Ashburton Guardian | Dairy Focus | September 2019 by Ashburton Guardian

Dairy Focus SEPTEMBER 2019

Spreading

THE WORD Page 3-5

PHOTO LINDA CLARKE

Dairy Focus

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Uneven effects

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NOT THE TIME FOR PROTEST

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PAGE 17 PASTURE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The government’s freshwater discussion document has sparked heated debate and, if you live in a farming dependent district like Mid Canterbury, fears for the future of agriculture as we know it. Farmers know they need to do more to protect and enhance the environment. In these parts, at least, that conversation and course of action, started six or seven years ago and nitrate reduction has been a key part of that, driven by the Canterbury Land and Water Plan and the Ashburton Water Zone Committee. The regional council must have got about things right, because they were jabbed by both farmers and environmental groups. The work of the Ashburton

zone committee, a mix of people that represent our community, has led the way for changes that improve our rivers, ecosystems and groundwater, with targets farmers can achieve, or at least work towards, while being socially responsibly to the community they live in. Our farmers are supported by our town – we need each other to survive. Fish and Game have been holding up their version of an NZEIR economic report that says the freshwater reforms are unlikely to be major at the national level. They happily missed, in their press release, the following paragraph that said a reduction from intensive dairy would, however, have uneven local effects. I don’t want my town to be one of those local effects. I hope Government takes the time to appreciate what has already been done in some districts, by farmers who are leading the way for others, and that it is genuine about listening to the informed and real submissions of people already making a difference - just not fast enough apparently.

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Helping highlight farming’s environmental good stories Don’t be afraid to tell your good farming story, says dairy farmer Joanne van Polanen. The Ashburton woman leads the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust, a group dedicated to promoting leadership in environmental excellence. Their annual Ballance Farm Environment Awards are inspiring stuff. Joanne says it’s important these farming stories are told, not only to other farmers and growers, but to the wider community. She and her husband John have their own story in the dairy industry spanning nearly 40 years. They, like other agricultural food producers, have adapted and grown in changing times. Joanne is currently balancing the demands of feeding 160 calves early every morning and keeping an eye on the last of the cows to calve, while staying abreast

Joanne van Polanen.

of compliance and regulation issues that include a water consent review and proposed tough, new freshwater rules. There’s a lot going on in

PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

the farming space but she says the industry is full of innovative farmers who are environmentally responsible and will look to adapt and

meet the challenges for their businesses. Joanne has seen that first hand over the past 16 years through her involvement

with the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust, which facilitates the Ballance Farm Environment Awards. She started in 2006 as the Canterbury regional awards judging co-ordinator, was elected onto the national trust board in 2010 and became chair two years ago. It is a role she enjoys and she takes a lot of pleasure in being involved with such a positive and progressive organisation. The trust is apolitical and has a mission to promote leadership in environmental excellence and encourage the uptake of management practices which protect and enhance the environment. The Ballance Farm Environment Awards showcase the efforts that farmers and growers are making to balance the needs of the environment, animals, plants and people. Continued over page

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From page 3 That mission has never been more important than now. Joanne says farmers and growers around the country are encouraged to enter, not only to share their story of sustainable farming practice, but to share and gain knowledge. She has been impressed and inspired by the farmers over the years who have been part of the awards; farmers who have taken their business to the next level while farming responsibly for the future. “These are positive and innovative farmers, who take care of their environment and resources.” Joanne said farmers were continually adapting and improving their management practices and the awards allowed them to benchmark against other leading operators. The 2019 winners Adrian and Pauline Ball changed their farming system from solely farming dairy cows at a very high stocking rate – and sending unwanted young calves away on the bobby calf truck – to running a hybrid system of dairy cows alongside dairy beef cattle with no bobby calves

J ersey heifers.

PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

They removed palm kernel extract (PKE) from their system and grew their own supplementary food (lucerne and maize silage). Cow numbers went from 4.2/ha to 2.8/ha but the farm remained in the top quarter of farms for profitability. Greenhouse gas emissions also halved to 10.6 tonnes hectare and they lowered nitrogen leaching to 25 kg/ha when it had been 79 kg/ha. She says there have been many challenges in the past decade which farmers

and growers had worked to overcome through the use of technology and innovation. The next decade will provide another set of challenges which will see farmers and growers looking to science and innovation to provide the tools to make the right changes for the environment and their business. With so much uncertainty in the farming space, it was vital farmers shared information and showed good practice to other farmers and the wider

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community, she said. The Farm Environment Trust is there to share their stories. The van Polanens clearly still see a future in dairy farming and have built a family business around it in the Winchmore district. Their original Friesian herd of 650 is now in the hands of daughter Claire and her husband Adam on a property called Inland Pastures. Another daughter Alison and her husband Andrew milk 750 crossbreed cows at a property called Strathearn. A third farm, Julep, milks 480 Jerseys, and the van Polanens have a farm manager on that property. Joanne said the couple enjoyed developing properties throughout their farming career and the latest property, Julep, is a more established farm that is being redeveloped. The couple also run a drystock property on the outskirts of Ashburton Their two sons are also in agribusiness. Philip works for Fonterra’s capital markets team in Auckland and Jason provides infield product development and post-sales support for irrigation specialists Valmont. Joanne and John met at

