Dairy Focus by Ashburton Guardian

dairy FOCUS

An Ashburton Guardian Advertising Supplement

Issue 25. June 15, 2010. $2.00

FOCUS JUNE 2010

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Contents Page 3 Page 4, 5 Page 6-9 Page 10, 11 Page 12 Page 13, 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 19

The changing face of herd testing The ins and outs of fodder beet feed Maxim Homes - a better way to build Rakaia Engineering Weather, ETS and a closure What happens when the oil runs out? To trim or not to trim A fair wage for all? Winter feed results Weather predictions by Ken Ring

dairy FOCUS

An advertising supplement of the Ashburton Guardian Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Ashburton Guardian Publication date: Next issue:

June 15, 2010 July 20, 2010

We welcome any correspondence to either: Anna Money, phone 307-7936 email: anna.m@theguardian.co.nz or Lance Isbister, phone 307-7953 email: lance.i@theguardian.co.nz

Did you know that Electricity Ashburton is more than just your energy distributor? We are also a specialist team, here to handle all your power requirements, from electric fence earths to dairy conversions. Designing and implementing solutions for: • Supplying and installing all types of high and low volt cable (incorporating all design aspects) • New subdivisions • Design and install street lighting • Dairy Conversions • Line Maintenance • New Connections • Inspections • Stray voltage testing for dairy units • Fibre optic connections • Tree maintenance, removal • FREE QUOTES! You know you can entrust your most complicated job to the team that knows the network. It’s not what we don’t do, it’s how can we help you!

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Keeping abreast of the times Herd tester Jeanette Mahan still enjoys working with cows and catching up with dairy farmers after 44 years in the job. During that time the veteran Livestock Improvement (LIC) herd tester has seen huge changes in the landscape of dairy farming in Canterbury. “It’s all changed completely from when I first started, 66 cows was the biggest mob we herd tested.” The Geraldine based herd tester now drives a truck to deliver equipment to test herds of 1000 to 3200 cows which had become more common with this decade’s dairy booms, especially in Mid Canterbury. She recognised that access to water was integral to the vast dairy development throughout Canterbury. “Dairy farmers have got to have that water, that’s all there is to it.” Ms Mahan expected to see more dairy conversions in the future with the milk payout forecast set to increase. She said because the system was so efficient these days with electronics, herd testing large cow numbers wasn’t too demanding. New technology like the Easylink and the complementing wand made her job easier and more interesting. “LIC is a very progressive, innovative company, it’s always passing new information onto us.” Despite Ms Mahan’s invaluable experience in the job she has never wanted to take up a management position within the company as she preferred to get out and about and work with farmers at the grass roots level. Ms Mahan said back in the earlier days of herd testing they used to use an old centrifuge together with sulphuric acid and alcohol to separate the milk after spinning it for three minutes. This process would effectively dissolve the milk and give herd testers the butter fat content, which they measured

using a chart. From this technique herd testers could gauge the performance of cows. “When I started the herd testing was all done on the farm.” As a herd tester Ms Mahan has had to fit milk meters in a range of different sheds, she admits some of the places where they must be mounted have been difficult to access, but says farmers are willing to make adjustments to better accommodate them. “We haven’t been beaten yet.” She said the knowledge dairy farmers gain form herd testing was invaluable and was only going to become more accessible through electronic innovation such as animal identification tags. “It’s quite exciting, we’ve come a long way, but there’s a lot more to be done,” she said. Ms Mahan has been driving the trucks that deliver the herd testing equipment for the last 10 years which keeps her actively visiting farms and keeping in touch with the rural community. When she decides to hang up the milk meters, Ms Mahan plans to pursue her other passion of travelling overseas, having already travelled to Britain, United States and Canada. “They certainly have good stock over there (in Canada), there’s no two ways about it.” She should know, her other passion has been stewarding at A & P shows for 27 years seeing her assist in Christchurch, Temuka, Ashburton, Timaru and Geraldine where she had a stint as president in the late 90s. She enjoyed seeing the transition between the muddied working cows in the shed to the same cows which were presented immaculately for judging at the shows where she has further developed an eye for what makes the best bred stock stand out.

Lance Isbister Rural Reporter, Ashburton Guardian

photo supplied by LIC

Jeanette Mahan prepares sample cups for a busy day out in the field Front page: Jeanette Mahan with the tools of the trade, which have changed considerably since she started herd testing in the mid 1960s. Photo Kirsty Graham 040610-KG-011

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Feeding fodder beet this winter? Despite having been grown in New Zealand for many years, fodder beet has only recently become popular as a source of winter feed for dairy cows. Feeding the crop can present some challenges and risks to animal health. This article gives some tips to avoid such problems. Soil type variations may affect oxalate and calcium content, with consequent repercussions in the performance of cows on the crop. In addition, varieties vary in their dry matter percentage and the proportion of the root above ground. Feeding management needs to account for these characteristics. Fodder beet differs in many ways to the most commonly used winter crops, kale and swedes, therefore different feeding strategies are required. Average nutrient concentrations for commonly used winter forages are provided in Table 1.

Tips when feeding the crop:

• Transition: To avoid nutritional disorders e.g. rumen acidosis and to minimise weight loss during the change to crop feeding it is essential to transition cows onto the crop correctly. Slowly introduce the cows to fodder beet over a 10 – 14 day period. Ensure there is sufficient silage and/or pasture and straw to meet cow energy requirements during this 10-14 day period. Ensure a good gut fill when cows enter to crop to slow the rate of intake.

