Ashburton Guardian | Guardian Farming | July 28, 2020 by Ashburton Guardian

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Farming GUARDIAN

JULY 28, 2020

Dairy Focus

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

NITROGEN

CUTS TO HURT Page 22-23

STAYING GROUNDED

Page 3-6

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GUARDIAN

The blows keep on coming

INSIDE

Guardian Farming is proudly published by the Ashburton Guardian Limited

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Dairy Focus

28, 2020 y, July Tue sda

PAGE 3-6 VEGE GROWING IS IN THE BLOOD

NITROGEN

CUTS TO HURT

PAGE 20

Page 22-23

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PAGE 22

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NITROGEN CAP WILL IMPACT CANTERBURY

airy farmers must wonder when the blows will stop coming. The latest is a surprise new limit on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use of 190kg per hectare on pastoral lands. The limit, which comes into force in July next year, was introduced along with a raft of other measures as part of the Government’s freshwater policy aimed at improving water quality across the country. There has been no explanation of why the figure of 190kg was chosen; it makes no logical sense to farmers, the fertiliser industry, or even ecologists. It was obviously policy made on the fly as two months after it was announced farmers and the farm service industries are still yet to get any detail on how it will be calculated or implemented. On announcing the new limit Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said that “work undertaken to date estimates 80 per cent of dairy farmers won’t be affected by the cap on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser”. However, on the irrigated Canterbury plains the reverse is true. Figures from Irrigo Centre, which provides support for six Mid Canterbury irrigation schemes, show that 80 per cent of its irrigators apply above the cap. There is no doubt nitrogen fertiliser use has soared along with growth in dairy farming. In the last 25 years, the annual application of nitrogen fertiliser has increased more than six-fold in New Zealand, from 59,000 tonnes in 1990 to 429,000 tonnes in 2015. The dairy sector is the largest user, responsible for 63 per cent of all nitrogen

Heather Chalmers

fertiliser used. DairyNZ says that many farmers have moved from a tactical use of nitrogen fertiliser to fill feed deficits, to production systems that rely on nitrogen fertiliser all year round. Farming though is a biological system and it takes time to make changes. Nitrogen fertiliser levels can’t be cut in isolation in such a short timeframe without having a myriad of other impacts on the farming system. While revival in the use of nitrogen-fixing clover is inevitable, farmers can’t just flick clover on like a truckload of urea. Progress is being made, with nitrogen fertiliser application rates already trending down and new technologies helping to mitigate environmental effects. Water quality declined over decades and the turnaround will not be quick. The Government needs to be more realistic about timeframes when introducing such a rigid target to a biological farming system. Especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic when dairying is by far New Zealand’s biggest income earner.

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Vegetables – they’re in Oakley’s blood By Heather Chalmers

egetable growing is literally in the blood of Central Canterbury grower Robin Oakley and he loves to get his hands dirty. Operating the large-scale Southbridge-based Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables, he still regularly slips out of the office to check on crops. It’s a demanding business maintaining a financially, socially and environmentally sustainable operation, while meeting supermarkets’ high quality requirements for produce and Oakley likes to keep his finger on the pulse. A fifth-generation Central Canterbury potato and arable grower, Oakley had a vegetable garden at home from a young age and was taught by his family how to grow the freshest vegetables. By Year 11 at high school, Oakley was growing vegetables on about four hectares and on leaving school immediately set up his own growing business. In 2000, Robin and his wife Shirleen started leasing and then later bought land at Southbridge where the company’s packhouses and office

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

are based. Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables now grows vegetables and arable break crops on 450 hectares, most of it leased. While a range of vegetables has been grown over the years, this has now been narrowed down to four – potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli and beetroot. “I’ve grown sweetcorn, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, cabbage, parsnips, carrots, broccolini and broccoflower (a cross between cauliflower and broccoli). “If you grow too many things you don’t get enough focus on individual crops,” Oakley said. “The cost of growing is too high to deal with failures. So you need to be focused on what you are doing and so we have specialised in crops that do well for us.”

While the business adopts the latest in machinery and technology, this is no substitute for good crop PHOTO SUPPLIED husbandry and observation and doing things at the right time, Robin Oakley says.

continued over page

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Farming

From P3 A lack of quality staff with agronomy skills also meant it was easier to manage fewer crops. “We could be growing a wider range of crops, but it all depends on the capability of people in the team to be able to do that.” While the business adopts the latest in machinery and technology, this was no substitute for good crop husbandry and observation and doing things at the right time, Oakley said. Getting it 90 per cent right isn’t good enough to meet production targets and supermarkets’ exacting quality requirements. “We need to be hitting 99 per cent all the time. “Timing is everything. There is no recipe that sits with the calendar. “If broccoli grows beyond the size and quality required by supermarkets then its value plummets. “It’s unforgiving.” Oakley’s main customer is Foodstuffs South Island, which supplies the Pak’n Save, New World and Four Square supermarkets, with some produce also going to the North Island. It also has its own branded product, Oakley’s boxed Golden Gourmet potatoes, as well as a specialty trio of purple heart, red, and golden gourmet

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potatoes in one box. “People are eating fewer potatoes as a rule, so when they do eat them they would rather have something nicer. So, it’s a value and a size thing.” Main crop potatoes are sold under the Pams’ brand to supermarkets Land was leased from Hororata to Southbridge for main crop potatoes, with early potatoes grown on leased land at Kaitorete Spit, a finger of land separating Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora from the Pacific Ocean. While broccoli production was based at Southbridge, a leased coastal block at Amberley was used for winter harvesting to ensure year-round supply. “Everything we grow we aim to have 52 weeks’ supply, with pumpkins being the exception as these are seasonal from April to November. “Pumpkins are not a great seller over the summer months anyway, they are more of a winter vegetable.” Trends also changed, with cauliflower and beetroot having a resurgence in popularity. “A lot of people are eating things that they wouldn’t have even heard about 10 years ago, especially with leafy greens and salads.” As every carton had a packing date and unique line number, Oakley’s produce had complete traceability back to the paddock

it was grown. A seven days a week business,

workers, mainly from Pacific Island nations, to fill seasonal

in a house on one of the farm blocks.

Robin Oakley, of Southbridge-based Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables, grows and harvests broccoli all year round. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Oakley’s had 40 to 50 full-time staff, with some commuting from Christchurch. Seven staff from Vanuatu were employed as part of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme which allows

labour shortages. The Vanuatu workers were a core part of the broccoli harvesting team, working a six month stint before returning home and being replaced by another team. Accommodation was provided

“Before we had the RSE workers we had to largely rely on holiday workers to harvest crops and it was difficult to get consistently and quite a handful to manage the high turnover of staff. continued over page

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Robin Oakley (far right), his daughter April and MG representative Andrew Body check soil moisture probe readings in a potato crop. PHOTO SUPPLIED

“A lot of horticultural enterprises would not be in business without the RSE scheme as we do not have local people available to do the work.” While the emphasis was now on giving priority to New Zealanders made jobless from other industries by the Covid-19

pandemic, Kiwis don’t want to do this sort of work, Oakley said. “It is not the highest paid work, it is physical and outside and the hours vary. “New Zealanders in society today see themselves above doing that sort of work.” While the business was now

relatively large-scale it was not about being the biggest. “You do need scale, but you certainly don’t go out there to be the biggest. It is about being the best, the most sustainable and profitable.” While Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables was

increasingly adopting new technology, in part to meet environmental regulatory compliance, this was validating what it was already doing, Oakley said. “It is not as if the technology has come along and we are changing everything, although in some instances it has helped us to fine-tune some practices.” For example, it had about 10 soil moisture probes and was adding more each year. “These probes are validating what I already knew by going out to paddocks with a fork and assessing it by hand. Now I have more of those probes I don’t have to spend as much time going around paddocks to assess soil moisture.” The information can now be accessed from his phone and office computer. “Rather than checking paddocks every three or four days I can go once a week and be confident about the soil moisture status. It takes a bit of the guesswork out as we have a lot of paddocks at different growth stages. It is a tool that helps with management.” In terms of nutrients, Oakley was always mindful of nitrogen and water management “as too much or not enough of either one has the biggest impact on crop quality”. Soil fertility was tested before a crop was planted to determine

amount and timing of fertiliser applications, with the business developing its own database of crop requirements. The combination of traditional horticultural skills such as observation and good crop husbandry, along with the use of technology was recognised when Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables won three awards in the 2020 Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards, for soil management, use of agri-science and innovation. “Of the environmental requirements we now have to meet, there is very little that we weren’t doing anyway. We have always been monitoring crops and measuring inputs to ensure we are sustainable, both economically and environmentally,” Oakley said. “We don’t do any calendar spraying, but only when crop conditions require it. “We are always looking at ways we can improve.” This included ways to harvest potatoes in the most efficient and gentle way. The business was always trialling new varieties. While yield was a key factor, varieties also needed to perform in terms of quality and flavour. continued over page

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Boxed golden gourmet potatoes, sold under the Oakley’s brand, are growing in popularity as consumers seek better-quality potatoes. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Potatoes are sorted and packaged at Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables’ Southbridge packhouse before being distributed to supermarkets. PHOTO SUPPLIED

From P5 “There are some varieties that will perform better or worse than others in the same conditions, so we will compare these from one season to the next. “Some may require fewer inputs, or be more reliable.” Because of its wide range of soil conditions Oakley’s was consistently looking at cultivation practices and how

these could be improved. “We are always looking at how we can do less cultivation and still achieve the outcome we are after for the crop.” It had moved away from ploughing with one pass of a power harrow, to a system of rippers and discs. This could incorporate more crop residue with less disturbance of the soil. More cover crops were being used, mostly ryegrass and oats,

to put more organic matter into the soil and soak up nitrogen. Wheat, maize and turf grass were the main rotational crops when giving the land a break from vegetable production. Oakley has travelled around the world to find the right harvesting and packing machinery and software to suit his needs. “I don’t sit and wait and see what the neighbour is doing.”

When it comes to potato crops, nothing is left to chance, with about 200 trial digs done last season to assess crops as they were growing. A two metre length of row is dug each time, with about two digs a hectare. These are done on a weekly basis close to harvest. “We dig a two metre stretch, count all the tubers, weigh and size them, count the number of plants and stems and

record a lot of information to find differences between this treatment and that treatment, this seed or that seed to get an improvement and higher yield.” This was also used to predict yield and tuber size, so there were no surprises at harvest. “You can’t have too much information.” While the team does a lot of this monitoring work, Oakley also likes to do some to see the results for himself.

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Short-term gain won’t end the pain M

aybe I missed the memo; Covid-19 is completely behind us, the future maps out a clear and smooth path with a warm wind at our backs. Many sectors of the economy appear at first glance to be going gangbusters with activity near or in some cases better than pre-Covid-19 times. While that is good for now, we need that recovery to be durable and sustainable. As at the end of June, some $12 billion had been paid out in various wage and business subsidies, supporting 1.7 million jobs. Clearly that cannot go on forever, even though, best estimates have put the total forward provisions to respond to Covid-19 at $140 billion of additional government debt. Those predictions of total debt required were based on very optimist expectations of when the border would be open and tourism back to normal. Those timeframes look unachievable currently. So, we need a plan that delivers targeted support to sectors of the economy that can thrive and generate ongoing, sustainable and real business activity and vital foreign exchange receipts.

David Clark

President of MC Federated Farmers

This is not a time for nice to haves or investment in vanity projects, likewise it is not a time for legislation that will hobble those sectors that are earning foreign exchange and have the ability to earn more. The Freshwater Legislation making its way through Parliament currently will require severe and significant changes to farming systems, particularly in Canterbury. Production will reduce as a result, as will productive capacity, land values and equity. Climate Change legislation in the form of the Emissions Trading Scheme and Zero Carbon Bill is nothing more than “pay a small fee, plant a tree and carry on as normal” for the rest of New Zealand society. The planting of New Zealand hill country farms in pine trees for carbon sequestration provides, at best a 25-year blip in net carbon emissions while

doing nothing to reduce gross carbon emissions by investing in alternative energy sources or changing behaviours. Legislation requiring a reduction in biological methane from livestock of 10 per cent by 2030 and 24 to 47 per cent by 2050 is a political stance that is not based on science, in the view of Federated Farmers. My own view is that the methane reduction targets conveniently move much of the obligations of the Paris Accord on to the agricultural sector to shield the rest of society from

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the true impact of our pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050. This is not to say that farmers are not already investing in farming systems and techniques that reduce our impact on the environment. Here in Canterbury, we are fully engaged in the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan process that requires difficult, but achievable, cutbacks in nutrient loss. With regard to methane, biological methane emissions are tracking down at about 0.3 per cent per annum. Achievable

goals always gain more buy-in than goals someone has no hope of obtaining. An asset tax of 2 per cent annually would financially cripple the agricultural sector as many farm businesses struggle for tax paid returns of much more than 2 per cent. In preparation for the election, Federated Farmers has prepared an Election Platform document outlining our view of what policy settings are required “for a prosperous agricultural sector and thriving rural communities”. This will form the basis of policy lobbying across all political parties and covers RMA reform, water quality, biodiversity, climate change and methane targets, science investment, economic policy, trade, infrastructure, employment, local government, forestry, biosecurity and pest management. A recovery based firmly in real economic activity and genuine foreign exchange earnings is the only pathway to a sustainable future for our country. With $140 billion of additional Crown debt, we are all facing a diet for a long time, but that is a better outcome than a lolly scramble and sugar rush in the short term.

