integrity of hundreds of dams nationwide, but is now playing catch-up trying to bring in controversial safety regulations. However, farmers are alarmed at what’s in the draft regulations, and have been telling the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) this in public submissions. The submission period closed last week. Mid Canterbury farmer Evan Chisnall has spent $500,000 over two decades building six ponds to irrigate land for 6000 dairy cows. “Farmers built these ponds for reliability and sustainability, and to help with their environmental footprint, and if the compliance costs are too high, they will either not build anymore or they will fill these ponds in,” Chisnall, who is part of the MHV Water scheme near Ashburton, said.

Of 163 farm ponds in the MHV scheme, 144 would be classified as a “large” dam under the regulations based around height (four metres) and water volume. The very incomplete national dam registry indicates at least 900 dams fall into this category. Farmers backed the regulating of actual risks, but this was too broad, MHV chief executive Mel Brooks said. Many ponds and canals had most of their water below ground level, so any breach would release little water, she said. In addition, she said there

was already a robust safety plan for the scheme’s three largest ponds holding six million cubic metres of water, and its canals. Brooks and the industry group Irrigation New Zealand want the draft rules loosened to include a second, less onerous category of dam - a “referable” dam they call it - instead of subjecting all “large” dams to classification as low, medium or high impact, based on what damage their failure could do downstream. Such an assessment might cost about $5000 dollars, Irrigation NZ estimated. For a low-impact dam that

pretty much is that apart from a five-yearly review. But for medium and high impact dams, they’d then need a safety plan which engineers might charge tens of thousands of dollars to prepare, as well as annual audits. “We’re concerned that this is going to create some really complicated compliance obligations that’ll be very, very costly in areas where there is minimal risk,” Irrigation NZ chief executive Elizabeth Soal said. Farmers also worry the timeframe is too tight for assessing all the dams when not many engineers are

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prepared for it. Dan Forster, vice chair of the New Zealand Society on large dams characterised it as “lighthanded” regulation. He estimated that 50 engineers had made preparations in 2015 to get the right certifications to assess dams, and they could come up to speed again quickly, though he agreed this would still not be nearly enough people to do all the work. The draft regulations give regional councils the job of policing dams and registering them, and penalising any noncompliant owners with fines of up to $200,000.

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Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got your irrigation solution Irrigation Logistics is a family owned company based in Darfield servicing the wider Canterbury area with the Pierce Pivot dealership. Pierce Pivots originate from the USA and have been servicing the agricultural sector since 1932. We have CP600 Pierce Centre Pivots, Linears, and Acremaster Micropivots for the smaller areas. Pierce have pioneered and advanced centre pivot and control technology and have a long proven track record of commitment to innovation and technology. To meet the varying demands of crops, terrain, and water quality, our pivots can be configured with multiple types of sprinkler packages, various span and overhang combinations, as an all-galvanised system, or a galvanised structure with Poly-Line Pipe components. We also have a competent service team on the ground to help with queries and provide regular services to pivots. In addition to irrigators we also provide PVC pipe, pumps

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and tanks for all irrigation requirements. John Quirk has over 20 years design experience in the Irrigation Industry. When it comes to completing an irrigation project the experience of your pivot or system designer is key. Inserting irrigation systems can be complex and involved as no farm is the same.

This means it has everything to do with how much experience your designer has, especially when it comes to the amount of capital your investing. We also provide a full winter servicing package, this includes a thorough overall check of youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re pivot, and a service of the motors and gearboxes. We are very competitive on

pricing and can service any brand of pivot. We have a positive track record selling over 50 pivots in the wider Canterbury area in the last three years alone. Let us understand your needs and provide you with the best solution. We have a friendly, knowledgeable and organised team ready to help. We are the only company

selling the Acremaster or micro pivot. This is a great pivot for smaller areas and corners. They are a lot less capital input per ha making them an attractive option. Options are available to power this system by solar to save on running costs going forwards. Advertising Feature

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WATER AND IRRIGATION FEATURE

We have the expertise to keep you irrigating Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings Ltd is a privately owned irrigation company based in Ashburton, Mid Canterbury. The company was formed in 1991 by Ray and Noeleen Mayne and currently employs 27 staff. Ray has been involved in the irrigation industry since 1981. The company specialises in irrigation design, installation, manufacture and importing of irrigation equipment and have a large client base throughout New Zealand. Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings Ltd is the number one New Zealand importer of Reinke irrigation equipment from the United States and the exclusive importer of Snaptite irrigation hose products from the USA and Europe. They manufacture the TurboRain brand of large travelling linear irrigator, and are a distributor for the Pleuger range of submersible irrigation pumps through Flowserve Pumps Ltd. As a result of everincreasing numbers of Reinke centre pivot and lateral irrigators being sold in New

Zealand, Ray has increased the personnel levels to ensure all of the Reinke systems are operating efficiently. “We have six qualified Reinke technicians who are available at short notice to ensure downtime is kept to an absolute minimum.” Many of these technicians have had many years of experience in building irrigation systems and are “hands-on” people who understand how critical service is to any type of farming operation.

Our dedicated Reinke service staff will provide an efficient and knowledgeable service, to allow Reinke systems to operate to their maximum potential at all times during the busy irrigation season. “We also have dedicated spanning crews who are responsible for the assembly of all Reinke irrigators on farm. “Our spanning crews are currently building systems locally and in the North Otago areas. “This time of year is always

very busy for our technicians. Winter maintenance is also being carried out. In past years there have been major advances with technological equipment, and this equipment is giving huge improvements to water coverage and travel speed when installed on Reinke irrigators. These advancements include GPS guidance for swing arm corner pivots and guidance on lateral irrigators. Reinke have been the world leaders in this form of

irrigator guidance and have a large number of these systems operating successfully in New Zealand. Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings Ltd carry a large range of irrigator and general irrigation spare parts at their Ashburton facility. “Our Reinke spare parts levels are critical to ensure all Reinke systems are able to be maintained quickly and easily.” Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings have the largest stocks of Reinke spare parts of any dealership in the world. This has been achieved by importing product from Reinke for 20 years. Ray and the team can build all types of Reinke systems – pivots, swing arm corner systems and lateral irrigators, from stock. This is the dedication that is required by any reputable irrigation company. – Call Ray and the team today on 03 308 6022 for your next irrigation investment. Advertising feature

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WATER AND IRRIGATION FEATURE

Need a well?

