Dairy Focus September

dairy FOCUS

An Ashburton Guardian Advertising Supplement

Issue 28. September 21, 2010. $2.00

Quake kink This Charing Cross farm track ran straight until September 4 when the Canterbury earthquake offset it by four metres on Neville Tidey’s dairy farm.

Shaken, but bouncing back P4 Photo supplied by Federated Farmers

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Not all services and products featured are available in all stores, but may be ordered. See in store for product availability. Shelf prices may be lower than advertised to ensure lowest prices every day. We reserve the right to restrict the purchase of commercial quantities. All prices quoted are inclusive of GST. Prices valid until Friday 1 October 2010 or while stocks last.

BUNZ7129

Tradesman Trailer

TRADING HOURS

3

Contents Page 4

Shaken, but bouncing back

Page 13

Are our expectations too great?

Page 8

Recruitment- life after calving

Page 16

Mating management

Page 6

Measuring up with DairyBase

Page 7

Shaking all about the place

Page 9

Quake eects still being felt

Page 10

PGP to drive change

Page 14 Page 15 Page 18 Page 19

Condition loss a real fear

Synlait backs Tanzania school Demand for AB on the rise

Fonterra boosts UHT production

Page 11AUTHORISED Temperatures dip, feedZIMMATIC intake up Page 20DEALER Oal pits a big danger THE THE AUTHORISED ZIMMATIC DEALER

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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:

September 21, 2010 October 19, 2010

We welcome any correspondence to either: Amanda Niblett, phone 307-7927 email: amanda.n@theguardian.co.nz or Lance Isbister, phone 307-7953 email: lance.i@theguardian.co.nz

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4

Shaken, but bouncing back Lance Isbister Rural Reporter, Ashburton Guardian

The Canterbury dairy community has demonstrated unity and resolve in response to the earthquake which caused indiscriminate damage to farms and scarred the landscape.

The 7.1 magnitude earthquake which violently shook Canterbury in the early hours of Saturday 4 galvanised the rural community who quickly established lines of communication to form a truly effective support network.

One of the pressing issues for farmers in the Canterbury area immediately following the earthquake was how to milk their cows when some sheds were without power and others had sustained too much damage to continue operating.

The power of the earthquake had dislodged several platforms from their rollers and rollers from their mountings.

Despite these major disruptions to the

milking regime, help was just over the fence as neighbours offered up the use of their sheds and Federated Farmers and other industry groups together with the farming community sourced a number of power generators from farmers who were only too willing to help.

as they continued to work tirelessly to get sheds up and running so cows could be milked and long term issues such as increased somatic cell counts and cows drying off prematurely were minimised.

Federated Farmers dairy section vice chairperson Willy Leferink said he was aware of 23 platforms which had come off their pedestals in the affected area of the earthquake zone.

DairyNZ acting regional leader for Canterbury Simon Sankey said the barbecue held after the earthquake meeting at Darfield High School was a momentary return to normality for those rural families who attended.

While Mid Canterbury dairy farming operations came through the earthquake relatively unscathed compared to northern “I think that we all complain about neighbours, which included Darfield, compliance because it costs money, but Hororata, Te Pirita and Dunsandel areas, it would have saved us money in the long local industry groups and services got run.” stuck in immediately.

The Darfield High School earthquake Fonterra alleviated much stress meeting held on September 9 highlighted from farmers early on by ensuring milk to farmers the far reaching network collection from farms affected by the of support they could call upon as earthquake and also did its part in setting government officials, scientists, insurance aside tankers to transport water to those agencies and industry networks offered in need. advice and assistance.

Mr Leferink was grateful for all the work industry groups and services had done in assisting farmers affected by the earthquake.

“I think we did tremendously well, it was more of a problem finding the farmer The 7.1 magnitude earthquake shifted this rotary dairy platform 350mm off that needed help, I take my hat off to the its rollers leading to a large gap between the platform and the yard landing. supporting industry.”

Photo supplied by Rakaia Engineering

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Mr Kuyf gained perspective from the earthquake regarding the importance of structural compliance.

More than a week after the initial 7.1 magnitude earthquake, Mr Leferink said farmers’ were still on moving ground in the wake of continuing aftershocks, which hampered the re-establishment of warped and broken fence lines.

In some cases farm roads and tracks were completely kinked by the force of the earthquake which offset one farm track by as much as four metres.

Rakaia Engineering manager John Kuyf said his staff sprang into action to jack platforms back onto their rollers on the morning the earthquake struck.

“We have a social responsibility to get stuck in and get the job done, we don’t want cows unmilked or they could have dried off.”

On Sunday there was no mention from his staff members about Father’s Day

Rural personalities Jamie Mackay, Richard Loe and Dick Taylor were on hand to boost morale with some good old yarns as farmers exchanged ideas and ways to move forward.

Mr Sankey said the nature of Kiwi farmers was that they were adaptable and could work through the immediate issues, however he was also mindful of long term problems regarding the earthquake’s impact on irrigation wells, the extent of which would take some time to determine.

The appointment of the Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust’s Allan Baird to coordinate rural earthquake relief efforts was welcome news with Mr Baird bringing a wealth of experience to the role through 37 years of rural emergency response activities.

The Mid Canterbury Support Trust has been instrumental in dealing with environmental, financial and personal issues affecting those in the rural community since it was established in 1991 and is a model which has since been replicated throughout New Zealand.

Those rural people who require support are urged to call the Federated Farmers 0800FARMING number.

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Observing the impact of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Neville Tidey’s Charing Cross dairy farm Federated Farmers Grain & Seed & Maize Growers Committee chairperson David Clark (left) and Neville Tidey.

5

Breakthrough with palm kernel Achieve high levels of productivity from your existing herd with PK+ Gardner Smith NZ Ltd, is proud to introduce a new dairy feed to New Zealand - PK+, a Palm Kernel based blend with the added benefits of CMS (condensed molasses solubles).

Compared to Palm Kernel Meal, PK+ is a breakthrough designed to provide higher levels of protein and improved palatability, while containing lower fiber levels. The addition of CMS, a by-product from the manufacture of molasses, enhances the feed value by increasing the protein level, decreasing the fiber level and enhancing the palatability. This makes PK + a much closer replacement for grass than straight Palm Kernel with a protein of 22% (Palm kernel 17%) and a fibre level of 55% (palm kernel 67%) The lower fiber content ensures livestock retain a healthy appetite for grass or other nutrient rich sources of feed. These higher protein levels help ensure healthy well conditioned livestock especially in times of slow grass growth.