Lincoln University in the late 1970s. They decided to ditch their studies and go farming and they grew their skills in the Waikato, Southland, Otago, Mid Canterbury and Waitaki before deciding the Ashburton district was the perfect spot to set down roots. Joanne still remembers the Otago experience, when they moved to Outram for their first sharemilker position (30 per cent). It was the same year as the Taieri Plains flooded. “The farm we were sharemilking on was the last one to go under water and everyone walked their cows out through it. The cowshed was under water when we moved in. The cows were trucked out to other farms in the Otago region and the farm owner built a feed pad.” The pastures were renewed over time, but it was an initiation by flood. It didn’t deter them though and they kept progressing up the ladder with their cows until they were back in Ashburton in 1987. The couple have a strong focus on cow genetics, with their original Friesian herd part of LIC’s sire breeding

www.guardianonline.co.nz selection programme. Farm information from all three dairy farms is visible to each other online, as part the desire to share information and knowledge. Like every other farmer, they want their business to be healthy and sustainable. All the properties have Farm Environment Plans which have been independently audited and received A grades. They use soil moisture monitoring and three different weather forecasting apps, along with technology in the cowsheds. If rain is forecast, they don’t irrigate or spread effluent, which could wash nitrate through the soils into groundwater. Joanne said the soil moisture monitors are a great tool, especially in the shoulders of the season, to ensure irrigation and fertiliser application decisions are timed to protect the environment and make best use of the resources. “It is critical what goes on, knowing how much water we are putting, on so we keep everything in the root zone.” She said water use had been halved on all the properties when they were converted from borderdyke irrigation to spray irrigation. Piped, pressurised water for the three dairy farms is provided by the Ashburton Lyndhurst Irrigation Scheme. John, as chairman of the scheme at the time, drove the multi-million-

dollar project to convert the open race scheme to pressurised piping. The van Polanens use a two pond system for effluent storage, and soil test and apply nutrients only as needed. They are considered low/moderate users of nitrogen and the farms have a moderate stocking rate. Investing in environment improvements is more than good practice for them and helps set New Zealand farmers above others. “We already have some of the most efficient farmers in the world. Unlike many of our competitors, farmers are investing in environmental improvements without substantial government subsidies as is the case in many other countries. Imagine the possibilities as more farmers and growers commit to producing food and fibre sustainably for the world’s most discerning clients.” The Ballance Farm Environment Awards are run across 11 regions in New Zealand, with the winners then competing at a national level. The judging process is a major attraction to those who enter, as the process involves farmers and agribusiness professionals who provide feedback, recommendations and commendations as they look at every aspect of the farming business, from environmental management, productivity and profitability through to family and community involvement. To enter, visit www.nzfeatrust.org.nz. Entries are open until October 31.

About the Gordon Stephenson Trophy

The Gordon Stephenson Trophy is awarded to the national winner of the Ballance Farm Envrionment Awards. PHOTO SUPPLIED

When Waikato farmer and conservationist, the late Gordon Stephenson, first mooted the idea for a farm environment competition in 1991 he had no idea just how successful the concept would become. Gordon said the Farm Environment Awards were developed as a way to recognise farmers who were trying to balance farm productivity with environmental protection.

According to Gordon the purpose of the awards was to get farmers thinking about sustainability - a term that has become a buzzword in the farming world. “We wanted people to think about the long-term effects of what they are doing. They have to ask themselves if what they are doing now will be sustainable in 100 years’ time.” Choosing a winner from an outstanding line-up of regional supreme winners will be a tough job for the judges, but Gordon always hoped the winner will be held up as an ambassador for sustainable farming rather than being lauded as ‘the best of the best’. Gordon, and his wife Celia, had sold their Waotu dairy farm prior to Gordon’s death in December 2015 but had retained 22ha, including a 4ha block of native bush which, in 1978, was the first block to be covenanted by the Queen Elizabeth National Trust. In honour of his contribution to the success of the farm environment awards, the National Winner trophy bears his name.

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Never time to act like the French Craig Hickman

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The Ministry for the Environment is holding a series of meetings around the country as part of their consultation process for the discussion document Action for Healthy Waterways. Once the consultation has finished and all the submissions have been summarised, the ministry will pass their advice on to cabinet who will then issue a National Policy Statement for Freshwater. That’s it. There’s no select committee hearing and no need for a law change, the NPS will provide direction to regional and district councils as to how they should carry out their responsibilities under the Resource Management Act. Realising I needed to learn a lot more about the proposals, I attended the Ashburton meeting, along with some 300 other concerned locals, and I’m very glad I did because I learned a lot. Not from the officials giving the presentation, as you might expect, but from the wellinformed members of the audience. From people like Ian Mackenzie and Colin Glass, I learned that the current NPS nitrate target of 6.9mg/ litre represents a reduction of roughly one-third for Canterbury, and setting a new target of 1mg/l DIN (dissolved inorganic nitrogen, which includes nitrate, nitrite and ammonium) is physically

French farmers showed their anger over EU trade deals with Canada and Mercosur last month. PHOTO SUPPLIED

impossible if you want to continue farming. I learned that the science behind the 1 per cent DIN target hasn’t been made public; I learned that the economic impact of trying to reach that target hadn’t been modelled and I learned that the inclusion of that target had not been warmly welcomed by the Freshwater Leaders’ Group.

“

the people who wrote the proposal shouldn’t be this difficult. Above all I learned that farmers are annoyed. The crowd were polite and respectful, but the underlying tension in the room was palpable. Freshwater, agricultural emissions, reducing waste, hazardous substance

This is our only chance to mould the proposals into something we can all live with and you only get to do that by talking to people ...

