Dairy Focus April 23 2019 by Ashburton Guardian

Dairy Focus APRIL 2019

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NEWS

Smaller buyer base for farm sales

INSIDE

PAGE 4 CRISIS EXPERT

Tim Cronshaw

PAGE 7 TWEET REGRET

PAGE 25 VIRTUAL CLASSROOM

RURAL REPORTER

A shrinking buyer base appears to be behind fewer farm sales in Canterbury partly because of the Government clampdown on overseas investment. Real estate agents remain confident, however, that the market will respond to strong market prices and low interest rates. Colliers Rural & Agribusiness director for Canterbury Shane O’Brien said the outlook remained positive despite the local market starting cautiously this year. He said strong farm product prices, low interest rates and a good growing season would bode well for the rural property sector. Farm sales were fewer than normal within the province, but those that had sold were at unchanged prices per hectare, he said. “I think the market fundamentals are good, farm returns are good, interest rates are low and the outlook for New

Zealand farming and Brexit are strong. The market should remain reasonably positive.’’ He said fewer farm listings for autumn were likely a result of spring listings remaining unsold. Overseas buyers had previously purchased mainly Canterbury dairy farms or dairy support units and probably encouraged one or two other sales downstream, he said. “I think the buyers that are around are active - there is just not as many of them as there used to be. … Most of the farms that were bought in Canterbury from overseas were dairy farms or dairy support and probably the only other sale outside of that was Mt White Station.’’ O’Brien said neighbouring farmers were often the best buyers and there was plenty of evidence to support that in Canterbury. “Right across Canterbury the interest is often within a 10 kilometre radius. We are not getting external capital in the market like we did 15 years ago from Taranaki, Waikato or overseas so the buyers are pretty much established Canterbury entities and families.’’ Buyers were taking longer to complete their due diligence as awareness increased around environmental compliance and

Overseas buyers were mainly interested in buying dairy units previously. PHOTO SUPPLIED

the requirements of Environment Canterbury’s Plan Change 5, he said. The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand says the 370 farms sold nationally in the three months to February were down by 14 sales, or 3.6 per cent from the same period a year ago. The median price per hectare for farms sold was $22,462, down $5061, or 18.4 per cent.

Student roll recovers from quake By Tim Cronshaw RURAL REPORTER

Lincoln University acting vice-chancellor Professor Bruce McKenzie. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Student numbers have finally bounced back at Lincoln University since taking a hit from the Canterbury earthquakes. Students enrolling for semester one this year are the highest since the province was hit by the series of quakes which began in September 2010. The university has received enrolments from 1061 equivalent full-time students for semester one compared

with 1067 in 2010. Lincoln University acting vice-chancellor Professor Bruce McKenzie said the university had worked hard to regain the pre-quake numbers. He said the enrolments showed that students recognised the university provided world-class education and the province provided career opportunities. “It is a vote of confidence in us, and in Canterbury.” He said one of the focuses was to continue the drive to

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NEWS

Bovis grief carries on for farmers Methven dairy farmer Matt Walker is still working through compensation claims for losses nearly 16 months after mycoplasma bovis entered his herds. He learned of the disease in March last year and his family has gone through the culling of four herds, but was still “working through bovis’’ and waiting for some compensation to come through. Milk loss claims had yet to be filed. Farmers were not dealing with the same compensation delays for feed and other claims they were last year with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), but the response process was still lengthy, he said. “I think to be fair to them things have improved and we haven’t been in testing for quite some time and are past that stage. We have moved past four depopulations of cows, calves and beef animals so we are fully depopulated now and are working to try and get some sort of normality. It’s been 16 months or so and we still have some time to go.’’ During a visit to Ashburton last November new MPI director-general Ray Smith made it a priority to improve the disease response. Mid Canterbury is a hotspot for the disease and at the last count had nearly 70 of the 161 confirmed properties, of which 23 of them remain infected. Walker estimates his final compensation will be in the order of $6 million to $8m, but that is overshadowed by a larger loss. “They are large numbers, but they aren’t the main loss. You lose the love of farming and the emotion and stress it puts on you makes you think, gee, do you want to carry on farming?