Table 1: Nutrient concentrations of commonly used winter forages DM%

Crude Protein%

NDF%

WSC g/kgDM

MJME/kgDM

Fodder Beet average

14 – 20

9 – 14

11 -16

500 -700

11.8 -12-5

Beet roots Low DM

11 – 13

9 11

15 13

650

11.8 – 13*

450 – 500

11 -13*

Beet leaves (tops)

Beet roots High DM Swedes Kale

12-13

15 – 18 15-20 9- 12

11 - 15

23 19-23 10

12 – 20 12 - 18

100 -120

11 11

700

16 – 30 20 - 35

350 - 400

12.2 – 13* 11 – 12.5

* be aware that feed test evaluations may indicate higher ME than this range, but in practice the crop may not feed at that level

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• Grazing Strategy: Substantial differences in feed composition between roots and tops (leaves) need careful crop allocation. Roots have very high WSC [water soluble carbohydrates] but very low NDF [fibre] and crude protein (CP; Table 2). On average 25% of the dry matter (DM) of the crop is in the tops. By grazing tops and roots together it is possible to largely overcome the CP deficiency of the root. This is achieved by allocating daily breaks which ensure that cows eat tops and roots on the same day. Depending on the total yield and therefore the ratio of root to tops in individual crops, the total crop CP level may not meet the 12% - 14% CP requirements for dry cows. This is particularly relevant for 30T plus crops where the tops proportion of the total yield may be lower than 25%. Cereal straw is not recommended as a sole fibre source for feeding with fodder beet due to its relatively low CP content. Inadequate protein intake during the dry period can negatively affect appetite and potentially MS production in the following lactation. • Allocation: Twice daily shifting of a long narrow break, feeding under the wire, is considered best practice for crop allocation. This promotes steady mixed consumption of roots and tops whilst maximising simultaneous access by cows and minimises crop wastage. Break size is always critical to getting the right feeding levels but especially in high yielding crops. Prior to feeding, measure crop yield, determine the DM from analysis and calculate the paddock yield.

• Estimating t DM/ha: Given the range in crop varieties and the top to root ratio variation between varieties, it is best to analyse for DM rather than using typical book values. Errors with yield estimates, break size measurement, and number of cows are magnified with high yielding crops. Steps to measure crop yields: 1) take the quadrat samples 2) Divide tops and roots 3) Weigh each part 4) Send a sample of each [root and tops] for DM analysis. This process will allow you not only to get a gauge of the total crop DM yield but also a measurement of the CP available given that CP in the root is around 9% and CP in tops about 22%, the ratio of tops to roots [hopefully close to 25%] will yield an acceptable total CP for the crop around 14%. • Feeding levels: A typical dry cow diet would be (all values are kg DM offered per cow per day): 7.0 kg DM Fodder Beet – (60% of the total diet) 3.0 kg DM pasture silage or balage – (25% of the total diet) 2.0 kg DM straw or hay – (15% of the total diet)

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• Fibre Requirements: There is a greater requirement for a fibre source when feeding fodder beet than is the case for brassica crops because of the low NDF and very high WSC in the roots. It is recommended that Fodder beet should not exceed 60% of the diet to avoid rumen acidosis.

Cow health – risks when feeding fodder beet

• Rumen acidosis Rumen acidosis is a potential risk given the high WSC and low (NDF <20%DM) fibre content of fodder beet roots. Clinical symptoms of acute rumen acidosis include: depression, dehydration, scouring, bloating, laminitis, rumenitis, milk fever or sudden death.

Often there are no specific clinical signs of rumen acidosis. Many cases of cows that “don’t do well” on fodder beet (empty gutted, condition loss), especially during the first 2-3 weeks of feeding are actually sub-clinical cases of rumen acidosis. Careful observation of all cows is necessary, should any cows appear unwell, they should be removed from the crop to pasture and the vet consulted promptly. By following good practice in transitioning cows onto the crop, feeding them regularly and providing adequate chewable fibre rumen acidosis can be avoided.

Cereal silage is not well suited for feeding with fodder beet as it has low CP and contains moderate levels of non fibre carbohydrate (starch) which is already in abundance as WSC in fodder beet.

There have been some reports of downer cows after the transition from fodder beet back to grass. The mechanisms of this effect are not well understood.

• 2. Oxalates Oxalate levels in the tops may under some situations pose a potential risk to cows. Oxalates can bind calcium during digestion, forming insoluble calcium oxalate which passes out in the faeces and can result in cows suffering milk fever like symptoms. There are varying views on how this can be addressed including the use of limeflour dusted onto breaks or onto silage at 150 to 200g grams per cow per day. Calcium supplementation of dry cows requires careful management to avoid milk fever at calving. The issue of high oxalates in tops can be largely overcome by ensuring that cows have a steady access to a combination of tops and roots, rather than alternating between gorging on tops and then roots. It is critical to avoid widespread breakouts as cows will preferentially consume the leaves in this situation. The risk from oxalates is greater in later pregnancy when the dietary requirement for calcium is increased. Cows should be transitioned on to another crop or pasture 2-3 weeks before calving.

• 3. Bloat and frosted crops Most farmers know about the risks of grazing frosted

Steve Lee DairyNZ Business Developer - Productivity crops. We do not entirely understand why cows are more likely to bloat on a frosted crop. Frosted plant cells may become more fragile and break down more quickly in the rumen.

A more rapid breakdown of the plant cells means a more rapid fermentation in the rumen, more gas and acid production and a greater risk of bloat. Waiting for the frost to lift from the crop and feeding more fibre will reduce risk of frost bloat. • 4. Mineral requirements of dry cows on fodder beet The table below gives a mineral profile of fodder beet in New Zealand based on a small number of crop samples. Limited studies in New Zealand conditions mean that our understanding of the mineral status and requirements of cows on fodder beet is incomplete. We do know that there is limited calcium in fodder beet and this may be made worse by the effects of leaf oxalates. When transitioning off fodder beet it is important to ensure that cows are well supplemented with magnesium. Dairy NZ acknowledges the valuable contributions made by PGG Wrightson, farmers and Lincoln University [Animal Science] in collating this information

Table 2: Mineral profile of fodder beet leaf and fodder beet bulbs compared with Kale

FB Leaf

FB Bulb Kale

P (g/100g DM)

K (g/100g DM)

S (g/100g DM)

Ca (g/100g DM)

Mg (g/100g DM)

Na (g/100g DM)

Cu (mg/kgDM)

Zn (mg/kgDM)