Supplementary feeding holds many benefits and common practice on successful dairy farms. PK+ fits into the NZ Dairy feed market as the ideal supplement for grass when re-

quired grass growth rates are low. This makes PK + the ideal grass replacer and is suitable for feeding all year round.

PK+ can also be blended with rolled grains and mineral supplements to provide a complete mixed ration, with Advanced Feed having a leading edge computer controlled feed manufacturing facility, where custom feeds can be made to order A number of customers are using a load or two of PK+ now, seeing how effectively it works on their farm, before committing to supply for the main supplementary feeding period through late summer and autumn.

A feed low in fiber, high in protein, with improved palatability can maximize the total output and improve the overall productivity of your herd. PK+ is a breakthrough feed supplement and is available through Advanced Feed.

Gardner Smith NZ Ltd has been involved in the animal feeds industry in New Zealand for many years. Advanced Feed is the key distributor of PK+, and assisted in trials and testing of the product.

Richard Lee, Gardner Smith NZ Ltd and Peter Westaway, Advanced Contact Advanced Feed today for more information.

- Advetorial Feed, with a bag of PK+

Breakthough feed supplement introducing PK+ PK+ Palm Kernel with the added beneďŹ t of CMS Palm Kernel a low ďŹ ber nutritional alternative to grain based feed with CMS condensed Molesses soluble, high protein with better palatability.

For a free sample or more information please call today

Peter Westaway Ph 0272 998 136 - email peter@advancedfeed.co.nz David Leadley Ph 0274 947 848 - email david@advancedfeed.co.nz

6

Measuring up with DairyBase Have you ever wondered how your farm’s physical and financial performance stacks up against neighbouring farms? If you are curious, would you know where to get information to make an informed comparison?

The process of comparing your operation to others is known as ‘benchmarking,’ and DairyBase is the tool that can help you discover how you measure up. The tool also allows you to follow your farm’s progress over time.

DairyBase is a web based software tool that enables accountants and consultants to analyse farm physical information and financial statements in a standardised way. It is an investment by New Zealand dairy farmers through the dairy industry good levy and operated by DairyNZ.

This article walks you through how benchmarking works for a physical analysis, using actual data from DairyBase for the 2009-10 season.

How does benchmarking work?

Benchmarking is a systematic process for identifying and implementing better practices to improve business performance and reach your goals.

For benchmarking to be useful, as a farm business owner, you need to be clear about two things: 1) the goals you want to achieve; and 2) your current situation. Once you are armed with this information, you can compare your business to other relevant farms and identify the main opportunities for improvement.

Benchmarking in Canterbury

DairyBase contains accurate and timely information that allows Canterbury dairy farmers to compare their businesses with other top performing farms throughout the region.

Tips to analyse and use the information The following are eight tips that demonstrate how you can interpret, analyse and use the information in this example.

• The four individual farms listed in this example are top performing farms, both physically and financially. The range in performance shows the variability in potential for grass growth on these farms.

The main differences are related to water availability and efficiency of irrigation systems.

• Considering the amount of imported feed as supplement or winter grazing, the performance of the individual farms is a good indication of potential kg MS production for the geographic location.

Of course, every farm has its own limitations and differences, but this is a good indicator.

• No single KPI can describe the performance of the farm. For example, production per ha and per cow has to be associated to how much feed is being imported to the farm as supplement or winter grazing in order to judge if the level of production is adequate for the farm.

• Stocking rate as cows/ha has to be used for comparison alongside kg LW per ha since there is a significant range among herds in kg LW per cow.

• Pasture and crop eaten /ha is an important KPI because efficient use of home-grown feed contributes to a more profitable business. This measure can easily be calculated for your farm.

If your KPI is significantly different to these numbers you can start to explore the reasons for such

By Virginia Serra – DairyNZ Senior Consulting Officer (Canterbury)

differences and identify some opportunities for improvement.

• A drop from peak production to the end of December can be an indication of loss in quality of pasture in late spring. This happened in many cases last season when people were late to react to the good growing conditions of the season.

• Reproductive performance is compared to industry targets. These targets are derived from the performance achieved by top farms in New Zealand. A comparison of your farm performance to these targets can be the first level of analysis and can indicate if there is a problem in this area.

If this is a problem area for your farm, further analysis needs to be done. You could look at such things as Fertility Focus Report and discuss these with your vet or farm consultant.

• Animal Health KPIs also are compared to the industry target. If you compare yourself to these KPIs and believe you could have a problem area, you should complete further detailed analysis to determine an action plan to improve performance.

Start benchmarking today

Using benchmarks in DairyBase is useful and allows you to understand how your business measures up. If you haven’t started benchmarking your farm yet, it’s easy to register for DairyBase and you can begin this season.

For more information on DairyBase, contact your local DairyNZ Consulting Officer, phone DairyNZ on 0800 4 DAIRYNZ, or visit www.dairybase.co.nz.

TABLE 1: Summary of physical KPIs from DairyBase for the 2009/10 season

There are currently three physical benchmarking options available to farmers in Canterbury for the 2009-10 season:

Canterbury average benchmark – using data from 34 Canterbury farms on DairyBase Canterbury average benchmark for Production System 3 – Using data from 23 Canterbury farms running a System 3 farm. A Production System 3 is a farm that uses up to 20% imported feed to extend lactation (in spring or autumn) and feed dry cows.

Individual farm benchmarks - In addition to the above two farm benchmarks, a few top performing farms throughout the Canterbury region that have agreed to make their information available on DairyBase as individual farm benchmarks. This gives you the ability to compare your farm performance with some of the region’s best.

In Canterbury there are four individual farm benchmarks in Culverden, Te Pirita, Dorie and Lincoln. These farms are described on the DairyBase website if you want to find out more about their main characteristics. Each is different, thus the spectrum of individual farm benchmarks provides a good range to cover most types of farms in Canterbury.

A benchmarking example

The following is an example of how the process of benchmarking can be used to identify opportunities for improvement in your business.

Table 1 (right) contains a summary of some key performance indicators (KPIs) extracted from DairyBase for the 2009/10 season. These KPIs are only related to physical information, so the level of analysis can only include differences in efficiency of use of resources such as land, feed, labour or cows.

A complete analysis would include financial information as well.

