Dairy Focus
JANUARY 2019
HEAT STRESS
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NEWS
Dairy cattle numbers dip again
INSIDE
PAGE 3 SCORCHING SUMMER
PAGE 7 TIDY FARMING
PAGE 22 HEAT RELIEF
Dairy cattle numbers have dipped again from their 2014 peak of 6.7 million cows and heifers. For the second year in a row numbers have slipped in contrast to the national beef cattle herd increasing strongly last year, says Stats NZ. Initial census figures show dairy cattle numbers fell 1 per cent, to 6.4 million in the year to June. Agricultural production statistics manager Stuart Pitts said the decline followed a similar small dip in 2017. However, overall dairy cattle numbers have been relatively steady since 2012, he said. “Dairy products are a huge export for New Zealand,’’ he said. “The value of milk powder, butter, and cheese exports for the year ended June 2018 was 14.1 billion.” Beef cattle numbers rose for the second year in a row, up 5 per cent to 3.8 million last year. Total sheep numbers eased again, down 1 per cent to 27.3 million.
Left: For the second year in a row dairy cow numbers have softened. Right: There are only 5.6 sheep PHOTOS ASHBURTON GUARDIAN for every person compared with 22 in 1982.
“Sheep numbers have fallen in 10 of the past 12 years, in total down about 12.8 million from about 40.1 million in 2006,” said Pitts. “New Zealand now has 5.6 sheep for every person, after peaking at 22 sheep for every person in 1982.” A large fall in sheep and beef cattle numbers since 1990 means overall stock units have also reduced in the past 28 years, despite a rise in dairy cattle numbers. The stock unit – a measurement of comparing different types of animals –
is based on the annual feed needed for a 55 kilogram ewe rearing a single lamb. A dairy cow is the equivalent of about seven ewes, so is counted as seven stock units, compared with just one stock unit for a ewe. In 1990 there were 100 million stock units in total, more than half of those sheep, with most of the rest in beef and dairy cattle. Deer make up a small part of the total. By 2004, total stock unit numbers fell to 94 million and last year were down to 86 million.
“The large drop in stock units since 1990 mainly reflects a halving in sheep numbers, down from 53 million stock units to 25 million,” Pitts said. In the same period, dairy stock units almost doubled to 41 million. By 2018 dairy cattle made up almost half of all livestock units. A Ministry for Primary Industries report on January 11 showed that about 52,000 dairy cattle have been culled as part of the response to mycoplasma bovis.
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NEWS
3
Heat stress can harm production Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
A week-long run of scorching summer days placed Canterbury dairy herds alongside known hotspots for heat stress hours on cows. Usually Canterbury ranks the lowest in total discomfort hours compared with the rest of the country because of its cooler evenings, but the province was up with the warmest regions from January 14-20. Seven days were measured as too hot for cow comfort by DairyNZ and over the period cows were considered at risk of reducing milksolid production because of the heat. Canterbury cows came under stress during a week of unrelenting hot temperatures.
PHOTOS ASHBURTON GUARDIAN
Continued on page 4
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NEWS
from page 3 DairyNZ animal care team manager Helen Thoday said the week of hot days was a reminder that there was no guarantee that Canterbury’s cooler evenings would always drive down total discomfort hours. She said there was no respite for Canterbury herds that week even though Canterbury had trailed other regions beforehand. “Overnight temperatures in Canterbury that we have tracked this summer had [until then] provided some respite to the cows overnight.’’ Thoday said night temperatures had remained higher on the West Coast and Golden Bay to keep humidity levels and discomfort hours up. Canterbury’s fluctuating weather patterns usually relieved heat stress on cows, she said. Research indicates cows can suffer heat stress when temperatures go above 21 degrees Celsius and humidity is high, especially when there is little or no wind. The comfort zone for cows is 4-20 deg C, about 10-15 deg C lower than the comfort zone of humans. Cows feel hot 1015 deg C sooner than humans.
A cow’s normal respiration rate varies from 15-25 breaths per minute, but if this increases to more than 30 breaths per minute it indicates a cow is heat stressed. When they get too hot their appetite and feed intake decreases and milk production starts to slide. Thoday said studies more lately had shown that cows could feel uncomfortable before milk production reduced and there was a gradual increase in heat
stress among them when temperatures approached 21 deg C. “When they feel uncomfortable that’s when their shade seeking behaviour will kick in and when they will search for more water and their water intake goes up so there are subtle changes in the cow behaviour before physiological changes in milk production.’’ She said cows dealt with heat stress themselves as long as they had shade and water, but farmers could help relieve
a water trough on the exit race of a dairy shed so every cow, including submissive cows, could access water after milking. Thoday said cows needed access to shade mid-afternoon on the hottest days and farmers would change milking times so herds could move around in cooler parts of the day She said cows would lose their appetite on hot days as rumens converting food produced a lot of heat, but they could often be seen grazing on hot days too. Smaller jersey cows are more tolerant of heat, with low production losses until 25 deg C. Cows are understood to experience headaches, irritability and lethargy when they are too hot and have insufficient water. To cope with heat, they increase their breathing rate and pant, drink more water and eat less feed, reduce their milk production and the milk composition changes in fat and protein content. They tend to seek shade, crowd together to shade each other, refuse to lie down and change their orientation to sun, often standing in water or next to water troughs.