0.2

1.8

3.5

1.2

0.75

1.7

4.0

21.5

0.125

1.7

0.3

2.5

0.07 0.7

0.13 2.5

0.125 0.2

0.39 0.1

3.25 0.4

13.75

1.0 -20

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Ashburton Guardian Advertising Feature together, he realised it was definitely a product he wanted to be involved with. The Maxim construction system changes the way things have always been done â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from design to project management. It is made of solid fine-surface particleboard 35mm thick for wall panels and 25mm thick for ceiling panels. Panels are 7.350m long and 2.45m high, pre-cut to simplify and speed up construction. Duncan says that Maxim can be used for residential and commercial projects including schools, hospitals, offices, multistorey apartments, retirement villages and residential developments because of its strength. But its biggest benefit is the speed of construction that it allows. The Maxim panel goes up quickly and efficiently and can be approximately 30-50% faster than building with traditional construction methods. Using this system itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible to build a standard home in 8 weeks after the foundation is set, meaning considerable reductions in the cost of labour. This is exciting for dairy farmers wanting small farm houses for workers, or people seeking investment property such as blocks of flats. The possibilities it opens up for fast, effective construction, with reduced labour costs are exciting for any potential building clients. The pre-cut Maxim walls and ceilings are delivered by long-reach hiab truck and placed into position on site. Wall panels are lifted into position. For concrete floors, the walls are screwed to the galvanized steel angle. For wood floors, the walls are skew-nailed to the floor from both sides of the wall panel. Wall to wall connections are glued and nailed using pre-cut grooves and rebates for precise alignment. Maxim ceiling panels are then

lifted into position. The ceiling panels are 25mm thick and can be walked on when fitted and supported by props. Roof trusses are fitted and clipped to the ceiling panels from above. No ceiling fixings are required from inside the house, which means no more nail popping and considerably less stopping offering a smooth continuous finish. Typically a single level house is assembled onto foundations with all walls, lintels, roof trusses and ceilings in a single day. Although this is a relatively new product on the market, it has been extensively tested for durability. The Maxim construction system, including the panel manufacture process, and the pre-cut factory operation, have been fully appraised by the Building Research Association of New Zealand, and because Duncan is a Certified Builder, you also have the 10 year first home guarantee, so you can be assured of making a good decision if Duncan and his team are creating your dream home. Because of ease of construction, Duncan can save you time and money in labour costs, but also because of the innovative way the panels are created, they take up less space over all, giving you more home space for your money. In traditional building you have timber framing and plasterboard taking up about 113mm of space for the wall. The Maxim all-in-one panel system only takes up 36mm leaving the rest of this space for you thus creating more spacious rooms. Even in a small sized house this is about the size of an ensuite. The Maxim Construction System is used to create the interior surface as well as the structural and bracing elements of the building, and offers walls and ceilings

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Ashburton Guardian Advertising Feature Left (Left to right): Duncan’s professional and helpful building team – Milzy, Jamie, Shorty and Duncan. Below: The large deck and outdoor gas fire will be an entertainers dream upon completion. Right: View of completed exterior, showing the large windows to flow afternoon sun into the living area.

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that are strong, durable and provide a beautifully smooth finish. Because of their ingenious design, the panels will not crack like traditional plasterboard, and they are tremendously strong and impact resistant. The high density of the panels (up to 750 kg/m3) means it’s highly resistant to ordinary wear and tear. This means the scrapes and bangs of everyday life are unlikely to damage its smooth good looks, giving you a better looking home for longer. Building a home is a big step, especially if it’s your first home so you’ll need to work with someone you can trust. Someone who is more interested in getting it right than getting it sold. Duncan and his team will help you through the process, if you’d like someone to have a look at a site prior to purchase they would be happy to do some homework and meet you onsite to discuss the options and identify any issues. If you already have a site

and are looking to build then they can talk to you about the options they can offer you. It’s a big part of their dedication to building good quality family homes. Duncan’s small team is passionate about quality and believe everybody who builds a new home deserves the highest level of workmanship regardless of the budget. They also offer fixed price contracts, to ensure that there are no nasty surprises and that you can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing the cost of your project from the outset. Maxim Homes qualified and professional team are always available to listen and discuss your building requirements. There is no greater testimonial to your product than to live amongst it, and that is literally what Duncan and his family will shortly be doing. Duncan is in the final stages of constructing his own home made from Maxim Panels on a rural lifestyle block on Ashburton Staveley Road. Duncan along with

his wife Tracey and 2 year old daughter Milla, will experience first hand the benefits of the Maxim panel system, as they live amongst their product, and what better way to test it than to have a young family with a toddler living within the walls. Duncan and family will be using their home as a display home, and invite potential new clients to visit so they can see first hand the spacious, durable living environment. Unlike a show home which is not lived in, Duncan is so confident of Maxim panels, that he encourages anyone interested in the building process to make an appointment for a viewing via his website, for a more honest living experience. While Duncan is impressed with the multitude of benefits that Maxim panels offer, it is a distinct advantage to Duncan’s clients that he is experienced in traditional building practices also. This gives him the ability to price two different building options, giving

his clients the most cost effective options. Through these options Duncan can ensure his team produce quality homes of a constant high standard, providing buyers with value for money. Every home is built to an individual specification and Duncan’s dedicated team will offer advice, and ensure you have a new home to be proud of. Through value for money, yet not compromising on quality, Duncan consistently delights his customers, and it’s that constant satisfaction, that is building his reputation as a builder you can trust to make the process stress free and successful. Duncan and his team commit themselves to the highest standards in every aspect of their work and the delivery of great client experiences, for you the customer. They commit to always delivering something that they can be proud of, and that you will treasure for a lifetime.

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Top Tips for when you are considering building The working partnership between you and your builder should not be a daunting prospect. As well as selecting the right builder, maintaining an effective relationship is very important, both during and after the period of work. Keep the lines of communication open throughout the process. When choosing a builder, always ask for references and check these to ensure that they are genuine. Ideally, you should be able to visit recently completed work and talk to the owners if possible. Your builder should be happy to answer any questions as the work progresses, so make sure that you are well-informed and happy with each stage of the process.

Make sure that all quotes reflect the same work specification in terms of materials, site clearance, time scale etc. Make certain that wherever possible these are fixed quotes rather than estimates which are subject to change. There are many factors to consider when looking at your contract – does it include a garage door, does it include paving below the front entrance which is necessary for the code of compliance. While these may seem like relatively small extras, if your contract is not fully inclusive, you may have additional costs at the end that may stretch your lending ability, ultimately adding costly delays to completing your dream home. A builder like Duncan is

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able to offer fixed price contracts that are fully inclusive, so there are no nasty surprises toward completion time. Make sure your builder is a licensed building practitioner, this is new legislation passed by government that will take effect in 2012, and is an instant indication of a firm’s reliability and ability to continually train in new techniques and standards. You can have confidence that a licensed building practitioner working on your home is competent, and that your home is designed and built right the first time. Some critical work will be restricted to licensed building practitioners from 1 March 2012.