Farming

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Mycoplasma bovis three years on N

ew Zealand’s world-first effort to eradicate the cattle disease mycoplasma bovis has made significant progress with the number of infected properties dropping to new lows, three years since it was first detected in New Zealand. “To date, 250 properties have been infected by the disease – with all but four now clear of it,” Biosecurity and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “The hard and early approach with which we responded to Covid-19 was the exact same approach we took early on in our term as a government to eradicate M. bovis to protect our national herd, the economic base of our primary sector and the social good of the country.” “Key to the success are our programme partners DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand. They were part of the bold decision to attempt to eradicate this disease and have been part of our efforts since the very beginning. “It was estimated that allowing the disease to spread could cause $1.3 billion in economic losses in the first 10 years alone, along with substantial animal welfare issues and serious ongoing challenges for farmers having to manage the disease within their herds,” O’Connor said. “One key measure of success of our 10-year eradication plan, the Estimated Dissemination Rate (EDR), shows strongly that we have M. bovis firmly in our sights. If the EDR is greater than one, then the disease is growing. If it’s below one, we’re shrinking the disease. The EDR is now at 0.4, which is down from over two at the start of the outbreak, so we are looking harder to find fewer infected animals. “We’ve shown, again, that we’re able to do what other countries have not in terms of disease eradication efforts. That’s something our farming community should be really proud of. “Allowing the disease to spread would have caused lost

productivity in our vital cattle sectors and affected the economy. “Had we left M. bovis to run rampant, I’m not sure our dairy and beef sectors would have been able to weather the economic storm of Covid-19 and the challenges of drought conditions as well as they have. “The eradication effort has not been without substantial challenges and the impact on affected farmers can’t be underestimated. Farmers deserve a lot of credit for their efforts. We are continuing to improve processes and work hard to support their wellbeing and recovery, including getting their compensation claims paid as quickly as possible,” O’Connor said. “We are also changing tax law to further help farmers whose herds were culled. A significant tax bill can arise in the year they receive a compensation payment so we’ll be making a change that means they may be eligible to spread their income over several years. “There is still work to be done and there will be more infected farms to find – but we’re well and truly on track to do what no other country in the world has done and eradicate this disease. “The next 12 months is about

ensuring that we have found all infected herds. This will involve ongoing Bulk Tank Milk Surveillance, nationwide beef surveillance, and on-farm testing of herds that could possibly have been exposed, to ensure that they are not infected. “We will not let up on our efforts and will ensure that this disease is gone so that we can farm free from it in the future,” O’Connor said. The current situation (as at July 21) is: – 250 total confirmed properties – four active, 246 cleared – 58 dairy, 137 beef, 55 other – 69 North Island, 181 South Island – 157,854 animals culled – 1,517,203 tests completed – $166 million compensation paid – M. bovis was first detected in New Zealand on July 22, 2017, after a large number of cattle in a South Canterbury dairy herd began displaying symptoms of a novel disease. – M. bovis had not previously been detected in New Zealand. It was soon established that this was a new incursion that occurred around early 2015 and the

disease was not widespread throughout the national cattle herd. In a combined statement, Beef + Lamb NZ chief executive Sam McIvor, M. bovis Governance Group independent chair Kelvan Smith, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) directorgeneral Ray Smith, MPI deputy director-general for biosecurity Penny Nelson and DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle said the joint decision to attempt eradication was a difficult call. “The extensive movement of cattle in New Zealand and the importance of this sector to our economy meant that eradication, while difficult, was the best option for our farmers and our economy. “The past three years have presented enormous challenges, and it has been a difficult, uncertain and disruptive time for farmers and their families, especially those directly affected. The process has not always been smooth and at times mistakes have been made. We have had to continually change, adapt and improve, often being guided by direct feedback from affected farmers. “Today we can report that the M. bovis programme is on

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track and we are confident that we will achieve eradication so that we can farm free from this disease,” the statement said. At the end of July there were just two farms (both finishing beef operations) with infected cattle still on farm. Two other farms still under a Restricted Place Notice have been depopulated and are completing cleaning and disinfection. There are currently 48 farms under Notices of Direction, 79 per cent down on one year ago. The Bulk Tank Milk Surveillance programme was finding very few infected farms and the National Beef Surveillance programme had found none to date. “It is important to note that there is still work to be done and we expect to find some more infected herds. There will be farms with Bulk Tank Milk screening detect results during spring and there will be other farms which might have been exposed to trace cattle. All of these farms will require testing to make sure we’ve found every infected herd. We are aiming to move fully to the longterm surveillance programme to prove the disease is gone within the next 12 months.”

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Price record falls at annual dog sale

Dogs are put through their paces herding sheep before going under the hammer.

PHOTO HEATHER MACKENZIE 160720-HM-0069

A girl’s best friend

PHOTO HEATHER MACKENZIE 160720-HM-0045

This working dog passes his test with a successful penning of sheep.

PHOTO HEATHER MACKENZIE 160720-HM-0029

he temperature was not the only thing to take a tumble at the 64th annual sheep and cattle dog sale in Mayfield. The mercury may have been hovering just above zero, but the bidding was running hot. Brian Wilson’s two-yearold heading bitch Spring, set a New Zealand dog sale record when PGG Wrightson livestock auctioneer Greg Cook bought the hammer down at $13,200 plus GST. The sale smashed last year’s highest price record of $10,000 set when heading dog Jack topped a sales record that went back 63 years. Cook said this was a lively sale with 37 of the 38 dogs entered heading off to new homes. “We have 84 registered bidders here from all over New Zealand and for the first-time buyers can

Heather Mackenzie

REPORTER

bid via phone as they watch the live stream.” The top huntaway money, $8500, went to seller Ryan McNab for his two-year-old Ralph. “All of the dogs went for good money. Those looking for a good dog had to adjust their sights and pay the same amount for a medium dog,” said Cook. Cook said the surprise price of the day was for four-year old

huntaway, Ted, sold by Mayme Oliver from Hanmer Springs. The very handsome bearded dog headed off on the back of a different truck, after his new owner parted with $6000. Bob Sherp said he, and his wife, made the trip south from Marlborough, specially for this sale, to replace their current heading dog. “He has gone a bit deaf. Having to rely on a deaf dog to muster the sheep is not ideal as I just have to leave him to it and rely on his natural ability, sometimes he gets it right and, sometimes he doesn’t.” Happily the pair found what they were looking for in fouryear-old heading dog, Steve. After a quick rundown with Steve’s seller Jim Burrows, on the commands Steve responds to, ‘keep’ for right and ‘bye’ for left,

Four-year old huntaway, Ted, sold for $6000 at July 16, 64th annual sheep and cattle dog sale in Mayfield.

PHOTO HEATHER MACKENZIE 160720-HM-0010

it was time for a rather tentativelooking Steve to head off to his new life in the sun and, as promised, a better than average kennel. Also eyeing the listings in the catalogue were Leanne and Mathew Reed, from Darfield. After having a go at training a heading dog themselves, Leanne said they discovered it was a tricky business, best left to the experts. “We are here today to purchase a dog that is already trained, that can hopefully show our other dogs how it is done.” With having young children Leanne said they are not only looking at the dog’s skills, but how it can relate to their two children, three-year-old Emma and fifteen-month-old James. Leanne, originally from

Canada, admitted it was her love of farm dogs that got her to Mayfield on such a cold morning. “We don’t really have farm dogs in Canada and I just love them and all their different personalities. “Put it his way, if this was a tractor sale I wouldn’t be here,” she said.

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FEATURE

Being part of the Power Farming team A

Australasia with 16 dealerships and four independently-owned dealerships throughout New Zealand. As well as selling and supporting some of the best agricultural and construction tractors, telehandlers and machinery with specialised sales and support teams, they have highly trained service technicians who are supported by an amazing parts delivery system from hubs in the Waikato and Canterbury. Call 03 307-7153 or visit our dealership at 233 Alford Forest Road, Ashburton.

a ull r nge ASK ABOUT

t Power Farming, you’re not just a client, you are part of the Power Farming team. Priding themselves on being part of their clients’ organisations and, most of all, making sure their businesses grow - the reason the dedicated team gets out of bed in the morning is to make sure your team is not just the best performing in your district, but that you’re up there with the best in the country. In fact, the best in the world. At Power Farming in Ashburton, tractor brands Deutz-Fahr and Kioti provide them with options for every rural and municipal requirement from lifestyle to professional contractors. Additional to their tractors they also supply Merlo Telehandlers. Merlo is proud of its heritage with New Zealand and has been the number one selling Telehandler in NZ for the past 20 years. The machinery line-up includes Kverneland, Maschio Gaspardo and McHale. They’re literally some of the best machines in the world. Power Farming’s balers are designed and built in a country similar to New Zealand, and their drills are innovative throughout Europe and work effectively here in New Zealand. Kverneland invented ploughing and working the land in tough volcanic country like New Zealand and they are one of the leaders in ISOBUS technology. Power Farming understands the best manufacturers from around the globe and makes sure they’re bringing in top quality gear with the finest designs that will be suited to your farm, project or contract. They also support local suppliers such as Aitchison and Howard machinery who have an understanding of the local working conditions. The Power Farming Group is the largest independently New Zealand-owned importer and distributor of farm machinery in

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Power Farming Ashburton

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FEATURE

At EuroAgri, it’s all about quality A

family-owned business, for EuroAgri, it’s all about people doing business with people. All machines brought into New Zealand are top-level products in their own countries, which focus on worldwide research and development, and this, combined with the local experience and local knowledge of EuroAgri’s own team, becomes a recipe for success. For management and staff of EuroAgri, sustainability, and looking after future generations of farmers are major aims. With a belief that excellent service and support, along with competitive prices, are what New Zealand farmers look for, the small team of hands-on staff

Right – EuroAgri’s client base is spread far and wide because people value their brands.

are committed to ensuring the success of their products both now and into the future. Machine set-up, help and guidance are all part of the service and if the time arises, they’re only a phone call away to answer any questions or provide further support. EuroAgri carries a comprehensive parts stock holding, knowing how crucial it is to keep machines running around the clock. Parts are freighted throughout the country or can simply be collected from the

premises. Despite being located in the centre of the South Island, the client base is spread far and wide, from the tip of the South Island to the top of the North. Why? Because clients value their brands, designed for rugged European conditions, which are very

similar to those in New Zealand, but most importantly, they perform. While the Northern Hemisphere winters may be more severe, similar soil types and topography are experienced, and farming systems, methods and culture are compatible.

If you are looking for a good quality used machine of any make and model, EuroAgri is your place. With many years in the industry, their extensive contacts often mean they may just be able to get their hands on the machinery you’re after.

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Velvet-based products have been in demand in China and South Korea during the Covid-19 pandemic because of their perceived immune-supPHOTO SUPPLIED port functions.

Deer velvet prospects positive T

he deer farming industry is feeling okay about the prospects for deer velvet sales in Asia in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. While it doesn’t rule out some continuing market disruption during the 2020-21 season, which begins in October, longterm demand in Asia for natural health food ingredients like velvet looks relatively stable. “During the peak of the pandemic in China and South Korea, velvet-based products enjoyed reasonable demand through online and home shopping channels because of their perceived immune-support functions. “Health-related food products from New Zealand were in particular demand,” Deer Industry NZ (DINZ) marketing manager Rhys Griffiths said. Speaking at the 2020 Deer Industry Conference – an online event held on three successive Tuesdays in late June/early July – Griffiths said velvet production in the 2019-2020 season will

be up slightly from 803 tonnes the season before. The farmgate value of velvet remains at more than $100 million for a second year running. “Our largest exporters report that pretty much all their stocks have been sold. “Prices were back a bit due to supply chain disruptions, rather than any issues with consumption. In fact, several more branded products based on New Zealand velvet have been launched in South Korea this year, despite the pandemic,” Griffiths said. “So, the picture is positive. We have a healthy and growing velvet industry that, over the last eight years has nearly doubled its volume and more than trebled in its value. At the same time, we need to be mindful about growing too fast.” Most of the season’s production had been shipped to markets in Asia before they went into lockdown. This meant velvet was less impacted by Covid-19 than other product groups, but it

didn’t escape entirely. “Just under a third of New Zealand velvet is processed in China and re-exported to Korea – and this supply chain was affected. There was also significant disruption to airfreight. Passenger aircraft account for a lot of freight – and with the decimation of air services, the cost of airfreight went up. “Sales of velvet products through brick and mortar stores were impacted, as you’d imagine with no foot traffic. Sales through Oriental medicine doctors also suffered as elderly patients stayed away from clinics for fear of coming into contact with Covid-19.” Griffiths said sales through stores and clinics have since rebounded somewhat in those cities in Korea and China where Covid-19 is under better control. Also, early indications are that the core markets of China, South Korea and Taiwan might come out of the pandemic better than many western countries where

the pandemic has not been effectively controlled. Looking ahead, he initially had some concerns of a reduction in demand resulting from the economic impact of Covid-19 on consumer spending power. However, this may be offset by demand from consumers who use New Zealand velvet for its perceived immune support properties. “Immune support is a good space to be in right now. Underlying demand for New Zealand velvet in both Korea and China is strong. And there is increasing interest from other parts of Asia that we are investigating,” Griffiths said. “Also, the way New Zealand has managed the pandemic has gained us real kudos on the world stage. Don’t underestimate the impact this might have in terms of demand for our products.” He said there is a strong perception in Asia that New Zealand is a clean, green country with a professional

farming industry, with strict product hygiene and animal welfare standards, overseen by government officials. These attributes, along with the physical quality of the antler itself, mean that New Zealand velvet often earns a premium in Korea over velvet from other countries. To further reinforce this positioning, DINZ chief executive Innes Moffat told the conference that a paddock-toprocessor traceability system, VelTrak, will be introduced next year. “With more and more marketing companies displaying the New Zealand origin of their velvet ingredient, Veltrak will give them a way to guarantee the provenance of every stick they buy. This will help protect the value of the New Zealand velvet brand and help protect the investment deer farmers have made in their velvet production and quality assurance systems,” Moffat said.

Scannell Bale Feeders The Scannell 12m³ Universal Feeder features an elevator that is fully adjustable from 15 right through to 90 degrees of tilt. Functions are controlled by a joystick in the cab with fingertip control giving the machine its reputation of being easy to use.

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It is great for feeding out into troughs or over fences and gives the option of feeding out any product that you may need with no trouble. It comes with a sprung tail door to allow for rear loading of bales. The USF-12m³ features an offset axle pivot allowing the front tyres to carry less weight for better performance of soft ground lessening the chance of sledging.