Water take consents

Washingtons Exploration Ltd pride themselves on providing both standard and personalised solutions for the drilling needs of every project, whether it be a small domestic well right through to a deep high flow irrigation bore. With the purchase of McNeill Drilling Ltd on July 1, 2019 they now have branches in Alexandra and Invercargill with the head office still located in Timaru so can supply drilling support services throughout the South Island. Washingtons have been supplying clients with advice, drilling equipment and experienced operators for 57 years. They provide a wealth of experience together with proven results. Washingtons offer a wide range of small and large rigs designed for geotechnical, mineral prospecting, exploration, piling solutions, soak pits, offal holes and water bores which are capable of a variety of drilling

Securing and retaining access to reliable water is vital to agribusiness and rural life. Rainwater is often supplemented with groundwater or surface water irrigation. Where the amount of water needed is greater than what is allowed as a permitted activity, resource consents must be obtained. If you have a groundwater take consent up for renewal, a surface water take consent being reviewed like in the Hakatere/Ashburton River area, or you are just wanting to shift a bore or transfer water onto your property then expert help with your application may be required. Terry Hughes, Environmental Scientist at Lowe Environmental Impact says groundwater take renewals can be an easy process if no well interference effects are required to be assessed, but as with all water take applications, planned use must be considered reasonable, and this may trigger some efficiency assessments. For some projects, particularly water takes and location transfers, aquifer tests are commonly required. Aquifer tests determine the water level effects on neighbouring bores or surface water bodies when pumping from the subject bore. Bores are pumped for up to seven

methods including conventional, RC, air core and diamond across New Zealand and the South Pacific Rim. All Washingtons’ drillers have their New Zealand Certificate in Level four Non-Hydrocarbon drilling which gives you the confidence that the job will be completed right the first time. Washingtons also have robust programmes in place to promote and protect the health and safety of all employees and clients. Washingtons Exploration can also provide equipment for hire; including pumps for dewatering or construction works, high capacity air compressors and boosters and various drill rigs. The Washingtons experience can be summed up by ‘strength’; not only the strength and reliability of the machines and employees but most importantly the strength of their commitment to put their customers first. Advertising feature

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days whilst neighbouring bores are monitored for water-level drawdowns. Aquifer testing can be expensive, and complex. Test planning and pre-test feasibility assessments help with improving information gathering and the test’s likely effectiveness. Environment Canterbury is due to commence a review of conditions on approximately 90 water take consents to implement proposed minimum flows in the Hakatere/Ashburton River and tributaries. It is expected that consents will be subject to a minimum flow if not already in place. Existing minimum flow requirements may be adjusted to the new levels. Hughes says this could mean that irrigator’s supply reliability will change with fewer days to irrigate over the season. The impact of this will need to be assessed and alternative supply options may need to be explored. Advertising feature

Helping farmers create sustainable long-term irrigation and land management solutions Our specialist environmental science and engineering team, including Certiﬁed Nutrient Management Advisors can help resolve challenges on your farm: • Water take consenting • Aquifer testing • Storage and irrigation • Farm environment plans • OVERSEER® nutrient budgets • Technical reporting We look to do the right work at the right time, managing costs, risks and timelines; leaving you with time to do the stuﬀ on farm that really matters!

03 359 3059 www.lei.co.nz | oﬃce@lei.co.nz Palmerston North | Christchurch | Wellington

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Activity indicates a busy spring ahead A mild winter and good commodity prices have motivated plenty of activity in the rural property market through the last few weeks, with many farmers in our region correctly interpreting the signals that indicate now is a good time to put their retirement and succession plans into effect. Listings already scheduled for spring include several substantial high quality grazing and finishing properties, carrying between 5000 and 8000 stock units. A number of well appointed arable farms will also be offered, as well as a limited selection of dairy farms. Prospective buyers for these properties are evident, albeit anyone intent on acquiring land at present is conscious of where the market is sitting, and will therefore be circumspect when they table any offer. Based on recent general statistics, there has been a slight reduction in the average per hectare price of rural property. However, those statistics may have

Calvin Leen

PGG Wrightson Real Estate

limited relevance, and are not necessarily applicable to each individual property that will come to the spring market. Purchasers also need to be mindful of factors including water consents, infrastructure, environmental compliance levels and which catchment zone a property is located in. All these variables will have a bearing on the relative merits, and therefore market value, of a farm. Although there is an encouraging quantity of motivated buyers willing to purchase in the spring, sales may not follow on automatically. We are cautioning this group to work closely with financiers before they inspect properties. Bankers are now strictly

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Ensure that you have taken advice from your banker. Ask him or her: ‘If I were to do something here, what support would you give me?’

applying their lending criteria around any rural business. Anyone who assumes they will be financed into a new farm purchase without doing their sums first is risking disappointment. Those who work through the options with the bank, ascertain what level of support they are likely to receive, and then go out to look at a property are likely to achieve a more

successful outcome. Ensure that you have taken advice from your banker. Ask him or her: “If I were to do something here, what support would you give me?” Anyone in that category, essentially a qualified buyer, is going to be most welcome in the upcoming busy spring rural property market, and more likely to achieve positive results.

Calvin Leen is Mid-South Canterbury and North Otago Sales Manager for PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Ashburton Guardian Co Ltd or any employee thereof

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COUNTRY ROADS FEATURE

The Swiss army knife of SUVs

Isuzu is as serious an off-road brand as you can get. And by serious I mean they have two models, and both are aimed at the tough rugged outdoors of New Zealand. They have the D-Max Ute, which comes in six model variants, and the MU-X, their 7-seater SUV. Isuzu are well known and loved to those who live outside the big smoke. However, most of us who live in the cities are surprised to hear that this brand called Isuzu is as popular as Ford and Toyota in New Zealand’s ute and outdoor market. And Isuzu are pushing hard to make big waves in the SUV market with their MU-X. Unlike the shared platform D-Max that has six model variants, the MU-X only has the one. There are also no options, it comes fully loaded. It’s powered by the Isuzu 4JJ1 3.0L engine, which produces 130kw and 430Nm @ 2000 > 2200rpm. The transmission is an Aisin 6-speed with sequential shift and brake shift lock electronically controlled, with adaptive grade logic control and fuel-saving lock-

up torque converter. This is paired with a terrain command control with ‘shift on the fly’ 4H-2WD selection at up to 100km/h. For off roading, the MU-X is fitted with plenty of rugged off-road protection, which includes front steel plate skid/ splash shield and steel plate guards. Safety features include traction control system (TCS) and electronic stability control (ESC), and a reversing camera. Six airbags come as standard; dual front, front side and full-length curtain – to keep passengers on both sides of the car safe. Front seatbelt pre-tensioners pull back when the airbags are activated, for extra safety. On the outside, it includes 18-inch alloy wheels, side steps, roof rails, and Bi-LED projector headlamps with daytime running lights (DRL). The interior comes with seven leather seats, which can fold flat for additional cargo space. Also included is a multiinformation display for the driver, touch screen sat nav GPS, premium audio sound system includes USB