• • • • •

Average represents the average of 34 farms in Canterbury System 3 represents an average of 23 farms running a production systems 3 Full Time Equivalent represents 2400 hours worked per year Pasture & Crop Eaten has been calculated assuming Pasture quality at 11MJME/kg DM Kg Live-weight (kgLW) is the average weight of the herd on the 1st of December with cows at Condition Score of 4 and pregnancy not affecting live-weight significantly.

• KPIs related to reproduction and animal health are compared to industry target, which represents the performance achieved by the top farmers in these areas.

7

Shaking all over the place Willy Leferink Vice president Fed Farm Dairy

Dear Dairy Farmer

temporary measures only a couple of days later.

For some time now we, as dairy farmers, have been on shaky ground and this in a season where we are promised one of the better pay-outs in recent times even though the directors of Fonterra call the market volatile.

I take my hat oďŹ&#x20AC; to the amazing people involved from the supporting industries who made this all possible. Now comes the big question, what has all this earthwork done to our irrigation systems as irrigation is the lifeblood of Canterbury. When I wrote this piece there was not a lot of clarity about this. Also the question about mainlines broken by all the dirt moving around and shaking has to be answered.

First it was Synlait struggling to ďż˝ind ďż˝inance to execute phase two of its business plan, in the end ďż˝inding the funds in China. Than the issue around the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Statutory Management â&#x20AC;&#x153; concerning entities belonging to Timaru Accountant Alan Hubbard, which also froze quite a few farm assets in the Mid Canterbury district.

This issue led to a lot of investors losing conďż˝idence in another pillar of the Hubbard Empire, South Canterbury Finance. In real terms there was no connection any more between South Canterbury Finance and the other entities under Statuary Management any more, but investors thought diďŹ&#x20AC;erent and it left Sandy Maier no other choice than to ďż˝ile for bankruptcy.

As most of the debentures were Government backed it left the Government no option but to bail out South Canterbury Finance and I think we have to be grateful to them.

If the Government did not take this course of action, all our assets would have plummeted in value. It also feels like the other major banks in agriculture got a bit of a boost in con�idence from it although credit availability is still tight.

It is funny how banking jargon has changed from â&#x20AC;&#x153;swapsâ&#x20AC;? two years ago to â&#x20AC;&#x153;marginsâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;interest coverâ&#x20AC;? now.

Then the real shake on Saturday, September 4.

Nature in general does not do anything by halves and again it did not show any respect for anything or anybody as the earth moved.

The earth does not need resource consents to do these things as it turned most of Christchurch and central Canterbury in to a warzone. That nobody got killed and only a few got injured is still �labbergasting me.

That dairy farmers are a resilient lot showed in the fact that nearly all cows were milked that night again even though more than 20 rotary cowsheds collapsed and most of the power was oďŹ&#x20AC;.

We found generators everywhere and cows were milked in neighboursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sheds. On one of the worst aďŹ&#x20AC;ected farms the dairy shed had little damage and milked more than 2000 cows that day. Most cowsheds that were damaged looked like it would take weeks to ďż˝ix them but many of them were going again even with

There was a conference at Lincoln University by the NZIAHWS (New Zealand Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture Scientist) concerning dairy farming 20 years out. One of the delegates said the only thing buggering up this season could be a Foot and Mouth outbreak or a big earthquake. I think he was right on the money.

The conference had a host of speakers from every angle science is serving us and also some media specialists. Most of the scientists who spoke failed to paint me a picture that I could comprehend and I believe that farmers are leading scientists more than the other way around.

An interesting speaker was Chrissie Williams from the Christchurch City council and although a lot of statements in her presentation were misrepresenting the facts it gave me a clear picture of how the top end of Christchurch thinks of us dairy farmers and that it is up to us to change their perception of us in the next 20 years.

We have to convince these people that we deserve our space in the sunshine or else we will never get rid of our â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dirty Dairyingâ&#x20AC;? tag.

Shaken Willy Leferink

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Farm Right Your success our focus

Debs McKenzie

Human Resources Manager & Consultant FarmRight Ltd

Recruitment – life after calving As they approach the end of calving, dairy farm owners/managers should be starting to plan for next season’s recruitment. For many, it will seem like just yesterday since they went through the process of recruiting their teams for the current season. Finding the time to conduct reviews with existing staff about their future plans and aspirations will help develop a picture of recruitment needs for next season.

Invariably new staff will be needed and preparation of a robust recruitment campaign is critical if you want any hope in �inding the right people for the available positions:

Review what you have Just because you have a 2IC leaving doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to embark on a costly external recruitment campaign. Take a close look at your team. Have you spotted that natural leader with the requisite personal attributes required of a more senior role? Do you have the time and ability to up-skill that individual with on the job training and/or additional external courses? These considerations, along with the effect that an internal promotion might have on the team dynamics, will help determine your course of action. A good position description that clearly de�ines responsibilities and expectations will ensure that both internal and external candidates are under no illusions of what to expect from day one.

Honest advertising Striking a balance between what you want and what

of a bad bunch.

you can offer is often tricky to get right when drawing up an advert but honesty is always the best policy.

Avoid upselling a role or making promises that you can’t keep. Employers should also be mindful of staying within the law regarding the language used in an advert.

Interviewing and Other Assessments A series of hour-long interviews isn’t the only way to get an indication of the suitability of those that made it onto your shortlist. There are a large number of assessments and checks available to help choose from a group of hopefuls – some of these are more effective than others. Behavioural interviewing as opposed to going on gut instinct is strongly recommended. The time invested conducting a thorough selection process will give you the con�idence the person you are hiring really is the best �it. Don’t settle for the best

References Reliable references are crucial to the new employer – both good and bad. “The more the merrier” approach applies here but make sure they are all work references from a recent previous employer (say, past 3 years). Employers are well advised to take into consideration all of the facts and remember occasionally that a good reference might mean the previous employer wants to get rid of someone. Similarly, a bad reference might mean they want to keep them!

Decision There’s nothing worse than applying for a job and not hearing anything. Get back to all your applicants either way. If they ask for feedback, give it. Employer reputation is important for when you recruit again and you might just �ind you have the same candidates or you may need to contact those previously rejected candidates again. Decision making should be based on behaviour, knowledge and skills, not on the strength of a handshake.

Going Forward Having set the employer expectations with the new employee through how you act through the recruitment process, it’s important to keep up the contact before new employees start. Practical information about the house, local schools, nearest shops and even rubbish collection day serve well as part of an information pack prior to starting.