Testimonial: Craig Hickman a farm workers quarters. I wanted a home built that if in the future I wanted to sub divide and on sell as a stand alone home I would be happy to do so, and Duncan has provided us with a lovely home that you wouldn’t think was a farm workers cottage. I was also grateful that Duncan was

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always available to answer questions and kept the lines of communication open at all times. He also completed the project on time and within budget which was also important to me. If I decided to sell the farm and build a new home, I would not hesitate to use Duncan to build for me.”

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Ashburton Guardian Advertising Feature

New approach to Rotary Dairy Shed construction Rakaia Engineering Limited (REL) has announced a new approach to Rotary Dairy Shed construction, with their first customer for this novel design already signed up. REL’s new dairy shed engineering concept will provide clients with a high end shed design at a lower construction cost. REL National Sales Manager, Trevor Green, said their dairy team recognised the need for a new approach to design and building dairy sheds to distinguish them from other engineering firms building the same “standard shed”. In association with Kirk Roberts Consulting Engineers, REL developed the new dairy shed building concept which Mr Green said has broken new ground in the way to build a dairy shed. “This will mean cost and time savings for our clients.” Kirk Roberts co-director Jade Kirk said their concept utilised half the weight of steel used in typical dairy shed construction. “We have completely changed the construction of the portal section which allow for larger spans that majorly reduce costs, Mr Kirk said.” The new concept will reduce the shed builder’s labour by up to 25 percent. This, along with the savings on steel volume and weight, shorter manufacturing and quicker erection timeframes will mean the final result is a more economical shed.

The sheds can be custom designed to the clients’ individual needs and their input is an integral part of the design and building process. “We value the client’s input into the design so that the ﬁnal result is tailor made to the client’s requirements.” After 10 years experience in building dairy sheds, REL have developed systems to maximize shed performance while keeping maintenance to a minimum through distinctive features such as the Rota-Tech rotary platform. REL’s Rota-Tech rotary platform features a unique nylon roller system featuring large diameter nylon rollers which do not require lubrication – this means little or no maintenance. The nylon rollers overlap the top and bottom steel ’ I’ beams allowing them to track accurately with limited friction and minimal wear. This in turn takes the stress off the drive units and gearboxes leading to longer life and again, less maintenance.

“We value the client’s input into the design so that the final result is tailor made to the client’s requirements.” Under the eye of Paul Maynard, REL Project Manger, REL offer a turnkey option where the complete project is managed by REL. Along with the shed, platform and yards, this can include the milking plant, plumbing, electrical and refrigeration as well as the site works and effluent storage. All REL dairy shed installations are planned with future expansion and development in mind. Growing cow numbers and the possibility of adjoining land acquisitions are always included in the planning process. “Effective planning with all options considered before final plans are drawn up can avoid long term frustrations,” Mr Green said. Should clients have their own preferred builder or it is impractical to use REL’s own contractor, REL is still happy to supply clients with individual components such as the structural steel, roofing and cladding or only the Rota –Tech

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platform. REL can also supply just the backing gates for rectangle or round yards – the options are many. REL offers dairy farmers a broad range of options to suit their herd size including both Herringbone and Rotary cowsheds. Farmers can choose from a rectangular yard with no limitation on length or a round yard with a radius of up to 18 metres. The dairy sheds are designed using the latest in 3D computer assisted drawing software which will give clients the ability to explore design options and provide them with an accurate picture of how their shed will look. REL can also incorporate a bridge underpass to ensure milk harvesters have ease of access to the other side of the shed and into the centre of the platform without disrupting the flow of cows on and off the platform. The underpass allows quick access from cups-on to cupsoff for a single milker and also means checking on milking machinery inside the platform is an easy task. REL design and build their own rectangle and round yard backing and top gates that give clients years of low maintenance service. The drive units for all gates are robust and easy to service.Clients have the option of incorporating a wash system on the round yard backing gates which utilises the backing gate’s rotation to wash down the yard. Using the top gate gives farmers the ability to easily bring in a small number of cows into the milking area rather than “bulldozing the whole herd”. Another popular option included in most of REL’s sheds is the installation of the REL Profeed in-shed feed system. Quality materials and products such as the LIC Feedmaster grain crushers and NFS herringbone feed systems, along with grain silos and augers are sourced by REL from premium suppliers in New Zealand and abroad to deliver a top product at the best price. Mr Green said “REL’s pricing includes project management and advice from a team with wide experience in all facets of the business.” He said due to the number of potential conversions next season there will be plenty of pressure on builders to cope with the surge in demand where everybody will be in line to have their sheds built on a first come first serve basis.

Ashburton Guardian Advertising Feature

GEOTECHNICAL/STRUCTURAL & CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES Dairy Industry

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For Further information on all aspects of our Geotechnical/Structural and civil engineering services please contact Jade Kirk Phone: 03 379 8600 www.kirkroberts.co.nz

STRUCTURAL • SITE STABLTIY ANALYSIS • GEOTECHNICAL • SEISMIC STRENGTHENING • RESIDENTIAL DESIGN• CIVIL • INDUSTRIAL DESIGN • CIVIL • MULTI STOREY DESIGN • GEOTECHNICAL • SEISMIC ANALYSIS • INDUSTRIAL• CIVIL • PILE DESIGN • COMMERICAL DESIGN • STRUCTURAL • FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS • STRUCTURAL

When you are considering a new design to your dairy shed build – talk to REL When you are considering changes to the future of your business – talk to REL When you are considering what business to RELy on, to get you the best possible outcome for your investment – talk to REL

Get a moove on Talk to REL today about how we can help grow your business – your way REL dairy construction is all about your wishes and needs, incorporated into a high quality, custom designed, modern milking facility. With professional consultants and a team that really knows their stuff when it comes to you and your cows, you’ll be guaranteed we’ll head you in the right direction, helping you make the right choice.

Build your dairy future with REL

Rakaia Engineering & Contracting Ltd 70 Bowen Street PO Box 25 Rakaia 7743 Phone: 03 302 7305 Fax: 03 302 7577 Email: sales@rakaia-engineering.co.nz Visit: www.rakaia-engineering.co.nz Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.