and Bluetooth connectivity plus audio streaming. There’s eight speakers and live surround sound combined with a 10.2” roofmounted rear monitor. And if you want to customise the MU-X, Isuzu has a few accessories available. When you start driving the MU-X, you realise you are sitting on what seems like the second storey of this vehicle. It’s very high off the ground, and you from time to time think that this vehicle is just massive. But the visibility all around is brilliant; big side mirrors, and a great vantage point from the high driver’s seat. You soon forget about its size and quickly become very secure and confident behind the wheel. Much like the D-Max the MU-X is a very easy vehicle to drive. Out of all the serious offroad vehicles, Isuzu seems to be one of the few that have

managed to give you all you need to go off the beaten track, while still leaving you with a great driving vehicle on the roads. You notice this when you are up around 100km/h, the MU-X is flat and stable, and even in some long corners, you do not get the body roll some other trucks have, which instinctively makes you slow down. Off-road, the MU-X is hard to beat, I did not take this model off-road, but I have taken other MU-X and D-Max models deep in the rugged terrain of New Zealand in the past. And straight from the dealership, these vehicles are very impressive, even

for someone who might be nervous about off-roading. The 4WD system is second to none, and you really have to push this vehicle a long way before you start to reach its limits. I really like this truck, and I call it a truck because the word SUV just seems a bit too soft to describe it. It’s a great looking, 7-seater, 3-ton towing, go-anywhere, tough truck. When you drive the MU-X you can’t help but feel like you can point it in any direction and pull the horizon towards you. - By John Galvin, Drive Life

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UK shoppers buy NZ merino lamb Merino lamb grown by Mid Canterbury farmers is being showcased by the UK’s leading online supermarket. SILERE Alpine Origin Merino lamb is a joint venture between farmer-owned co-operative Alliance and the New Zealand Merino Company and is selling through British online supermarket Ocado. Online supermarkets are growing fast and Ocado has been voted best every year since 2010. Ocado has no bricks and mortar stores and provides all home deliveries from its warehouses. Ocado shoppers can choose from a range of the New Zealand merino cuts, including a boneless leg joint, extra-trimmed rack, loin filets or boneless rumps. About half a dozen Mid Canterbury farmers are among suppliers. Shane Kingston, general manager sales at Alliance, said feedback from shoppers about SILERE had been

Mid Canterbury-farmed merino lamb is being sold online in the UK..

overwhelmingly positive. “With 580,000 active customers, Ocado is a formidable online retail channel and this represents a significant opportunity for SILERE and Alliance’s premium product portfolio.

“Online supermarkets provide a strong vehicle to tell a brand story directly to the consumer. Ocado is profiling farmers that produce SILERE and telling stories of heritage, taste and welfare to connect shoppers with the world’s

market and the feedback from the people buying it,” Andrew Paterson said. “Hearing what the market needs first-hand is important. With market connections and contracts for our meat as well as our wool, we can tailor what we produce on farm.” The product is being sold in plastic-free recyclable Earthpouch packaging. The Earthpouches are made from paper with a 100 per cent plastic-free heat-sealable coating, which forms a grease, water and moisture barrier. The pouch is recyclable as part of the paper stream and is suitable for re-pulping. “The packaging innovation, the product of our partnership with Hilton Food Solutions, the company that packs and distributes SILERE to Ocado, is also an important step forward,” Kingston said. A 12-month SILERE alpine origin merino contract has recently been released to shore-up supply to meet the growing market demand from Ocado and other channels.

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Sustainability key part of awards Mid Canterbury dairy farmer Joanne van Polanen is encouraging local farmers and growers to help improve the sustainability of their businesses by getting involved with the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust awards. Van Polanen is chair of the trust and said those who entered, or were nominated, received free and independent advice from rural professionals as part of the judging process. The awards were also a way of sharing positive stories, ideas and resources with a wider audience, she said. “We already have some of the most efficient farmers in the world. Unlike many of our competitors, farmers are investing in environmental improvements without substantial government subsidies as is the case in many other countries. Imagine the possibilities as more farmers and growers commit to producing food and fibre sustainably for the world’s most discerning customers.” The Ballance Farm Environment Awards run in 11 regions throughout

New Zealand and promote sustainable farming and growing. A new initiative this year means farmers and growers can be nominated to enter the awards. Entries are open until October 31. The programme is supported by agribusinesses and regional councils around the country. Farmers and growers are invited to showcase, benchmark and improve their operations through a constructive process where agribusiness professionals provide feedback, recommendations and commendations. The judges take a holistic approach to the feedback and award allocation process by evaluating every aspect of the farming/growing business from environmental management, productivity, and profitability through to family and community involvement. Van Polanen said the environment trust was proud and privileged to lead a programme that recognised, encouraged and incentivised sustainable farming and growing in New Zealand.

The Canterbury region winner last year was Medbury Farm Limited, who milk 1240 cows on 442ha at Hawarden. The farm partners are David and Brenda Hislop, Mark Daly and Janet Girvan. Kiwifruit growers Mark and Catriona White were the national winners. Mid Canterbury has a proud history in the awards, with dairy farmers Mark and Devon Slee winning the national title in 2014 and Craige and Roz Mackenzie winning in 2013. Former entrant Ray Monk of Otakanini Topu, which farms 2860ha in sheep, beef and forestry, said the awards were a great way to tell the story of their operation and the feedback from judges helped he and staff understand what they could do better in some areas. “When we first entered, I thought we weren’t ready but I was told to just go for it, and that was the right advice. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t come away with a great experience.” Visit www.nzfeatrust.org.nz for more information.