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Quake effects still being felt Ray Mayne Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings Limited

What a diďŹ&#x20AC;erence a month makes. Nothing in our wildest dreams could have prepared us for everything that has happened in the past month. The South Canterbury Finance collapse has been well documented elsewhere â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both in printed material as well as all radio networks. That in itself was bad news for all of us in the greater Canterbury area â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even worse when we are actively involved in the rural scene in Canterbury, how tragic this is.

There have been so many people who have been helped by Alan Hubbard over the years. I have never met the man; however I have had many dealings with the companies he has been involved with and many dealings with people who have been helped by him.

What will happen now we ask? Very difďż˝icult to say, it will take some time, and cost hundreds of thousands of taxpayersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dollars for the receivers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and others, to sort through the whole situation.

Then they will give us their summary of the events as they see it and advise us what happens next.

Goodness knows when that might happen.

However to top even the South Canterbury Finance collapse is of course the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Christchurchâ&#x20AC;? earthquake.

At 4.35am we and about 99% of Canterbury, were awoken by the rumblings of the earthquake. I personally have never experienced anything like that before.

It took quite some time to even realise exactly how much damage had been caused around Canterbury.

We listened to talkback radio for reports of where the quake had been felt. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really until later that day â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or on the day after, that we realised exactly how bad the situation really was.

Modern technology is amazing with TV and radio,

should do to check if their submersible pumps would be okay. This is something quite new and something that has not happened previously.

As I suggested at that time; check that the site was safe to work around and if so, slowly start the pump.

This can be achieved by partially closing the valve on the discharge pipework to restrict the ďż˝low coming from the well. In many situations it was noticed that the water was a â&#x20AC;&#x153;dirtyâ&#x20AC;? colour upon starting the pump.

This is the same situation as when a well is newly drilled.

both locally and internationally, being able to bring the latest news to us literally as it is happening. I had a phone call from one of our US suppliers at 11am that morning just wanting to know if we were all okay and simply to pass on their wishes.

We have many customers in the greater Dar�ield area and as it has transpired, signi�icant damage has been caused to irrigation infrastructure. It is easy enough to repair PVC irrigation pipe and we have done quite a bit of that since the quake. The larger concern of course is to what has happened to the underground aquifers and well structure generally.

Many questions will not be able to be answered for a long time. Most enquiries from our clients revolved around the most likely problem that they would encounter from their well. As early as 10am on the Saturday morning, I had clients asking what they

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I advised to carry on pumping at this reduced rate until the water became clean. This did happen, although it varied in time - anything from a few minutes to ďż˝ive to six hours. It is very unclear, and will remain unclear for some time exactly how many wells throughout Canterbury will be aďŹ&#x20AC;ected. I am hopeful there will be no adverse eďŹ&#x20AC;ects. I have heard of some situations where wells in the Darďż˝ield area are now artesian bores. This is unusual â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially in that area. Normally this situation occurs in the greater Christchurch area and around Lake Ellesmere.

In my opinion the true extent of the potential damage to our aquifer levels and bores generally will not be known until we have a typical dry Canterbury summer with continuous pumping and the way this spring is heading so far it may be some time before we have a situation like that. In the meantime there is not much more that needs to be done other than to make sure any leaks in your irrigation system are repaired to allow correct pressurising of any irrigation systems.

Hopefully our weather will improve soon to allow proper pressure testing of all irrigation systems in the normal way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with irrigators operating. Keep warm and dry!

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PGP to drive transformational change

Industry commits $85 million to match Govt investment in Primary Growth Partnership

Industry-good body DairyNZ and Fonterra said the creation of a $NZ170 million research programme through the Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) would help drive transformational change in the dairy industry.

DairyNZ Chief Executive Dr Tim Mackle said it was a major step for the ongoing Dr Tim Mackle development of the New Zealand dairy industry which is designed to bring significant benefits across the whole primary sector.

gate research in the areas of Nutrition, Food Structure and Manufacturing and Supply Chain processes.

A further $9 million is being contributed by the other PGP industry partners: Synlait, Landcorp, LIC, Young Farmers, Agricultural Services Limited and ZESPRI. “Further innovation on both sides of the farm gate will place the New Zealand dairy industry and Fonterra in a strong position to meet the evolving needs of customers.

“Today, consumers are always seeking foods that are safer, tastier, more convenient, natural, healthy, good value and produced in more sustainable ways,” Fonterra Chief Technology Officer, Jeremy Hill said.

DairyNZ is contributing $29 million and Fonterra $47 million to the seven year programme. It includes new research and training to boost on-farm productivity and sustainability, as well as post-farm

As well as new research to boost on-farm productivity and reduce the environmental footprint of dairying, the on-farm component includes a range of new training, networking and professional development activities designed to boost the level of professionalism across the industry.

Research will include the use of new genomic tools to identify genes that boost production, while reducing emissions and waste. Key genetic markers for fertility,

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“Industry skills training, education networks and on-farm standards and systems are also set for a boost from PGP that will help dairying stay competitive in a fast-moving world,” Dr Mackle said.

Post–farm gate

The intention is to significantly increase staffing numbers in industry and partner research organisations to deliver the post farm gate research programme, including three new professorial appointments.

A key priority is to better understand food structures which will lead to the design of new foods to meet future consumer requirements, while research to improve processes in manufacturing and the supply chain make up the balance.

On-farm

“This major investment will create the biggest change in decades in research, training, and knowledge transfer to increase the rate of innovation on both sides of the farm gate, all of which can be leveraged to benefit New Zealand’s wider primary industry,” Dr Mackle said.

lameness and mastitis will also be targeted.

“This research will help us take our dairy ingredients into more formats, to more customers and more markets,” Dr Hill said.

DairyNZ and Fonterra said they were looking forward to working together and with the Government and other PGP industry partners to deliver this important research programme.

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Temperatures fall; feed intakes rise Calf feed manufacturer Winslow Feeds and Nutrition is ďż˝inding customers are reporting exceptional early intakes of meal and pellets this season. Winslow Nutritionist Dr. Rob Derrick says â&#x20AC;&#x153;Calf pro 1 formulations are the same as last season but compared to last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mild spring the current weather is clearly driving calves to eat more.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Young calves are very efďż˝icient converters of feed into live weight gain so it is important they are fed to maintain target growth rates even when the weather is challenging. The bigger the calf the more it eats, the more it eats the bigger it gets â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to feed enough to compensate for the conditions.â&#x20AC;?

Calves have limited fat reserves when born and need more energy from feed to keep warm when the air temperature around them drops below their lower critical temperature â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the temperature at which energy has to be expended to keep warm. A one degree centigrade decline in temperature below the lower critical temperature increases energy requirements for maintenance by roughly two percent.