Ashburton 233 Alford Forest Road 03 307 7153

Power Farming Ashburton

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FEATURE

Supporting cow health with the demands of increased production W

ith per cow costs increasing many dairy farmers are now more focused on increased per cow production, while also targeting increased productivity per hectare and lowering empty rates. As production increases it also increases the pressure on the cow through the season. Magnesium, calcium and phosphorus dusting is a common support to the cowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health in this context. Over the years it has been common practise for farmers to dust pastures for the first 1-2 months of lactation at 100-200gms/cow/day of lime flour and 80gms/cow/day of mag oxide to high production cows, and then running a 1012-week mating. Today it is not unusual for cows to produce in excess of 450kgMS, some farmers are also pushing for as little as an 8-week mating. In consequence calcium supplementation is required for longer, and more accurate magnesium and phosphorus supplementation is also needed. Supplementation should be based on actual pasture/herbage levels. Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus supplements exist in a number of different forms. Using more available forms can make a large difference. It is not only form and availability of the

mineral that is relevant, some thought needs to be given to how these minerals are best delivered. Dusting can lead to highly variable per cow intakes. Intake is naturally affected by the inaccuracy of the application, weather conditions, palatability, and so forth. Water treatment of magnesium allows highly available salts to be used, however water palatability can be negatively affected and we all know if water intake decreases production suffers. Agvance have developed a granular mineral product called OptiPrill that effectively eliminates all of these problems. OptiPrill is a fully granulated calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and trace mineral product. It is a formed mineral prill coated with molasses as well as a sealing agent, giving good consistency, and easy efficient delivery of all the minerals contained within the prill. OptiPrill is highly palatable and is dustfree meaning it moves freely through the auger system and is eaten well by the cows while milking. An effective alternative, which allows farmers to get away from dusting and efficiently supplement their herd. Shaun Balemi, dairy nutritionist (M.Sc, NZARN) at Agvance Nutrition

Shaun Balemi supports farmers with animal nutrition and minerals advice PHOTO SUPPLIED

Farming

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FEATURE

Get a head-start on pasture growth F

armers can get a head-start on pasture and crop growth going into spring with a granular fertiliser that performs in cooler temperatures. Immediately effective in both cool and warm weather, ASN Cold Start provides an ideal nitrogen to sulphur ratio for all crops, including pasture, hay and silage, maize, cereals and vegetables. The combined package of nitrate, ammonia and sulphate sulphur provides superior performance to alternative fertilisers, especially in cool conditions. ASN Cold Start is available from Viable Agriculture, a small independent Ashburton-based fertiliser company. Viable Agriculture imports high quality granular fertiliser, specifically selected for New Zealand growing conditions, from leading overseas manufacturers. Viable Agriculture South Island territory manager Ian

Viable Agriculture South Island territory manager PHOTO SUPPLIED Ian Ferguson.

Spreading ASN Coldstart ® in the first round will give you a consistently superior economic response!

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Ian Ferguson (South Island Territory Manager ) Viable Agriculture Limited

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“

Volatilisation and leaching are reduced to very low levels, significantly improving environmental outcomes

Ferguson said ASN Cold Start is ideally applied in both August and September. When it comes to nitrogen (N), the presence of both forms (ammonium and nitrate) in a fertiliser provides a superior winter pasture response, Ferguson said. Plants absorb most of their N requirements in the nitrate form, but many fertilisers contain only ammonium N, for example Ammo, urea, ammonium sulphate, DAP and MAP. To supply plants with readily available nitrate N, the ammonium N typically undergoes conversion by soil bacteria in a process known as nitrification. This nitrification process is dramatically slowed when soil temperatures fall below 10deg, during excess soil moisture after high rainfall and when soil aeration is poor. AgResearch trials in 1995 confirmed that ASN Cold Start produced significantly more pasture drymatter than other N forms. These positive responses were maintained through to the final cut (57 to 77 days after application). In independent trials on three Canterbury dairy farms over 28 days in 2013, 160kg/ha of ASN Cold Start (41.6kgN) was compared with 125kg/ha of Ammo36 (45kgN). Pasture growth on the farms was monitored from August 19 to September 23. The farms, two near Ashburton and the third at Fairlie, produced between 33 and 96 per cent more drymatter with ASN Cold Start compared with Ammo36 at similar N rates over the trial period. As ASN Cold Start does not volatilise, N loses to the atmosphere do not occur. Application can be flexible to suit weather conditions. Dew will break down the granules, requiring only adequate water to dissolve and wash it in for it to be fast acting. ASN Cold Start also combines readily available sulphate sulphur with N for maximum pasture growth. Temporary sulphur deficiencies are often observed in winter because of low soil temperatures, lack of mineralisation, high rainfall and leaching.

ASN Cold Start provides sulphur as readily available sulphate which ensures efficient N utilisation. Research has shown N inputs can be reduced by up to 20 per cent without loss of production in the presence of adequate sulphur. Ferguson said it was ideally followed by CRN44, which, in complete contrast to fast-acting ASN Cold Start, is one of the products in its Rustica time release range of controlled release fertilisers. Applications of CRN44 are recommended in October and January. Viable Agriculture’s controlled release fertilisers incorporate environmentallyfriendly biodegradable plant-based polymer coatings for superior nutrient recovery, greater N efficiency, no volatile losses, reduced leaching, fewer applications and at lower rates compared with conventional fertilisers. Nitrogen is released from the granule at a controlled rate, dependent on temperature and moisture. “Volatilisation and leaching are reduced to very low levels, significantly improving environmental outcomes.” CRN44’s rate of release closely matched pasture uptake, with one application supplying N for 90 to 120 days. “This can save up to four applications compared with urea, reducing spreading costs.” Ferguson said that volatilisation losses made urea very inefficient and therefore more expensive. “In contrast, CRN44 gives outstanding value and reduces N losses as supply of N from CRN is closely matched to pasture requirements.” This would assist farmers to minimise their N losses and meet tightening environmental compliance requirements. It could also assist farmers to reduce nitrogen applications in line with the Government’s planned nitrogen cap, without a reduction in pasture production.

For more information: www.viag.co.nz

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FEATURE

Go green with a high-yielding ryegrass H

igh-yielding hybrid ryegrass is a win:win for farmers looking to improve livestock performance, farm profitability and soil nutrient management. That’s the advice from a local pasture system specialist as spring sowing approaches. Blair Cotching says one hybrid in particular combines exceptional dry matter (DM) yield with enhanced cool season growth to lift farm efficiency, and absorb soil nitrogen (N) during the highest risk times for nitrate leaching. Shogun is the only hybrid ryegrass in the South Island DairyNZ Forage Value Index (FVI) for 12-month feed, and also has earned the top 5 star rating. This makes it one of the two most profitable options in the 12-month feed category, exceeding most Italian ryegrasses. Five star pastures in the FVI system have the highest extra farm operating profit per hectare. As a three to four year pasture, Shogun is ideal for spring sowing after winter crops, says Cotching, pasture systems manager for Barenbrug. It will help mop up excess soil N through winter and early spring, and add more cool

Shogun is a fast-growing hybrid ideal for sowing after winter crops. PHOTO SUPPLIED

season activity to the whole farm system. “The more cool season growth you have in your system, the more N you capture before it leaves the soil.” One advantage of using Shogun hybrid ryegrass is that

it lasts longer than an Italian, saving on downtime involved with re-sowing. Thanks to fast establishment, it is ready for its first grazing quickly, and is highly palatable. Shogun also suits minimum till cultivation techniques, such as

direct drilling. No matter how it’s used, getting the best out of Shogun comes down to treating it like a ‘high performance forage crop’ instead of a ‘pasture’. Three grazing management tips make all the difference, Cotching says.

The first is to graze at the correct length; the second is not to over graze it and the third is to avoid damaging it in wet conditions. Shogun can grow so much faster than other pastures it can easily end up too long before farmers realise it. “Don’t turn your back on this one! Too much length before grazing risks loss of tiller density, and slows regrowth speed after grazing. Maximum cover should be about 3500 kg DM/ha, or when Shogun has 2.5 - 3 leaves per tiller.” Equally, Cotching says, the hybrid should not be hard grazed repeatedly, especially in dry summer conditions. “This can also happen surprisingly easily, because it is extremely palatable. Palatability supports excellent animal performance – animals love it – but it also means Shogun is more easily over-grazed than normal pastures.” Tetraploid cultivars are more open in their growth habit than diploids, and more prone to treading damage from cattle, so it’s important to prevent this happening wherever possible, as it can significantly reduce future potential DM yield.

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Ashburton 233 Alford Forest Road 03 307 7153

Power Farming Ashburton

Farming

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Environmental precision ag

ike everything in life and business sound planning and decision making is the key to excellent performance and precision agriculture only takes this philosophy further. At the root of it, precision agriculture and the technology behind it allows farmers to easily record and collect detailed information across their farm. GPS enabled tractors, spatial farm maps and soil maps, GPS-recorded soil nutrient tests and much more all build the layers to further enhance the understanding of why crops and pastures are performing like they are. Precision ag gives farmers confidence to tweak decision making at a spatial level within a paddock to ensure all areas of the paddock have the right level of input applied in the right place to optimise productivity and profitability. With new nitrogen regulations coming into effect next year it’s now even more important to ensure that inputs are recorded on farm and fine tuned as much as possible to ensure that productivity and profitability is optimised within this regulated environment. For farmers looking at ways to reduce their on-farm nitrogen use starting at the ground level is key. Do you have soil variability on farm? Do these soils grow pasture and crop differently? Is there enough variability to adjust inputs to match productivity potential in these different areas? Often there is far more soil

Survey turns 70

variability than farmers recognise and this is an opportunity to adjust your nitrogen and other inputs to match application rates with productivity potential. Some areas will justify having rates dropped significantly, allowing an opportunity for overall on-farm N reduction without sacrificing productivity potential. EM Surveying is one of the key ways to gain the understanding of soil variability and whether there is an ability to cut inputs based off this. Another strategic way to easily reduce inputs is by the use of buffer zones around sensitive or non-productive areas. Having all these maps and identifying applications rates is all good and well but you still need the hardware to control application, and that’s where the Trimble display range can help. From the entry level GFX-350 right up to the TMX-2050 there’s a solution for whatever your needs are. Trimble are currently offering a trade-up programme for old displays whether they’re Trimble or not, so if you’re interested in upgrading get in touch with the Vantage NZ team today to find out if you qualify for the $5000 discount off your new display. Vantage NZ is your one-stop shop for all your precision ag needs so if you’re wanting to find out more about how precision ag could help your farming business call 0800 482 682 or email info@vantage-nz.com to speak to one of our experts.

Manage your environment with Precision Ag.

Precision Decisions = Precision Results. Like everything in life and business sound planning and decision making is the key to excellent performance and precision agriculture only takes this philosophy further. At Vantage NZ we have a wide range of tools and technologies to ensure precision decisions are made every time and the information can easily feed into your farm environment plans.

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uly marks the 70th anniversary of Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Economic Service which was initially set up in 1950 to help a struggling post-war sheep sector. The service was established as a joint venture between the Meat Board and Wool Board after a 1947 Royal Commission study recommended establishing a Sheep Industry Board to collect and document factual information about farm production and economics. This continues to be done today, as it was back in 1950, through the Economic Service’s Sheep and Beef Farm Survey.

As well as giving insight into the state and financial health of New Zealand’s agricultural industry, the information gathered through the survey is used to inform local, regional and central government policy, underpin forecasts and trends in meat and wool production. It also enables farmers to benchmark their own businesses against others in their cohort. B+LNZ chief economist Andrew Burtt said the survey had grown in complexity over the years, reflecting the increasingly complex nature of sheep and beef farming businesses. “We really want to acknowledge the generous support of over 3000 past, and present, survey farmers, who have volunteered their time and information knowing that confidences will be respected. Some farms have been in the survey for over 50 years,” Burtt said. “The individualised way the data is collected means that when it is used to inform policy, forecasts and trends, it is actual data and not based on “model” or “average” farms. This is a real strength because it shows the complexity and diversity of New Zealand’s sheep and beef farm businesses.” B+LNZ’s chief insights officer Jeremy Baker said the Economic Service was a key contributor to the on-going development and implementation of industry strategy. Data gathered over 70 years formed a rich database of physical and financial trends at both industry and farm level, which helped the industry develop future scenarios at both system and farm level. “It’s fantastic to know where we’ve come from; it grounds strategy and thinking for tomorrow,” Baker said. Celebrations of the milestone will be held over the coming weeks and months.

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FEATURE

Building a sustainable farming future A

fter spending her working life in the agricultural industry in various advisory roles across the country, Nicole Lang has established her own business as a farm environment consultant and farm sustainability advocate. She now lives with her husband and four children at Mt Somers Station in the picturesque Mid Canterbury foothills. “I’ve worked in both co-operative and private agricultural service companies, as well as private farming operations. “My husband Angus and I have operated a sharemilking business and now have a share farming business with beef cows and deer. There are always rewarding opportunities and pathways for young people in both the agricultural service industry and dairy, sheep and beef businesses if you aren’t afraid of hard work,” Lang said. Most recently, Lang has drawn on all of her professional experience to date to launch her own consultancy, Lang Sustainability, in late 2019. Her business services include farm system planning, resource

Nicole Lang has established her own business as a farm environment consultant and farm sustainability advocate. PHOTO SUPPLIED

consenting, farm environmental compliance and independent fertiliser and agronomy advice. She is also a Red Meat Profit Partnership Group facilitator. This year she has undertaken further study through Massey University and NZ Institute of Planning via distance learning to complete further courses

in planning, advanced soil conservation, effluent design and management and is enrolled to commence the greenhouse gas emissions and management course. “I enjoy the study, which enables me to offer the most up-to-date and prudent advice available.

“I wanted to provide a more boutique and broader offering to the farm environmental consultant role. “I think we are at a critical stage where it is really important to fully understand the operations of a farming business to be able to provide meaningful advice and the level of critique that is necessary in today’s environment. I also really enjoy benchmarking and encouraging continuous improvement in farm businesses,” Lang said. The flexibility of operating her own business allowed more time to engage and spend with her children – two sets of twins – especially when they were young, “but I’m still searching for the ultimate work-life balance”. Despite the bombardment of regulation upon farmers, they have an epic opportunity to build further sustainability into their farm systems, which supply

some of the most efficiently produced and highest quality food in the world, Lang said. Lang believed that the key to a sustainable farming future was creating efficient farm systems that were profitable, being able to refine environmental practices, increasing on-farm biodiversity, and striving for continuous improvement. “Farmers can invest millions on fencing off water ways, riparian planting and implementing systems for recording and reporting for compliance purposes, but without the underlying farm system creating profit it is totally unsustainable. So the underlying farm principles and processes are just as important. “I also think it’s critical that future investment in the environmental space is directed to where the scientific evidence supports the greatest reductions in environmental impacts,” Lang said. If you need to understand your farming operation’s compliance position or are looking to refine your farm environmental practices further give Nicole Lang a call or send her an email for a chat.