Getting any kind of useful information from the panel was a frustrating endeavour: one person asked if Canterbury’s 3000-odd kilometres of stock water races would be treated as rivers and therefore subject to a 5m fencing setback. The answer was “I don’t know.” An industry representative stood up and, citing the definition of a river, said they would indeed be subject to the setback. I tweeted his opinion and was contacted the next day by a freshwater scientist who contradicted this assessment. Getting information from

assessment and more are all happening at once, it’s little wonder that calls for farmer protests have been growing on social media. As one lady in the audience put it, “when is it time to start acting like the French?” The obvious answer is never, it’s never time to act like the French. People fondly recall Shane Ardern driving his tractor up the steps of Parliament in 2003 to defeat the proposed “Fart Tax”, and ask why we’re not doing it again. Apart from the security bollards and the high likelihood of the tractor

falling through Parliament’s forecourt into the new subterranean carpark, there’s the small issue that the protest didn’t actually work. Sure farmers weren’t asked to pay for emissions research via taxation, but our industry bodies agreed to pay for it via levies instead, with the Government reserving the right to reconsider the tax should payments ever stop. Protest is most successful when you’ve got something the Government wants, which is why teachers and other unionised bodies protest and go on strike when Labour are in power, they know the Government is scared of losing their votes. A successful farmer protest would be one that happened when National are in power, Labour don’t have the rural vote and aren’t scared of losing it. Protest can be harmful too, just look at the disastrous water protest in Morrinsville leading up to the 2017 election. I don’t know who organised it but they should be ashamed, it was pure muppetry in motion. The protest drove a wedge deeper into the urban/rural divide and lifted Labour’s urban vote. NZ First got an easy win when they used the policy as a bargaining chip

in coalition negotiations and Labour were more than happy to drop the proposal because they knew charging for water was buying a war over water ownership that they weren’t prepared to fight. Farmers were the losers from that fiasco, painted as greedy buggers who wanted to make a profit from resources taken for free and forever remembered as misogynistic dinosaurs who thought the Leader of the Opposition was a “pretty little socialist”. Forget the idea of organised marches, who wants to protest against protecting the environment anyway? Attend the meetings and fill the venues to overflowing, more than a 100 people sat outside the full bridge hall in Winton, and engage intelligently and respectfully with the process. The consultation period has already been extended by two weeks, extra meetings are being scheduled and bigger venues found. Ministers are aware of how intently this is being watched and DairyNZ and Beef & Lamb are presenting a united front for the farming sector. We can all agree with the high level objectives being proposed and we’ve certainly let the ministry know their first attempt at a plan to get there is sadly lacking. This is our only chance to mould the proposals into something we can all live with and you only get to do that by talking to people, not shouting at them. Let’s not waste our opportunity. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Ashburton Guardian Co Ltd or any employee thereof.

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Balance needed in freshwater changes The Government recently released its proposals for reform of our freshwater policy framework which will have significant implications for irrigation and the rural sector. I support change and environmental bottom lines for our water are important. But not at the expense of community cohesion, rural resilience, and social development. Especially where limits and targets have already been set by local communities and translated into regional plans. So, there are things which need careful consideration. Let me explain four for them. In regions with already complex regulatory frameworks in place, another layer of regulation may be required, and may confuse. In these places, local communities have been heavily involved for several years in the setting of water quality and quantity limits. These processes have been affirmed through RMA hearings processes, where

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evidence and submissions have been heard, and assessment of the social and economic implications of changes have been exhausted. Will these communities have to relive this timeconsuming process? And will the ‘limits framework’ now suggested skew the outcome? And the RMA which has been guiding these processes is an effects-based statute but moving to a model that estimates farm losses, not calculates environmental harm, may result in previously consented farming not occurring. There are catchments where further development may not have an impact on overall water quality - but modelling on a farm-by-farm basis

would show a theoretical increase in nutrient discharge - a ‘no no’ according to the new document. Farming and infrastructure developments are long-term activities with multi-decadal investment timelines. Some of the new regulatory changes will be required to be implemented immediately or by 2025, meaning some farmers will have to implement changes to their systems much more rapidly than they might otherwise

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have been planning for. There are also virtually immediate rules limiting landuse change, intensification and irrigation development that kick-in at a very small scale - only ten hectares - which is the size of a paddock for some large farms. And tough luck some may say. I say, as we face an uncertain climate future, we need to ensure our policy and regulatory settings do not limit our future options.

We know that water availability is going to change – droughts will become more frequent and prolonged, and rainfall will occur in less frequent, but more severe events. So, water storage and how our resources are allocated are just as important in protecting community and ecological wellbeing as setting water quality attributes and limits. We need to be planning for all options. If we can make good decisions for our catchments and communities now, that allow flexibility whilst protecting our unique species and waterways, we can ensure our water resources continue to provide us with the range of values we have always enjoyed. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Ashburton Guardian Co Ltd or any employee thereof.

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Hard facts on nitrogen By Ken Taylor Sometimes the science behind government policy speaks hard facts that no one wants to hear, particularly in the case of nutrient concentrations in streams and rivers. More specifically, the spotlight is on DIN – dissolved inorganic nitrogen - largely composed of nitrate-nitrogen, and how it’s affecting our waterways. It’s no secret high nutrient levels (nitrogen and phosphorus) damage ecosystem health. They can severely degrade river ecosystems and at the worst concentrations they can kill off the organisms that call those rivers home. Farmers attended last week’s primary sector meeting in Ashburton to discuss the Government’s Essential Freshwater policy proposals – and they were concerned about the proposed new bottom line for nutrient levels in rivers and streams. We hear that concern, so let’s look at how we got here and the science behind it. For the health of our waterways, it is proposed the new DIN bottom line should be set at 1mg/L (milligrams per litre). It is currently (as nitrate-nitrogen) 6.9mg/L. Above 1 mg/L, toxic effects on fish and invertebrates are observed

The Ashburton River meets the proposed freshwater standard for dissolved inorganic nitrogen.

(in controlled, tank conditions), with substantial toxic effects occurring at 6.9 mg/L. However, nitrogen can degrade river ecosystems well before toxic effects occur and a healthy river should not be experiencing any toxic effects.

The New Zealand and Australian guidelines in 2000 indicated that above 0.4 mg/L, New Zealand lowland rivers are likely to be experiencing degradation from nitrogen enrichment. Despite nearly all rivers nationally

having DIN levels lower than that toxic to fish and invertebrates, many still experience substantial degradation from nitrogen. The ecological communities have been altered to the point where they

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have little resemblance to what should be there naturally. The current, higher, limit of 6.9 mg/L does not adequately protect the health of some of our rivers from nitrogen enrichment.