Effect of temperature on energy requirements of young calves.

Dr Rob Derrick Winslow Nutritionist

Temperatures at which calves show cold stress (taken from AgResearch Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton): Conditions Dry coat, no droughts Dry coat, with droughts Wet coats, with droughts

Friesian 3oC 8oC 13oC

Jersey 8oC 13oC 18oC

Wind and rain further increase calf requirements, especially those under three weeks of age. Still air around the body provides some insulation so protection from wind chill can have signiďż˝icant impact on the animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to maintain body temperature. A 20km/hour wind will make 5oC seem like 1oC. Rainfall greater than 1mm/hour can reduce the insulation value of the coat by 30% so maintenance requirements on a cold, wet day can easily increase by 30%.

Calves experiencing cold stress divert blood from the stomach to their brain and to muscles which start shivering. Cold stress at birth can aďŹ&#x20AC;ect the uptake of colostrum. Even with older calves the chances of calves getting scours increases greatly when temperatures fall. Milk contains high levels of fat which can be very satisfying and suppress hard feed intake but when weather conditions are poor feeding a little more milk or milk enriched with milk powder may be worthwhile to help calves maintain their body temperature.

Calves are not born with a fully functioning rumen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it takes several months to develop and enlarge. Easily digested pellets based on grain have a better chance of helping calves meet their higher energy demands in a cold spring than pellets based on ďż˝ibrous by products - or conserved forages and grazed grass which are slower to digest and bulkier. Whilst some long ďż˝ibre is important to help calves develop the ability to ruminate, too much roughage will limit dry matter intake and make it harder for calves to meet their increased demands.

(Live Weight Gain : 600 grams/day, Milk replacer 18% fat, 22% Crude Protein -19 Mj/ kg DM) Calves with a thicker coat and more fat cover have a higher lower critical temperature than calves with less fat cover and thinner coat.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We know that increased dry feed intake stimulates the development of the rumen wall and blood ďż˝low to the rumen. Calves with improved rumen function will experience less set back at weaning oďŹ&#x20AC; pellets when they move to an all grass diet.

Provided calves are not expending too much energy just trying to keep warm the higher pellet intakes now should help them at weaning. The weight of a heifer at ďż˝irst calving is highly correlated to her weight at 12 weeks of age so it is important replacements are fed well now to achieve target weights â&#x20AC;? according to Dr. Rob Derrick.

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12

Fonterra opens largest cool store Fonterra expects to ship more than 235,000 metric tonnes of butter and cheese per year from its new Crawford Street cool store in Hamilton, which was of�icially opened on September 10.

Fonterra Managing Director Trade and Operations Gary Romano said the new cool store, New Zealand’s largest, marks a big step forward in the Waikato and in Fonterra’s drive to get the most ef�icient link between its farmer shareholders and global customers.

“This cool store is the central point for all butter and cheese made in the Waikato – the �inal stop before it’s packed into containers and railed directly to the port.

That’s over 235 million retail-sized blocks of Mainland cheese or around 500 million standard packs of Anchor butter,” Mr Romano said.

“Butter and cheese which was stored in third party stores around the region is now streamlined into one logistics operation. This allows us to improve ef�iciencies in the areas of product storage, transportation and handlings and marks a strong vote of con�idence in Waikato dairying, which represents about a third of Fonterra’s milk supply.”

The cool store has been built alongside a 48,000MT dry store, which opened in 2005, and together they form a hub for Fonterra’s product from the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. The hub is integrated with the KiwiRail network which removes 65,000 truck movements per year from local roads and reduces Fonterra’s carbon footprint for transport, Mr Romano said.

Another hub is planned in Mosgiel near Dunedin with a 45,000MT dry store and 17,000MT cool store.

“This is all part of the co-operative’s national supply chain strategy, which will see the development of �ive hubs coupled with the move to use rail more often. We anticipate this national strategy will simplify our supply chain, improve customer delivery performance and deliver savings.”

Mr Romano says this progress is crucial to give the co-operative, and the dairy industry, a competitive edge as a low-cost producer of high quality dairy products in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

Gary Romano inside Fonterra’s new cool store which can hold over 235 million retail-sized blocks of Mainland cheese or around 500 million standard packs of Anchor butter.

The hub approach presents a real opportunity for increased co-operation and partnership between dairy and other agricultural industries, Mr Romano said.

“We all have the same storage needs and if we cooperate we can drive our competitive edge by maximising ef�iciency through greater economies of scale.

“As an export sector we’re all a long distance from our markets, it’s essential that we continually improve our ef�iciency, particularly in our operations and supply chain to remain a step ahead and ensure that New Zealand agriculture is sustainable in the long term.”

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13

Are our expectations too great?

Fred Hoekstra Veehof Dairy Services

Our winter is nearly over even though it doesn’t feel like it. It has been a tough winter for farmers and cows. We have been quite busy with hoof trimming for this time of the year. Some winter milking herds have been particularly suffering. Hooves are badly haemorrhaged and the cows are very tender on their feet.

Those cows are struggling big time and I am wondering if we are asking too much of them. We seem to forget that cows are equivalent to top athletes and need to be treated accordingly.

Let’s think about our expectations from our cows.

We have bred them to do high production. I believe that any dairy cow in New Zealand has the capability to produce 500kg milk solids per year if fed well. We need to get the cows in calf every year. We don’t want them to get mastitis, get lame, retain afterbirth or get any other disease and we want them to walk to the paddock to pick their own grass.

These seem to be reasonable expectations until you look into the limitations of our cows. If a cow is genetically capable of producing 500kg of milk solids then she does her best to do so. That means that she will eat as much grass or other food to convert it into the 500kg - so far no problem. Now we want the cow to walk an hour or two to get her own grass.

This means that she will need to eat more grass by the time she gets to the paddock because the walking takes energy but she has less time to do so. She has to walk back to the cow shed again to be milked in the afternoon so our cow has to walk four trips per day which adds up to a considerable amount of time and will take a considerably large amount of energy.

We have worked out that smaller cows are more capable of doing the longer walks than bigger Holsteins, however those cows have less capacity to eat large amounts of grass in one sitting. Can you see a problem occurring? Especially on bigger farms where walking distances are bigger? In the winter there is another complication. When we have dark cold rainy days, the cows have extra stress to deal with.