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Post-Covid-19 boost for farmland A

ctivity in the rural property sector has increased in the last few weeks, with the appetite for land rising appreciably. Enquiry for sheep and beef farms, which has been steady for a while, is becoming keener, likewise for arable property. Meanwhile, smaller dairy farms, with capacity for up to 500 cows, are also in demand at a higher level than for at least the past two years. Clearly, although the wider economy is struggling in the wake of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, interest in rural property appears to have evaded this, at least in the meantime. Enquiry for corporatestyle dairy farms, capable of sustaining 1500 cows or more,

Calvin Leen

PGG Wrightson Real Estate

has been near non-existent for the past two years. However, that too is changing as New Zealand-based corporate investors seek to increase their exposure to agriculture, enabling dairy to re-emerge as a positive option. Elsewhere in our sector, the provincial lifestyle and residential property markets are benefiting from trends

originating from what the world has faced for the past few months. We have seen plenty of activity in the region in and around Waimate, Methven, Fairlie, Ashburton, Oamaru and Timaru. Within 10 days of listing recently, we took 25 different parties over a modest twobedroom residential property, receiving nine offers. Farmers are recognising the opportunity to capitalise on this post-Covid-19 demand for lifestyle properties. Subdividing where permitted under zoning requirements, even down to between 1.5 and 2 hectares, can provide capital that will increase the equity available

to a farm without unduly compromising productivity. Colleagues in our companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wider national network testify that the appetite for rural property is not restricted to our region: it is elevated across the South Island. Whether this continues remains to be seen, although the more positive vibe in the rural community is evident, based on a number of factors, including the previously allpervading criticism of farming from much of the urban-based media dying down, along with new opportunities to re-negotiate rural finance. Regarding the latter, we are aware of some farmers now benefiting from unprecedented

low interest rates. In such a positive market an elevated number of rural properties are likely to list for spring sale. One note of caution for anyone presenting a farm: be aware of the consequences of Environment Canterburyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Plan Change 7, which may have an impact on potential land use on your property, including the likes of water takes and nitrogen application, either now or in the years ahead. Careful consideration of these consequences will make a sale easier. Calvin Leen is Mid-South Canterbury and North Otago Sales Manager for PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited

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FEATURE

Irrigation group targets positive message I

rrigation New Zealand is restructuring to put renewed focus on solving the tension between the fundamental need for irrigation in a post-Covid New Zealand, and the sector’s increasingly restricted licence to operate. In addition, the loss of IrrigationNZ’s flagship conference planned for April due to lockdown meant the organisation experienced significant financial loss creating reason to review, reset and refocus. As such, the board of IrrigationNZ had restructured the organisation to reflect a new two-pronged approach to focus on advocacy at a national level, as well as deliver value on the ground in the regions. The following changes have been made: • IrrigationNZ will move its headquarters to Wellington, the heart of national decision making, and will hire a new chief executive to lead the organisation from the capital city. • IrrigationNZ has established a new role, regional policy and planning manager, to assist members, regional councils and other local authorities and stakeholders on matters of policy as it affects irrigation, water, and the primary sector on the ground across rural regions. Elizabeth Soal will remain as chief executive until after the 2020 General Election, when she will take on the new regional role. IrrigationNZ chair Keri Johnston said that the dependability of irrigated

production systems was central to New Zealand embarking on the recovery phase of Covid-19. Access to a reliable water supply was critical to all communities. “Yet, the general misunderstanding of the benefits and positive impacts of irrigation persist. Continued and often unbalanced messages strongly influence both central and local government in setting policy direction. “Irrigators are greatly concerned that their freedom to operate and ability to continue contributing to the wellbeing and economy of New Zealand is being threatened. “The irrigation sector acknowledges that there are both real and perceived impacts of intensive farming on water quality. Many irrigators take a proactive approach to improving environmental outcomes, including implementing audited farm environment plans, and proactively monitoring water quality. They also work with councils and the local community to improve water quality. “The sector is well down a path towards good management practice and is committed to not only achieve, but better this goal. This will ensure our food and fibre production remains in demand globally whilst capturing local community support and further developing pride in our primary industries. “Irrigation is a critical component of a vibrant and environmentally sustainable agricultural and horticultural economy and we will work hard towards ensuring that irrigation remains an integral part of a healthy and thriving Aotearoa New Zealand. “An important part of the organisational changes is about being best positioned to articulate on behalf of, and advocate for, an industry not well understood – and one that is rarely given the benefit of the doubt – across all levels of government, business and nongovernmental organisations.

“We are confident about this renewed focus and are excited about the opportunities for the sector, and our rural regions where irrigation is such a cornerstone. “We thank all of our staff, members and stakeholders for their work and support,” Johnston said. IrrigationNZ is a not-for-profit national organisation that represents around 3500 members across the irrigation sector, including irrigation schemes, individual farmer-irrigators, and

the irrigation service sector. It supports the critical role its members play in producing sustainable food and fibre in New Zealand. Irrigating farmers represent 800,000 hectares of New Zealand (seven per cent of farmland) and directly contribute an estimated $5.4 billion to GDP (20 per cent of total agricultural and horticultural contribution). Irrigation schemes represent the largest number of water consents in agriculture and horticulture.

IrrigationNZ’s chief executive Elizabeth Soal will take on a new regional role as the organisation restructures and moves its headquarters to Wellington to better advocate for the sector.

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Hemp the ideal fit for Fonterra waste Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

ast-growing hemp is proving a useful crop to utilise wastewater from Fonterra’s Darfield factory, while also achieving better returns than traditional pasture. About 10 hectares of hemp was grown last season on the farm which surrounds the Darfield factory, said Fonterra’s regional farm operations manager Steve Veix. As only limited information was available on how the crop would perform under dairy factory wastewater irrigation “we did take a bit of a punt”, Veix said. Fonterra’s initiatives to reduce water use at its processing sites meant less water was available on the farm to irrigate. In summer, about 1.5mm a day was applied by its centre pivot spray irrigators which in hot, dry conditions did not keep up with soil moisture loss.

“Rather than just growing grass, which struggles in dry conditions, we looked at other options.” The farm also needed a crop that was actively growing during summer to absorb nutrients from the wastewater, minimising the factory’s environmental footprint. Following an approach by agricultural servicing business and industrial hemp pioneer Carrfields, a hybrid variety was grown which could be used for both fibre and seed production. The crop yielded about one tonne a hectare of seed, despite “birds giving it a bit of a hard time”, Veix said. “It grew very well, almost like a weed. “It improved the profitability of the land while meeting the limitations we have with water and maximising nutrient removal.” The crop also worked in well with the farm’s regrassing programme. Because industrial hemp grown in a paddock looks identical to its illegal cousin, the recreational drug marijuana, but without the THC euphoric-high effects, some extra precautions were required. This included not planting the crop where it could be seen from

Happy with the way industrial hemp utilises wastewater from Fonterra’s Darfield factory are (from left) Darfield farm manager Bruce Knudsen, director of global sustainability Carolyn Mortland and regional farm operations manager Steve Veix. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

the road, to avoid unwanted attention. Growers must also pay for a licence to grow hemp commercially. Veix said he was hoping to potentially expand hemp growing to other Fonterra factory farms. “It fits in really well with what we do.” The farm was trialling several

drought-tolerant pasture plants including fescue, cocksfoot, brown mustard seed and lucerne. The Darfield farm covers 850ha in four blocks around the factory, on both sides of State Highway 73. As well as grazing lambs for meat processor Alliance Group, another farmer co-operative, the

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Dairy Focus

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

NITROGEN

CUTS TO HURT Page 22-23

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Working towards reduced nitrogen levels C

anterbury dairy farmers are being urged to start cutting their synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use this season in anticipation of the 190kg a hectare cap being implemented in July next year. At an Irrigo Centre Facing our Future expo and trade show at Ashburton, farmers were told that water quality in Mid Canterbury was under stress and a lot of this was connected to farming activity. Six irrigation schemes operate under the Irrigo banner, covering 180,000 hectares in Mid Canterbury. Collectively, this represented 20 per cent of New Zealand’s irrigated area, said Irrigo Centre environmental manager Eva Harris. “So the changes that we make individually will collectively make a big difference to water quality in our catchment.” Tighter regulations cutting nitrogen applications and nitrogen loss into the environment were being imposed because water quality trends were not going in the right direction, Harris said. “I can’t fight your corner until I see these trends go in the opposite direction. So, we need to make change to see change.” Positive change was occurring

Heather Chalmers

Irrigo Centre environmental manager Eva Harris says that as 80 per cent of its irrigators apply more than 190kg/ ha of nitrogen, the Government-imposed cap will have a significantly disproportionate impact on Canterbury farmers.

RURAL REPORTER

with almost 75 per cent of Barrhill Chertsey Irrigation shareholders now meeting good management practice, compared with 10 per cent when the auditing programme started about five years ago. As 80 per cent of Irrigo shareholders applied an average of more than 190kg/ha of nitrogen, the Governmentimposed cap would have a significantly disproportionate impact on Canterbury farmers, Harris said. Information provided to Irrigo from farmers’ nutrient budgets showed that while some big nitrogen users were applying up to 500kg/ha the average application rate was coming down. Last year, Mid Canterbury dairy farmers applied an average 220kg/ha of nitrogen, down from 250kg/ha in 2015-18.

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About 10 per cent of Irrigo shareholders were applying more than 300kg/N/ha, Harris said. No information had been provided by government on how the 190kg/ha cap would be calculated, or what product types were included, though it had indicated it applied to synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. While the nitrogen cap applied to all pastoral farms, sheep and beef farms would be largely unaffected as few, if any, would get close to the 190kg limit. For those that did, such as South Island mixed finishing farms, most nitrogen fertiliser usage was for arable purposes, which was exempt. Virginia Serra of DairyNZ, who is leading a five-year project

to reduce nitrogen losses from dairy farms in the at risk Hinds and Selwyn water catchments, said that work to date had been looking for solutions for the whole farming system and the whole nitrogen cycle. “To date we have focused on output, which is what is lost to the environment. With this new regulation we are forced to concentrate on one particular input – nitrogen.” As well as applied nitrogen, the other main sources of nitrogen in pastoral farming were supplementary feed and nitrogen naturally fixed by legumes such as clover. Nitrogen fertiliser was strongly correlated with nitrogen surplus and a higher nitrogen surplus was strongly

correlated with nitrogen loss, Serra said. “So while we would have preferred not to have this input control, it is taking us in the right direction.” Farmers could drop nitrogen usage by about 20 per cent from higher rates of around 300kg/ ha without major effect, but cutting the last 40kg from the average application rate of about 230kg/N/ha down to the new cap “could be challenging,” Serra said. Normally it would take two to three years to increase clover content in pasture, to offset the fall in nitrogen use, and to make other management changes. “It is difficult to have a hard number with a biological system.” Serra advised farmers to make half the cut this season and the other half from July 2021, to meet the nitrogen cap. Farmers still needed to get clarity on whether fertiliser use was calculated over the total or effective farm area, how effluent and non-effluent areas would be considered, how nitrogen use on crops in the milking platform would be considered, and how the cap was going to be monitored, Serra said.

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Nitrogen deadline ‘unrealistic’ M

ost dairy farmers will take longer than the 12-month deadline to get nitrogen application rates down to the Government-imposed 190kg/ha cap, says Ashburton-based farm consultant Mark Everest. Most farmers had already made the easy gains in reducing nitrogen application rates and nitrogen loss to the environment. While dairy farmers have 12 months to cut nitrogen rates before the new cap starts in July 2021, Everest said he believed it would take five years for farmers to make the transition. “The biggest challenge is that our systems are psychological as well as biological which makes it difficult to change overnight,” said Everest, from Macfarlane Rural Business. “We become confident in what we are doing, so making major changes while driving a farming operation relatively quickly could lead to some disasters. “So there is a disconnect between what the Government would like to see and what we are probably capable of achieving.” Everest told an Irrigo Centre expo in Ashburton that

DairyNZ project leader Virginia Serra says it is better to transition to lower nitrogen application rates in stages. PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

strategies to reduce nitrogen use included eating the grass that was grown. “Why do we want to grow 16 tonnes of drymatter/ha if cows are only eating on average 12.5t/DM.” Farmers should also encourage clover in pasture as this fixed free nitrogen. DairyNZ project leader Virginia Serra said that irrigated farms in Canterbury could expect high response rates to nitrogen fertiliser (10kg to 15kg/DM per kg of N applied) for a considerable part of the season, making nitrogen-boosted grass a very price competitive feed, explaining the higher use of nitrogen fertiliser in Canterbury compared to other regions. When transiting to lower nitrogen use, significant reductions of more than

60kg/N/ha would require time to adapt to a new system. “For a successful transition it is better to do it in stages rather than in one blow. Clover needs time to re-establish and be actively fixing.” Farmers also needed to ensure all other factors limiting grass growth were fixed. Common mistakes made by high-nitrogen users included inadequate monitoring and recording of nitrogen applications, leading to higher nitrogen being used than expected by the end of the season, Serra said. Following the cows, specially

when on fast pasture rounds of less than 20 days, meant nitrogen use quickly tallied. Another mistake was using high rates at each application that could not be taken up by plants and was at risk of being lost. Another indicator of unnecessary use was extra nitrogen-boosted grass being poorly utilised, for example by excessive pre-graze mowing or topping after grazing. Ways to reduce nitrogen included applying less fertiliser on the effluent area. Nitrogen should be applied at low rates per application, for example 25kg/N/ha, with

grazing of pasture at 2.5 to three leaves for maximum response and quality. DairyNZ senior scientist Ina Pinxterhuis said while pastures with clover don’t need nitrogen fertiliser, New Zealand pastures were inherently nitrogen deficient and would respond to fertiliser. Many farmers had moved from a tactical use of nitrogen fertiliser to fill feed deficits to production systems that rely on nitrogen fertiliser all year round. Soil temperatures below 6deg and above 16deg inhibited pasture growth and response to nitrogen fertiliser. “It takes 20 days in spring and 40 days in autumn to get significant yield response.” Often in a high nitrogen system, pasture response masked other deficiencies such as below optimal soil fertility, weeds, pests and disease, Pinxterhuis said.