Tim Cronshaw

RURAL REPORTER

“You just have to box on because there’s not much else you can do but work through it.’’ Last October he got to the stage where he was feeding 900 cows completely on a silage diet as they had run out of fodderbeet and large feed bills were mounting, with bills to be paid since settled. Thousands of cows, calves and beef cattle were sent to the meat processors. Yet to be finalised are some animal compensation and loss of milk production compensation. Walker has been unable to find replacement cows with A2 genetics, particularly with friesian bloodlines and cannot continue a Synlait contract worth a premium of $120,000 a year. Breeding an A2 herd would take 17-20 years. “There is still unfortunately a lingering effect and we will just have to work through it. It has been challenging that’s for sure – financially, emotionally and on every front. You get over one hurdle and there is something else. I guess if we did one cull maybe [the pressure would be off] but we have culled four times and you have to make your claims which all takes time and money. “Hopefully we will see the end of it, we don’t quite know what normal is anymore so when it is done it will be an odd feeling.’’ Walker estimates the final settlement for the disease

FREE

Mycoplasma bovis has put an immense strain on farmers.

response at his properties was about 6-10 months away. Federated Farmers’ Mid Canterbury dairy chairman Chris Ford said farmers just wanted the response to be handled quickly, smartly and carried out in consultation with farmers. “I’ve heard some horror stories of the very slow, impractical process.’’ The ministry needed to ensure deadlines for the compensation process were followed as the response was dealing with farmers’ livelihoods and emotions, he said. About 50-60 farmers attended a M. bovis meeting

run by MPI at the Ashburton Trust Event Centre on April 10. Ealing farmer Duncan Barr said farmers attending the meeting were annoyed. He said the ministry had made improvements, but farmers were unimpressed with its new national plan and shortfalls with the reporting of infected property numbers. “They did the usual dribble about the wonderful job they were doing and the farmers responded by pulling apart the facts they were putting up.’’ Barr said the ministry told farmers few weeks ago there were 106 infected

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properties, but under the new classifications there were 161 confirmed farms active and cleared. “The 55 new ones have always been there and the under-reported numbers have been what we have been talking about for months.’’ He said another concern was the lack of full tracing of animals moving from infected properties. Barr presented the ministry with the names and contact details of the 20-25 farms where his cattle had gone to in December, but only two of the properties had been traced.

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NEWS

Crisis negotiator tackles bovis strain WHERE TO GET HELP • Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7) • Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7) • Youthline: 0800 376 633 Former police crisis negotiator Lance Burdett.

Former police crisis negotiator Lance Burdett has some words of wisdom for rural people feeling the strain of financial, disease or other pressures in Mid Canterbury. Burdett will talk about his pursuit of understanding the mind and some of his experiences including his own mental health journey at an evening session at Ashburton’s Seniors Centre on May 9. The presentation is part of a South Island series organised by local Rural Support Trusts and the Ministry for Primary Industries. The crisis management veteran has worked with elite international tactical units across police, the military, emergency services, prisons and the FBI. Negotiating with hostagetakers on the front line and working with farmers and the rural community might seem like a stretch, but handling any crisis has some parallels. The founder of WARN International has moved from working for police and training with the FBI to dedicating himself to

PHOTO SUPPLIED

RURAL REPORTER

Tim Cronshaw

spreading tips and techniques for people to handle difficult situations by understanding what goes on in people’s brains. “He is worth listening to,’’ said Rural Support Mid Canterbury manager Judy Skevington. “I’ve heard him a couple of times and he’s the only person when talking that nobody moved. In the other talks people moved around, but you could have heard a pin drop because he was so engaging.’’ Skevington said she would encourage anyone within the rural community to hear his thoughts on their well-being because they would learn so much. “He doesn’t call it mental health, he prefers to call it mind health. He can give

people ideas about how to look after themselves or insights into other people who might be having difficulties and the words to use to support them. He has come across some difficult and stressful situations in his career and knows what he is talking about.’’ Mid Canterbury has been among the main centres nationally for mycoplasma bovis and cattle farmers have been under immense strain handling the aftermath financially and emotionally as they watch entire herds being culled to control the disease. Other challenges such as weather, climate, daily money worries and relationship problems can put a strain on farmers and their communities. Farmers have higher suicide rates than city-dwellers and isolation and an inability to separate work and home life can increase that pressure. “Working with these rural people is especially important, because isolation can really make things worse if our stress is kept inside our heads,” said Burdett.