They also will need to get more energy because they need to keep themselves warm. With this energy

shortage we end up with skinnier cows whose immune system doesn’t function as well and we end up with much higher incidences of problems like lameness. Even though the cows leave high residuals behind in the paddock doesn’t mean they are being fed according to their needs.

You could say that you don’t expect high milk productions and you may be happy for your cows to produce only 300kg. The problem with that is that the cow doesn’t know that. If that is the production you want then that is the cow you need to breed.

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14

Condition loss a real fear As I sit here nervously awaiting the next aftershock I am pondering what I should be covering in this issue of Dairy Focus. My initial thoughts are spared for those people more severely affected by the earthquakes than me. In particular dairy farmers whose milking routines have been disrupted, and who have to endure disorganisation for some time.

I hope that normality will soon be restored, and that the long term effects of these events are not too severe. The dairy farming season is now well under way and calving seems to be progressing at an alarmingly rapid rate.

Cows can be vulnerable to condition loss at this time of the year as they approach peak lactation when their voluntary feed intakes are at a low level. You can offset this by providing energy dense feeds. Wheat is a great source of protein for cows, and barley is perhaps more suited to putting condition on bigger Friesian cows. Both high energy feeds are useful to provide rapidly metabolizable carbohydrate to help offset ketosis.

Be aware not to offer too much too soon as there will be a risk of sub clinical rumen acidosis perhaps progressing to grain overload. Sub clinical rumen acidosis will lead to reduced rumen derived energy, reduced rumen activity and in�lammation of the rumen lining. Long term liver and lung disease can result from this so it is best avoided.

Monitoring milk protein to fat ratios is a good idea. Drops in milk fat percentage can indicate reduced �ibre breakdown from reduced bacteria

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in an acid rumen. Reduced protein can indicate reduced protein intake and developing negative energy balance.

Other common health problems at this time of year are retained placenta and the residual effects on the uterus which causes mastitis, lameness, respiratory diseases, and rumen diseases.

Treat retained placenta early and recheck treated animals after one week to ensure the infections are resolved properly. Uterine disease will reduce the six week pregnancy rate in affected cows.

Mastitis at this time of year may be originating from sub clinically infected cows.

Make sure you do not have liner slip and make sure cows are milking out properly. Ensure that all four teats are teat sprayed after every milking. If your somatic cell count is above 200.000 you should seek professional advice.

The PureMilk Mastitis Consultancy is a now up and running. We offer a full mastitis risk analysis service and mastitis control strategies unique to your farm. Please contact us if you feel mastitis is not well controlled.

Mating (dare I say it) is not far away. Tail paint cows early (to detect early heats). This is a great way to minimise the number of non cycling cows you will have to deal with.

Remember we all need to keep focused on reproduction because inductions can no longer be relied on to mop up large numbers of late calving cows.

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15

Synlait backs Tanzania school Synlait Milk in Dunsandel is partnering with one of its suppliers to fund ongoing construction of an English medium primary school near Arusha, Tanzania. The school caters for marginalised children from a nearby slum area, many of whom are orphans.

Synlait has agreed to supply sufficient milk powder to Dewhirst Land Company operation in Greendale to rear 50 Jersey bull calves that will be sold as yearlings. The proceeds of that sale will go to upscale the Joshua School in East Africa.

The school is the vision of Mama Happiness Wambura who looks after approximately 150 abandoned or orphan children in three orphanages in Tanzania, a country heavily hit by HIV/Aids.

Mama Wambura is well known to Georgia Dewhirst, who has seen the work first-hand and whose daughter, Kate Dewhirst, has just recently visited and worked in two of the orphanages.

Tony and Judy Lamborn, Georgia’s parents, have known Mama Wambura and her ministries for over 15 years, and witnessed the ongoing development of the orphanages and particularly in the past few years, Joshua English Medium School.

Foundations have already been laid for a block that will include dormitories for at-risk boys and girls from the slum, ablution areas, dining room and kitchen facility. This upgrade will allow the school to be properly registered with the Education Department of the Tanzanian Government.

This will allow the school to be advertised as such and permit the school to accept paying students as well as the “free” students from the slum. The school then may become more financially viable.

Synlait looks forward to reports of good progress in its ongoing partnering with one of its milk suppliers, Dewhirst Land Company to assist needy children in Tanzania.

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16

Mating management Bridget Ray,

FarmWise Waikato diary farm consultant

Improved mating performance increases milk production Achieving more days in milk and increased production at the start of the season equals more pro�it - the way to achieve this is by improving mating performance.

Bridget Ray said poor mating performance has the potential to impact heavily on next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calving spread and production, therefore getting the basics right at mating optimises potential to increase your proďż˝it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At a $6.00 payout the cost of missing a cycle (assuming 1.5kg MS/cow/day multiplied by 21 days multiplied by $6.00) is $189.00 per cow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order to achieve a good mating performance and establish a more compact calving, farmers should be monitoring their mating programmes now,â&#x20AC;? Bridget said.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A tight calving pattern will mean that cows have longer to recover from calving to mating so more cows get in calf to AB (artiďż˝icial breeding) resulting in lower empty rates, more heifer replacements and a greater culling selection, as farmers can identify the genuine non performers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A more compact calving means less

late calvers and therefore less empties.â&#x20AC;?

Bridget says pre-mating heats should begin four weeks before the planned start of mating, so farmers can check their cows are cycling before they start AB. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pre-mating heats should be recorded daily as they will provide

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farmers with a clear picture of what is going on. Calculate the number of cows you would expect to be cycling each day so you know you are on track.

If not hitting the expected number of cows cycling over a 3 day average you may have a problem which can be addressed before mating starts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cows cycling in the ďż˝irst week of pre-mating heats, should be cycling three weeks later if they are not, then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a problem.â&#x20AC;?

Feeding levels

â&#x20AC;&#x153;If it is a warm sunny spring day and the farmer is not seeing lots of cows bulling, there is probably a problem â&#x20AC;&#x201C; generally cows which are â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;shut downâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; are highlighting a feed problem â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whether it be feed quality and/or feed quantity,â&#x20AC;? Bridget said.