The new Essential Freshwater proposals – and new bottom line - fill this gap, and they are expected to protect our waterways. Locally, of all the monitoring sites in Canterbury, nitrogen loss from activities on the land has left about a third of those sites above 1mg/L. Approximately 17 per cent of monitoring sites would need to halve their levels eventually under the new proposals. Around 5 per cent of sites require an 80 per cent nitrogen reduction. In saying that, the Ashburton River itself meets the bottom line – and that’s what the goal will be for all rivers. So how did we get to the proposed 1mg/L bottom line? We analysed how DIN affects fish, invertebrates, periphyton (slime) and microbial activity. We checked this data against international research and limits used in other developed countries to protect their rivers. The evidence supports this proposed change, showing that exceeding 1 mg/L of DIN is likely to produce some degradation in most rivers and streams. Some of you may ask what the problem is given there are still fish and insects in local streams and rivers.

Well, if we reached this bottom line we would see a lot more fish and insects, and the make-up of those fish and insect communities would be more like what we would expect under natural conditions. Over all, we would have a better functioning food web – that is, a healthier ecosystem. It’s important to understand that this new bottom line we’ve come up with is not aiming for natural undisturbed river ecosystems flowing from the mountains to the sea – but it is aiming for a better level of protection while recognising that some impacts from land use are to be expected and should be provided for. Think about it in terms of this drink-drive analogy. Say the law sets a blood alcohol limit at a level that means if you drink to the limit and then drive, you’ll have a one in five chance of being harmed in a road accident. For the life in our streams, a DIN limit of 6.9 mg/L is equivalent to that level of risk. Our proposed bottom line for DIN is like saying that you can still have the odd beer and drive without having a one in five chance of ending up a road casualty. Finally, it’s important to note that the existing National Policy

Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM), which has been in place for a number of years, already requires councils to reduce nitrogen concentrations for many of the Canterbury sites exceeding 1 mg/L because of the requirement to manage periphyton growth and to look after sensitive downstream environments. Once Environment Canterbury has fully implemented the current NPSFW it’s likely that limits in many places would be less than 1 mg/L – making the proposed bottom line irrelevant for those rivers and stream susceptible to slime growth. Nitrogen leaching will need to be reduced in any catchment that requires lower nitrogen concentrations to meet the values set out in the NPS-FW. The Science and Technical Advisory Group has provided scientific advice on this proposed bottom line. We recognise there will be a range of views on this proposal and will be interested in observing the national conversation and we encourage people to submit their views. Ken Taylor is Chair of the Essential Freshwater Science and Technical Advisory Group (STAG), and Director of Our Land and Water National Science Challenge.

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Are you my mother? By Linda Clarke Teams of specialist cow-watchers, recruited by VetEnt Riverside, have been keeping a close eye on hundreds of calves in Mid Canterbury to see if they are effectively feeding off their mothers, and if not, whether the farmer is able to help. The research technicians have been sitting in observation pods high above two calving mobs, watching 24 hours a day for 12 days per farm, and recording how calves feed prior to being removed from their mothers, who then join the milking herd. Early conclusions have been surprising and it appears it takes a village to raise a child, or calf. The calving paddock observations could help pinpoint why some calves thrive and others don’t, and challenges industry thinking that cows are not good mothers. Project leader Emma Cuttance, of VetEnt Research, said the crux of the matter was the passive transfer of antibodies from mother to calf. Calves are not born with antibodies (like other mammals) but receive them from the first colostrum milk feeds after being born. “They are born with nothing so everything they get for their immunity has to be from the colostrum and it is really high in antibodies. But they have to get enough of it. “Nature is cruel. They need to get the right number of antibodies in 6-12 hours, after that the pores in their gut are not so receptive. So there is small window of opportunity to get those high quality colostrum feeds.” The research crews have been watching two North Island herds and two Mid Canterbury herds this season and will observe four more herds next calving season. Cuttance said the industry needed to know more about what was going on in the calving paddock and if farmer management could make a difference. Some farmers picked up calves from the paddock once a day, others more often. “For years we have been thinking the dams are poor mothers. It is time to have a look and this

“

They have the potential to be good mothers, but it varies from farm to farm and each situation

has been led by previous research and pressure from consumers, where removing the calf from its mother is a contentious topic. VetEnt Ashburton’s Viana Fallaver has been in charge of recruiting 14 Mid Canterbury technicians, who worked shifts of four hours on, eight hours off. Their observation pod was a 1.2m x 2.4m scissor lift with a hut attached, which was parked in the calving paddock and raised up (as high as 8m) and down as needed. The technicians were equipped with spotlights and headtorches at night and kept the cold at bay with sleeping bags and hot water bottles. Fallaver said the cows did not seem to mind the crews changing shift or the noise of the scissor lift. “We observe everything, from the second stage of labour when the cow is pushing right through until the birth, how long she calves, and how long she

feeds for each of the feeds.” All the information, including a description of the newborn calf and the mother’s eartag identity, is recorded on a whiteboard, before transferring onto one of the 13 recording forms. Fallaver said there was a surprising amount of co-parenting in the paddock. The technicians had been able to help farmers pair calves with their mothers when there was confusion and call the farmer if something serious was happening, but their role was only to observe. Cuttance said traditionally the industry believed 20 per cent of calves were mismatched to their mothers, but it might be higher given what was being seen in the calving paddocks. “A cow will go off and have a drink and come back and take a different calf. In the herd there is potential to get mixed up and it seems they don’t mind.” The technicians had observed

multiple calves drinking from multiple mothers. “They have the potential to be good mothers, but it varies from farm to farm and each situation.” She said it took time for calves to figure out how to feed and it was important for their immunity to receive that first colostrum drink with anti-bodies from their mothers. The findings of the research project will be shared with the veterinary and dairy farm industry. VetEnt Riverside, in conjunction with VetEnt Research, are the hub of the South Island dairy research. With several experienced vets and five permanent technicians, they have a powerful knowledge base and have great scope, along with their clients, to provide data that is published and utilised not only to benefit the New Zealand dairy industry but to empower further studies and to be utilised internationally.