“We worry because we are programmed to manage risk. That’s how our ancestors survived – thinking about the worst that can happen and acting on it. The challenge for rural people is if they talk about their worries it’s often only with their partner or workers who have the same concerns, and it goes round in circles.’’ Burdett said he hoped to show people how to control their busy minds, recognise how to use the drafting race in their heads, and get some tools to help them deal with negative thoughts. With 22 years policing experience, he has expertise in responding to emergencies and communicating in challenging situations. Burdett specialised in suicide intervention and on predicting violent behaviour in his 13 years as a crisis negotiator and instructor for the New Zealand Police. The Rural Support Trusts are made up of paid and volunteer rural people who are in each region, helping farming families get through tough times.

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NEWS

Confidence down despite dairy lift Farmer confidence is up a notch but remains in negative territory with pessimism outweighing optimism. Dairy farmers were found to be more upbeat than previously in a confidence survey by Rabobank. However, overall rural confidence was still down in the survey for the first quarter of the year with farmer concerns about government policy persisting. The result follows nine months of declining confidence. Of the farmers surveyed 16 per cent of them expected agricultural economic conditions to improve in the coming year, 25 per cent expected it to worsen, with the rest picking it to remain the same. This is a slight mood shift towards optimism than previously. Rabobank New Zealand country banking general manager Hayley Gourley

Tim Cronshaw

“

RURAL REPORTER

in the agricultural economy to worsen and only 13 per cent expecting an improvement, however, since then we’ve seen a long run of consecutive jumps in the GDT price index,” she said Dairy farmers were now more evenly split on the direction of the agricultural economy with 23 per cent up-

economy than in the previous survey. Horticultural producers, however, continue to have the most positive outlook of all the sector groups. Farmers expecting conditions to improve were mainly optimistic because of rising commodity prices, rising demand and overseas markets. Concern over government

In the last survey of 2018, we saw 34 per cent of dairy farmers expecting conditions in the agricultural economy to worsen and only 13 per cent expecting an improvement, however, since then we’ve seen a long run of consecutive jumps in the GDT price index

said greater optimism among dairy farmers was the major driver of the improved overall confidence reading. “In the last survey of 2018, we saw 34 per cent of dairy farmers expecting conditions

beat about conditions improving and 24 per cent expecting them to worsen, she said. Horticulturalists and sheep and beef farmers were marginally less confident about the broader agricultural

policies was the main reason for those leaning towards pessimism. “In addition to farmer concerns over signalled upcoming policy changes in relation to their future greenhouse

Rabobank analyst Hayley Gourley.

gas obligations, and further freshwater reforms, the recent recommendations from the government’s tax working group are also likely to be playing on farmers’ minds,” Gourley said. She said farmers had been particularly concerned by recommendations that a capital gains tax – since scrapped – would be applied to farmland as well as new taxes introduced for fertiliser and water pollution. Sheep and beef farmers and horticulturalists were less optimistic than dairy farmers about the outlook for their farm businesses than previously. “This is the most pessimistic sheep and beef farmers have been about their own farming operations since early 2017,” Gourley said. Ongoing Brexit uncertainties and reports of a slowing Chinese economy had contributed to their concern.