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Black grass, maggots, crop rotation With the loss of the Cricket World Cup final and a bit of jet lag behind me it’s back into the routine. While being at the final at Lords is still a little raw when the experience is talked about, the trip included catching up with an exemployee. The weekend on his family farm was all about black grass, maggots and crop rotation – a recipe for an article. Within a week of the euphoria of being at a final at Lords on July 14, I was dragged back into reality. Having experienced a game that was; “one for the ages”, “never see a final like that again” and “what just happened after 102 overs” phone calls from clients left me speechless (not). A letter had been sent in my absence to clients that I retired! I can assure readers that is far from the case – not renewing employment with Aqualinc doesn’t constitute retirement. Quite the contrary. In the hiatus between the game at Durham and the semi-final at Old Trafford I caught up with an exemployee who is now farming around 900 acres at Shefford (not far from Bedford). Michael Parrish was a staff swap back in the late 90s with AgriTech Services – Michael came here for three summers and one of our staff went there for their summers monitoring soil moisture. The Parrish family are also well known to the steam/ traction engine community here in NZ and there were a couple of NZ engines in the yard at the farm that had been shipped over for various rallies. Michael couldn’t wait to

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show me around the farm and his crops – all dryland and predominantly wheat with some barley, tic beans and oil seed rape. The devastation of the oil seed rape crops on the farm and in this area of England by the cabbage stem flea beetle really caught my attention. This beetle is really bad in the East Anglia area but is becoming a problem elsewhere in England, Wales and is spreading into Scotland. The flea beetle has previously been controlled by neonicotinoid-treated seed. This treatment was withdrawn from use in oilseed rape in 2013 and with resistance to pyrethroids management has become a real challenge. The crop damage I saw was the result of the hatching of eggs laid by the beetle, with the larval feeding in the stems. All of the vascular tissue of the stem had been devoured and defecated. Some plants had severely reduced vigour and were stunted while others had simply died and/or collapsed. By the time I visited Michael he had mowed 100 acres of his 125 and had decided he wouldn’t grow oil seed rape in the future. The dilemma is what to grow as a break crop. There is a limited market for tic beans, and I saw only a few paddocks of peas.

The other biggy for Michael was black grass. While not a yield limiting weed it is still problematic. Interestingly, Michael accepted crop rotation would help but there really isn’t any serious rotation in his farming system. This in a country where arable farming systems were based on the centuries old Norfolk four-course rotation and which originated in this eastern area of England. At best the rotation

consisted of a break crop (oil seed rape) on “set aside land” with cash crops (wheat and barley) year on year. There were no crops to “feed” livestock and no legumes (other than small areas of tic beans), and no livestock grazing in the system. Quite a surprise when historically the rotational farming systems grew up there. Over the last 60 or so years rotation has been replaced

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with artificial fertilisers (and subsidies) – the latter something Michael would like to farm without! He still fondly remembers the arable farming he worked in here. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Ashburton Guardian Co Ltd or any employee thereof

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Extremes set to impact on crops By Heather Chalmers Canterbury arable farmers face the prospect of crop losses from drought and weather extremes within 20 years as the impacts of climate change start to bite, says Foundation for Arable Research environment research manager Abie Horrocks. While climate change may benefit growers with a longer growing season, crops were also at greater risk from extreme weather including drought, heat stress, severe rain and flooding. Three of the last five years have been among New Zealand’s hottest ever recorded, Abie Horrocks told the FAR conference at Lincoln University. “The climate in New Zealand is changing. The atmosphere and oceans have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished and sea levels have risen. Averages going up is one thing, but it is the extremes that are the concern. “New Zealand has always experienced droughts, floods, fires and storms, but it is very likely that heat waves will occur more often and last longer and that extreme precipitation events will become more intense and frequent in many regions. “Heat waves, strong winds, hail, storms and floods are examples of climatic events that can cause significant crop losses,” she said. Forecasts showed a 10 to 20 per cent reduction in rainfall and a doubling or tripling of drought frequency in important cropping regions, particularly the east coast by 2040. This would lead to water supply being less than crop

Foundation for Arable Research environment research manager Abie Horrocks says more extreme weather events will reduce crop yields and quality.

demand as well as causing heat stress in crops. “More extreme weather events such as hail and strong winds will reduce yields and quality and in the long term production will be affected by soil erosion and run-off.” Some of the forecasted benefits of climate change include: a longer growing season and fewer frosts, increased production in cooler areas (new crops), reduced winter energy demand, more snowmelt feeding South Island dams and increased

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water flow from the southern alps for irrigation. Nearly half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. While methane from livestock digestive systems make up almost threequarters of agriculture emissions the next largest source is nitrous oxide (N20) from nitrogen added to soils. The Zero Carbon Bill sets new greenhouse emissions targets to reduce carbon dioxide (C02) and N20 to

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net zero by 2050. Methane emissions are to be reduced to 10 per cent below 2017 levels by 2030 and by 24 to 47 per cent below 2017 by 2050. In broadacre crops like maize and barley, N20 from applied fertiliser was by far the biggest input to greenhouse gas. Pre-farm manufacture of nitrogen fertiliser was also a big contributor. Combining soil monitoring practices and precision agriculture technology for more targeted fertiliser

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application could potentially deliver a 20-30 per cent reduction in inorganic fertiliser use. “Combined with an increase in minimum/no tillage practices and the timely use of cover/catch crops it is not unrealistic to think that arable growers could reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent over the next decade. “This would strengthen the arable sector’s environmental footprint and make arable crops an attractive option for integration into mixed land use systems.” A 30-40 per cent reduction was possible on cropping farms using tools already in the kit, Abie Horrocks said. “The greater the efficiency the lower the carbon footprint. “In the short and medium term the good news is that practices that reduce greenhouse gas are already part of good crop management and will generally improve profitability. “It does not matter whether you focus on mitigating greenhouse gases or nitrate leaching – if you reduce one, you generally also reduce the other.” Fertiliser management was a key strategy, including matching nitrogen supply with demand to reduce the often large residual mineral nitrogen in the soil postharvest. Crop rotation such as cover crops and the timing of autumn-sown cereal was also important. As compacted soils led to substantially increased N20 emissions, particularly when wet, growers needed to avoid trafficking during wet conditions and use minimum tillage practices.

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Genetics determines kiwifruit sex NZME

An international research team has discovered a sexdetermining gene in kiwifruit that could potentially lead to the breeding of hermaphrodite varieties. Self-fertile kiwifruit cultivars could remove the current need for pollen supplementation, saving land and labour costs. Since only female kiwifruit produce fruit, horticulturists have been looking for ways to find out whether their plant babies are boys or girls - but usually this relies on waiting for them to grow up. They hope to use this to screen seedlings so they can get rid of the male plants earlier, so they don’t have to waste time and water waiting to find out. The study has also validated the “two-mutation model” in sex acquisition of plants proposed 40 years ago. Plant & Food Research scientists and their research partners in Japan and the US identified a gene called Friendly Boy (FrBy), which

is necessary for pollen production and is found naturally in Y chromosomes of male kiwifruit plants. It is the second sex-determinant discovered in kiwifruit after Shy Girl (SyGI), which suppresses fruit production in male kiwifruit plants. “We overexpressed the FrBy

gene identified by our Japanese research partner in rapidflowering kiwifruit plants,” said Plant & Food Research scientist Dr Sarah Pilkington. “We found that expression of FrBy in female kiwifruit resulted in hermaphrodite plants, which means the female plants could both

produce and receive pollen, making them capable of selffertilisation.” The study supports the “two-mutation model” of sex evolution in plants proposed by Deborah and Brian Charlesworth in 1978. It suggests that at least two gene mutations, one affecting

ovule (female) production and one affecting pollen (male) production, are necessary to transform a hermaphrodite species into one with separate sexes. The results of this study pave the way for the potential development of hermaphrodite kiwifruit.