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Last gasp effort to retain status quo Y

ou could be forgiven for thinking the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA) reforms were a done deal; a cross-party panel of MPs had unanimously recommended a raft of sweeping changes that addressed issues that have been plaguing the industry for years, and they did so with a refreshing display of clarity, common sense and unity. After eight years with no changes, a period during which independent processors have been given a leg up at the expense of New Zealand dairy farmers, the Select Committee decided that DIRA had achieved its goal of fostering competition in the dairy industry and it was time for all processors to stand on their own merits. Having failed to convince the Select Committee to maintain the status quo with their formal submissions, the independent processors are now publicly lobbying to keep the uneven playing field tilted in their favour. They have arranged a last minute meeting with the Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor in an attempt to stop the legislation being passed before the election so they can

Craig Hickman

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have another go at arguing for the retention of DIRA’s open entry provisions. The removal of open entry would mean farmers that leave the co-operative to supply other processors can no longer automatically return at a later date. Fonterra’s competitors have fought hard for many years to retain open entry, the rule that forces Fonterra to accept milk from anyone who wants to supply them, because it makes it far easier for them to poach supply from the co-operative. This provision has been responsible for a massive spike in dairy conversions as it forces Fonterra to collect all the new milk whether they want to or not. I’m disappointed, but not surprised by this cynical politicking; Miraka admitted to

the Select Committee that they had no desire to attract any more suppliers, so I can only conclude their passion for retaining the open entry provision is to weaken Fonterra. As all independent processors benchmark their milk price to farmers on Fonterra’s payout, a weaker Fonterra means higher

margins for themselves. Open Country Dairy were so determined to force Fonterra’s payment to farmers down, they recently took the Commerce Commission to the High Court over the way Fonterra’s milk price is calculated. The High Court ruled that Fonterra, the only processor

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with transparent milk price calculations, were paying farmers correctly and fulfilling their obligation to give their farmer shareholders the highest possible return for their milk. In a scenario where open entry is removed as the Select Committee recommended, independent processors would be faced with having to convince potential new suppliers of the economic benefits of switching processors. Part of this could entail showing how they arrive at their milk price rather than just promising to be in the vicinity of Fonterra’s payout, and if there’s one thing these foreign backed processors don’t want it’s transparency. One thing became abundantly clear as I watched the independent processors make their submissions to the Select Committee, their entire motivation for maintaining the status quo was to hamstring Fonterra in an attempt to boost their own margins. Having failed to make that argument at an open hearing they now want to try it behind closed doors, and I can only hope the Minister sees that it hasn’t improved with age.

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Milk price variability a budgeting challenge

airyNZ’s latest Economic Survey shows dairy farmers had a reasonable year for operating profit and milk production, but farmers face a number of challenges – making cost control a key driver to help buffer dairy businesses against variable milk prices. The annual Economic Survey analyses a representative sample of owner-operator and herdowning sharemilking farms (50:50 sharemilkers) across New Zealand. The 2018-19 data showed operating profit per hectare was down on the previous year but above the average for the previous decade and milk production was at a 10-year high. “Data shows operating profit per hectare was $2154 in 2018-19, compared to the 10-year average of $1696,” said DairyNZ principal economist Dr Graeme Doole. Doole said that volatility will

remain a significant challenge for farmers to manage. “There are a large number of factors that could cause the milk price to shift up or down by a decent amount in the next season. Many, but not all, of these are related to the Covid-19 pandemic.” In line with the 2018-19 Dairy Statistics where farms reported record annual milk production, the sample of farms studied in the Economic Survey also recorded their best milk production in the past decade. “While recent results for operating profit and production were positive, increased costs, debt repayment and Covid-19 will have a strong influence on farm business performance, both now and in the future.” The price of imported supplement had also risen as Covid-19 impacted supply chains. “We are also now seeing substantial pressure on the

balance sheet of farms. Recent data shows us that in the last season, dairy farm sales were down 40 per cent and farm prices down, on average, by 17 per cent.” Doole said mandatory debt payments were also lifting due to higher interest rates for some lenders and increasing pressure on farmers to pay principal. “These headwinds are coming at a challenging time for the country. Yet, dairy farms still have a strong cashflow, particularly relative to other sectors, so will play a pivotal role in New Zealand’s recovery.” For owner-operator farmers, the operating return on assets was 4 per cent. “This is a reasonable operating return, however returns from capital gain are now much lower than what we have seen in the last decade or absent altogether. Moving forward, this emphasises the need to increase farm profit

With returns from capital gain much lower, dairy farmers need to focus on increasing farm profit through careful cost management, says DairyNZ.

through focusing on careful cost management,” Doole said. Feed continued to be farmers’ largest expenditure area and was a key item to review when farmers were looking to control costs. Farms in Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago and Southland recorded higher operating profits per hectare than other regions. Sharemilkers had a positive year with $775 operating profit per hectare - the highest level since 2013-14. The Economic Survey data was drawn from 260 owner-operator dairy farms and 122 sharemilkers across New Zealand who are part of DairyNZ’s DairyBase database. This year’s Economic Survey was designed to make survey data more accessible. “The survey is in a new e-book format, which allows farmers and rural professionals who want to analyse data

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Contract milking causes lame cows O

ur contract milking system is contributing to the number of lame cows in New Zealand. This may seem like a strange thing to say, but from a lameness perspective, the contract milking system has one major issue that could be easily fixed if people recognise the problem and change the contract accordingly. Let me explain what I mean. For years, we have been blaming the stones on the tracks and the pushing, twisting and turning of cows on the concrete as the cause of lame cows. There is no evidence to back up those claims but that is where we believe the problem stems from. So, to solve the problem we just need to handle our cows with patience and we will not have a problem, right? If you are a farm owner who has a contract milker, or sharemilker for that matter, managing your farm and lameness is an issue then I can imagine it would be very frustrating at times to see many lame cows when you believe all you need to do is to take it easier on the animal handling front. Unfortunately, it is not that easy. Sure, if you push cows and are impatient with them, you will

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have more lameness to deal with, but that is not because of stones or the pressure on the hooves. Physical force is only secondary to hoof health as a risk factor. The primary problem is stressrelated rather than physical force-related and the main issue that we have on our pasturebased farms is the time budget. I have mentioned this plenty of times in the past. The problem is that when cows are not spending enough time in the paddock, they lack resting time and eating time. These are basic needs that the cow has and if they are not met properly, a cow canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t function properly. That is why 16-hour milking or smaller herds are so effective in minimising lameness as your cows get more time in the paddock where they can take on

Ensuring cows spend more time in the paddock and less time in the milking shed reduces the risk of lameness. PHOTO SUPPLIED

normal cow behaviour (grazing, laying down, drinking and socialising). What has this got to do with our contract milking system? Well, if the problem is not the stones, but a time budget issue then we need to manage our cows differently in how we run the farm. One solution could be to split the cows into smaller herds. The benefit is that the last cow will be out of the paddock for a shorter time. The challenge is that it takes

more labour hours to walk the cows to the cowshed because there are more herds and it is usually the contract milker or sharemilker who pays for the staff. Why would they spend more money on labour if the benefits go primarily to the farm owner? So, who should pay for the extra labour unit? If farm owners understand the benefits of having more smaller herds then it would make a lot of sense to pay for one labour unit or change the contract to

allow for an extra labour unit. If you have 300 lame cows in a year and each lame cow costs you $500, then you have a $150,000 loss in profit. If you could halve that cost by having smaller herds would it not make sense to pay for an extra labour unit? I know that it is not always as easy as that when you have the bank breathing down your neck, but I think that this is a very real issue we need to be aware of so we can make well-informed business decisions.

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Clover’s significance increases in wake of new regulations W

hite clover will become an manages two North Canterbury all need to be considered.” important environmental dairy farms with her husband Germinal NZ had a strong mitigation tool for farmers Will. focus on innovation and new as they respond to new Germinal, also based product development. Its Government-imposed nitrogen in Ireland and the United research partner is the Institute caps, predicts seed company Kingdom, has supplied the of Biological, Environmental Germinal New Zealand. New Zealand market with and Rural Sciences (IBERS) “White clover, a natural innovative clovers and grasses in Wales. This exclusive nitrogen fixer, is a low-cost for more than 15 years. A recent collaboration allows Germinal to and practical resource for cost analysis by the company draw on world-leading research farmers. It can reduce the cost suggests that New Zealand and apply it to New Zealand and environmental impact of farmers can economically reduce conditions. artificial fertiliser,” Germinal their synthetic nitrogen use The company’s research had New Zealand general manager by switching to a high clover already been recognised in CUSTOMER PUBLISHING 02/09/ Sarah Gard said. sowing rate. the United Kingdom, where CHRISTCHURCH VEIN CLINIC “We expect white clover will “Our calculations show that livestock farmers involved in BERNADETTE.CHRISTIE SALES REP PUBLICATION STRAI play an increasingly important the nitrogen inputs into a the ASDA, Sainsbury’s and SECTION GENE role in New Zealand’s pastoral system with a nitrogen fertiliser Waitrose supply DESIGNER chains were Unknown CUSTOMER CHRISTCHURCH VEIN CLINIC PUBLISHING system as farmers seek to application rate of 250kg per encouraged to use Germinal’s PROOFED SIZE 10X7 comply with the current hectare per year, combined high sugar grasses to improve 27/08/2014 1:31:18 p.m. SALES REP BERNADETTE.CHRISTIE PUBLICATION regulatory landscape.” with a low clover sowing rate, production efficiencies,AD animal ERTISING ID 6268508AA FAX 4528 DESIGNER Unknown SECTION By July 2021, all pastoral would cost approximately $1580 performance and reduce their ROOF farmers are required to reduce PROOFED per hectare during a five year carbon footprint. 27/08/2014 1:31:18 p.m. SIZE their synthetic nitrogen period,” Gard said. “The world isAD changing, PLEASE APPROVE THIS ASwith SOON AS POSSIBLE. NOTE THAT ANY ALTERA fertiliser use to come within a “By comparison, ever-increasing demands on New AD ID a system 6268508AA FAX cap of 190kg per hectare, per with a nitrogen application rate Zealand farmers,” Gard said. MUST BE FINALISED BY OUR MATERIAL DEADLINE. year. The new policy is part of that meets the new 190kg cap “It is important that we ROVE THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. NOTE THAT ANY A the Government’s Action for AD and which has a higher clover engage with farmers at the Above –Germinal New Zealand general Healthy Waterways package. sowing rate would have nitrogen ground level to support a Sarah Gard also manages two MUST BE FINALISED BY OUR MATERIAL manager DEADLINE. Dairy farmers will also need costs closer to $1250 per hectare thriving and environmentallyNorth Canterbury dairy farms with her to report annually to regional during the same five year period. aware rural sector.” husband. councils details of the weight “Clover will also have the of nitrogen they applied per ability to fix more nitrogen if Below – White clover, a natural nitrohectare. there is less fertiliser applied, gen fixer, is a low-cost and practical reThe Government estimates as it won’t be suppressed by source for farmers. 2000 dairy farmers – mostly increased grass growth and in Canterbury and Southland subsequent competition for PHOTOS SUPPLIED – will need to reduce fertiliser nutrients, light and water.” use during the next 12 months According to the Agronomy to stay under the cap. However, Society of New Zealand, industry experts have challenged nitrogen losses are lower from this figure, claiming up to 35 per farm systems that are more cent of dairy farms throughout reliant on clover than applied the country might be impacted. fertiliser – reducing a farm’s Gard said white clover had environmental impact. been overlooked by farmers in A high clover sowing rate favour of high ryegrass levels to is not without risk, cautioned increase dry matter. Gard. “A combination of lighter “If the sowing rate is too sowing rates for clover, increased high cattle can suffer from bloat. use of nitrogen fertiliser, and It can be mitigated, but it is soil nutrient deficiency means something that farmers need the majority of New Zealand to be mindful of. White clover farms have a clover percentage also requires adequate attention well below the optimum level of – sowing rates, establishment 30 per cent,” said Gard, who also periods and soil nutrient profiles

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Biosecurity a top priority at calving T

he mycoplasma bovis programme partners, MPI, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand are encouraging dairy farmers and calf rearers to make biosecurity a top priority during calving this spring. M. bovis programme director Stuart Anderson said that the effort to eradicate M. bovis was making excellent progress, but poor biosecurity practices at calving could result in a long tail of M. bovis infections, drawing out the eradication process. “There is very little M. bovis infection left in the national herd. Currently there are just four active confirmed properties and only two of those have infected cattle still on farm. “However, if there are just one or two farms that we haven’t found yet they can inadvertently spread the infection around the entire country. Just one untagged or unregistered calf could spread infection to an entire herd, so it’s critical all farmers correctly tag calves, register them in NAIT and record all movements this spring. “Achieving lifetime traceability for our national herd starts at calving. Accurate NAIT records allow us to quickly track down any calves which have left an infected herd, and to identify all of their close contacts and get them tested to make sure the infection hasn’t spread,” Anderson said. Raw waste milk also creates a high biosecurity risk and DairyNZ’s advice was that farmers should not be feeding waste milk to calves. Waste milk

Tagging and registering of calves is important to achieve lifetime traceability of the national PHOTO SUPPLIED herd.

can be a source for many diseases and other issues in calves as their systems develop. If you are supplying raw milk to calf rearing operations, the milk should be treated (either pasteurised or treated with citric acid). Farmers should keep accurate and up-to-date records about what farms you have provided milk to. General biosecurity measures at calving to help protect against

many diseases including M. bovis: • Tag every calf (and put the tag in well) that is born on your farm (bobby calves going direct to slaughter are exempt from NAIT requirements, but require a specific tag). • Register that calf into the NAIT system against your NAIT number before it is moved off-farm. Record that movement off farm in the system within 48 hours.