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OPINION

EDITORIAL COMMENT

Dairy Focus is proudly published by the Ashburton Guardian Limited

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Tim Cronshaw

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RURAL REPORTER

There’s been strong talk around the traps that at least one farmer has got through the heartache of culling a herd and been given the green light for mycoplasma bovis only to have a new herd become infected. How tough is that? If this is true – and several farming leaders have given it credence – then the farmer or farmers deserve(s) every ounce of support that can be found. Much of the public sympathy with farmers caught in the bovis cycle seems to be reserved for the cow herds that are terminated to prevent the spread of the disease. And that’s fair enough because from farmers’ perspectives those herds represent their livelihoods and years – often decades – of breeding to reach the milk production level they were before becoming contaminated. Only a few cows have to test positive and the entire herd has to go. It’s not just mature cows consigned for a one way trip to the meat works – there are calves, heifers and beef animals also bound on the sad journey. Don’t underestimate the bond that farmers have for their herds too and in every herd there’s always a favourite cow. I’ve met farmers who’ve kept on cows beyond the twilight of their milking careers because they keep on getting in calf and have never let them down.

But the stress of being immersed in the bovis response doesn’t stop there for them and their families. There are the chest pains of telling customers and fellow farmers that the disease has been passed on to them and constantly being in touch with ministry officials to update their status. Once the cows have been removed there is the clean-up process and then having to go on the market to try and find replacement cows that match-up to previously. Finding an entire herd for sale is nigh on impossible and often surplus high performers or specialist herds for A2 milk or attached to premium programmes just aren’t around in good numbers. Months of paperwork and compensation claims during and after this process have to be filed – for cows, feed, the clean-up, loss of milk production and earnings and on and on it goes. Then, it’s hard enough going through the rigours of ‘’depopulating’’ a herd, but some farmers have gone through this for two, three, four and more herds. Understandably, farmers have opened up that it has sapped the enjoyment of farming for them. So, imagine going through this turmoil – and this briefest of descriptions does an injustice to the strain and stress farmers go through - and getting a clean bill of health only to have to go through it all over again. They could be forgiven for questioning the value of a response that puts this much pressure on them.

GDT prices scale upwards again The steady march of improving global dairy prices continued with the 10th rise in a row at the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction albeit by the slimmest of margins. Prices were up 0.5 per cent overall at the April 16 event from the last auction two weeks ago. The last time GDT prices were in negative territory was in November with the December 4 auction reversing a continuous plunge dating back to last May.

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Prices for the key ingredient of whole milk were down 0.7 per cent at $4832 or $US3269 a tonne, but skim milk powder was up 0.2 per cent, averaging $US2462/t. NZX analyst Robert Gibson said global dairy commodity prices had continued their rally, reaching an average price of $US3447/t. “This is the 10th consecutive increase in the price index. Although average prices eased for milk powders, they lifted for milk fats and cheese.’’

He said whole milk powder prices decreased across the contracts with only one exception and total volumes were unchanged at 9650t from the previous auction. The decline continued to reflect easing demand across the markets, particularly North Asia, he said. Milk fat average prices lifted on the previous event. Average prices for anhydrous milkfat (AMF) increased to US$6126/t, up 4.2 per cent from the previous event

and butter was up 3.5 per cent at $US5544/t. Rennet casein prices dropped on average by 2.4 per cent to settle at $US6460/t, while lactose was also back 3.4 per cent to $US912/t. Traded volumes were relatively low for both commodities with the price changes likely linked to volumes sold. At the auction 155 bidders bought 16,166t compared with 17,854t of product sold at the last event. The next GDT event is on May 7.

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OPINION

Complex world beyond farmgate I’m not a naturally gregarious man, I don’t tend to go out of my way to meet people and nor do I tend to say much when I finally do: I’m more likely to listen and to think than to speak up and join in. Combine this with a career where I live at my place of work, and work hours that don’t make me inclined to socialise anyway, and you’re in danger of cultivating a very narrow world view indeed. Watching the news and reading the paper keep you informed, but these events are viewed through a lens of your own making and you’re often blind to your own biases. Nine years ago I was encouraged to stand in the Board of Trustee’s elections and, having duly won a place at the table, took a seat on the board with my white, middle class conservative views which, I’m the first to admit, were very simplistic. It’s fair to say I was a zero tolerance disciplinarian with little idea of the many different trials and tribulations faced by both teachers and students every day.