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Forestry conversions cause angst I was lucky enough to attend the Property Brokers’ conference in Palmerston North for three days and I think it is fair to say all of the rural agents that attended were surprised by the activity that is happening in the Tararua and other upper North Island areas as to land use change. The Gisborne area can only be described as crazy with each sale being stronger than the last, with horticulture being the driver. Tararua rural agents John Arends and Jared Brock had this to report: Over the past 18 months, life in rural Tararua has seen changes to the traditional model of sheep and cattle on hill country and dairy on the flatter easier country closer to the main centres. Dairy farms traditionally saw buyers coming from within their own industry with some limited interest from investor groups investing in an industry with relatively high returns. This has changed. While some properties remain milking cows, 10 out of the 14 dairy farms we sold in the

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past three years went out of operation as a dairy platform, three converted to dairy support with the balance beef finishing. This de-conversion has been more prolific in the Tararua district compared to the higher-valued Waikato, Taranaki and Canterbury due to the relatively low dairy land value coupled with current good beef returns and modest interest rates. Average values have crept back about 4 per cent over this time from $25,500/ha to $24,000/ha. While these statistics won’t excite everyone, compared to dairy platforms in Taranaki, Waikato and Canterbury, our check in value has been minimal, with reports of value drops of up to 25 per cent in

a tight market in these higher value regions. More controversial is the land use change evident with the hill country to the east. The Government’s One Billion Trees initiative and corresponding incentives has seen a number of sheep and cattle properties snapped up by forestry and carbon investors. The carbon component of these forests has made our farmland more attractive than before, previously our distance from port making the value of these forests marginal on a timber value basis alone, but with the additional carbon income this has tipped the balance. This has led to forestry/ carbon operators competing with sheep and cattle purchasers. This increased competition has been positive for exiting farmers but created significant unease in farming communities. The average farm price per ha of the 56 farms sold in the past three years in the Tararua has increased from $5800/ha to about $6800/ha, an increase of around 17 per cent, probably

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as a result of a combination of the forestry interest as well as strong meat returns. The next six to 12 months will be interesting to see if central government will bow to pressure from farming groups and local government interested in keeping our local rural communities not only surviving but thriving despite these significant land use changes. A further issue arises after the 50-year mark of these plantations. The trees are planted so close that they have no value as timber and the cost to clear them and replant is too high and if the trees are not replanted then all carbon credits need to be re-paid. This makes this class of land way too expensive to go back into sheep and beef. The worry is, will the companies that purchased the land, planted the trees, collected the carbon credits simply walk away. A recently sold farm, Tuscan Hills, a 1200 ha renown breeding property on medium/ steep hill country was marketed early this year by tender. We received in total 10 visits

to the property with a sale achieved through the tender process for $6,250,000 to NZ Carbon Farming Limited. NZ Carbon Farming are a NZ based firm who purchase properties on a sole carbon sequestration forestry basis. Carbon sequestration properties are planted in Pinus Radiata on the area of the property which is classified as post-1989 pastoral as per the current MPI regulations. This type of sale has created some angst in the community, but the vendor received a very strong offer and the sale-settlement process provided greater flexibility for stock movement and post settlement grazing. Has this Government based carbon sequestration system been thought through? Ask yourself. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Ashburton Guardian Co Ltd or any employee thereof

When you list your farm with our South Island team, there are Property Brokers’ members across the country working alongside them to get you the best result. That’s because every one of them has signed a binding agreement to work together to sell your property. It’s a New Zealand first for the rural real estate industry that means we put your best interests first. Which is exactly where they should be.

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Farming

Virtual lesson in farm safety

Alan Harvey, of Oamaru, tests his skills in a virtual reality off-road driving simulator during the grand final of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year earlier this year. PHOTO NEW ZEALAND YOUNG FARMERS

NZME Contestants in this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final had an opportunity to drive around a South Otago farm while counting sheep - all without leaving Hawke’s Bay. That was thanks to a virtual-reality driving simulator developed by Otagobased CoDrivr which was founded by rally driver and farmer Rhys Gardner. An off-road training module featuring the Gardner family’s farm in South Otago - was developed for WorkSafe, New Zealand’s primary workplace health and safety regulator. WorkSafe used the simulator, which was on a motion platform allowing it to move on different angles, on its site at the National Fieldays at Mystery Creek in June. About 570 people, from teenagers to a nonagenarian, tested their skills. Gardner said it started discussions about new ways to learn and train without the normal risks associated with that.

“Everybody learns by just doing it,’’ he said. If they made a mistake, they got away with it - and hopefully learned from it - which did not always happen in a real-life situation, he said. Gardner picked a “really dodgy area’’ that included a track going around the side of a hill with a big drop-off along the edge. That same technology was used

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FARM SAFETY FEATURE

“

Everybody learns by just doing it,’’ he said. If they made a mistake, they got away with it - and hopefully learned from it - which did not alway happen in a real-life situation

as a module in the Young Farmer of the Year grand final where the contestants had to “drive’’ along about 1km of that farm track and then answer various questions, including how many stock they saw and other general observations. Some of the contestants were “unbelievable’’, being able to count three different classes of stock at the same time as driving, which Gardner thought was virtually impossible. There were some challenges with motion sickness, given they had been running around all day, and the lens fogged up when they jumped in the simulator with “steam coming off them’’, he said. Gardner’s own rallying career was on hold as he focused on his business. The recent developments were also opening some discussions around quad-bike training and tractor safety. He was finding many people had been looking for such a tool for quite a while but the cost had been out of range and the quality had not been high enough. “We think we can fill that gap,’’ Gardner said. It was great to see the likes of WorkSafe being so progressive in exploring new tools to reduce risk. Ideally, the big picture plan was to keep extending a partnership model and use it as a platform for doing projects that had high value in terms of social problems, he said.