their discomfort. They could move cows in cooler parts of the day and provide more than one water trough per mob to avoid dominant cows dominating them over more submissive cows. Shelter trees provided shade. Cows were more likely to show more extreme signs of heat stress such as panting when they were on hard surfaces such as cow shed yards before milking. A practical step was to place
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NEWS
5
Irrigation down, milk production up The plus side of a topsyturvy season for dairy farmers is that milk production is up about 3-5 per cent in Canterbury and they have made good irrigation savings. Added production can sometimes not play out on the bottom-line, but power savings from late irrigation and farmers trying to keep on top of grass growth point to the additional milk being profitable. Average savings of $500 to $700 a day per hectare have been made by farmers depending on their irrigation systems and whether they have deep wells or connect to surface water. Many farmers did not turn the irrigation tap on for eight weeks because of the wet start. DairyNZ has tracked milk flows rising about 3 per cent in the South Island so far this season with milk companies estimating Canterbury production ranging from being slightly down to 5 per cent up. Dairy farmers began the
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
season with a mild winter and an unusually wet November and December for a series of growth spurts followed by erratic weather extremes from hot to sometimes cold since. DairyNZ head of south for farm performance Tony Finch said few farmers would dispute that it had been a favourable season so far for dairying, but it has not been without its challenges. “You can’t give grass away there’s that much out there. That’s not a negative – it’s a good thing, but managing [pasture and supplement] quality is the key point. Particularly in Canterbury there has been significant savings around irrigation costs.’’ Electricity costs are down
Irrigators lay dormant for weeks until lately as dairy farmers PHOTO SUPPLIED made the most of a top spring.
because farm ponds did not need recharging and irrigators were parked, freeing staff up for other work. Farmers carried surplus feed into the spring after a mild winter and grass growth responded to an “amazing’’ spring. However, maintaining pasture and supplement quality through managing
paddock rotations, keeping on top of surplus grass and meeting accepted residual targets had been challenging, he said. Full farm ponds have put farmers in a good position should the summer continue to heat up. “We have good supplements as a consequence of the season to date and we have
the ability to turn irrigation on for a large proportion of Canterbury so it does insulate us from what summer can bring. We still have three to four months ahead of us so what does that look like? But for the season to date we can’t really complain.’’ Outside of the weather factor, farmers’ main concerns have been the threat of mycoplasma bovis and the tight labour supply. Some farmers are operating with gaps in their teams and are finding it difficult to employ good staff. Finch said the labour shortage was not a “quick fix’’, but the industry was putting in a lot of work to promote dairying with schools and via marketing. Cow condition is good as a result of ample pasture growth. Pregnancy testing has just started after mating several months ago and it remains too early to tell if the “growthy’’ season will result in good pregnancy rates.
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OPINION
EDITORIAL COMMENT We are a good two weeks away from the next Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction. And there’s nothing remarkable about that – they come around every few weeks or so, although the spacing has been extended from the last GDT on January 15 and the next one on February 15 to avoid a holiday clash. There’s always interest in these auction results because they give some bearing to where dairy commodity prices are headed amongst the fog of volatility invariably accompanying the marketplace. This next event could arguably be more intriguing because over the past four auctions there has been a sequence of four price rises. Again, this isn’t exactly remarkable and has occurred in the past. It’s the context of this run which is relevant. Because prior to four rises in a row the auction was in a long slump which could be traced back to last May. If my memory serves me correctly during this period there was one auction which flat-lined, other than that prices headed south for every other auction. It was little coincidence that the dairy payout followed much the same path.
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
Farmers watched the payout drop from an originally promising $7/kg to $6.75/kg in August and again to a range of $6.25-$6.50/kg in October before the latest cut to $6-$6.30/kg on December 6. Two days before the last cut GDT turned the corner to re-enter positive territory. As we have been told before by Fonterra, dairy commodity prices play only part of the final equation to determine the milk price. The big co-op says in its website that it uses “independently approved methadology’’. That presumably includes calculating rising and ebbing milk flows (it looks like we are up this season after being assisted by a mild to wet to warm sequence), factoring in its many contracts and taking account collection, processing and other operating costs. Then there is global political upheavals which can skew the
market and the fluctuating position of rival milk producing nations. No doubt I’ve missed countless other considerations. Back to the main point, should there be a fifth rise dairy farmers will be more at ease that the payout will continue to have a six in front of it. Since the bumper payout of $8.40 a kilogram of milksolids in 201314, the milk price – exclusive of the share price – has been followed by the painful paring of $4.40/kg and $3.90/kg and then $6.12/kg, $6.69/ kg and now the forecasted range of $6-$6.30/kg. Six has a nice ring to it – preferably in the higher than lower end.