• Keep groups of calves separate for 48 hours before mixing them while you observe them for disease • Keep calf rearing facilities and equipment clean, and limit how many people access calf rearing areas. • Get people accessing calf rearing areas to clean their boots and PPE, and any other equipment, and clean them again when they leave. • Remove sick calves to a

dedicated sick pen • Only buy NAIT-tagged calves with accurate and up-to-date records, and record their arrival on to your farm. • If you sell or give away milk for feeding calves, keep a record of who the milk went to • Keep accurate records of all of your financial transactions, including calf sales, just in case you have to make an insurance or biosecurity compensation claim in the future.

Top bulls identified for dairy-beef B

eef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics and LIC have joined forces to fulfill growing demand for quality beef genetics suitable for New Zealand dairy cows and support a continued focus on animal welfare by making superior beef genetics easier for dairy farmers to access. The B+LNZ Genetics Dairy Beef Progeny Test aims to improve the quality of dairy-beef animals in the industry by identifying and enabling widespread use of superior bulls for dairy-beef. Beef breeders can nominate their best bulls for consideration for the programme – successful bulls then become part of the progeny test scheme. Through the collaboration, breeders will have a potential path to the dairy market for the first time by working with LIC. B+LNZ Genetics’ general manager Dan Brier was excited about the collaboration with LIC and said dairy farmers were an important and valued part of B+LNZ. “The Dairy Beef Progeny Test aims to improve the quality of dairy beef calves in the industry by identifying and enabling widespread use of superior bulls for dairy beef. Top bulls can be used in artificial breeding programmes

Angus bull Rissington C200 was one of the top five all-round sires as reported in the September 2019 interim report of B+LNZ Genetics Dairy Beef Progeny PHOTO SUPPLIED Test.

in the dairy industry. The aim is to also offer easy calving and short gestation length to dairy farmers, rapid growth for the finisher and superior carcase attributes for the processor.” LIC’s bulls sire about 80 per cent of dairy cows on farms across New Zealand through its artificial breeding programme with more than five million straws of semen collected annually from top bulls each year. LIC chief executive Wayne McNee said the collaboration helped add value to all stages of the dairy-beef market. “Beef sales are likely to increase

significantly over the next decade and it is important LIC aligns itself with industry leaders such as B+LNZ Genetics and beef breeders to ensure the best beef bulls are available for the domestic and international dairy markets. “We know farmers are focused more than ever on doing their bit to help reduce the number of bobby calves leaving their properties and the addition of this progeny test will further help with this objective.” Brier said that the ability to identify the top bulls and enable widespread use in the industry will add value to all stages of the supply chain – from the calf shed through to the consumer. “The calves will be recorded at birth, throughout rearing and the carcases will be assessed at processing as is the current practice in the existing progeny test.” Bulls nominated for use in the progeny test will be assessed and chosen by a selection panel comprised of the project leader, Associate Professor Rebecca Hickson (Massey University), a representative from Pamu’s Wairakei Estate, B+LNZ Genetics, and LIC. A total of 26 bulls will be used in the forthcoming mating programme. Each

bull selected will be used across at least 60 dairy cows. A minimum of 45 straws will be used in the first year a bull is submitted. The test will be run at Pamu’s Wairakei Estate and involve 1600 crossbred cows milked once-daily. Brier said the cows that will be used were typical of those to be mated to beef bulls in the dairy industry. “We will have 26 beef sires each year and the progeny test is open to all breeds.” The progeny test aims to identify and prove bulls that are easy calving, short gestation length, have excellent growth rates to 600 days of age and high intramuscular fat suitable for widespread use in the dairy industry through artificial insemination. “It will provide a central herd in which bulls from multiple breeds can be progeny tested and benchmarked. It will also allow for comparison of finishing performance of dairy beef versus traditional beef calves through links with the B+LNZ Genetics Beef Progeny Test.” Bulls must come from herds implementing industry best practice recording programmes and using genetic evaluation/EBVs. Nominations close August 14 with successful farmers notified August 28.

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Locals key in varroa mite monitoring By Patrick Dawson Apiarists Advocate

dozen Canterbury beekeepers will be joining forces to counter the constant threat of varroa mite this season, by pooling data from mite-loading tests as part of a project that hopes to pave the way for a national programme. The Mite Monitor concept recently received $20,000 of funding, through AGMARDT, to launch a feasibility study. The goal? Proving that establishing a database and mapping programme for varroa infestation levels will add value to commercial beekeeping operations. The Mite Monitor concept has the potential to provide beekeepers all over New Zealand with a “live” and “dynamic” view of mite levels reported in neighbouring areas to their apiaries. Before that can happen though, the team behind the concept will seek to prove its worth in Canterbury using a manual data system. “I’m so excited. I have been banging on about this idea for two or three years,” Ashburton queen breeder Rae Butler said. Butler has long been undertaking regular miteloading tests as part of her breeding programme for varroa tolerant bees, which carry the varroa sensitive hygiene trait. “I would see inconsistencies

with mite loading, which pointed to re-invasions. It was obviously something that was going on regionally,” Butler explained. The queen breeder saw the value in gaining a better understanding of the prevalence of the destructive mite, in not only her own hives, but also areas in which she kept bees. It was going to take cooperation among neighbouring beekeepers though, a process which can be hard to bring about. However, Butler found an ally in Martin Laas, research apiarist for Mid Canterbury’s largest beekeeping operation, Midlands Apiaries. Together they progressed the idea and mustered up support from fellow beekeepers in their area. They also gained the attention of Gertje Petersen, scientist at FutureBees NZ, an industry-science research group. Together they successfully applied to AGMARDT under the FutureBees banner. With a dozen beekeepers on board and $20,000 in funding on the way, Petersen will be employed to implement the Mite Monitor feasibility study this coming season. Participating beekeepers will be required to undertake four co-ordinated rounds of alcohol-wash mite-loading tests, before and after spring varroa

Alcohol-wash tests for mite-loading in hives will be carried out routinely by a group of Canterbury beekeepers as part of the recently PHOTO SUPPLIED funded Mite Monitor programme.

treatments, and then before and after autumn treatments. Results will be recorded on a mites-per-100-bees basis, but only made available to all beekeepers in a “normalised” manner, such as a scoring system. “We will keep GPS locations of every site and the idea is to produce a spread map after every testing period. At the end of the project year we should have four heat maps of varroa in the area,” Petersen said. This will give beekeepers a greater understanding of where re-infestation is most likely, allowing them to undertake appropriate prevention methods and more timely treatments.

By encouraging better miteloading testing it will also help beekeepers determine the effectiveness of their current varroa management plan. “We will use the information to form the basis of the bigger project, to show how much value you can get out of, not just monitoring mite loadings, but putting your data into context. That is the key part,” Petersen said. There are around a dozen participating beekeepers and companies, who collectively own anywhere from two to 6000 hives, with Midlands Apiaries and Taylor Pass Honey Company among these. Having those large companies

on board is important in proving the practicality of carrying out a statistically significant number of tests on a large amount of hives, while offering an acceptable return for the companies investment of time and labour, Petersen said. Butler, who has long had the Mite Monitor idea, but not the means to make it happen, understands that during the feasibility study they are going to have to work with their supporting beekeepers as best they can. “Hopefully we can do this at a level that is affordable to the beekeeper, because for many there is not a lot of money around at the moment,” she said. “The project has a small budget, but we will use it to the best of our ability. The beekeepers will not be paid for providing data, but we will help them with monitoring.” Butler said she has always wanted to do industry good and hence her excitement at the potential of Mite Monitor. “The more data you can collect, the more informed decisions you can make. Hopefully then we can see positive results and can make it a more nationwide thing.” This article was first published in Apiarist’s Advocate beekeeping eMagazine, at www.apiaristsadvocate.com

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Eric’s on top of the world, again Matt Markham

hen you’ve set consecutive world records and helped put Mid Canterbury on the arable farming map, there’s arguably not a whole lot more you can achieve. But in the case of local farmer, Eric Watson, there’s always room for improvement. Watson, who farms 490 hectares – all arable, at Wakanui broke new ground, albeit his own ground, when it was confirmed recently that for the second consecutive time he’d claimed the Guinness World Record for the highest wheat yield. His crop netted a quite remarkable 17.398 tonnes per hectare of wheat – a significant improvement on when he last set the record back in 2017 with a return of 16.791 tonnes per hectare. To put that into a little context, irrigated wheat yields

End of the record in sight. PHOTO SUPPLIED

in New Zealand, on average, produce around 12 tonnes per hectare, making Watson’s result quite staggering. Yet in typically Kiwi farmer fashion, Watson was taking a humble approach in his celebrations. “It’s wonderful to have achieved it again, but more for the positive impact it has on the arable farming sector, we often don’t get the credit we deserve,” he said. After setting his first record in

2017, Watson – who has farmed the Wakanui block for 27 years – said making improvements across the board and introducing new innovations to keep up-todate with the latest technology available to farmers undoubtedly helped set a new mark this year. “We were thrilled with the result in 2017, but we also saw ways in which we could make improvements and achieve an even higher yield. “I would say that one of the biggest changes was the switch

Wakanui arable farmer and Guinness World Record holder Eric Watson, (left), with Bayer regional business manager David Weith. PHOTO SUPPLIED

to liquid nitrogen, which allowed a much more even spread across the crop. We use a 48 metre spray boom which allows for a better coverage. “Because of the high wheat yields we can grow on our farm we are pleased if we see yields increase year-on-year by 100-200kg/ha. So to beat my last crop by almost 600kg / ha exceeded even my hopes,” Watson said. Planted in April 2019 and

harvested on February 17, 2020, the wheat variety is Kerrin, and it will likely be used for feeding New Zealand’s beef or dairy herd. Watson knows the lay of his land better than he knows the back of his own hand and said the Wakanui area provided the perfect soil for producing good crops consistently but also added that a really strong growing season, thanks to the weather, without a doubt played a big part in the new record. “Everyone knows it was a good growing year, it wasn’t too hot – but really just the perfect conditions, it doesn’t seem to get too wet down here either but you do get some good moisture from the evening dew on those cooler nights which certainly helps.” With two records next to his name, you could forgive Watson for being happy to rest on his laurels this growing season. But the challenge of constantly bettering his results and improving the overall results is too important. “You can always improve on things, there are new advancements happening all the time and we’re always looking for them if they’ll help the end result.”

Crops 2020 a silver anniversary event N

ew Zealand’s largest oneday cropping event, Crops, has been given the green light to go ahead in Mid Canterbury in December. Organiser Anna Heslop, from the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) says planning for Crops 2020 began last year and received good industry support from day one. “Then, in early March, we made the decision to put all planning and decision making around Crops on hold, while we waited to see how the Covid-19 situation unfolded. “In June, we went back and consulted with our sponsors, and were delighted that they, like us, were keen to continue. So, despite the risk that if lockdown levels were reinstated we might have to cancel the event, we’re now back in full-on planning mode.” Work on the research plots at FAR’s Chertsey arable site, which hosts the Crops event, had been going ahead as normal since lockdown lifted, but the industry demonstration sites have been impacted by the delayed decision, Heslop said. “Many of the industry demonstration sites would usually have been sown in autumn, but this year, they will all be spring-sown plots. This has required our sponsors to do some quick thinking around crop types, cultivars and treatments. We really appre-

The Foundation for Arable Research will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the annual Crops event at its Chertsey arable research site in December. PHOTO SUPPLIED

ciate their continued support.” This year was FAR’s 25th anniversary, so Crops will also be the focus of some birthday celebrations. Starting in 2002, Crops was a full day event which allowed farmers to view demonstration plots investigating everything

from cultivars to cultivation, and to see and hear the latest research findings from New Zealand and international experts. Its aim was to provide every attendee with new information to take away and apply to their own farming operation.

As in previous years, Crops 2020 will focus on the future of New Zealand cropping, highlighting sustainable new technologies and market opportunities for grain, seed and supplementary feed crops. Crops is held at the FAR Chertsey arable site, a 13.5

hectare mix of irrigated and non-irrigated land on SH1 just north of Chertsey. FAR has had demonstrations at the site for 17 years, providing a long-term showcase for a number of highprofile research projects, funded by grower levies and external grants, on a number of crops.

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Bird counts high in annual lakes survey C

alm, sunny weather greeted volunteers who turned up for the annual winter bird survey at the Ashburton Lakes. The bird counters team up and are allocated a lake or lakes, or part of a lake in the case of the biggest one – Lake Heron – and then meet up later in the day at a Lake Clearwater bach to collate results and catch-up over a bowl of soup. The conditions were ideal this year, allowing good visibility across the lakes to identify and count the birds. Counts were high – over 7000 birds all up – which partly reflects the conditions: on windy days, birds are hard to see and even harder to identify in choppy water. But there was no trouble with that this year. Lakes Camp and Clearwater were calm with some ice cover. On Camp, there were only a few birds: black shags with wings outstretched to warm up, some mallards, a couple of paradise ducks and black-backed gulls. On Clearwater though, scaup were out in their hundreds. Scaup are one of the native ducks which feed and breed on the Ashburton Lakes. Numbers of them were the second

Left: The Australasian crested grebe – one of the many birds sighted during the annual bird survey on the Ashburton Lakes. PHOTO PETER LANGLANDS

Mary Ralston

FOREST AND BIRD

highest on record, which is a good indication of successful breeding as well as good counting conditions. They are endemic to New Zealand, easily distinguished from other ducks by their smallish blacky-brown colouring and their habit of sitting high in the water. The males have a yellow eye. Now completely protected, their numbers have recovered from hunting and habitat loss. Numbers of coots and Canada geese were also high. Two white herons were seen and many crested grebes. These special birds are usually seen alone or in pairs. They often dive and remain out of sight for quite a long time, reappearing some distance away from the original sighting. High numbers of Canada geese aren’t such a good sign.