Craig Hickman

ELBOW DEEP @dairymanNZ

Nine years later, having being confronted regularly with realities I never knew existed because I’d never encountered them in my own world, I leave the school governance system with a much better understanding of the huge risks faced by our Maori, Pasifika and immigrant children and a deep, abiding respect for the teachers and staff committed to helping them. I’ve shared in some great success stories too, and all of these experiences have helped broaden my views and deepen my understanding of the world beyond my farm gate. So too with Twitter, the micro blogging social media platform I joined five years ago.

Twitter has exposed me to a massively diverse range of views that had never even occurred to me on topics that I thought I was pretty well informed on. Reader, I was not well informed. A couple of years ago I wrote a terribly racist tweet that I thought was funny; the only redeeming thing I can say about it is it came from a place of ignorance rather than spite. Some people blocked me, some people unfollowed me, many people called me out and a few took the time and energy to explain to me where I’d gone wrong. An African American lady patiently but with barely concealed anger gave me a history lesson and explained why my casual, throwaway tweet could cause so much pain. A friend chastised me privately online until I finally understood the perspective of the people I’d affected. It’s now a little over a month since the terror attack in Christchurch. I didn’t tweet that day or the next,

the outpouring of grief and rage on Twitter was too much for me and I’m not given to expressing these sentiments publicly. There were also a lot of very bad opinions floating about and I didn’t have the energy or inclination to engage with them. I still haven’t tweeted about the attacks because there are plenty of white men pushing 50 telling people what they think, another one wasn’t really needed. A friend of mine who is an agricultural contractor shared with me an encounter he had on the day of the shooting; he turned up to a farm and was greeted by the farmer and the farmer’s daughter and it was only natural that talk turned to the tragic events unfolding in Christchurch. “What do you think?” my friend asked as he set to work. “Well,” replied the farmer, “that’s what’s going to happen if we let Muslims in.” My friend was horrified and asked the farmer if he truly meant what he’d just said. When he said he did, my

friend told him where he could stick his job, then packed up his gear and left. I admire him for that and only hope I have the courage of my convictions if ever faced with the same situation. It’s easy to call people out on twitter, it’s safe and it has its place but it’s much harder to do it in person. I’m not suggesting we start telling off random members of the public on the street, but I’d like to think Christchurch has taught us it’s not okay to sit idly by and let people spew their hate or hurt others with their callous, ignorant remarks. Choose your battles, but call it out when you can. I know I will be. Craig Hickman is an Ashburton dairy farmer and a Twitter enthusiast. 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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CALVING

Farmers turn thoughts to groundwork for Calving will be upon farmers before long and as they know all too well that’s when all the planning and preparations beforehand pays off. The arrival of newborns is a stressful time for farmers as their time is divided by many jobs at the start of the season. DairyNZ has plenty of advice on its website for farmers to prepare for the busy start of the 2019-20 season. Holding a team meeting to decide who will do what and when is a good start. Records of the plan should be taken and put up in full view of everyone. New staff need to be introduced to new systems and processes so everyone is on the same page when calving starts. A roster needs to be established and staff need to know how to fill out timesheets. Eating well is important and some owners provide crock pots for staff, make available healthy snacks at the shed or have a cooked breakfast together after milking. Farmers are advised to watch out for signs of staff stress, meet regularly and talk often. As calving approaches the springer mob will be checked regularly, at least twice every 24 hours and preferably, every six hours. DairyNZ says knowing the signs and stages of labour, how to calf a cow and the immediate care needed after calving, will increase successful births. Signs of labour should be monitored regularly, quietly and thoroughly with records taken of observations. The swelling of udders can happen up to a month before calving and signs of labour include milk dripping from teats, mucus string from the vulva and restlessness. Calving will progress at different rates for different cows. Some may show all the signs whereas others may show few signs. Signs of cows preparing for labour are the swishing of tails in discomfort, tail raising, a swollen and flabby vulva and a protruding water bag. The preparation phase can take up to six hours in cows and 72 hours in heifers. Springers will often be observed moving away from a herd with reduced appetites, relaxed pelvic ligaments and a