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OPINION
7
ECan – tidying farming for a better future Nearly nine years ago now the National Government sacked the Environment Canterbury (ECan) councillors and replaced them with two commissioners: Margaret Bazely and David Caygill. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth about the death of democracy, but that seemed to me to largely depend on whether you voted blue, red or green. Governments replace democratically elected boards, namely school boards, with commissioners all the time and barely an eyebrow is raised. The focus in that instance isn’t democracy, it’s on achieving what’s best for the school and the students, and likewise the focus on ECan being run by commissioners should be “has the region and the environment been served better for that decision?”. We farmers are smack bang in the middle of being held to account for our impact on the environment, and largely we have been poorly served by our regional councils. At least one is embroiled
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in a court case to determine whether they can proceed with their proposed method of determining nitrogen losses, and another has signalled that it will plough ahead with their plans despite the likelihood of a similar costly battle. All of this is happening too late - David Parker had been signalling for a very long time in Opposition that regional councils had dropped the ball and needed to pick up their game. They had the power to effect and enforce change and were not doing it, so now they’re going to get a National Policy Statement that clearly sets out what the government expects of them. The Minister of the Environment is not happy with regional councils, with the exception of one.
Prior to the election I had the opportunity to ask the minister a couple of questions around the water tax that was being mooted. I asked him if he was concerned that such a tax would drive marginal cropping farms to convert to dairying in order to get the best return from their irrigation. He replied that no, he was not concerned at all. He had faith that ECan had robust processes in place to ensure land use changes had minimal environmental impact. In that meeting the minister was effusive in his praise for ECan, going so far as to say he believed the National government had done the right thing in installing commissioners. Canterbury, he said, had nothing to fear from a change in government. It has taken ECan a good six years to get us into this position, making unpopular decisions and forging ahead with a big picture in mind. I’ll admit that I’m a farmer who grumbled every step of the way. Why did I need
a nutrient budget? A Farm Environment Plan? Why for the love of my bottom line am I paying a consultant $10,000 to secure consent to farm? All this became clear last November when I finally had my farm audited. My auditor, Megan Hands from LandSavvy, made it clear she was setting a baseline from which I was expected to improve.
“
We farmers are smack bang in the middle
It might not sound like much, but this is the major culture shift between the ECan of old and the ECan of now, it wasn’t scary. It was collaborative. Their expectations around the environment have been made clear, companies like Ballance and Ravensdown have invested in technology to ensure I have accurate records on hand, the water meters
ECan told me to install eight years ago at my own cost are another small piece in a much larger puzzle that is just starting to make sense to me now. Every farm in the Ecan catchment, be it dairy, drystock or arable, will now have new consents to farm based on many factors including their nutrient inputs and losses. Every year their nutrient budgets will be updated and reviewed against their consents to ensure compliance, and each farm will be regularly audited to see how they stack up against a range of criteria. There’s no doubt that some of the tools being used aren’t perfect, but these are things that can be improved and tweaked over time. At a time when people are not shy at pointing the finger and asking “why should you be allowed to farm?” I’m very glad to be farming in an area that allows me to be reply: “This is where I am now, and this is how I’m going to improve.”
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EARTHWORKS FEATURE
9
Immigration changes in right direction David Kean Rural Contractors NZ
Workers are in short supply for rural contractors.
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lower-skilled people where often English is an issue. Our imports are skilled machinery operators who are mostly from English-speaking countries or have good fluency.