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Calves in the spotlight Left – Cows in the calving paddock paid no attention to the observation crews.

Right – The scissor lift gave observers a perch to watch both calves and their mothers from.

PHOTOS LINDA CLARKE

Left – An observer keeps a close eye on a recently born calf, so see if it is feeding well from the mother, or other cows.

Right – The research project was about making sure calves are feeding effectively from their mothers.

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Rising to the occasion As I was thinking of what to write this month, my wife reminded me that our mission statement says: “Supporting farmers to be the best they can be.” And then she asked, “what does that mean right now?” As you know, we specialise in cattle hoof care and our passion is to support you, the farmer, in all aspects of that. That is, the trimming service, providing the equipment and tools and, of course, the training. But, we also want to support you in other ways. It is a very challenging time for farmers with proposed law changes causing a great deal of unrest within the agricultural sector – and rightly so. However, without wanting to detract from the seriousness of the situation, I wanted to remind you of your value and the value you bring to this country. I have just read that the total dairy export revenue is up 8.7 per cent – a recordbreaking result – well done. Give yourselves a big pat on

Fred Hoekstra

VEEHOF DAIRY SERVICES

the back! In spite of increasing pressure on you all to perform and adapt to industry/global demands, you have risen to the occasion and come out on top. You can be proud of producing some of the highest quality food in the world while facing increasing scrutiny in all areas of your operation. I would encourage you to take a moment to stop and look around you and appreciate the growth you have achieved over the years. This hasn’t happened by accident, but has occurred as you have “taken the bull by the horns” and embraced the demands that have come your way, whether welcome or not, and continued to move forward. I saw a poster in an

Enjoy your cows and take some time to stand in the sun.

insurance office window that said “growth without the pain” – an appealing idea, but as you and I both know, it doesn’t work like that. There is always a degree of pain or discomfort associated with growth, and sometimes it can feel unbearable and unending, and the light at the end of the tunnel is obscured. Just remember you are good at what you do and, hopefully,

PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

you have a great team around you (if not, I would encourage you to find someone as this is not a journey to walk alone). Take some time to stand in the sun and look out over your farm. Enjoy your cows, pat your dog, play with the kids, hug your wife (husband) and laugh (check out laughing therapy videos for help if needed!). And if you are passing

VeeHof, please call in for a coffee and chat, you are most welcome. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Ashburton Guardian Co Ltd or any employee thereof.

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MATING FEATURE

Environmentally-friendly calves The next generation of environmentally-friendly calves has been born around the country as Kiwi dairy farmers continue their efforts to reduce their nitrogen output. Hundreds of thousands of calves have been bred from CRV Ambreed’s LowN™ Sires since the company launched the product in 2016. For the 2018 season, over a quarter of all CRV’s orders were for from LowN™ sires. With the latest LowN™ progeny now being reared, hundreds of farmers are well on their way to building a herd of cows that excretes less nitrogen (N) in their urine. CRV has identified and promoted to farmers a team of bulls whose daughters will have lower Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN). These daughters are expected to excrete less N in their urine, resulting in a reduction in N leaching. Farmers who start a breeding programme for low MUN now can expect potential nitrogen leaching reductions of 10-12 per cent by 2025. Last season, Steve and Paula Holdem inseminated their

animals well and has taken the time to understand our farming business. We enjoy the personable relationship we have with CRV and we know we can trust them.” Steve says that as sharemilkers they were chasing Breeding Worth (BW) for many years. BW is the industry index which ranks cows and bulls on their ability to breed profitable and efficient replacement dairy heifers. “Times are changing and there is more to consider now than just BW. The longevity of Steve and Paula Holdem with their environmentally friendly calves. PHPTO SUPPLIED our herd is just as important and focusing on maximising each cow’s days in milk. entire herd of 700 cows using complete package. effect on EFS simply by using “Dairy farming today means semen from CRV’s LowN™ “Our approach has always the LowN sires. achieving these goals while Sires team. Steve and Paula are been to look at all the different “We don’t expect results also making sure we tick all the farm owners on 300 hectares in tools, like feeding plantain, overnight, but it’s important boxes on the environment and Mamaku near Rotorua. reducing stock numbers and for the future of our business “We farm in the Rotorua grazing our cows off, which to be proactive and take a long- animal welfare front. Genetics play a big part in that.” Lake Catchment and our can help mitigate the effects of term view.” LowN™ orders for the regional council requires all our farming operation on the Steve says another driver upcoming mating season are dairy farms in the catchment to environment. Using LowN™ behind their decision to also tracking well, indicating lower N leaching by an average Sires is another way we can do use LowN™ sires was the that many farmers keen to use of 35 per cent by the year this. knowledge and expertise of genetics as another way of 2032,” says Steve. “There is a reduction in their CRV field consultant, minimising the effects of their “We’re trying to build a herd Economic Farm Surplus (EFS) Seamus Lannon. operations on the environment. that suits this farm and works when reducing N leaching, but “Seamus knows his WWW.ORARIGORGE.CO.NZ stuff Avertising feature with the environment and this we could potentially reach our and we have confidence in Formally known as Nithdale Herefords - CRV Ambreed catchment. It’s about having a required target and have no his advice. He knows his

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Are you a caring farmer? David Law