Environmental and sustainable policies Are you considering environmental and sustainability management documentation updates as part of your health, safety and environmental systems? Concern for the environment is an increasingly important topic of discussion, especially in relation to farming, and managing the potential effects on biodiversity, land, climate and waterways. We are seeing an increase in contractor pre-qualification processes, from local bodies and government agencies requiring evidence of environmental and sustainability practices. We suggest that it is time to start incorporating environmental, sustainability policies and management plans into your occupational health, safety and environmental systems to demonstrate your commitment and the actions that your company takes to reduce your impact on the environment for future generations. Environmental and sustainability plans are not going to drastically change the way you complete work now.

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FARM SAFETY FEATURE

The Quadbar story When I first began manufacturing the Quadbar in 2011 and even though extensive testing had been done on it in Australia, I wasn’t totally sure how it would perform in real farm situations. Since then, sales have rapidly grown each year and now in 2018, I can happily say that the Quadbar has been a great success in preventing injuries from quadbike rollovers and of course, not a single death from bikes fitted with one. In Australia, it has gone nuts and sales are around 10,000 now since 2011. The Quadbar is simple to fit to your bike, fits all makes and models and is height adjustable. You can fit it yourself or your local bike dealer can do it for you. Generally, when rollovers have happened, it is not through speed but usually from a moment’s inattention. It can happen to anyone. The bike simply ends up on its side and you can slide out, using the bar to put the bike back on its feet and carry on with your day. I couldn’t be happier with how it works and just love the phone calls and emails I get after a farmer has rolled and hasn’t even got a scratch. The quadbike is also usually undamaged. I have sent Quadbars all over New Zealand but particularly to areas such

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US trip an eye-opener for Mayfield There are no coyotes on her Mayfield farm, but 17-yearold Olivia Mackenzie knew exactly what the wily predator was when she spotted it on a farm trip to the United States recently. The Year 13 student, a boarder at Craighead in Timaru, has just returned from a three-week TeenAg exchange to Montana, where she saw the coyotes while shifting cattle with her host family. Olivia and five other TeenAg members from around New Zealand attended a 4-H congress for young people in Bozeman, Montana, and then was billeted on a beef cattle ranch in the small town of Deer Lodge. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Yellowstone National Park, which has 10,000 hydrothermal features and is home to almost 5000 bison. Olivia said the bison were among many wild animals they encountered at the park, where she also saw a black bear. She said the animals shared the space with tourists and wandered where they liked. “They were used to people, but if you went up to them, they would run away.” The coyotes she spotted on her host’s ranch. The animals are known for their lonesome wails and are symbols of the American west. They are also very adaptable and can be a problem for ranchers. Olivia said she was shifting cows with her hosts when she saw them. “They just leave them alone unless they are causing trouble.” Montana is known for its wheat and beef production and Olivia said the state was similar to New Zealand in that it had both mountains and flat plains. Its prairie grasses were used by early settlers to

graze cattle and horses. Her host family were ranchers and farmed beef cattle. They grew hay, which was cut and fed to the cattle, rather than grazed. Olivia said the state’s climate meant there was only a short growing season and

“

is interesting and opened my eyes to how different it is in other parts of the world and how other farms operate.” The Mayfield student comes from a dairy support farm just down the road from Mayfield Primary School, which she

cowboy’s hat for younger brother William. Joining TeenAg when she moved to Timaru, Olivia volunteered the family to host an American student last year – and she was able to be billeted with the same student

It is such a different environment. They can’t grow anything apart from hay. It is interesting and opened my eyes to how different it is in other parts of the world and how other farms operate

winter usually featured snow. She arrived when the hay was being cut, with swathers as opposed to mowers in New Zealand. “It is such a different environment. They can’t grow anything apart from hay. It

attended before going to Craighead. Parents Andrew and Lynley helped her with a succession of pet calves over the years, shown at local A&P shows; she brought home from her American adventure a real

on her American exchange. During the 4-H Congress, which was attended by 350 students, the New Zealand girls hosted a workshop with some American students to showcase New Zealand culture. They also helped

out at a stock judging competition. Olivia also visited a wool mill farm, where the farmer had developed yarn and wool products, as well as showcasing the process to tourists. She said the trip reinforced for her how New Zealand farmers were innovative and able to grow such a wide range of crops because of their environment. She plans to go to Lincoln University next year to study towards a Bachelor of AgriCommerce. Aside from study, she also plays rugby for the school’s first XV and works some weekends in the Mt Somers store. She is also keen to test out some of Mt Hutt skifield’s new snow.

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teen Left – The New Zealand TeenAg team on a trip to Montana recently included Mayfield’s Olivia Mackenzie (back right) and (clockwise, from front right) Sarah Humphries, Tyla Bishop, Mikayla McClennan, Rhiannon Simpson and Kayla Calder. Top right – The New Zealand TeenAg team taking in the sights of Montana.

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The value of doing the right thing Managing recycling and general waste streams is a logistical challenge especially when the home base is an island surrounded by oceans and has large numbers of tourists and visitors. On a recent trip to Bali I was pleasantly surprised to find the beach areas I saw were kept pretty tidy and the people taking pride in looking after their unique island paradise. Public areas we saw are well serviced with labelled bins for organic or foodwaste as well as inorganic bins for packaging etc. We regularly saw bicycles with baskets filled with stacked and flattened cardboard or clean plastic bottles and containers to transport these resources. The island of Bali is small but its significance is big. What happens in Bali will always be noticed by the world. It is such a unique and beautiful sacred place known as ‘the land of the Gods’. Bali attracts 6.5 million international tourists per year so managing the rubbish and recyling is a huge challenge for this tiny island. Not surpising-

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Sheryl Stivens

Put your general waste in a lidded bin for disposal to landfill. This helps prevent windblown litter. Check what can be recycled in Ashburton so you don’t contaminate our recycling www.ashburtondc.govt.nz Rinse your recyclables before putting them in the recycling bins

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ly tourists generate 3.5 times more waste per day than Bali residents. Tourists I spoke with said there has been a massive improvement in dealing with rubbish and recycling in the last few years. A Norway-backed organisation has formed a partnership with the Bali Governor’s Waste Management Task Force to help reduce Bali’s waste problem and spur action on plastics in oceans internationally. Only 48 per cent of waste generated in Bali finds its way to be recycled or disposed of to landfill, according to a fivemonth research project by The Bali Partnership. There is still much to be done, however the Balinese people are commited to caring in their island paradise.