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desperately needed. The RCNZ understands the Government’s wish to stop some of the rorts that go on with migrant labour. That said, this largely applies to
ST
Christmas to introduce a simpler, employer-led system for temporary work visas for skilled regional workers could, at face-value, provide the sorts of changes which are
MO
The Government’s proposals announced just before Christmas to make it easier for regions to get workers look like a step if not a leap in the right direction. Our members at Rural Contractors NZ (RCNZ) help farmers get in enough winter feed, stay on top of weeds and do a host of other tasks which allow our nation’s farms to stay productive. Just like industries such as pipfruit and kiwifruit, we struggle every year to get enough workers locally. Unlike those industries which are stretched for a few weeks over harvest, we need skilled people to drive our machinery from spring to autumn and getting approval to employ such people from overseas through the hoops of Work and Income NZ and Immigration NZ is an annual and frustrating nightmare. So, the proposals from Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway a week before
Our members are so keen to have them that often they become part of the extended family for a few weeks or months. Continued on page 10
Dairy Focus
10
“
Unfortunately, ours is a seasonal industry with some long hours when conditions allow ... and many aren’t cut out for it
from page 10 We also share the Government’s wish to employ as many New Zealanders as possible. Our 500 members regularly provide opportunities for Kiwis to train to drive machinery. Unfortunately, ours is a seasonal industry with some long hours when conditions allow – you need the aptitude to drive big machinery day in, day out and many aren’t cut out for it. I trust this will all be taken into account as the Government considers submissions on its new regional work visa proposals. RCNZ will be making a
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EARTHWORKS FEATURE
submission by the March 18 deadline. We will be asking officials to ensure that they recognise the particular demands that rural contractors face The paper to Cabinet paper has Minister Lees-Galloway wanting to implement the new Regional Skills Shortages lists in April this year. He also wants three-year sector agreements in place by this time next year for key shortage areas - residential aged care, dairy farming, tourism and hospitality, road freight and transport. Other sectors such as forestry, fishing and meat may be included. RCNZ will shortly engage with allied organisations such as Federated Farmers to assess the case for rural contracting to be put alongside the dairy farming, forestry and meat industries in the first sectorwide agreements. There’s a real potential for some win-win with these immigration proposals and RCNZ will be doing its best to ensure its members – and New Zealand – get the best outcomes. David Kean is the president of Rural Contractors NZ.
Basecourse requiremen Quarry companies fear new requirements for roading aggregate from the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) will end up reducing the number of sites making basecourse and increase the cost of road building. Aggregate and Quarry Association (AQA) chief executive Wayne Scott said several recent major roading failures appeared to be behind NZTA’s drive to have all M/4 basecourse used on motorways and many other roads meet additional compliance tests. The additional shape control requirements are, however, seen by construction material technical experts as over the top and if put in place, would blow out the cost of road building. “We support building durable roads but when roads fail, it’s not necessarily the aggregate that is at fault as the NZTA seems to be implying; there’s a series of decisions around procurement, design and construction processes.”
Across the country there are more than 200 quarries making M/4 and AQA members are worried that if the new NZTA requirement continues to creep into project specifications, the volume of compliant M/4 will plummet. Early analysis indicates that more than 24 per cent of M/4 will be non-compliant, leading to additional testing costs, associated delays to roading projects and a reduction in sites producing M/4. One major quarry company with strong quality testing procedures in place for its many major roading projects had nearly a third of its M/4 fail to meet the new NZTA requirements. Scott said NZTA was being inflexible in its demands. “NZTA is saying, here is the new standard for M/4; make everything to that standard or don’t produce it at all. That’s not a statistical envelope for us to work within – it’s an unrealistic line drawn in the sand. The AQA is supportive of finding a solution but at the moment
“
We support building durable roads but when roads fail, it’s not necessarily the aggregate that is at fault as the NZTA seems to be implying
our technical people are saying the new requirements are an unwelcome burden. We already have shape control provisions in M/4 – and if NZTA continues to insist on new requirements, it will cause a blow-out in the cost of road building where costs are already under pressure from rising demand for aggregate and increased cartage distances.”
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EARTHWORKS FEATURE
nt to drive up costs
Aggregate and Quarry Association (AQA) chief executive Wayne Scott. PHOTO SUPPLIED
The AQA’s technical committee supports basecourse test results being brought together, similar to the accreditation scheme for asphalt, where an acceptable range within a statistical envelope is used to
ensure good consistency and standards. Scott said he hoped there would be a fresh opportunity for the AQA to open discussions on the proposed M/4 aggregate specifications.