Below: Edith Smith counting birds on Lake Clearwater. PHOTO SUPPLIED

These introduced birds eat and contaminate pasture and may compete with native species. They are no longer protected as a game species because of their high numbers, expanding range and problematic effects. The Ashburton Lakes are part of Õ Tü Wharekai, a wetland restoration project encompassing the Ashburton Lakes and upper Rangitata River. There are 4030 hectares of wetlands, 1186ha of lakes, 12,236ha of braided river and 26ha of ephemeral turfs, as well as interconnecting streams. Conservation volunteers are an important component of Õ Tü Wharekai. Wilding conifer removal and native

planting, and predator control by volunteers around Lake Heron and the Maori Lakes may be contributing to successful breeding of wetland birds and the high numbers of birds. All in all, a successful day – good conditions, plenty of birds, and snow on the mountains. Long-running surveys such as this, although they may have a high margin of error due to variable conditions, are a valuable record of our wildlife in this special part of the world. Postscript: A pack and jacket were left behind near Lake Stream – if found, please phone 027 224 7913.

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Rural community feeling undervalued Y

es, believe it or not last weekend we were lucky enough to get invited to a woolshed party. Hell, I didn’t realise we still had woolsheds in Mid Canterbury. A dairy shed party fine, but woolshed? Being of the age that we are and having been to numerous woolshed parties many years ago, the first thought was, hell a woolshed party in the middle of winter – better put the winter woollies on. Also, need some drinks that will warm the inner self. However, on arrival at the woolshed party, that was really a 30th birthday party, we were pleasantly surprised to encounter a brand-new woolshed that was as warm as toast – well not quite, but still pretty good. I must congratulate the local builder of this shed, Johnny Rive for the excellent job he and his tradies made. It really was a shed that everyone who was involved in could be proud of. The party went really well with the birthday boy proposing to his partner on the raised board of the shearing stand as he felt their engagement would make a good party even better. During the night I spoke to

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PROPERTY BROKERS

many farmers about a lot of things and as you would expect we cured most of the world’s issues. However, something that came up time and time again was how profitable farming is with low interest rates and product prices as good as we have seen. But even though these facts shone through no one was over the moon about things. Most felt there were just too many head winds facing the rural sectors. Things such as bank restraints, tightening environmental regulations, government policy, Reserve Bank policies, Australian bank policies, Covid-19 and this Government’s spending. Also, how much say the Green Party have on rural policies without thinking of the consequences, while expecting rural New

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Zealand to produce more and save our country falling into a financial hole. It really brought home to me just how concerned the average farmer is about where our country is heading. And then someone mentioned the Ashburton District Council’s policy on water race rates and away the discussion went again. Just to mention I got a letter

from the council on July 9 (written and dated July 2) that said it was holding two meetings on July 7 and 14 and apologising for the delay in the letter being sent out. So I obviously missed the meeting on July 7 so I registered for the one the following week. When the evening came, I went to join the meeting online, but couldn’t because I hadn’t been

invited. So, I rang the council’s after-hours number to see what was going on and it had received several phone calls the week before about the same thing. If you are going to schedule an online meeting please ensure everyone can join. All in all, a great woolshed party, but a less inspired rural community in regard to the future.

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FEATURE

Tech gives Involved in a variable rate fertiliser application trial are (from left) Ellesmere Transport fertiliser dispatcher Hamish Woolsey, James Storey of Advanced GPS Ag and Lincoln Agritech group manager precision agriculture Armin Werner. Above them is one of two optical sensors on eiPHOTO SUPPLIED ther side of the front of the spreader truck .

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FEATURE

farmers environmental gains T

echnology which enables nitrogen fertiliser applications to be varied across a pasture paddock depending on “greenness” and pasture cover is providing economic and environmental gains for farmers. The optical sensor technology is not new and has been used for 25 years by arable farmers around the world to apply nitrogen (N) fertiliser according to crop nitrogen demand. A three-year research project in Canterbury is now investigating how this sensor technology could be used for variable rate application of N fertiliser on New Zealand dairy pasture to achieve similar benefits. Lincoln Agritech group manager precision agriculture Armin Werner said that after two years of research the results were promising. The technology identified both colour differences and the amount of biomass (pasture cover) in pasture to help farmers optimise their use of nitrogen to get the best pasture response and lowest environmental

impact. The project is funded by the Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) from the Ministry of Primary Industries, with support from irrigation and fertiliser companies, farmers and spreading contractors. Optical sensors can be mounted on tractors, fertiliser trucks or spreaders. The sensors feature red edge technology and emit near-infrared light

pulses onto the crop canopy and measure the optical reflectance which is closely related to its N concentration and biomass. When fed into a variable rate-enabled fertiliser spreader, this sensor signal can tell the fertiliser spreader where to apply less N fertiliser and where more, according to the N demand in real-time. Two Canterbury fertiliser spreading contractors,

Ellesmere Transport, which has branches at Dunsandel and Leeston and Jackson Spreading, Tinwald, Ashburton, have the sensor technology available on trucks to offer variable rate fertiliser applications for all pasture and cropping needs. They are currently the only operators in New Zealand offering the technology for the spreading of solid N fertiliser, although another Canterbury operator supplies liquid N. The Topcon sensors, X35 computer console, spreader control electronic control unit and GPS in the trucks are supplied and fitted by Ashburton-based Advanced GPS Ag, Topcon’s New Zealand distributor. Ellesmere Transport fertiliser dispatcher Hamish Woolsey said it was providing the service to assist its farmer customers be compliant in terms of meeting new nitrogen cap and nitrogen loss regulations. While the Lincoln Agritech trial was assessing the technology’s benefits on dairy pasture, the sensors work on any crop from wheat and barley

through to kale and fodder beet. The technology was automatic, with nitrogen rates fluctuating up and down as a spreader travelled over a paddock. The farmer still made the decision about the range of fertiliser applied, for example a minimum of 20kg/ha, or no more than 100kg/ha, Woolsey said. Werner said that interim results showed a higher profit from using the variable rate application of N fertiliser of 2.8 per cent, or $152/ha. The technology also provided more efficient N use and dropped N leaching by 7.8 per cent. In on-farm trials in South, Central and North Canterbury, the variable rate applications tended to produce higher pasture yields compared with a conventional blanket application. This was even more apparent on paddocks with a lot of variation in historical use, soils and terrain. More on-farm trials would be carried out this season, Werner said. The research project ends in June 2021.

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Locals finalists in Australasian awards M

id Canterbury dairy farmers Ted and Sue Rollinson, of Dorie, are one of four New Zealand farming couples selected as finalists in the inaugural Zimmatic Sustainable Irrigation Awards. The awards aim to celebrate excellence in sustainable irrigation and encourage Australian and New Zealand farmers to share ideas for achieving sustainable freshwater management. The competition is run by Zimmatic and recognises farmers leading the way in responsible irrigation, innovative water management and environmental stewardship. Four finalists from each country have been selected from a pool of quality entries. As well as the Rollinsons, the other New Zealand finalists are: Central Otago dairy grazing and beef finishing farmers Ben and Anna Gillespie; North Otago dairy farmers Brock and Gemma Hamilton; and North Otago dairy, mixed beef finishing and cropping farmers Nick and Kate Webster. Each entrant was judged on the following categories: sustainable irrigation management; irrigationdriven improvements, which

Farms from Mid Canterbury and Otago are finalists in a new Australasian sustainable PHOTO SUPPLIED irrigation award.

may include cost reductions, environmental outcomes, yield improvements and/or improved efficiencies; waterway protection and stewardship/community. Irrigation NZ chairwoman and Irricon Resource Solutions principal Keri Johnston is head judge for the awards. All four

finalists demonstrated a highlevel of achievement across all four categories, which set them apart from the others, she said. “Our finalists all have farm businesses, with values and philosophies based on environmental stewardship, care of the land, water

and community, and being caretakers for the next generation. “These finalists also demonstrated a level of considered decision-making in relation to irrigation system design. They are all using technology to their advantage,

while taking steps to maximise efficiency and minimise environmental impacts. “It was obvious these farmers have a deep understanding of their properties and their unique challenges. They have used clever thinking and an innovative approach to tackle these challenges, rather than just trying to tick the box. “From supporting their peers, to helping with education in schools, we were also impressed by the outstanding community leadership demonstrated by some of our finalists. “While we could only choose four New Zealand finalists, all our entrants should be commended for their commitment to responsible water management both on and off the farm,” Johnston said. Awards co-ordinator Sarah Elliot said the judges were impressed by the standard of entries and the effort that went into many of the submissions. “A huge thank you to all those farmers who stepped up to share their story and inspire others. We know it’s not always easy to put yourself or your business forward,” Elliot said. On-farm judging will take place in spring before the supreme winner is announced.

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Students to help rural contractors

Lincoln University is now including rural contracting in its compulsory PHOTO SUPPLIED practical work requirements for students.

incoln University students will be able to help ease the pressure on rural contractors struggling to fill the gap a lack of migrant workers is creating in the primary sector due to Covid-19 restrictions. Alongside offering qualifications designed to meet the future employment needs of the food and fibre sector, Lincoln has taken the move to help the sector now, modifying its rules around compulsory practical work requirements to include contracting. The Government’s Targeted

Training and Apprenticeship Fund is covering course costs for four Lincoln University subdegree programmes, diplomas in horticulture, agriculture, farm management and organic agri-food production, from July 2020 until December 2022. All have a practical work requirement, as do many other programmes at the land-based university. Contractor work could include hay baling and silage baling, as well as spraying, muck spreading, shearing, ploughing and other

tractor operation and bulk supplementary feed production. Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Bruce McKenzie said Lincoln was strongly connected to the sector and he had a discussion with Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor about how to help fill this need. Agribusiness lecturer Dan Smith said typically a large number of British and Irish workers travel to New Zealand to complete this work and many contractors would usually be in the United Kingdom recruiting staff now.

“Given the current global pandemic, it is unlikely these workers will have the freedom to come here which will place a lot of pressure on these businesses and this was putting pressure on contractors to fill their needs.” Agricultural degrees and diplomas at Lincoln University include a practical work component where students are required to work on farm to gain experience. “This year, Lincoln University will extend the parameters of this practical work to allow

students to get out and work for rural contractors. “We see the value in this experience and also see the incredible importance of the rural contractor industry. “Allowing the students to count rural contracting work towards their practical work requirement, we hope, will alleviate some of the pressure on these contractors and provide the students with a taste of how these hardworking members of the New Zealand agriculture industry operate,” Smith said.

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Farming

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A fruitful, symbiotic relationship Sheryl Stivens

Left – Movable fences enable hens to be moved to garden areas to clear weeds and prepare ground for planting.

ECO EFFICIENCY

Below – Our laying hens work as “chicken tractors” to clear garden PHOTOS SUPPLIED beds.

ugust is often the coldest month for us here on the Canterbury Plains and just happens to be the month that we experienced the biggest snowfalls that often created havoc for us and our animals when I was growing up. It pays to be prepared for such events with a good stock of food in your freezer as well as nonperishables, such as dried and canned food, for emergencies. Add to that a packet of candles and matches, some bottled water, a torch and batteries and enough warm bedding in case of big weather events or lockdowns. Keep that pot of soup simmering on the fire or the stove so there is always warm nourishing food on hand. August is also the month to get planning what to plant in your food garden this season. There is still time to plant fruit trees and the time is right to prepare your ground for crops such as potatoes and pumpkin. We use our laying hens to clear and fertilise our vegetable garden areas at this time of year. We have recently towed the hen house from the front garden where they have done a great job scratching and aerating the soil around the various plants in the herbaceous border, including rhododendrons, roses, trees, shrubs and grasses. We can now follow up with a layer of wet newspaper and mulch around the plants before the weeds grow. The hens are now doing the same great job in their new area; the vegetable garden where we grew tomatoes, potatoes, zucchinis, beans and pumpkins last summer.

fertilise your garden or orchard areas and get more eggs yearround. There is something about birds and trees – a symbiotic relationship and the fruit trees do so well when the hens are clearing and fertilising around them.

We find that if we feed our hens with enough protein and keep them moving to new areas with a pick of greens here and there they keep laying through the winter months. In addition to getting eggs, the end result with the soil is totally amazing. When the hens have cleared

away the weeds and remnants of mulch materials there is a spongey feel when you walk on the cleared ground. If you lift the top crust with a fork where the hens have been, the ground underneath is teeming with earthworms. It’s a win-win situation and saves us a lot of work.

So if you have a flock of hens, instead of keeping them in a muddy yard, try using them as chicken tractors with mobile hen houses and movable fences so they can weed and

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FEATURE

Soil – the building block of NZ agriculture

LAND AND SOIL

Soil is a crucial building block for New Zealand’s agriculture and other land-based primary industries. It’s important we protect and monitor our land and soil to ensure it remains healthy and productive. THE HEALTH OF OUR SOILS

Soil is vitally important to the New Zealand economy and environment. Our use of land requires careful management to maintain soil health and prevent issues, like erosion, excess nutrients and contamination. Many of our soils are prone to erosion

Erosion is probably the most critical issue affecting soil and the productivity of the land we use for farming, horticulture and forestry. When people first arrived in New Zealand and started clearing forest, the amount of land vulnerable to erosion increased dramatically. Planting new trees has helped curb some of the worst cases, but erosion is still an issue particularly in the north and east of the North Island. Erosion affects productivity by removing topsoil — the most nutrient-rich part of the soil. It also affects the quality of

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surrounding waterways through increasing sediment and nutrient run-off. EXCESS NUTRIENTS CAN AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT

When we put more nutrients on land than grasses and other plants can use, the excess nutrients can leach into groundwater and waterways. The excess nutrients can cause unwanted plants to grow and affect freshwater quality. SOIL CONTAMINATION

Past use of chemicals in industry, agriculture and horticulture has left some New Zealand soils contaminated.