The Wombles legend lives on in Ashburton

Meantime back in Ashburton did you go to the Ashburton Museum in the school holidays? The place was a hive of activity with the Wombles treasure hunt under way. With the Wombles and their legend featuring strongly it

Keep our community recycling depots tidy – no greenwaste, foodwaste or general waste / rubbish. Stop burning mixed waste on your farm and invest in a collection service with lidded bins. Compost your foodwaste and turn it into healthy soil

was hard not to start talking rubbish with the kids as they worked on their creations. Sam and Brianna Keeley soon started telling me about the litter they had been picking up while staying with their grandmother. The rubbish items commonly found included cigarette butts, cigarette packets, McDonald’s drink cups often still full of liquid, coffee cups, plastic pie trays etc. When asked what actions do they think would stop people dropping litter their ideas included; educating young people about waste, putting signs up, more rubbish bins and last

but not least fining people for dropping litter. Well done Sam and Brianna for your efforts and to the Ashburton Museum for raising awareness of the litter that we see around our town and our country roads. We can do better. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Ashburton Guardian Co Ltd or any employee thereof

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New weapon against Ramularia Serious backing for multi-site Phoenix ® against Ramularia in barley Last year’s label extension to cover Ramularia for crop protection company ADAMA NZ’s multi-site Phoenix fungicide (Phoenix) has some heavy-hitting local and international backing. Many farmers will already be aware of Phoenix, which has been used very successfully at T1 against Septoria in wheat. And, the label news could not have been much better timed. Ramularia resistance has already set local growers back by up to 30 per cent in yield last season alone. And advice from the UK and Europe, which first experienced resistance in cereals over a decade ago, continues to be unrelentingly grim. Fiona Burnett, Professor of Applied Plant Pathology and Head of Knowledge and Innovation at Scotland’s Rural College, and a keynote speaker at the FAR conference in June, is an advocate of the use of multi-site chemistry. She urged conference attendees to learn from the mistakes made in the UK. FAR’s own New Zealand trials (FAR Crop Action Edition 134, September 14, 2018) showed that adding Phoenix to Proline® in a two-spray programme gave significantly better control of Ramularia than mixes of triazole with SDHIs and, also, the highest yield. Andy Bailey, global fungicide expert and ADAMA UK Technical Specialist, had visited New Zealand as a guest of ADAMA NZ in 2017 and again in 2018 to share the Northern Hemisphere’s experience with industry influencers in key areas, including Mid Canterbury. Reflecting on the UK’s and Europe’s most recent season, he says growers are still facing serious challenges. For Andy, his message to the New Zealand cereal industry a year ago, remains equally relevant today. “It’s still about a multi-site, such as Phoenix, being first in the tank for wheat and for barley.” (see fig. 1) Folpet, the active in Phoenix, works against Ramularia at a cellular level, inhibiting spore germination and cell division, and reducing energy production in the mitochondria. Phoenix also actively enhances DMI uptake,

Ramularia-infected barley.

increasing their speed of action and their efficacy. Importantly, there is currently no known resistance to folpet anywhere in the world. If only one spray of Phoenix is being applied, then T2 is the optimum timing for it. This ensures that leaves two and three are protected. For best results though, Andy advocates a programmed approach. “Data from the Northern Hemisphere shows that we’re actually achieving even higher levels of Ramularia control when using Phoenix at T1 and at T2. “For many, many years DMIs worked against Ramularia. Suddenly now, for whatever reason, we’ve reached a tipping point and in the UK, it has happened very rapidly.” Both Andy and Fiona are agreed that it is vital to use multi-site fungicides to protect existing single-site chemistry. Andy goes a step further and warns against any expectation of “silver bullets” to combat resistance in cereals. “Thinking we don’t, or won’t, need multi-sites is short-termism.”

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Andy also says there is no avoiding the necessity for robust control programmes. Adding to the challenges in combating fungicide resistance, particularly with regards to Ramularia, is that it is practically invisible until curative action is all but futile. That having been said, Ramularia has not come out of nowhere. Andy says Ramularia’s presence in barley is definitely not new. “We always have had Ramularia, to some extent. I remember identifying and assessing Ramularia in trials in the early ‘90s.” “The issue is we don’t fully understand the interaction of the disease with the environmental and varietal conditions or how best to control it. “We know it’s seed-borne. But we also know there’s no effective seed treatment for it. So that’s a big problem. “In some years, you also see more Ramularia on the lower leaves than you do in others.” Andy says the main time Ramularia is likely to manifest itself is when the barley plants are under stress.

“That’s usually post flowering. Flowering for a barley plant takes lots and lots of energy and reserves. It’s a stressful time for a plant.” Environmental factors can also come into play, particularly wetness on the lower leaves in spring. “That can certainly be a risk.” Andy is quick to point out that environmental factors can be major influencers or limitations in the UK and he is surprised that some growers persist in growing in areas that are very susceptible to Ramularia and Septoria. “People still do grow in the wetter west of the country.” While integrated management is gaining traction in controlling Septoria, Andy says growers are unlikely to get varietal assistance when it comes to Ramularia in the medium term. “It’s really about the chemistry. “It’s such an aggressive disease.” There is also a word of warning about issues with malting barley quality, which has become a problem in the UK due to Ramularia, although nothing has so far

come to light in this country. ADAMA NZ’s recommendation is to partner Phoenix with Bolide® or other triazole chemistry. Bolide is an all-round DMI fungicide, which provides broader spectrum control of key cereal diseases. Featuring an innovative combination of epoxiconazole and prochloraz, it is taken up via the stem and foliage and translocated upwards and outwards, providing some protection for new growth. New Zealand trials with Bolide have not only shown outstanding control for a wide range of diseases comparable to industry standard DMIs and SDHIs, but also highly effective Ramularia control. This performance is strengthened even more when Bolide is tank-mixed with Phoenix. For more information on how to future proof your resistance management strategy with ADAMA products, contact your local technical adviser or visit www.adama.com. Advertising Feature

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Septoria and Ramularia can devastate crops and cripple businesses. With resistance to established modes of action growing, the only effective approach is a proactive one. Start early and apply PHOENIX tank-mixed with existing SDHIs and DMIs such as BOLIDEÂŽ in your fungicide programme. PHOENIX is your innovative, multi-site protectant that will help you win the resistance battle!