11
Local knowledge that counts
Rooney Earthmoving Limited is one of Canterbury’s most well-known contracting businesses and innovative developers with vast experience in all aspects of earthmoving, dairy conversions, irrigation design and construction. Using our significant local knowledge and design capability in irrigation, we develop working concepts into sound outcomes for farmers while ensuring our three
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Dairy Focus
EARTHWORKS FEATURE
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SANY machines deliver confidence SANY Group is a global manufacturing company within the civil construction and machinery industry. Focus is on product encompassing concrete batching plants and pumps, cranes and hoisting machinery, pile driving rigs, general construction machinery, port handling equipment, and wind turbine options. Global tractor sales are proud to be aligned with SANY bringing their range of excavators and construction machinery to New Zealand. We are very excited to be involved with one of the world’s largest manufacturers of construction equipment. Worldwide forecasts for 2019 excavator sales are set to exceed 50,000 units and this is testament to SANY and the investment they are making with their factories and Global support structures. Global Tractor Sales have a
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FEATURE
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Dairy Focus
14
www.guardianonline.co.nz
PROFILE
Hot contest between young farmers Eight young Canterbury and North Otago farmers are about to vie for a single grand final spot in a national competition, writes Tim Cronshaw. South Canterbury dairy farmer Adam Judd knows he faces some stiff competition in his bid to make the FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final. To make it through the next cut he needs to win the Aorangi regional final at Oamaru on February 23. Judd, 28, is one of eight contestants to contest the regional final and has the advantage of previous experience in the competition. This will be the Timaru Young Farmers vice chairman’s third attempt at trying to win the regional final and going on to the next stage. Judd is an assistant manager on a 720-cow dairy farm at Pleasant Point. “I really enjoyed competing last year,’’ says Judd. “I’m hoping that having done it before will give me a bit of an
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
advantage.’’ However, Judd is not alone in the experience stakes with four of the other contestants also previously competing in the regional finals. Former shepherd Josh McAtamney, 30, contract milks 950 cows and fattens bulls at Carew and this will be his second time competing. He was runner-up in last year’s event. “I enjoy the practical modules and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into this regional final,’’ he says. “It
Josh McAtamney doing the fencing module.
should be exciting.’’ Even more experienced is Alan Harvey, 27, who’s an Oamaru-based agricultural consultant with Agri Planz. This will be the former agronomist’s fourth attempt at trying to make the national final. “I grew up watching the contest on television and it’s an event I’ve always aspired to be a part of.’’ Harvey has worked on a high-yielding 400 hectare irrigated cotton farm and harvested grain in Australia.
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In the mix is Timaru dry stock farmer William Ellis, 28, who has also spent time planting canola, wheat and barley across the Tasman. “It’s anyone’s game going into the regional final,’’ he says. “It looks like it will be evenly contested again this year.’’ The regional finalists from Mid Canterbury are Campbell Sommerville, Ezekiel Turner and Billy Dowle. Sommerville, 25, works on a 600 hectare arable farm in Methven, growing wheat,
PHOTOS SUPPLIED
barley, peas, fodder beet, kale and grass seed. Turner, 26, is a stock manager at the 3800ha High Peak Station in Rakaia Gorge. Across the Rakaia River from Turner is Dowle. The 26-year-old is a stock manager at Redcliffs Station, which runs about 3800 merino ewes and 240 angus cows. The other finalist is Kerry Watson, 27, who grew up on a sheep and beef farm in the United Kingdom and is a farm assistant on a 400-cow dairy farm at Five Forks.
www.guardianonline.co.nz During the regional final contestants will tackle a series of practical and theoretical sessions at the Oamaru A&P Showgrounds. This will be followed by a dinner and agriknowledge quiz hosted by comedian Te Radar. Further north, Amuri Basin Young Farmers club mates Georgie Lindsay, Matt Redmond and Woody Gardner are set to clash in the Tasman regional final in Culverden on March 2. Redmond, 24, manages an 850 cow dairy farm at Culverden and has been a club member for three years, while Lindsay, 23, is a shepherd at the 2400 hectare Marble Point Station south of Hanmer Springs and Gardner, 25, works on a family-owned 550 hectare dairy, sheep and cropping farm at Waiau. They will be joined in the contest by Alex Knowles, Jonny Brown, Martin Bates, Peter O’Connor and Stewart Watson from the upper South Island. The Aorangi and Tasman events are among seven regional finals being held across the country between February and April. Regional winners will go on to the grand final in Hawke’s Bay in July.
PROFILE
Alan Harvey
William Ellis
Kerry Watson
Josh McAtamney
Adam Judd
Ezekiel Turner
Campbell Sommerville
Billy Dowle
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16
Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
PROFILE
From milking buckets to mobile apps Inventiveness and ingenuity have often followed difficult times during New Zealand’s dairying history. New Zealand’s dairy sector effectively had its beginnings in 1814 when missionary Samuel Marsden landed the first milking cows and a breeding bull. From those early colonial days when the milking cow would be tied up on a rough piece of cleared land with the farmer or his wife, crouching or sitting to squeeze the milk by hand into a bucket, New Zealand settlers and their successors have been leaders in farming innovation, much of it driven by necessity. It’s been 100 years since Kiwi soldiers, having fought for King and country in World War I, returned to New Zealand and turned their hands to farming thanks to the ‘soldier-settler’ scheme. To honour their determination, hard graft, and No. 8 wire ingenuity, DairyNZ has curated a pictorial collection showing some of the important innovations from the early 1900s to today when dairy farmers can herd
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
their cows using a mobile phone app. The unsung hero of New Zealand dairying is a Wairarapa dairy farmer, Norman Daysh, the inventor of the vacuum pump milking machine that revolutionised the dairy industry. He experimented with early machines on a cow, Daisy, in his Wairarapa farmhouse kitchen. Daysh secured more than 20 patents for his machine before travelling from Wairarapa to New York in 1913 in the hope of finding a global company interested in helping him perfect the machine he had designed.