She said evidence shows there is a direct correlation between mating problems and cow body condition score (BCS), feeding levels and the anoestrus period, aim for cows to be at BCS 4 or more at the start of mating.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is important to be feeding cows well while at the same time ensuring pasture quality is maintained â&#x20AC;&#x201C; any farmers short of feed or with a thin mob, need to take action now.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is important to stick to your spring rotation plan and not oďŹ&#x20AC;er more area than allocated, but any feed deďż˝icit should be ďż˝illed with supplements.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you stick to your 1500 - 1600kg DM/ha you ensure your cows are being fully fed while maintaining pasture quality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A cow underweight at calving is more likely to suďŹ&#x20AC;er health problems, such as retained afterbirth, and her production potential for the season will be reduced, also her ability to get in calf on time will be compromised so production next season will be reduced.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cows will naturally lose weight in the ďż˝irst six weeks after calving, but the more weight they lose the poorer their reproductive performance, therefore it is very important that farmers feed their cows good quality feed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grazing management is crucial, farmers should be aiming to keep average pasture covers between 1800 and 1900kg DM/ha, this ensures pasture growth rates are maximised.

Time spent on weekly farm walks and diligent pasture management will pay dividends, she says.

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17

Mating management - Continued “It is a must to check residuals when the cows leave the paddock and using a feed wedge will help farmers identify surpluses and de�icits.”

She says there are a few checks farmers can do to help identify if there is a feed quality and/or feed quantity issue. Check your milk protein, milk fat and milk protein to fat ratio on Fencepost. Use a 10 day average.

“Daily milksolid yield should not be dropping by more than 0.07 – 0.1 kg MS/ cow/day over a period of two to four days – if it is dropping there is de�initely a problem with what the cows are eating and potentially they are already starting to lose weight. If milk protein percentage is more than 2% below the previous seasons, energy intake has dropped and again this indicates either a feed quantity or quality problem.

“If fat percentage is increasing from one ten day average to the next, cows are being underfed and are losing weight.

“If the milk protein to fat ratio is different to normal and falling, cows are losing weight. At least half of all cows sitting in the paddock should be chewing their cud.”

Bridget advises if farmers have any thin cows (less than BCS4) these should be given preferential feeding, or consider once a day milking as an option.

Mating goals

Bridget Ray says top performing dairy farmers achieve a 90% submission rate at three weeks, 60% conception rate, 78% six week in calf rate and after a 12 week mating period a 6% empty rate.

The average New Zealand dairy farmer has an 80% submission rate at three weeks, 55% conception rate, 68% six week in calf rate and at 12 weeks 10% empties.

“The ultimate goal is to reach those top targets, but realistically most farmers would not achieve this in the �irst year, however, with determination, consistency and hard work it is over a period of years achievable. The bene�its of achieving a better mating performance include a more compact calving, which means more days in milk, translating to more milksolids and therefore greater pro�its.

“As a result of less empties farmers

have a greater opportunity to identify true “A cow standing to be mounted is the culls. There will be more replacement most accurate sign of Oestrus. Standing heifers and spending on interventions heat is the most sexually intensive period such as CIDRs will be reduced. of the oestrus cycle. Cows which move away quickly when a mount is attempted “A shorter calving period allows are not in true oestrus. more days between calving and mating, resulting in a higher conception rate at “The average duration of standing heat �irst insemination.” is 15 to 18 hours.

Bridget said it is important to ensure good replacements are coming into the herd each year and enough replacements to maintain cow numbers.

“Arti�icial breeding (AB) is an important and cost effective way to achieve this. Not using AB, doing it for too shorter period or using low genetic The signs and stages of oestrus merit and/or unproven bulls is not a sound decision to make for the future Coming into Heat (6 - 10 hours in of the herd.” duration) • Will not stand to be ridden Heat detection • Smells other cows • Attempt to ride other cows One of the most common reasons • Noisy and restless for low submission rates is not enough On Heat (2 - 30 hours in duration) contact time between human and cow, Bridget said. And as herd size has grown • Stands to be ridden – hair and skin rubbed on crest of tail very rapidly in the past 20 years, this has • May see riding marks e.g. mud on the become more of an issue. �lanks • Will ride other cows “For a successful AB programme, farmers need to achieve a high percentage • Are restless and excitable • May stand with back arched and tail in of pregnancy and that requires good the air oestrous detection. Heat detection aids, • Display a red vulva such as Kamars or tail paint, will help • Clear mucus discharge from vulva ensure cows cycling are identi�ied and these aids should be checked every milking.

“It is, however, essential that those responsible for identifying cows in oestrous understand the signs of heat in order to achieve accurate and ef�icient heat detection.

“Cows should be observed three times a day; morning, mid day and later evening for 20 minutes each time, this will help identify about 90% of the heats in the herd. During cooler weather the middle of the day is generally better.

Bridget says it is also important that mating performance isn’t compromised by trace element de�iciencies.

“The safest thing to do is blood test a sample of cows one month before mating starts so there is time to treat de�iciencies.

It is also important to remember mating hasn’t �inished once AB has stopped.

Having the right bull numbers and having �it healthy bulls is important to reduce empty rates.”

She said farmers can improve their reproductive performance by improving their mating management.

“Mating performance is largely within the control of individual farmers, and by sitting down and working out a plan to improve it and then implementing that plan, the desired results can be achieved.

“A good idea is to check your MINDA reproductive and calving reports from the last few seasons to identify your problem areas. It seems early but on some farms AB will be starting in a few weeks. Now is the time to start your planning.”

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“Cows should be checked about one – two hours after they have been moved to a new break as activity is fairly low when cows are eating – oestrus cows become more interested in eating than mounting each other.

“Cows should be checked before being let out of the paddock before milking.

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“In a normally cycling cow, standing oestrus will occur approximately every 21 days (this can range from 17 to 24 days).

Observation is the key, the more time spent with the cows looking for standing heats and signs of oestrus, the greater the likelihood of detection.”

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18

Demand for AB on the rise A greater proportion of dairy farmers whose herds are in the 10% for Breeding Worth (BW) are mating their yearlings to AB (arti�icial breeding) sires. LIC Premier Sires Manager, Mike Wilson said the increased demand con�irms they understand the bene�its.

constant – the value difference between a high BW herd and a low BW herd.

“The average dollar value difference between the two is $163 per cow – multiply this over an entire herd and it is clear what the incentive is for farmers wanting to put their high genetic merit yearlings to AB and ensure their herd remains high BW.”

“Looking at the �igures the numbers add up, the national average herd BW is in the vicinity of 50 BW, with the average for the yearling population at about 104 BW – that’s a 54 BW difference.

In terms of farm management, calving dif�iculty is an area of high priority, Mr Wilson said, and from decades of progeny testing, LIC knows that individual bull breeding values (BVs) for calving dif�iculty vary by breed and between bulls.