FORWARD FARMING

When choosing to farm biologically, it is critical to use dairy hygiene products that support the success of the system, rather than work against it. Chlorine, which has long been promoted as an effective cleaner and sanitiser for dairy sheds, does exactly what it says on the bucket. However, chlorine kills all bacteria like a bomb, and that includes the aerobic, or good bacteria, which would have helped your farm. Some years ago, I found that the green slime and green bubbles on the surface of several of my clients’ effluent ponds was dead bacteria in the presence of chlorine. These dead bacteria contained a high level of aerobic, or good bacteria, that had previously kept the effluent pond healthy. Having told my clients they shouldn’t be using harsh chemicals in their dairy sheds, their first question was always, “what should I use then?” At that point, I couldn’t offer an alternative; we had a market for non-chlorine cleaning products, but no products. I needed to find a chlorine alternative that cleaned as well as chlorine, or even better. And until I could, farmers would continue to dump chlorinated wash water into their effluent ponds. In the end, we developed our own product: DX50 Dairy Sanitiser. DX50 is Chlorine Dioxide in aqueous solution, and in trials

Effluent pond before (above) and after (below) conventional chemicals were removed from the dairy shed and replaced with nonchlorine alternatives.

on 10 farms over 10 weeks was found to be 2.46 times more effective at oxidising (killing) harmful bacteria than standard chlorine. With full MPI approval, we were on to a winner. But to complete the non-chlorine cleaning system we also needed a hot alkali and a hot acid detergent to work in partnership with the DX50 Dairy Sanitiser. We discovered that Clark Products Ltd were just completing a 10-week on-farm trial of two new non-chlorine cleaning and sanitising products with advanced surfactant technology: Clarks Ultimate ULF Acid and Clarks Ultimate Liquid Caustic. These two products

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

were developed to ensure superior cleaning of all milk contact surfaces in the farm dairy. The Ultimate ULF Acid is suitable for use in all temperatures and water types and has an optimum foam profile for all modern milking machinery, and the Ultimate Liquid Caustic is an alkaline detergent sanitiser that removes fat and protein deposits from the milking plant and BMT. Clark Products Ltd general manager Dale Young says the results of the trials were “nothing short of superlative in all plants, and the demanding new rinsability tests were all achieved”. Dairy hygiene consultant Trevor Gulliver helped Clarks

develop and trial the products and said he had never before seen such outstanding trial results. “The build of these products is quite unique with the tripleaction surfactant formulation, ensuring superior cleaning of all milk contact surfaces, whilst reducing the risk of detectable residues in fresh milk,” Trevor said. With MPI approval granted for all three products, DX50 formed a partnership with Clarks in order to bring this new non-chlorine cleaning system to the market. An increasing number of farmers are caring about what happens when the water leaves their dairy shed, and about what is happening

inside their effluent pond. They are choosing to use these effective, economical and biology-friendly products that work together to support the health of their effluent pond – and therefore, the health of their land and their animals. The more harmful chemicals that farmers use, the more they move away from the natural biological processes that create an optimal farm environment. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the author and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of the Ashburton Guardian Co Ltd or any employee thereof.

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Boutique milk business brings back glass A new familyowned boutique milk business is set to bring the clink of glass milk bottles back to Canterbury streets.

James and Chloe Davidson, who have two young children, have established Darfieldbased Roan Farm. The couple have leased 24 hectares of land where they will produce sought-after A2 milk to sell door-to-door. “There’s something nostalgic about having fresh milk delivered to your door from the farm just down the road,” said Chloe. Animal welfare, the environment, sustainability and the consumer are a key focus for the fledgling family farm-to-fridge business. “The conventional dairy industry has some image problems and we want to lead by example and show what is achievable,” said James. “Our cows are grass-fed, our A2 milk will be delivered in reusable glass bottles and we plan to leave calves with their mothers.” James is a former FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand finalist who has carved a name for himself in the traditional dairy sector. “It can be a bit disheartening when you work long hours and your milk gets collected by the milk tanker and you never see it again,” said the 30-year-old. “I want to interact with the people who buy and drink our milk and share with them the story of where it comes from.” Like many other eager young food producers James and Chloe are educated, skilled and brimming with ideas – but don’t own land, or until recently, a milking shed. The demise of another operator was the catalyst the couple needed to launch their new venture. Last year they spotted the company’s mobile milking equipment for sale on Trade Me. “We knew that if we didn’t take a gamble and buy the

milking equipment then, we probably never would,” said James. The equipment James refers to is a unique mobile milking shed on a trailer, which provides huge flexibility for Roan Farm. “We move it every day. So our cows, which are 100 per cent grass-fed, walk up onto the trailer and they’re milked in the paddock,” said James. The mobile shed suits the “calf-at-foot system”. The young calves wait nearby until the cows are milked. Roan Farm is milking 15 cows, including a number of Milking Shorthorns, with plans to expand as demand grows. Once the milk is harvested, it’s pasteurised then bottled.

There are a couple of reasons behind the decision to pasteurise the milk. “Pasteurised milk has a longer shelf life, so there is less wastage and it means we can sell it in cafes and supermarkets,” said Chloe. James learned a lot about the problem of food waste when he attended the recent Boma NZ agri-summit in Christchurch, which he described as “thoughtprovoking”. Initially the milk will be delivered to Darfield, West Melton and Christchurch. Routes will increase with demand. “Our aim is to ramp up slowly. A local café has come on board to sell the milk, as have a couple of small grocers,” said Chloe.