In New York, the DeLaval company recognised the potential of his machine and innovative spirit. Together, they fine-tuned the machine, and then in 1917, launched it to the world. The world never looked back. The herringbone dairy
configuration (1952) and then the rotary dairy (1969) were also designed by Kiwi farmers keen to put behind them the back-breaking business of stooping to milk, and the time-consuming business of moving cows in and out of the shed that existed with walk-
through dairies. Their designs are still popular in New Zealand and around the world. New Zealand is the leader in most areas of dairy – from efficient milking and yard systems, and profitable grazing systems using specially bred grasses, to cows
www.guardianonline.co.nz
PROFILE
Clockwise, from left: Early milking machine, HM Queen Elizabeth II with the late Don Ferguson and cows, Hand milking the old-fashioned way, DeLaval robotic milking machine, early herringbone, DairyNZ’s Envirowalk app. PHOTOS SUPPLIED
that are so superior that even Queen Elizabeth approves of them. The queen has a long-term connection with the Waikato based Ferguson dairy farming family and their Ferdon Genetics. Other innovations are effluent management systems, and riparian planting along fenced waterways to lower the
environmental footprint and many improvements made in dairy processing and products. Today that extends to Kiwi ingenuity speeding up the process of manufacturing mozzarella. In one plant alone in Canterbury enough of the cheese is produced to top 500 million pizzas a year.
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Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
OPINION
Changing times for irrigators It’s hard to believe it’s almost 10 years since I started at Irrigation NZ. Over this time I’ve seen huge changes in the irrigation sector. New technology is driving many changes. Water measurement data, combined with an array of other sensor data, is now being used to inform irrigation decision making in real-time. Soon, you won’t even have to do the thinking as autonomous irrigation systems informed by remote sensing will be deciding when and where to irrigate for you. National and regional discussions on how to manage nutrient losses from farms were just starting 10 years ago. The recent introduction of good management practice through Audited Farm Environment Plans has contributed to some of the water quality improvements we are seeing in a number of regions. The issues regions such as Canterbury and Otago are grappling with are being mirrored in areas like Hawke’s Bay and Tasman. Climate change is resulting in less re-
service
Andrew Curtis
IRRIGATION NZ
liable rainfall and river flows, warmer temperatures and more frequent droughts. Existing water is over-allocated in some areas and demand for water is increasing. These are complex issues local communities must work through while looking at all the options on the table. A recent trip to America has highlighted the need to clearly identify the problem and consider catchment scale infrastructure as a solution. In New Zealand we have enough water and should look for community solutions rather than imposing blanket restrictions on everyone. Modernisation of irrigation systems and schemes is also part of the solution for the future. Over $1 billion has
PHOTO SUPPLIED
already been spent on modernising irrigation schemes over the past decade. On the farm, there is an increased understanding of the need to carefully manage irrigation in order to manage costs and nutrient losses and boost production. Our training programmes have developed over the past 10 years from the odd event into a structured programme which delivered around 40 workshops in the last year with over 700 attendees, as well as a new online training option. It’s been an uphill battle get-
ting the good word out there about change in our industry. In April we held our conference and expo in Alexandra, which was a useful opportunity to see the latest technology as well as get the message out about all the changes going on the farm. We have had a number of meetings in the past year with different representatives of the new government and there is certainly more appreciation now of the role of irrigation than previously. You only need to look to the parties submissions in support of the Waimea dam to see
evidence of this. Looking to the future, technology will continue to drive changes on farms – to the extent that it may be hard to keep up with all the changes. Although I won’t be in my current role for much longer, I will continue to be involved in the irrigation and water management sector as part of some new ventures I will be part of and I will certainly continue to follow the future of the sector with more than a little interest. Andrew Curtis is the outgoing chief executive for Irrigation NZ.
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Payday is about to get tougher (or a whole lot easier) Kiwi employers have to move to Payday Filing by April 1st. Under the new rules, you’ll file tax and pay details with Inland Revenue within two days of payday. More forms, more risk, more often. Payroll admin just got even tougher. Here’s something pretty cool - PaySauce handles the whole payroll process from a phone or computer. Our software gathers digital timesheets, builds payslips, calculates taxes, makes payments and files paperwork direct to Inland Revenue. We’re already doing the extra filing for all our customers, so they’re all set for April. With PaySauce, it’s your easiest payday ever.