Energy for the future? John Roberts, General Manager, Operations, Synlait Milk Ltd

Have you thought what will happen when the production of oil cannot keep up with demand? If you have thought this through, I suggest you will have found it scary and what’s more, its likely to happen well within 50 years from now. Oil production and exploration is in the international headlines again with the BP Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico leaking large quantities of crude oil into the sea. As oil resources run out more and more risky explorations will be undertaken and it’s likely we will see more environmental damage. The existing assets are ageing and must be kept in good condition or failures will increase. When oil becomes scarce theft and piracy will occur more often. Back to oil production being less than demand. In a pure market, prices can be expected to increase rapidly, until demand reduces to equate to production, or vice versa. But who is prepared to be the user that does without petroleum based products, it’s difficult to imagine the extent of life, be it an industrial user or private citizen who wants to do what they have done for years. Life will get difficult and will as a result change.

Now everyone can afford a Honda farmbike

In a pure market there will be no cap, no maximum price. Oil, think petrol and diesel, let alone all of the plastics, fabrics, roading etc that are based on oil. The cost of a litre of petrol could well treble. This price change is nothing to do with ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme), which for some reason New Zealand feels it must implement before any other country in the world.

The dairy industry is heavily reliant on fuel sources to process and transport its products.

Now everyone brings you afford a Milka-Ware Now can everyone the best service and can afford a farmbike equipment Honda Maybe this change will require you to relocate either your residence or your employment. The farming community will have big decisions to make in order to reduce cost and thereby production and yet try to be profitable.

What will be your personal response to this increase. Will you walk or cycle for your travel. Not always an option if your life is geographically spread out.

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We then quickly get to what happens with the supply of goods within our community, where the oil component of the good or services cost will increase dramatically. Oil based supplies produced offshore may well become unavailable as higher bidders elsewhere

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Energy for the future? take delivery. It’s interesting to ponder here what will be the response of Governments to this “crisis”. We at Synlait Milk Ltd have considered issues such as the supply of cleaning chemicals, several important ones being byproducts of petrochemical processing. Our milk powder packaging uses multi-layered plastic liner bags which will become very expensive or worse unavailable.

The biggest and easily identified issue is that of milk collection. Tankers use large amounts of diesel and milk is over 80% water so on-farm water removal will become seriously important, even for a company that has its milk very close to its processing plant. Then we have to transport our product to the Northern hemisphere. Changes will occur within the country’s infrastructure also. Rail freight may become cheaper relative to road. Road vehicles are likely to become bigger, what can be done about their fuel use? New Zealand is fortunate in that it has a large portion of electricity generated from hydrogenation. This will increase with new schemes, albeit with long lead times, as will other renewable generation forms of wind and one day tidal.

Will a clean coal burning technology become economical or even will New Zealand accept nuclear generation in a quest of electricity.

- Continued

Generation of electricity from coal is an interesting option for New Zealand, given the vast amount of low calorific value lignite coal located throughout Southland. Solid Energy is well down the path of developing systems to convert lignite to a higher energy fuel. The “cost” of this conversion is going to become increasingly important. Higher energy sub-bituminous coal is already widely used by industry, especially in the South Island, where there is no natural gas available.

LPG is expensive and even though the Green movement don’t believe it, there is not sufficient wood fibre available to fuel a factory the size of Synlait, let alone the bigger plant near to Timaru. I am interested in LNG (liquefied natural gas) from Western Australia, but the infrastructure required to safely handle the material is prohibitive at present. So in summary, what can one do in preparation for the time when petroleum production is out stripped by demand, permanently.

My suggestion is to think through how you might survive in your life and business/ employment with very expensive petroleum based products and think how you might change to best accommodate those changes.

In doing so, be reminded that no one has a solution.

The time to start thinking about alternative fuel sources is now.

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Weather, ETS and closure Why is it that the urban folk tend to complain more about the weather than the rural folk? Trying to look after stock after 200mm or so of rain is not a very pleasant task at all. The mud, the extra feed that is required to keep stock happy and the mess that is left after tractors and feed out wagons are being driven over sodden tracks and paddocks is not good – yet I did not hear or see many farmers complaining too much about the

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They simply get on and get the job done and leave the complaining to the media and other people not really affected by the conditions! What about us poor irrigation companies which are also severely restricted from getting our winter maintenance completed – we still carry on as best as we can without grizzling too much.

David Carter, Minister of Agriculture is very much pro ETS and cannot and will not be swayed to alter his views on the whole thing. We should all be monitoring the progress of the ETS in the next few months with some interest!

Finally this month, by the time this article will be published, there will be one less irrigation company here in Ashburton. Some people might say that is good for the rest of us in the irrigation industry here in Ashburton, however, it is also sad to see a company that has been around this area for many years, simply disappear.

It is June and we need winter weather in the winter time.

The Emission Trading Scheme is something that I believe not a lot of people really understand what it is all about – and what it is going to cost every one of us! As of July 1 our Government has decided we are going to pay to be part of this scheme. I heard recently that if the dairy payout remained at last year’s figure of $4.50, it would take the equivalent income of 800,000 cows to pay towards ETS.

Federated Farmers is fighting the ETS as much as it can. I support its actions in doing this. I don’t know why we need this ETS implemented now – or even at a later stage. Apparently, for the average sheep and beef farmer, their annual cost to ETS will be almost 4% of their pre-tax profit! Federated Farmers and the Ministry of Agriculture are at logger heads over the

Business is tight but not bad. I don’t believe it is a sign of the economic times that we are now one irrigation company less. This time, management needs to be looked at and be asked to explain why close this company when business is reasonable and it had work on its books to complete? What about service to its customers – any thought given to that? Once again decisions have been made out of town by a number of business people who don’t really care about Ashburton and what makes Ashburton tick. As many Ashburton people have said previously – “Buy locally”. This also means supporting local Ashburton businesses

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To trim or not to trim? There are some veterinarians out there going on about how we don’t need hoof trimmers in New Zealand. If we go with the healthy hoof programme we can solve all our lameness problems. A professor showed our ad in one of his presentations on a projector recently. He made the comment that we now even have professional hoof trimmers in New Zealand - we don’t need them! Why do they say that and what do they base that on?