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Getting the new venture off the ground has been a big learning curve for James and Chloe. “We’re farming our land organically. We’re in the conversion stage, which is a three-year process until we’re fully organically certified,” said James. “We’ve been replacing a lot of dryland cocksfoot pastures with a mixed sward of 20-odd species of herbs, pasture and legumes.” James and Chloe may not know it, but they’re role models for young dairy farmers in other regions eager to strengthen their connection with consumers. Roan Milk is available in Ashburton at Lushingtons Café, in Tinwald. ~ NZME

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Study compares barns and pasture Lincoln University In a New Zealand first, new research from Lincoln University PhD Researcher Hafiz Muhammad Abrar Ilyas estimates the carbon footprints (CO2) of our pastoral, or grass based, and barn dairy systems based on their energy consumption. This study was carried out on 50 conventional dairy farms in Canterbury - 43 pastoral and seven barn systems. Hafiz said the difference between the two systems indicated that the barn system has an 18 per cent higher carbon footprint than the pastoral system per hectare of farm area, and 11 per cent higher footprint per tonne of milk solids. Barn dairy systems have been a relatively recent introduction in New Zealand as a solution to animal welfare, soil structure damage and wider environmental challenges. “The use of barn facilities, however, requires further intensification of the system, in terms of the use of energy inputs to make the system profitable, making it difficult to achieve both financial and environmental benefits simultaneously.” He said the greater carbon footprint of the barn system was due to more use of imported feed supplements, machinery usage and fossil fuel (diesel and petrol) consumption for on-farm activities. In the pastoral system, a significant contributor to emissions was the use of fertiliser. He included emissions released during the production of materials used for manufacturing of indirect energy inputs (fertiliser,

A dairy barn in Canterbury.

Lincoln University PhD researcher Hafiz Muhammad Abrar Ilyas has been comparing the carbon footprints of pasturebased dairy farms and barns. PHOTO SUPPLIED

“

The difference between the two systems indicated that the barn system has an 18 per cent higher carbon footprint than the pastoral system per hectare of farm area

machinery and equipment) which, he added, were rarely considered. “What is not accounted for is overseas production and import of these inputs to the agricultural sector. “As production of imported feed supplements involves fossil energy consumption and releases CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, it is considered as an indirect source of carbon emissions in this study.” The same is true for

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fertiliser. Overall, the carbon footprints due to indirect energy inputs are higher than the carbon footprints of direct inputs in both systems. The use of imported feed supplements is higher in the barn system due to the higher stocking rate and more intensive nature of the system. In addition to that, the use of barn facilities increases stocking rate and input consumption to produce more

milk per cow. This in turn has increased the cow size (weight), increasing methane emissions per cow, as bigger cows produce more enteric methane due to their higher feed intake. Based on these other greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O etc.) and their environmental impacts, a number of worldwide studies have recommended the pastoral system as the ultimate solution to environmental challenges such as climate change rather than the barn system. He said, in New Zealand reducing environmental emissions from farming systems is a critical issue for the dairy industry. “Although CH4 emissions from enteric fermentation and N2O emissions from soils make up the majority of GHG emissions from agriculture, energy use within the agricultural sector directly in terms of fuel combustion and indirectly through the increasing use of synthetic fertilisers and other inputs is

PHOTO SUPPLIED

also of concern. “It is also an area that is perhaps more easily addressed. “In this regard, minimising carbon footprints associated with energy consumption will be helpful to achieve New Zealand’s emission reduction targets and will also help to reduce overall greenhouse gases HG emissions from dairy systems and move towards more climate friendly or sustainable farming systems,” Hafiz concluded. Hafiz acknowledged the help and contribution for this project, from Majeed Safa (supervisor), Professor Alison Bailey (supervisor), Sara Rauf and Marvin Pangborn. The Carbon Footprint of Energy Consumption in Pastoral and Barn Dairy Farming Systems: A Case Study from Canterbury, New Zealand can be accessed: Abstract: https://www.mdpi.com/20711050/11/17/4809 PDF Version: https:// www.mdpi.com/20711050/11/17/4809/pdf

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PASTURE MANAGEMENT FEATURE

Environmental management

Leading Dorie dairy farmers Rachel and Greg Roadley will be hosting next month’s Pasture Summit. PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

Sharing views at Pasture Summit Leading Mid Canterbury dairy farmers Greg and Rachel Roadley will host farmers from around the South Island for a Pasture Summit field day next month. The idea of the gathering is to share the latest ideas and developments on achieving profitable food production from grass and the summit is a collaboration of progressive and committed farm business owners and dairy sector experts from across New Zealand and Ireland. It brings together farmers and local and international researchers to tap into the latest practical and scientific tools, resources and information about turning pasture into profit. The Roadleys farm at Dorie and Greg was a farmer speaker at last year’s inaugural summit, which also included technical input from dairy sector specialists including DairyNZ. Pasture Summit committee member Robert Ferris says this year’s feature farms will show what the sector needs to focus on for the future. “Providing nutritious food profitably through pasture has, and will, provide New Zealand communities with prosperity for generations to come. These two farms are among leaders in the field –

so come and get your boots dirty and see how they tick.” This year’s attendees will have an opportunity to find out what makes the Roadleys’ dairy business consistently and robustly profitable with topics including business financials, a farm walk and discussion on pasture, the herd and how to adapt and thrive through the next decade. Pasture Summit secretary Alistair Rayne says these events are held for farmers, by farmers who believe dairy farming can and should be profitable and rewarding. The event will be on October 2 and follows another event which will be held in the North Island on September 19. “These farmers also believe that our pasture-fed products are best for the consumer and environment,” he said. Other activities and topics at each event will include presentations on the pathways for equity growth (like a new farm purchase joint venture, a farm equity sharing partnership, and a herd-owning sharemilking start-up). These examples are designed to demonstrate what’s achievable when combining strong free cashflow and capable managers. To register, visit pasturesummit.co.nz

The story hasn’t changed much, in the 10 years since Agri Optics inception – we need to be smarter with what we do on-farm to not only maximise profit but also minimise our environmental footprint. And our current position with regards to this Government’s environmental regulations make it even more poignant. Precision Agriculture (PA) has long been touted as the way to reduce or redistribute input use, maintain or increase crop and pasture production, all the while focusing on using technology to measure, justify and implement the decisions being made on-farm. Today’s PA suite at Agri Optics includes tools and technologies such as AquaCheck soil moisture sensors, Halo Farm Systems telemetry and farm control options (milk vat monitoring, pond level sensors, effluent management, weather stations and much more), Smart Soil Surveying to better understand your soil types and manage inputs (water and nutrients in particular) in a more targeted way, Smart Fertiliser