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20
Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
RURAL CONSTRUCTION FEATURE
Building? Do you need consent? Like anyone else considering building farmers need to work out whether or not they need a building consent for their work. Finding out what building work is exempt under the Building Act pays off as does knowing when to involve the council and bring in the experts. All building work that is done in New Zealand must comply with the building code and many projects will
need a building consent. That said, it’s true that some “lowrisk’’ building work, may be exempt under the Building Act. Some basic building work, such as laying a patio or installing kitchen cupboards, does not require a building consent. Most building work, however, does. Commercial and multi-unit building work will also need careful planning and may have additional requirements.
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Councils can tell you about any district or regional plans that may require you to get resource consent or other permits. Failing to have a consent can be expensive. Anyone breaking the law and carrying out building work that is not exempt and does not have a building consent can incur a fine of up to $200,000. If the work continues, a further fine of up to $10,000 for every day or part day during which the offence continues can be issued. Councils can also issue an infringement notice for carrying out building work without consent and accompanying this is an infringement fee of $1000. They can remove the building work if it is dangerous or insanitary. Here are some types of work requiring consent (but check with local councils to be sure): • Structural building - additions, alterations, re-piling, some demolitions. • Plumbing and drainage where additional sanitary fixture is created (some repair and maintenance may be exempt). • Relocating a building. • Installing a woodburner or airconditioning system. • Retaining walls higher than 1.5 metres (3m in rural areas
if designed by a chartered professional engineer). • Fences or walls higher than 2.5m, and all swimming pools and associated fences. • Decks, platforms or bridges more than 1.5m above ground level. • Sheds greater than 10 square metres in floor area. • Some earthworks. The purpose of Schedule 1 of the Building Act is to exempt lowrisk work from requiring a building consent. Some exempt building work can be carried out by anyone. As a building owner, you are responsible for deciding whether or not your building work is exempt and making sure that any exempt building work complies with the building code. On completion of any exempt building work, the altered building must comply with the building code to at least the same extent as it did before the building work was undertaken. Get advice from experts if unsure that the proposed work is exempt.
Source: Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment.
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RURAL CONSTRUCTION FEATURE
21
Home building extended to Mid Canterbury
With an emphasis on providing the local touch, Trident Homes has established its presence in the Mid Canterbury community of Ashburton. Following 14-years of experience in the building industry as a local tradesman and after researching opportunities and different options, Shaun started the Trident Homes Ashburton franchise, attracted by the requirement of having a fully trade qualified team on board. As a New Zealand-based, owned and operated building company, Trident Homes is committed to home-building innovation with modern designs and custom-made house plans to suit all requirements and budgets. Already operating in Timaru, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown and Tauranga, Trident Homes are excited to be open in Ashburton. With an area covering much of the Canterbury Plains, Methven, the beautiful Lake Hood and new
subdivisions such as Oaklea, Shaun is excited about the growth in Mid Canterbury. Born and bred in the Ashburton community, Shaun says that the local focus of his business has been key to early success. Passionate about building, Shaun says that early in his career he loved to watch the daily progress of a house as it took shape. “As my building career developed, it was good to work with the client to understand what they wanted to achieve. Everyone has different ideas and tastes - so to create exactly what they want is a good feeling.� says Shaun. With our carefully chosen quality specifications, we offer great value for money and a realistic budget without losing quality, our starting rate in Ashburton is $1550 a square metre. Contact us to start your building adventure today.