In New Zealand lameness is in the top three animal health issues. It is costing New Zealand dairy farmers millions upon millions of dollars per year if not more. We have many frustrated farmers who have tried everything to reduce the lameness in their herd. We keep on treating lame cows and by doing so we are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff all the time. Some farmers end up with more than a hundred lame cows in their lameness mob and here we have professionals who keep on trying to tell us

Fred Hoekstra Veehof Dairy Services

that preventative hoof trimming is a waste of time and money.

the hooves in New Zealand are not too thin and I have proof of that as we have physically measured the height difference between the inside and the outside claws on 3000 cows in New Zealand.

Some of the thoughts behind those comments, I suspect, is that preventative hoof trimming is a European strategy. Europe has a high input farming system and for many people that is a dirty word.

The sole thickness in New Zealand should be 7mm. That is not very thick. 1 or 2mm thicker does make a difference. Three or more millimetres thicker can have some major repercussions for that cow.

We have a low cost farming system. That is our advantage and saving a couple of thousand dollars on preventative hoof trimming in the name of low input farming seems to be better than reducing our lameness cost by five-fold or more of the hoof trimmer’s bill.

It is not that thicker soles damage the hoof, the problem is that often only the outer claw grows thicker which makes that claw carry a bigger portion of the weight when the cow is standing on a hard surface.

Other thoughts that I sometimes hear is that the hooves of our New Zealand cows are very thin. We can’t trim any horn off because it creates a problem for those cows. It is true that some cows in New Zealand have very thin soles. But that would be true for some cows in Europe as well. It is a gross generalisation to say that all cows in New Zealand have thin soles. Generally

As herd sizes continue to grow and cows spend more time walking on the tracks and standing in the holding yard the hoof conformation becomes more important. That is why we have so many customers who keep asking us back because they have experienced the benefits of preventative hoof trimming first-hand.

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What is fair? As many of you know, FRENZ has just recently conducted a dairy farm employees remuneration survey. We thank everyone who participated and assure you that Canterbury had a great contribution rate.

The need to conduct this survey became apparent, when Federated Farmers released its 2010 remuneration survey. Apparently an average market rate for an assistant herd manager (an employee with two years of experience - for those who are not familiar with this term) starts at $NZ39,000 plus benefits. This totals a salary of $NZ45,000 per annum. Fair? Market rate? We all know that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has

Christiaan Arns Managing Director FRENZ International

relied on this survey in the past to establish fair market rates.

protecting his turf, rather than an elected regional representative for farmers.

It is of little surprise that consequently many of its overseas branches take many months to process work permit applications even though a position on the ISSL should be given priority.

FRENZ did not stop there, but conducted its own survey and invited ATR Fegan to submit data as well. The data was analyzed by an Australian company and provided to INZ. We consider this to be the most accurate data that has been submitted for quite some time.

FRENZ is among a group of industry insiders that has noticed that in combination with the Federated Farmers’ data, INZ appears more like a union, rather than a government department.

That point aside, what is most interesting is the fact that Federated Farmers was very vague when I contacted its Policy Advisor Matt Scott, who is responsible for analyzed data like the remuneration survey.

It turned out the good man has only been in the job for a couple of weeks and has no idea what I am talking about when I approached him to discuss the figures released by the Feds. However after some research he revealed one interesting fact: The Federated Farmers survey was based on the responses of only129 farms – however over 900 questioneers were sent out – interesting? You bet!

He went on to advise me that the person who is mainly communicating with INZ is Willy Leferink and I should contact him. When I finally had Willy on the phone, he talked very cautiously and acted more like a politician

He went on to agree with me “verbally” that the salary appears to be on the high side, but refused to put that into writing, as he needs to protect FF.

We wonder why Federated Farmers did not jump onboard when we gave it the opportunity. FRENZ is fighting a battle for rural New Zealand. We are all aware of the need for foreign workers on our farms and should be united. The Feds could have opened up and provided information on its data and we could have added that into our survey. We might have come out a lot stronger and have made it a lot easier for the farming industry as a result. The difference would have been that they could not have claimed it as their own data but data acquired by a group of industry professionals. It has taken private industry groups like FRENZ and ATR Fegan to compile data without any funding but our own. Is this not your job Feds? Is this not why we pay you our membership fees?

Shame on you for playing politics and forgetting your mission in the process.

Nick’s Pet Food Ltd Suppliers of Quality:  Concrete Water Troughs  Silage Pits  Dams, Sills and Bridge Ends

Water Tanks / Effluent Tanks Concrete Bunkers  Concrete yard walls. 

BUYER OF UNWANTED ANIMALS CATTLE, BOBBY CALVES & HORSES

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Specialising in providing quality concrete solutions for more than 50 years. We can work with you to fulfill your specific requirements.

For any quotes or enquiries contact us on 03 308-4816 or call into the yard at 205 Wilkins Rd, Tinwald, Ashburton. email: info@hanhamconcrete.co.nz

NZFSQA accredited

• Zimmatic Pivots and Laterals, Corner Systems, Pivot Joints, Sales and Installation. • Pumps, Pipelines, Polythene and Flowmeters. • Rotary self-cleaning Suction Screens.

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Grafton Irrigation (2005) Ltd Phone 0800 472 3866 63 Racecourse Road PO Box 2072 Washdyke Timaru 7941 sales@graftonirrigation.co.nz www.graftonirrigation.co.nz

Green feed crops put to test Carew farmers Barry and Brendon Daly came out on top with their crop of fodder beet in the 2010 Ravensdown Mid Canterbury Combined A&P Associations’ Winterfeed Competition. Mr Daly put the success of the Brigadier variety fodder beet’s growth down to good growing management and professional advice on spraying and fertiliser applications as well as putting water on at the right time. Father, Barry and son Brendon who are partners in the mixed farm near Carew won $900 worth of travel vouchers from Ravensdown and a box of fodder beet seed from Seed Force. Judge Tim Lovett said it was an excellent competition considering the dry conditions the crops had grown in earlier in the season. Mr Lovett said it had been a close competition with only a few points separating the farmers. The Sparks brothers took out the feature crop of green feed cereal.