Above – Doing all the groundwork beforehand can smooth the way for the busy calving season. Right – A lot of work goes into the birthing process before calves make their way into the shed. PHOTOS ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

swollen and flabby vulva as well as a dip between the tailhead and pin-bones, and tummies less full as a calf moves into the birth canal or birthing position. Springers may mother other cows’ calves and show discomfort such as a swishing tail, arched back, restless, peeing, kicking and nosing at her side, tail raising, straining/contractions and water bag protruding. Cows should take 30 minutes to one hour to calf and no more than two hours. Heifers should take two to three hours to calf and no more than four hours. During a standard delivery the cow starts straining and pushing with two feet visible within the water sack. Once the feet are 100 millimetres clear of the vulva the head has cleared the pelvis. The chest of the calf has not passed through the pelvis at this stage and the umbilical cord is still attached so the cow is still providing oxygen to the calf. Once the head has cleared the pelvis, the cow may rest for a minute or two.

Once its shoulders have cleared the pelvis, the birth will continue fairly quickly. The umbilical cord will have likely broken by this point and the calf will start to breathe on its own. After a normal birth, the cow will stand, sniff and start to lick the newborn calf. Licking will help dry the calf, stimulate blood flow and prevent the calf from getting too cold. The placenta comes out within six hours of birth and the uterus begins to shrink back to the normal size. Cows usually eat some or the entire placenta. If only a small part of the placenta comes away, staff should record this and let the manager know. The normal presentation is head first. The two front feet and head of the calf create a wedge which assists in opening the birthing canal to allow the calf to pass through. Feet and nose entering the birthing canal is one trigger that causes the cow to start straining. If a calf is presented breech (tail first) the cow may not go into full labour.

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Even if a calf is in the right position, assistance may be needed if the calf is too big for the cow. A calf which is abnormally presented is likely to need assistance calving. If a staff member is unsure how to correct an abnormal presentation they need to call their manager or vet for help. Then they can watch and learn from someone who is experienced in calving cows and take opportunities to feel for abnormal presentation and assist with difficult calvings. The front leg fetlock and knee bend in the same direction whereas the back leg fetlock and hock bend in opposite directions. Use this to help identify if the calf is presented head first (normal presentation) or backwards (abnormal presentation). If calves are not breathing, attempts to resuscitate immediately include clearing airways, rubbing the flank of a calf vigorously, tickling the nostril with straw/grass to stimulate a sneeze and

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CALVING FEATURE

new season’s calving Fresh meal

pouring a bucket of cold water over the head to stimulate a gasp. Don’t hang a calf upside down to resuscitate – this compresses the diaphragm and makes it harder for the calf to breathe. After calves are born cows should be sprayed with tail paint to make drafting easier. Once calves are recorded they should be moved to the shed carefully and correctly. Staff should not turn their back on a newly calved cow. Even cows usually placid can become aggressive after calving. Keep the calf between you and the cow and don’t take any dogs or children into the calving paddock. When lifting calves, bend your knees and keep your back straight. Get assistance if needed. A good practice is to pick up newborn calves from the paddock twice daily to ensure they get enough gold colostrum in the first hours of life. The trailer used for picking up calves should be cleaned and disinfected regularly. To make transport safer for