“Farmers opting to generate replacements from their AB yearlings could see on average a $27 pro�it more, per lactation, from the dam side alone for each of those replacements.”

Mike Wilson said there’s a cost to putting yearlings to AB – like additional workload, potentially expensive synchrony programmes and the time needed, but the bene�its outweigh all these factors.

The bene�its of yearling matings have both farm management and �inancial rewards.

“For practicality, the majority of AB yearlings will be synchronised and while the cost may be signi�icant, more farmers believe the bene�its of having the majority of their yearlings in calf to elite sires outweigh the cost.

“Yearlings come in early, therefore there is freeup time to train them in the shed, additionally they will have more days in milk and extra time to start cycling. Second calvers are often associated with poor mating performance, Mr Wilson said.

“Herd competition, together with the stress of maturing to adult body weight while milking often

leads to high empty rates as second calvers. By having your yearlings come in early it opens up the option to dry them off sooner, ensuring they are in better condition for that second calving and subsequent mating.

“As signi�icant effort has gone into rearing a yearling to mating stage, more and more farmers are deciding against using a natural mate bull, as this in effect would waste the effort of getting a yearling to mating and erode any additional genetic gain.”

Mr Wilson said every additional BW introduced into a herd, increases that herd’s value. “NZAgri publish cow sale prices and these have varied signi�icantly over time, but one factor has remained

“It is crucial that those farmers putting their yearlings to AB select the bull or team of bulls with calving dif�iculty BV in mind. Of the dairy breeds, Jersey sires produce the easiest calvings, closely followed by KiwiCross, however, other low calving dif�iculty Holstein-Friesian AB options are available through LIC’s Premier Sires and Alpha.”

Mike says all LIC AB sires have a calving dif�iculty BV generated for them through either the Sire Proving Scheme or the latest in DNA proven technology.

“Having yearlings calve down easily without stress is a top priority for LIC, from DataMATE to yearling suitability recommendations, where possible we have taken steps to achieve the best result.”

Easier calvings and herd management improvements, together with a higher herd value and more productive replacements, means putting yearlings to AB is a decision many farmers are making this season.

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19

Fonterra boosts UHT production Demand forces company to increase its output Fonterra Brands New Zealand will be filling an additional 600,000 packs of Ultra Heat Treated (UHT) milk every week after completing an $8 million expansion and upgrade of its UHT milk processing plant in Takanini, Auckland.

Fonterra Brands New Zealand Managing Director, Peter McClure, said Fonterra Brands New Zealand is seizing the opportunity to increase its footprint in global markets, particularly in Asia and the Pacific, by investing in a 30 per cent increase in production capacity.

“Global consumption of UHT is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.2 per cent between now and 2012, making it one of the fastest growing dairy categories and a huge export opportunity for us.

“With this increased production capacity, we will be able to expand our presence in our existing markets of China, Singapore and Hong Kong as well as start exporting in to new markets such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

“When we began making UHT in 1981, we were producing just 5 million litres a year.

Increasing demand from Asia and the Pacific saw us more than double our production from 27 million litres in 2005 to 60 million litres last year.

The first packs of UHT roll off the new line.

“With this expansion, we will have an annual production of 90 million litres, that’s more than

1.7 million one litre retail packs of UHT a week.

“Limited domestic dairy supply in Asian countries, growing populations and education about dairy’s nutritional benefits are creating this demand.

“UHT does not need refrigeration and it has a nine month shelf life, making it perfect for export to countries with hot climates. It is the only fresh milk and cream product that can be shipped to our customers and stored in the cupboard by consumers,” Mr McClure said.

Fonterra Brands New Zealand is looking to innovate with UHT and develop new products to add to its range, such as low fat and vitamin enriched milks. The company will also add two new products to its range of UHT creams.

“Global dairy and nutrition trends show consumers are increasingly seeking products that are more convenient and better for you. In 2011, we’ll be adding two new UHT creams to our foodservices range that are easier to whip and more convenient for chefs. We will also be looking to develop low fat and fortified UHT milks as we’re seeing the demand for these products emerging in developing markets.

“As a leader in dairy innovation, we are always looking at how we can develop new products that will cater for all of our growing global markets.”

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20

Offal pit fatality

Confined spaces can be deadly

A self-employed farmer collapsed and died after descending into an offal pit to retrieve a grubber.

Subsequent tests by the Occupational Safety and Health Service (OSH) found that the atmosphere in the offal pit was severely deficient in oxygen.

Summary of accident The offal pit was drilled nearly five weeks before the accident, but remained unused for three weeks.

The day before, the farmer had dropped two lamb carcasses into the offal pit and, by accident, a grubber was also dropped into the pit.

The farmer and his adult son discussed how to retrieve the grubber. After considering a lasso

method, they decided to use a ladder to descend into the pit. The ladder was lowered through the central opening and secured in place.

The farmer climbed down the ladder and recovered the grubber. He had climbed most of the way up, when he fell back down. The son realised the seriousness of the situation and called for help with a cellphone.

The volunteer fire brigade arrived and rescued the farmer from the pit. Ambulance officers and a doctor attempted to resuscitate him, but were unable to do so.

Further tragedy narrowly averted

The volunteer firefighter who rescued the farmer from the pit had a narrow escape. He was lowered down on a rope and at about 2.5 metres down, he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t breathe and called out to be raised.

Wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus set, he was then able to effect the rescue.

OSH investigation

As part of its investigation, OSH health and safety inspectors carried out tests to establish the likely atmospheric conditions in the pit at the time of the accident.

The tests found that the oxygen concentration

at the bottom of the pit was only 3%. This level of oxygen would not sustain life, with death occurring in a matter of minutes. The normal concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere is 21%.

Hazard management

Both the farmer and his son were aware of the hazards of offal pits. They thought it would be safe to enter because the pit was relatively new.

Farmers need to identify the hazards associated with entering confined spaces such as offal pits, water tanks, septic tanks, grain silos, milk vats and other similar enclosed spaces. The likelihood of an oxygen deficient or toxic atmosphere in such areas, may not be realised.

The steps required to identify, assess and control such hazards are summarised in the OSH-ACC pamphlet Confined Spaces: Planning Entry and Working Safely in a Confined Space. A folder of information entitled Safe Working in a Confined Space may be obtained from your nearest regional office of OSH. Refer to the listing in the blue pages of the telephone directory for contact details. (Look under Occupational Safety and Health or Department of Labour.)

Copies may be downloaded from the website (www.osh.dol.govt.nz).