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Thermal squeeze to have an impact Mary Ralston

FOREST AND BIRD

A “thermal squeeze” sounds like a hug on a cold day, which is a nice thing. But thermal squeeze is not nice for many native birds – it is a relatively new term to describe the pressure that comes on native species as temperatures rise. Many of our native species, especially relatively large birds such as kiwi, weka, kea and kaka, already have restricted ranges due to habitat (especially forest) loss. These birds and other species also face predation pressure from rats, stoats and possums with the result that many species are threatened with extinction. In the last decade predators have been able to expand their ranges in response to a rise in average temperature. Possums and rats have always been more common in warmer low-elevation forests. Recently they’ve moved up in altitude and expanded further into the cool beech forests as temperatures rise. The result is the birds’ available habitat space and food supply shrinks – they are effectively squeezed into a smaller space and so are even more vulnerable to population decline and extinction. Scientists Susan Walker, Adrian Monks and John Innes studied birds’ traits to find what characteristics predicted an increased risk from thermal squeeze. Larger body size was one: large birds such as kiwi already have low populations,

The cheeky kea: New Zealand’s alpine parrot nests in cavitites but is wide-ranging and very mobile, so is not as vulnerable to “thermal squeeze” as some other native species such as kiwi.

PHOTO CRAIG MCKENZIE

and due to their characteristics of few offspring, slow growth rate, late sexual maturity and long gestation, they can’t quickly compensate for loss from predators or environmental events. And large birds often require large areas of habitat, or rely on habitats with good food supplies, which are the forests that are warmer and infested with predators. Nesting in cavities was found to be a characteristic that increased some species vulnerability to “thermal squeeze”.

Cavity nesting species are literally sitting ducks when a predator comes along – these species lose adults as well as chicks to predators, whereas birds that build nests may only lose eggs or chicks to a roaming rat. Low dispersal capability is also a significant predictor of long-term decline because these species can’t quickly move into an area where there has been local extinction. The conclusions were that large birds with limited dispersal capability were the most vulnerable to thermal

squeeze (eg, kiwi, whio, weka) followed by the small, cavitynesting species (eg, rifleman, kãkãriki and mohua). The species with these characteristics are already mostly confined to cool forests and, if still present in warmer forests, are declining due to predator pressure. A warming climate is likely to put further pressure on these species by reducing the extent of habitat that is suitable for them. This research reinforces other studies that show that introduced mammalian

predators are the main cause of the decline in forest bird populations. We desperately need new, low-cost predator-control technologies that can suppress mammalian predators.

The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Ashburton Guardian Co Ltd or any employee thereof

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Government taking action on agricultural emissions The Government has released details of its proposals for lowering agricultural emissions and is now seeking your feedback. The Government has released details of its proposals for lowering agricultural emissions and is now seeking your feedback. Reducing agricultural emissions is a key part of the Government’s plans to transition to a low-emission economy and achieve its 2050 targets in the Zero Carbon Bill. The Government’s consultation document is informed by the Interim Climate Change Commission’s (ICCC) recommendations for reducing agricultural emissions, as well as engagement with the agricultural sector. The ICCC ultimately concluded that the best way to motivate farmers to reduce emissions is to put a price on them. When it released its consultation document, the Government announced that it has reached a consensus with farming leaders to price emissions from livestock at the farm level from 2025. Pricing emissions at the farm level (rather than the processor level) will give farmers greater control over how they manage emissions on their property, but results in a much more complex scheme, and it will take time and collaboration to develop the tools and systems required to implement it (which is the reason for the 2025 start date). In the meantime, the Government is looking to introduce an interim measure to incentivise farmers to reduce emissions now, and will provide farmers with a 95 per cent free allocation on their emissions to help them transition. The ICCC recommended including agricultural emissions in the ETS now, as it would not only send a clear signal to factor in an emissions price into investment decisions, but it would also generate funds that could be used to support farmers as they transition. At the current price of around $25 per tonne, and

with a 95 per cent free allocation of units, the Government expects that this will cost farmers on average $0.01 per kg of milksolids, $0.01 cent per kg of beef, $0.04 per kg of venison and $0.03 per kg of sheep meat. The Government is now seeking public feedback on its proposals, including: From 2025: Farmers pay for their livestock emissions Farmers report and pay for their livestock emissions, while credits may be earned if emissions were negative. Intended to incentivise reductions to on-farm emissions and to recognise a wide range of mitigation practices that farmers could use. The ICCC recommended a levy/rebate scheme, as it would avoid the need for farmers to trade units and therefore simpler and less costly. This is not discussed in the consultation document, which suggests that the Government is still considering this proposal. The level of free allocation that would apply from 2025 is not clear. The ICCC calls this out as one aspect of the policy design work that needs to happen between now and 2025. The commitment to provide a

95 per cent free allocation is only talked for Option 1 between now and 2025, so it remains to be seen whether this will continue to apply from 2025. From 2025: Processors pay for fertiliser emissions Manufacturers and importers of fertiliser report and pay for fertiliser emissions. Because the only way (currently) to reduce fertiliser emissions is to use less of it, the incentive to use less is the same regardless of whether emissions are priced at the farm level or at the manufacturer/importer level (with costs passed on to farmers). From now until 2025 (Option 1): Processors pay for both livestock and fertiliser emissions via the ETS Dairy and meat processors, and manufacturers/ importers of fertiliser, report and pay for emissions from 2021 (with livestock emissions moving to farmers from 2025). Government to provide a 95 per cent free allocation of emissions units (based on a combination of farm output and inherent land productivity). The ICCC estimated that, with a 95 per cent free

allocation, at least $47 million would be raised each year from emissions pricing, which would be used to support farmers with the transition. This option treats all farmers who supply processors the same, and does not recognise each farmer’s individual emissions footprint. From now until 2025 (Option 2): A formal sector-government agreement An alternative to Option 1 put forward by the agricultural sector. A programme of action to support emissions reductions (including a roll out of Farm Environment Plans that address emissions reductions), funded through existing government funding, farmer levies and commercial funding. A commitment to work with the Government to design a pricing mechanism by 2025, which is part of a broader framework that supports farmers to make practical changes on the ground and contributes to lower global emissions. Farmers should expect costs associated with paying for their emissions, implementing mitigation practices to reduce their emissions, and calculating and

reporting their emissions. Processors are also expected to pass on most of their costs to farmers, but may struggle to do so in offshore markets that don’t price agricultural emissions given the competitive nature of those markets. The consultation recognises that there may be other opportunities to support onfarm emissions reductions or carbon sequestration (beyond on-farm forestry). It also recognises that there are further decisions that need to be made and is keen for public feedback. The deadline for submissions is August 13 and public information sessions are being held around the country from July 22 to August 7. You can go to the Ministry for the Environment’s website for a copy of the consultation document, information about how to make a submission and to find the schedule for the public information sessions. This article was written by David Goodman and Josh Williams at Anderson Lloyd. If you want to discuss the Government’s proposals for agricultural emissions, please contact them directly. For contact details, please visit https://al.nz

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