Depending on their location, these contaminants could affect agriculture, people, water bodies and the broader environment. WHY WE NEED TO PROTECT SOIL

Soil underpins New Zealand’s agriculture, horticulture and forestry and contributes to Ashburton healthy ecosystems by helping to clean water, cycle nutrients, store carbon and grow plants and animals. Creating new soil is a slow process and can take hundreds to thousands of years, which effectively makes soil a nonrenewable resource in our

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lifetimes. Protecting soil is essential for food security and a sustainable future. PROTECTING LAND AND SOIL

MPI and other Government agencies work to protect our natural resources (including soil) through policy, management programmes, research and funding. THE FUTURE OF SOIL MANAGEMENT

To help us make decisions to protect our soil and land resources, MPI commissioned a report on the state of soil management in New Zealand.

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MAJOR PRESSURES IDENTIFIED

The report identified the major pressures affecting soil (and other natural resources): • Intensification: Especially through irrigation and addition of nutrients. Little is known about the longterm effects of irrigation

on soil function. Nutrients can encourage rapid plant growth but threaten freshwater quality. • Land use change: This can result in erosion and sediment run-off to freshwater. • Legacy effects: Past deforestation and climate

FEATURE

change – with more frequent or intense storms – are likely to increase the risk of erosion. SOIL IS IMPORTANT FOR STORING CARBON

Soil is recognised as important for storing carbon – providing a way to reduce greenhouse

gas emissions. There is more carbon in Earth’s soils than in terrestrial plants and the atmosphere combined, which means small changes in soil carbon could have big impacts on global greenhouse gas emissions. Because it’s an area of ongoing research, there are not

yet any robust practices in New Zealand to sustainably increase carbon in soils over the long term. Some options may include having deep rooted plants or adding biochar – a form of organic matter charred under controlled high temperature conditions.

Farming

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FEATURE

Liquid fertilisers and sprays – We have you covered

avid and Sonia Molloy began Molloy Agriculture Limited as owner/operators in 1985 putting their first spray unit on a J1 Bedford. In the 35 years since, they have taken their company from strength to strength, so they now employ a team of 25 and operate a fleet of 30 vehicles. Molloy Agriculture now offers a comprehensive service from agronomy, through soil testing, to seed and chemical supply and application. They even operate an AgRecovery recycling site. In 2008 they started mixing liquid fertiliser and are now a

Ravensdown liquid fertiliser consignment store. Today the plant can manufacture 50,000L per day and has storage for a further 210,000 litres. Dispatch of their products is through a calibrated flow meter into either of their tankers or sprayers, clients’ sprayers or 1000L IBC shuttles. Their truck and trailer unit have 26,500L capacity in order to deliver the product to storage tanks on farm. They also have a 4000L unit for smaller jobs. Molloy Agriculture have not forgotten their roots, they are

still specialist spray applicators. Their fleet of Bateman self-propelled sprayers and Isuzu spray trucks is updated constantly and guarantees the right vehicle for your job. They can all be equipped with multiple nozzles ensuring that no matter the job, Molloy has the correct nozzles for the application. They offer two main liquid fertiliser products. The most popular product their facility produces is Ravensdown Flowfert N which is dissolved urea at 18 per cent nitrogen. For use all-year round, this is a

nitrogen only product. They have also developed Flowfert N+S. This is dissolved ammonium sulphate and is predominantly used as a spring fertiliser. Containing both nitrogen and sulphur, this is exclusive to Molloy’s. With prior warning of quantities, they can mix fertilisers to tailor the nitrogen and sulphur ratios to suit your requirements. The team at Molloy Ag recommend the use of liquid fertilisers for several reasons. 1. Spray application allows pinpoint accuracy and

consistent application rates across the boom width right up to the field margin, but not beyond, eliminating product wastage and reducing the risk of polluting nearby waterways. 2. Liquid products lend themselves to fertigation and allow a little and often approach to application. 3. As their liquid fertilisers are compatible with other products, farmers have the option to combine additional products into a single application run. Call the team at Molloy Ag today to discuss your needs.

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Lots of crops require many combines T

urley Farms is a Canterbury-based, familyowned and operated enterprise which grows a host of vegetable, seed and pasture crops, from wheat, potatoes, barley, white clover, onions, grass seed and carrot seed. Not to mention hybrid radish and spinach, process peas, hybrid canola and sunflowers. Turley Farms has machines for just about every purpose. The business is largely selfcontained, backed by technology to keep the many wheels turning. “We do grow a large variety of crops. Over the last two years we put 16 different crops through the combine, each year,” said farms manager Andrew Smith, who harvests most of the speciality crops. Smith had a wide-ranging brief, with responsibility for staff, equipment, cropproduction, handling and distribution. During the winter, Turley Farms finish store lambs and beef cattle, along with some dairy cow wintering. The Turley Farms business, headed by Murray and Margaret Turley, runs a variety of machinery makes and models. At Rangitata, where Smith was based, most of the paddocks are too stony for growing onions and potatoes. These do well on better soils at Temuka and at Chertsey in Mid Canterbury. One of their mainstay machines for cultivation in South Canterbury is a Case IH Steiger 550 Quadtrac with a 12-furrow reversible plough behind it, duplicated at Mid Canterbury with a Steiger 450, all part of a fleet of mainly Case IH equipment. Murray Turley’s father started farming with a Farmall M in the 1950s and the first Case IH tractor that Turley himself drove, about 1974, was a Case 1370. Today, Turley Farms runs a dozen Case IH tractors, ranging

Turley Farms manager Andrew Smith with its new Case IH 9250 Axial-Flow combine.

in horsepower from 75 to the 550. Many of them are fitted with Case IH AFS (Advanced Farming Systems) auto guidance. Precision is essential across the farms, with some seed placed to an accuracy of two centimetres, for instance. Most of the Turley Farms tractors operate on autosteer running 2.5cm Trimble RTK accuracy. With that technology on hand, there’s really no such thing as “averaging” on these farms. Real-time data monitoring from the Vantage system using Trimble technology gives the farms insight into soil moisture levels, for example. By comparing the results with readings from a weather station, the business can work out soil deficit and crop demand, for

instance. With help from other tech, the farms also do variablerate fertiliser application through spreaders. Everything is grid-referenced, and soil tested. From there, a variable rate map is created and loaded into the machine screen which then controls the fertiliser spreaders to apply the correct amount to certain parts of a paddock as per the variable rate map. It could mean 50kg of fertiliser goes on one spot, but 200kg just one hundred metres away. Smith said the farm had always been progressive about collecting data and ultimately the information provided opportunities for the business. As a driver, Smith said his bottom line was cab comfort and strong support from the

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dealership. “It’s about how much confidence you have there. It doesn’t matter what colour the machine is, or what bit of machinery it is, they’ve all got the risk of stopping. So, probably a big one is how well the problems are dealt with when they arise.” Turley Farms enjoys support for the Case IH equipment from their local dealership – Cochrane’s – which in turn is backed by Case IH. Turley Farms looks for easy operability. “Last year during harvest we ran 17 full-time staff and had 13 overseas staff for harvest.” Five combines might be working simultaneously at that peak so attention to detail was paramount. “Those combines could all

PHOTO SUPPLIED

be in different crops; that’s fine until you get back to the yard and there’s five combines feeding different crops or varieties of a crop back to storage or drying facilities. We need skilled operators to ensure everything is taken to the correct delivery point,” Smith said. Preventing crop contamination was a real focus of the team from the farm managers, agronomists, permanent staff, and seasonal harvest staff. “From a crop hygiene point of view; it all starts with the agronomists in the field moving onto harvesting storage and drying – physically getting it out of the combine and into the drying system, then away to market. If you haven’t got that right, then you’re not going to keep your market for very long.” Given what’s at stake, hygiene is king, so Turley Farms uses a large air compressor and an industrial vacuum cleaner to clean combines. Turley Farms do a combination of till and no-till, depending on what’s being planted. “If we’re planting a crop out of an ex-ryegrass harvest, it’s generally ploughed to set it up for the next crop. But if we’re going from wheat to something else, it’s generally one pass with the TopDown followed by the drill.” There are no hard and fast rules for the approach to cultivation and crop management. “It very much depends on what’s next in the rotation,” Smith said.

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FEATURE

A 40 year record of reliability

Mark Wareing

WL (Philip Wareing Limited) was originally established in 1980 and is a family owned business that began life as a spraying contracting business. PWL has been in operation for over 40 years and has a number of loyal staff who have remained with the business for over 35 years of service as well as many of Philip’s original clients who still use and recommend them today. Based in Methven near Mt Hutt and located halfway between the two major ports of Christchurch and Timaru. The yard and administration buildings are located on Line Road on

the eastern outskirts of Methven where there is a 24 hour unmanned weighbridge, storage and coolstore facilities as well as a Z truckstop on site. The history of PWL began when Philip was working for Pyne’s as a field rep and saw an opportunity to utilise his agricultural skills and contacts to start his own spraying business operating just one truck. Through his knowledge and understanding of rural requirements, the business quickly expanded to its present form, and the company prides itself on providing an individual tailored client service.

Philip’s two sons are now an integral part of PWL with Mark and Simon both hands on in sales manager roles. The company also has an interest in three additional transport businesses in the South Island providing a combined fleet of over 200 trucks. This truly means that no job is too big or too small; from carting straw & baleage or logs, through to picking up one carton in Christchurch on the daily freight run. PWL operates with care and professionalism by ensuring their modern fleet and their drivers are of the highest possi-

Phil Wareing

ble standard. Philip Wareing Ltd is known for its modern fleet which is extremely well maintained due to having use of their own workshop with full time engineers and mechanics. Safety is paramount and to that end PWL has full time driver trainer and all trucks are equipped with the latest technology including onboard driver cams. All trucks are fitted with the Navman GPS system and Drivecam driver camera. Freight trucks are equipped with the m-nav mapping and messaging system which means

Simon Wareing

dispatchers have a complete picture of where all vehicles and client products are at all times; maximising efficiency and minimising cost. With a modern workshop with four full time mechanics and engineers as well as a brake roller machine and tiedown equipment including in house COF’s it is ensured the fleet is maintained to the highest standards. A regular maintenance and servicing programme keeps down time to a minimum allowing trucks to be on the road delivering product.

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Farming

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FEATURE

A long standing local history

he history of Rural Transport goes back to 1927, when young motor mechanic, Bob Burnett started a carrying business at Hinds. Burnett started with just one truck, a Reo, which he drove all over the Ashburton County and beyond, carting goods. In 1934, Burnett bought an acre of land for 1200 pounds on the corner of East and South Streets, Ashburton, and built a new workshop and transport depot there. Burnett was always looking for opportunities to diversify Burnett Motors. He had petrol pumps on East Street to serve a small but

growing number of motorists, many of these people, including many successful farmers, became loyal customers of Burnett Motors. He was also interested in the products his trucks transported for example, coal, which led him to acquire a controlling interest in the Mt Somers coal mine. He also bought Mt Somers Station, which he ran with the same success he achieved in the trucking business. In the 1950s, Burnetts expanded into earthmoving and was involved in several big hydro projects, including Manapouri, Roxburgh, Aviemore and Benmore.

• • • • •

Locally owned and operated Locally owned

and operated T

The firm acquired a substantial fleet of bulldozers, scrapers, loaders and other heavy machinery. By 1957, Burnetts owned more than 100 vehicles, employed almost 300 staff and was turning over more than two million pounds a year. Burnett had no son to take over from him when he retired, so when he reached his early 60s he started looking around for a way to secure the future of the company. This led to a merger in 1971 with the Australian Brambles organisation, one of the biggest freight forwarding companies in Australia at the time. Burnetts became Brambles Burnett. Burnett remained on

the board of the company and took a close interest in its affairs. In 1980, the Mogal Corporation acquired Brambles Burnett. Burnett was again still a director, but officially retired a year later, at the age of 72. In 1984, Owens Transport brought the Mogal Corporation, which saw the Ashburton trucking firm renamed Owens Burnett. In 1991, the company was rebranded Owens Road Transport, a subsidiary of the Owens Group, and restructured including a move to ownerdrivers replacing company drivers.

Today, Rural Transport is owned by The Wareing Group. Rural Transport has a total of more than 50 Truck and Trailer combinations. The business operates throughout the South Island. Our home areas are Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury, North Otago, Fairlie and the McKenzie Basin. Rural Transport is proud of its history, the loyalty of its customers and the dedication of the staff, many of whom have worked for the company through the successive ownership changes.

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FEATURE

From humble beginnings

tarting from humble beginnings in the 1970’s as a combine harvesting contracting business by brothers Trevor and Maurice Wilson, bulk cartage was later added to the mix as an extension of the original business. As their clientele grew so did their business, whereby Trevor decided to go it alone and formed Wilson Bulk Transport. Initially Trevor carted bulk grain and this still remains a core part of the business today. Trevor may have been a ‘gentle giant’ and a quiet, hard worker, but he also possessed the ability to be highly innovative and forward thinking in terms of the transport industry. Back in the late 1980’s he recognised that the advent of shipping containers used for the transportation of goods worldwide, presented an opportunity for Wilson Bulk Transport to provide a service to the exporters of Mid Canterbury. This part of Wilson Bulk Transport’s business has shown

the largest area of expansion from two truck and trailer units to now operating twelve units plus two 20/40 side-lifters for lifting containers onto the truck and trailer units for delivery to the ports of Lyttelton and Timaru. While originally many of the containers were loaded with peas, lentils and grass seeds from the arable sector the change in farming practice has seen a major growth in vegetable crops which in turn now sees containers of onions, potatoes and frozen vegetables transported. Recent years have seen an increase in importers bringing products in from overseas which has resulted in Wilson Bulk Transport increasing their fleet to include equipment to tip bulk containers of grain and stock food supplements. Following Trevor’s untimely death in 1991, the Trevor Wilson Charitable Trust was established in order to achieve his vision of distributing the profits from the company to

local organisations supporting the community, primarily the Ashburton Order of St John and Ashburton Presbyterian Support Services. At that time there were just eight drivers and eight trucks, however today that fleet has expanded to more than 34 trucks and 40 trailers. In part, the growth of the company has been due to the very loyal support from many of Trevor’s original clients as well as new clients who recognise and appreciate the service we provide. August 2018 saw the company purchased by the

Wareing family, bringing Wilson Bulk Transport into a transport group incorporating Philip Wareing Limited, Rural Transport Limited, NZ Express Transport (2006) Limited and Trans West Freighters 2011 Limited.

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