Andrew Sparks said he enjoyed the competition which gave him the opportunity to see how other farmers grew their crops. Andrew said they preferred growing the green feed cereal as a low cost crop which could be eaten off quickly. He said it also blended in nicely with their crop rotation, which they would follow with growing wheat and barley. Andrew said they restricted the amount of urea they put on the green feed cereal to reduce the nitrogen so it could be eaten off quicker. Ravensdown agent Gordon McCormick said after the crop had been tested their yields had been considerably lower than what they thought they would have been. He said this was most likely as a result of the prolonged dry spell earlier in the season and the recent rainfall, which the crops had soaked up and therefore artificially lowered the dry matter yield upon testing. Judge Martin Fleming said they had seen a range of good quality crops, despite the variation in dry matter yields due to the dry weather earlier in the season.

Lance Isbister Rural Reporter, Ashburton Guardian

2010 Ravensdown Mid Canterbury Combined A&P Associations’ Winterfeed Competition Final Results Overall Winners

Barry & Brendon Daly, Mayfield Alan Wakelin, Mayfield, Beckinson Holdings, Ashburton Alister & Mary Sprott, Ashburton Charles Whitehead, Methven Richard Maw, Methven

1 2 3 4 5 6

Sparks Brothers, Ashburton Robinson Partnership, Methven Simon Roy, Mayfield

1 2 3

Feature Crop – Green Feed Cereal

100610-066 supplied

Carew farmer Barry Daly with his fodder beet which won the Ravensdown Mid Canterbury Combined A&P Associations’ Winterfeed Competition.

WMS-RPNZProd&SerFlyerAug09_p 04/09/2009 9:27 AM Page 1 100610-096 supplied

Warwick Sparks up to his knees in the winning green feed 9:27 AM Page 1 cereal feature cropWMS-RPNZProd&SerFlyerAug09_p he and his brother04/09/2009 Andrew grew.

WMS-RPNZProd&SerFlyerAug09_p 04/09/2009 9:27 AM Page 1 WMS-RPNZProd&SerFlyerAug09_p 04/09/2009 9:27 AM Page 1

Visit us on Alford Forest Road and check out our other amazing rubberware specials!

175 Alford Forest Road

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Contact our Regional service centre: RPNZ Canterbury – Martyn Fisher 021 850 773

Nitrate deaths Tragically many cows have already died this Autumn after being put on to dangerous crops that have toxic levels of nitrates in them. The crops involved have been green feed oats and kale. Each year we are careful to advise farmers about nitrate poisoning and the conditions which lead to dangerous levels of nitrates in plants, yet each year we see unexpected deaths when cows start to graze these at risk crops. Quite simply before you graze winter brassica

crops or green feed oats check them for nitrate levels before you graze them. The results of the test will dictate the WAY you feed the crop rather than whether or not you can feed it. Ruminant animals can adapt to quite high levels of nitrate but they need a period of adaptation which involves reducing break size initially, and supplementing with more hay or straw. Kale and green feed oats are perhaps the worst offenders for extracting nitrates from the soil. Short rotation ryegrasses are also risky plants.

Daisy can adapt to quite high levels of nitrate but requires a period of adaptation.

Our team will design a system for your land, providing as much coverage as possible, using the tools that are at our disposal Importer & distributor of Zimmatic Pivots & Laterals Full variety of options offered

New Zealand’s Leading Boom Irrigator BRIGGS ROTO RAINER & Linear Eight models

Ian Hodge, BVSc. MACVSc. Riverside Veterinary Services Ltd

Under warm soil conditions and adequate soil moisture nitrogen in soil (urea) is rapidly taken up from the soil by rapidly growing plants and is assimilated in to plant protein. If the level of potassium nitrate in plants exceeds 1% there will be an excessive supply of nitrate in the rumen. The excess nitrate will be converted to nitrite rather than made in to ammonia. Nitrite is toxic to ruminants because it disrupts the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. Affected animals show signs of severe anaemia and lack of oxygen. If the crop in question has nitrate levels greater than 1% there is a high chance some animals will die. Death associated with nitrate poisoning is not pleasant. Treatment is possible for animals that are lethargic and sitting down but still reasonably alert. Recently, the conditions which have made the situation extreme seem to be a dry late summer followed by a sudden increase in rainfall combined with warm soil temperatures and consistently cloudy skies. Plant growth rates have accelerated lately which results in high nitrate accumulation rates. Perhaps some of these crops have also had large amounts of nitrogenous fertiliser applied. The conditions which help improve the situation are clear sunny frosty days because the plants actively “give off” the nitrogen to the atmosphere in sunny conditions, and the frost cools the soil which slows nitrogen conversion reactions and it slows plant growth and metabolism. Testing kits for nitrates are available at all large animal vet clinics. All grazers should get in touch with their vet and pre-empt more unnecessary cow deaths.

SMARTER SYSTEMS FOR SMART FARMERS Choose MilkHub for powerful herd management information and superior automation – saving you precious time and money on labour and wastage. MilkHub is a comprehensive dairy management system that builds on in-line sensors to provide information for both immediate in-shed staff action, and for strategic decision making by the farm manager. MilkHub can be fitted in any existing or new shed and works with any milking machine type.

Tim Lovett

The system is designed for the commercially focused farm enterprise to deliver multiple benefits including:

Farm Owner Ashburton, (1020 cows)

• Individual cow monitoring to manage mastitis

“Mastitis detection has been the biggest benefit for us. There’s no need to strip the whole heard anymore, just the cows the system ranks as high risk.”

• Individual cow monitoring to manage low producing cows • Optional individual cow weight measurement for condition monitoring • Optional individual cow feeding for optimum cow productivity • Plant milking performance monitoring to ensure optimum milking throughput

Suppliers of • Zimmatic Parts • Valley Parts • PVC Pipe • Angus Layflat Hose • Stock Water Systems • Effluent Irrigators & Systems • Pumps • Hard Hose Irrigators • K Line Systems

• Plant cleaning performance monitoring to eliminate hygiene downgrades

“The system keeps getting better all the time with new options being added, like weighscales and feeders. I don’t know how people manage without it!”