Management to better understand and manage your soil nutrient levels at a spatial level and Trimble PurePixel for identifying crop and pasture variability. The Agri Optics team is passionate about PA and simplifying what can seem like a daunting topic to farmers. It really can be as simple or as complicated as farmers want to make it but, like anything, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it, often resulting in increased gross margins across the farm. Agri Optics founder and director Craige Mackenzie says “it’s hard to be green when you’re in the red” so we need to put our best foot forward and front foot these regulations by using PA to put the right input, in the right place, in the right time, in the right manner and the right amount. For more information on how precision ag could be implemented to help strengthen your farming business give the team at Agri Optics a call. Advertising feature

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Agronomist Kris Bailey – no better time to review what’s worked (and what hasn’t) this winter.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

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South Island farmers are being urged to turn a chilly chore into an opportunity when they shift dairy heifers and cows on to fodderbeet this month. “Break feeding can get a bit tedious by this stage of the season. “But you’ll never get a better chance to see how well your current winter grazing system is working,” points out local agronomist Kris Bailey. And that means a better result this time next year, because any fixes can be noted well in advance of the busy spring sowing season. “Once spring starts, there’s often so much going on it can be hard to remember exactly what worked, and what didn’t, during winter. “If there are issues, they will be very evident at the moment, and it’s fast and easy to take a photo with your phone or make a note in the diary as you see them,” says Kris, who works in the pasture systems team at Barenbrug Agriseeds. Green leaf (or lack of it) is a key example. Leaf yield and holding ability are closely related to protein content in fodderbeet, and as it is generally a low protein crop, with known implications for animal health, the more leaf, the better.” “There can be a big difference

between beet varieties. Robbos, for instance, had much greener leaf which tested last year at 24.5 per cent protein. This is significantly higher than several other commonly used cultivars. “So something as simple as changing which beet you sow this spring could mean a better nutritional balance for cows or heifers next winter.” The same goes for soil pugging and loss of sediment and soil P. With so much focus on winter grazing practices, there’s no better time than now to scope out which paddocks are best for beet next season, he says. Contour, size, slope, critical source areas (CSAs), soil type, stock access, water access, grazing pattern and nutrient loss buffer zones cannot be changed once the crop is in the ground. But they are all easy to identify at present and there are lots of excellent resources available to help farmers pick their most sustainable options for winter 2020, Kris says. For more detail on best practice winter grazing, visit www.dairynz. co.nz; www.beefandlamb.co.nz or contact your local council. Advertising feature

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New directors to help push for smarter farming

Jacqueline Rowarth, David Biland, Nicola Hyslop and John Henderson.

Agri-environment expert Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, farmer Nicola Hyslop and governance and e-commerce leader David Biland have joined Ravensdown’s board of directors, it was announced at the co-operative’s 2019 annual meeting in Lincoln. Shareholders of the cooperative, hailing from Southern Waikato to Northland, elected Jacqueline, who is from Tirau. Nicola, a Timaru sheep, beef and arable farmer, was elected director for the Canterbury area. Jacqueline replaces incumbent director Kate Alexander and Nicola replaces Tony Howey, who has retired from the board. Auckland-based David Biland, who is director of management consultancy Hughland Limited, joins as an appointed director. He replaces Glen Inger, who has been on the board for 12 years. Ravensdown chairman

John Henderson said the new directors were exceptional additions to the board and would help drive further success for the co-operative and its shareholders. “All three are committed to Ravensdown’s values and purpose.” Jacqueline, Nicola and David bring knowledge and skills that will play a huge role in sustaining Ravensdown’s consistent performance as well as advancing new ways to fulfil our ultimate goal of enabling smarter farming for a better New Zealand. “Their experience and credentials are impeccable and we’re delighted to have such high-calibre appointments on-board.” Jacqueline has a PhD in soil science and her research has focused on nutrient efficiency across four decades of research and analysis. She was chief scientist of the Environmental Protection

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Authority from 2016-18 and is a director of DairyNZ. The new role with Ravensdown was exciting, she said. “I’ve dedicated my life to using results from research to defend the rights of farmers to farm sustainably and profitably into the future.

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with Opuha Water, Irrigation New Zealand and Beef+Lamb New Zealand. “Ravensdown has a long history of providing New Zealand farmers with fertiliser and nutrients to optimise growth of plants and promote healthy soils,” she said.

All three are committed to Ravensdown’s values and purpose

“I’m looking forward to committing my scientific expertise, industry experience and personal values to creating a better future for all shareholders.” Nicola and her husband, Jonty, farm on a sheep, beef and arable irrigated property on the outskirts of Timaru. Nicola has 15 years’ experience in governance roles, including directorships

“I’m excited by the challenges and opportunities the future holds for farming and Ravensdown’s sciencebased approach to helping farmers reduce their environmental impact and optimise value from the land.” David has held international management and governance roles, including with New Zealand animal health contract

manufacturing, research and technology company Argenta and animal health multinational Merial. David said he was eager to take a leading role in delivering Ravensdown’s strategic ambition. “Ravensdown helps wonderful people grow fabulous food in a remarkable country. “I’m passionate about the sector as a whole and also excited about Ravensdown’s contribution to food creation in New Zealand.” John Henderson paid special tribute to outgoing directors Tony Howey, Kate Alexander and Glen Inger. “All three have made enormous contributions to Ravensdown in so many different ways. “The co-operative’s shareholders and the farming sector are better off for their effort and commitment over the years and we thank them for their excellent service.”

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