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22
Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
OPINION
Handling heat stress this summer If you think us humans have been suffering in the midsummer heat, spare a thought for the cows. By February, the heat from the New Zealand sun is so strong that cows are very uncomfortable indeed. Their tongues are out by 9.30am; they are too hot to eat or drink, so they don’t. They stand in mobs, trying to escape the heat while inadvertently creating more heat by huddling together. They stand in one place, s*** in one place, and attract more flies. It’s a grim sight. However, in the several years (decades) I spent dairy farming I discovered a few simple, no-or-low-cost adjustments farmers can make to their working day to ensure cows stay as comfortable as possible during the hottest weeks of the year - keeping milk production high as a result. Milk earlier in the morning: Under traditional twice-aday milking models, cows are milked about 5am and are back in the paddock about 8am, missing the opportunity to
David Law
FORWARD FARMING
graze dewy grass. In the peak of summer, I would ask staff to milk at about 3am so the cows were back in the paddock by 5.30/6am. By the time the real heat kicked in mid-morning, they had had four hours grazing wet grass and were asleep with full stomachs. Eating that high-moisture feed meant they didn’t need to go to the trough and were ahead for required water intake for the day. Keep young silage for summer: On a hot summer’s day, silage made with young grass is as irresistible to cows as ice-cream and fruit salad is to humans. I used to keep the young silage especially for summer to give the cows a reason to eat, feeding it out
about lunchtime. If you don’t have silage, chicory is a good alternative. Move cows to shade after lunch: After feeding the silage, I would move the cows to a 500 metre-long paddock, planted north to south in trees - a designated shade paddock, not used for grazing. By lunchtime the sun was past the trees and the mob had full shade to enjoy for about an hour before milking. Milk earlier in the afternoon: Due to the early start, we would milk cows at about 1/1.30pm so staff had finished work by 4pm and could have some cooling-down time of their own. Sprinklers at the shed
provided some extra relief for hot cows. Think outside the box with feed: Other tricks we used included upping the cows’ water intake by mixing 1000 likres of water with feed in a mixer wagon. This stopped cows rushing to the trough to compete for water when they left the feed pad. We also offered cows watered-down molasses in PK trailers in the race when they came up for milking. Molasses is instant energy and provided enough of a pick-me-up for hot cows to get up and feed. Asking staf to make cow comfort a priority during
this critical time and taking advantage of what Mother Nature has to offer could be the difference between your cows continuing to milk, or not. The next challenge facing farmers is the possibility of facial eczema occurring on farm. Facial eczema in cattle can be treated; we have treatments available that work very well to stop the progression of the disease. For more information please contact me. Summer can be a stressful time on farm, so I urge farmers to pick up the phone and call me if they have any questions whatsoever – we’re here to help.
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NEWS
23
Winchmore Research Station up for sale Mid Canterbury’s Winchmore Research Station is being sold by crown institute AgResearch after 72 years of providing grazing and arable analysis for the farming community. The asking price is unknown as the transaction will be carried out by private treaty with offers taken to the end of next month unless the property is sold beforehand. Originally 308 hectares, the farm is being subdivided into two parcels, either side of the Dromore Methven Road, with the larger parcel of about 247ha to be sold on the open market. All research on the land northwest of Ashburton will not be entirely lost as a condition of the sale is that long term fertiliser trials are carried on for a further 30 years. As late as last year AgResearch chief executive Tom Richardson had said the crown researcher was committed to ongoing trials at Winchmore to keep adding to science. Infrastructure director John O’Dea said AgResearch’s
Tim Cronshaw
RURAL REPORTER
projects and priorities had changed in recent years with more research held on commercial farms and the focus was on small scale intensive research. “The sale of Winchmore will enable AgResearch to invest in its wider research facilities, and thus continue driving prosperity by transforming agriculture,’’ he said. Federated Farmers Mid Canterbury vice president David Clark said farmers would be disappointed that more government funded research was being lost in farming. He said Mid Canterbury would virtually have no research soon by Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) when it was needed the most
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY AGRESEARCH
by farmers so they could remain world leaders in agriculture. ‘The continued erosion of research capability from CRIs such as AgResearch is just further eroding research in agriculture. While there has been limited research by AgResearch in Winchmore in recent years for whatever reasons … now selling the
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farm asset makes it very final.’’ O’Dea said changing research priorities had meant that the Winchmore site was mainly focused on the long term fertiliser trials. The fertiliser research trials on 4.1ha of land run on the farm for more than 60 years is the longest under pasture in New Zealand. Last year the Fertiliser
Association of New Zealand (FANZ) signed a 35 year lease with AgResearch to continue the trials at Winchmore. FANZ chief executive Vera Power said the site had provided extremely useful information for almost 70 years. “This has allowed us to track changes to pastoral land as agriculture evolves and supports our evidence base for sustainable management.” O’Dea said Winchmore’s lismore soils and spray irrigation would enable a wide range of future cropping and grazing options. “Modern de-stoning technology now means the stony lismore soils are regarded as some of the most sought after and productive soils for intensive vegetable and arable production.’’ Crops on the farm this season include potatoes, wheat, barley, maize, peas and specialist seeds, with a small area retained in lucerne and permanent pasture. Historically, the farm had limited winter-forage cropping and was mainly used as a grazing property.
24
Dairy Focus
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Specialists in South Canterbury Cool Air Refrigeration and Air Conditioning are heat pump, air conditioning and refrigeration Specialists located in the heart of Timaru. We serve farms, businesses, residencies and factories throughout South Canterbury. At Cool Air, we pride ourselves on being innovative and keeping up to date with the latest Dairy Farm technologies. We supply, install and service milk silo refrigeration, milk silos, water chill plants and heat recovery systems.
Cool Air are authorized partner installers of the Packo Ice Banks (PIBs) The latest MPI Milk Silo regulations being enforced of “Milk Cooling 5.14”, it is important for Farmers to ensure that they comply with the new MPI regulations. Cool Air can offer you a free on farm assessment of your refrigeration equipment. With a few tests, we can determine if your existing refrigeration systems complies.
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