• Powerful decision tools for in season and end of season management

10 Robinson Street, www.milkhub.co.nz Ashburton 0800 MILKHUB Phone 03 307 9049 rainer@ashburton.co.nz + Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Herd Reproduction Cow Online Optimisation Database Decision www.rainer.co.nz Tools

Sales Manager: Roy Wood Ph: 03 3088733 Cell: 0275822517 email: roy.wood@milkhub.co.nz

Treatments

Mastitis Health Yield

Drafting

Feeding

Weighing

In-Line Sensors

Weather predictions Long range forecaster Ken Ring, author of the Predict Weather Almanac for NZ 2010, says the outlook is for a cold June, with 60% of days of sub-zero minimums, beginning with frosts or overnight snow. The best snow chances may be around the 7th/8th, 17th/18th, 23rd/24th, and 26th-30th. However, falls may only be light, with the clearest skies of June about 9th-16th, and the cold may even manifest as early frost plus later cold rain, or hail, or light flurries mixed with sleet, with the heaviest June snowfalls tending to be further to the south of the country. July, possibly the coldest month of the winter, with 70-75% of days likely to have sub-zero temperatures, sees light snow chances again early in the month, but with the greater chance of heavy snowfall in the third week. The driest periods in July may be 4th-9th and 24th-29th. In all of the three months of winter, the third week in July is expected to bring the worst weather. August has 35-40% of days of sub-zero minimums, and in this month snowfalls may be again light but more frequent, with the possible dates being about 1st/2nd, 11th, 16th-19th, 23rd and 30th, give or take a few days. Drier periods in August may be 5th-10th and 12th-17th. Wind chill may be greatest around 22nd and 28th of June; 13th, 16th and 30th July; and on about 10 days in August, particularly in the last week. More information on www.predictweather.com

‘

Ken Ring, Long range weather forecaster

In all of the three months of winter, the third week in July is expected to bring the worst weather.

Winter Feed Testing

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Agricultural Consulting Services provides the following independent feed assessment services.

4 4

Winter Feed assessments, dry matter yield and ME testing.

Silage testing, (DM, ME and digestibility).

GPS Paddock measuring, accurate area measurements for DM/Ha.

Accurate measurements are essential to ensure winter feed targets are met, so contact us now!

Agricultural Consulting Services July is expected to be the coldest month of winter.

AGRICULTURAL CONSULTING SERVICES Phone 03 303 6208 www.agconsulting.co.nz Gerard Rushton 027 433 9065 Terry Kingsbury 027 229 9993

qualified - independent - professional - advice

WaterForce

Your local pumping, irrigation and water quality supplier

WaterForce have branch operations in Christchurch and Timaru to service the wider Canterbury region. Our teams on the ground provide the total package in irrigation design, supply and servicing to every corner of Canterbury. WaterForce has a full range of products and systems in store for your farm including: –

Design & project consultancy

–

Irrigation systems – Valley centre pivots and Ocmis hard hose irrigators

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Effluent systems

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Pump supply & service

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Water management tools – from water metering and reporting to soil moisture management

–

Water purification & treatment

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24 hour call-out service for irrigators & pumps

Based at our branches is a well-qualified team of sales engineers, pivot and pumping technicians and designers – all of this resource enables us to provide your farming business with the technical support, commissioning and maintenance when you need it.

Our aim is to provide the best products to our customers and we partner with world renowned brands in irrigation products. WaterForce is NZ’s leading importer and supplier for Valley centre pivots and linear hardware (from Nebraska, USA), and

OCMIS hard hose irrigators. These products have proven their worth here in NZ, for their durability, costeffective performance and leading edge technology. TIMARU

CHRISTCHURCH

So, call one of our experienced sales engineers for a no-obligation appraisal of your farm irrigation and pumping needs.

Christchurch 03-349 2605 • Timaru 03-956 2200 Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.

www.waterforce.co.nz 0800 4 FORCE (4 36723)

CRA to increase trading events Fonterra has announced that from September 2010 the globalDairyTrade trading manager, CRA International (CRA), will increase the frequency of trading events to twice a month.

win product. We are very pleased with the success of this innovative sales channel.”

Kelvin Wickham, Fonterra managing director global trade, said the increase in frequency was a significant milestone that highlighted globalDairyTrade’s success as an online trading platform and as a credible price discovery mechanism. “This will add more depth and credibility and even more transparency around pricing trends,” Mr Wickham said.

“With a more frequent pricing signal, market participants will be able to have even more confidence they have up-to-date information on the current balance of supply and demand.” Brad Miller, head of CRA’s Auctions & Competitive Bidding Practice, said, “globalDairyTrade has grown to 280 qualified bidders from 56 countries, an increase from 107 at inception. There are now between 100 and 140 active bidders participating in each event and around 65% of bidders joining the event

Graders – 16G & 14G

Fonterra also announced that beginning with the August 3, 2010 trading event it will be adding one new product, buttermilk powder, and two new specifications of existing products – high heat/heat stable skim milk powder and anhydrous milk fat in 1000 kilogram bulk packs - to globalDairyTrade.

Mr Wickham said globalDairyTrade continued to grow as an efficient and effective sales channel. “To date we have sold 500,000 metric tonnes worth $US1.5 billion on the platform.” “We now trade four products - whole milk powder, skim milk powder,

anhydrous milk fat, and buttermilk powder. The current forecast is to sell 530,000 metric tonnes of product over the next 12 months, or approximately 24% of Fonterra’s New Zealand production.” “With globalDairyTrade, Fonterra has taken a leading role in developing ways to manage the new price volatility in the markets for dairy products,” Mr Wickham said.

“We are very optimistic about the benefits the entire industry will get from a more open, transparent market.”

As of August 3, Fonterra will be adding one new product, buttermilk powder and two new specifications of existing products to its lineup.

EARTHMOVING SPECIALISTS

Transporter

We specialise in

Motor Scrapers – Cat 637 & 627

On Farm Water Storage

Excavators – 8 to 40 tonne

Also

Dump Trucks – 25 to 40 tonne

Other Plant: Loaders Mobile Screening

• Efﬂuent Ponds • Dairy Conversions • Border Dyking • Stockwater Reticulation • Farm Track Construction & Maintenance

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• Concrete Underpasses • Gravel Supply & Cartage • Lime Capping of Dairy Lanes • Gallery Installation • Land Clearing • Tree & Stump Removal

– South Island Wide – • Kerry Bartlett (Jacko) 0275 746 803 • Phone: 03 307 this 6220 Fax: 03 307 6229 www.verypdf.com to remove watermark. email: kerry.nic@xtra.co.nz

Rollers

Other Plant: Bulldozers Tip Trucks