calves, a non-slip material can be used in the bottom of the trailer. Ensure the trailer is large enough so calves can lie down comfortably. Don’t overload the trailer and make two trips if there is not enough room. Recently calved cows are fragile and need close monitoring. Keep a close eye on the colostrum cows and report any that are showing signs of being unwell. Cows will be supplemented with magnesium to reduce the risk of milk fever and grass staggers. They will ideally calve in a welldraining paddock that is not pugged or muddy and farmers will avoid effluent paddocks for springers. A plan will be in place for managing down cows and make sure that those down for longer than 48 hours receive veterinary attention. In poor weather conditions shelter should be provided. Hip clamps will be used carefully and discontinued if there is no progress or the cow cannot promptly support her own weight. If calving is not proceeding normally, remedial action must be taken and a moving vehicle must not be used to provide traction to assist calving. Newborn calves will receive at least 2-4 litres of colostrum (12 per cent of their body weight), preferably within the first six hours of life. All bobby calves will be individually assessed for fitness to transport. Pre-calving checklist: • Supplies of metabolics, electrolytes, navel spray. on hand or ordered. • New team members updated on farm policies and know what to expect. • Calf trailer and feeding equipment clean and disinfected. • Calf shed clean and disinfected and all repairs and maintenance done. • Designated sick calf area ready. • Fresh bedding laid in calf shed. • Calving kit prepared with contents including bucket with a lid to contain metabolics, clean calving ropes or chains, container of lube, towel and soap for cleaning hands, notebook and pencil, ear tags or other identification system, spray paint, gloves, head torch and spare batteries, iodine spray, key contact numbers and calving intervention guide. Source: DairyNZ

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Dairy Focus

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CALVING

Palmer for all your farming needs Based at 34 Robinson Street in the Riverside Industrial Park, locally owned and operated Palmer Agri Parts Direct Ltd is a one-stop shop for farmers. Palmer offers a wide range of consumable parts from Spaldings, Bareco, Sparex and Aegis Oil to name a few. They also stock a wide range of chain and rigging parts, nuts and bolts, generators, waterblasters, PTO shafts and spares, tractor seats, hay tines, bale forks and much much more. They strive to make the parts-sourcing experience as easy as possible. Palmer Agri Parts Direct Ltd also has the ability to manufacture cultivation and plough parts, crop lifters and hay feeders, all made in their fully equipped engineering workshop, whether it’s one or 100. No job is too big or too small as they have the equipment to get it done. Their hay feeders, in particular, are of high quality and longevity. Made with galvanised steel, they have a fully welded

frame with reinforced corners making them last. They are available in various sizes and types such as double square, 5ft and 6ft round, rectangle, square and cradle. You can get meshed floor feeders or feeders with skids, depending on what your needs are. Palmer custom manufactures your specific requirements, providing special and one-off designs to their customers. Using hay feeders will help you save up to 40 per cent hay wastage while increasing your growth rates. Contact Palmer Agri Parts Direct ltd for more information on their quality hay feeders. Advertising feature Right – Corey Thomson from Palmer Agri Parts Direct Ltd welding hay feeder frames.

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The future lies in probiotics Probiotic Revolution is sourcing a very powerful probiotic that they believe can revolutionise calf rearing and the control of mastitis. Their secret is the combination of 11 powerful ingredients delivered at a very high dose rate. Founder of the company Chris Collier says they have seen outstanding recovery from disease challenges such as rotavirus but he also wants farmers to use Calf Xtreme to grow calves faster from a very young age. “The whole reason why we advocate using a high rate of milk to young calves is that it lifts heifer milk production.” In a university of Illinois trial researchers got 10 per cent extra milk protein from calves that were initially fed a high rate compared with conventionally fed calves. In this trial they made sure the two groups calved down at the same liveweight and they concluded that the result was from faster growth of calves in their first five weeks. Many farmers still restrict milk intakes to calves to avoid scours and early wean onto

Nine-month-old July born calves reared on Calf Xtreme.

meal. Chris and his team like to set up meetings with calf rearers and farmers to explain why their product helps reduce nutritional scours. They have had calves being fed 10 litres on twice a day feeding and 6-7 on once a

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day. Even with the high rate of milk, farmers notice extra grass consumption. “Our product is helping achieve this, so calves are weaned earlier.” During the last season Probiotic Revolution has been

evaluating a new product ImmunoMax, formulated to help control mastitis. Cows are drenched once a day for five days. Over calving, the apparent cure rate was 60 per cent for heifers and 80 per cent for cows.

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The lower result in heifers could be due to no previous exposure to calving mastitis. After calving apparent cure rates were between 80 and 90 per cent, based on RMT test or the infection going. Chris says he is amazed at the results achieved. “I would have been extremely happy if we had a 40 per cent result.” Chris maintains the results will be because of two effects of ImmunoMax - it will be helping sort out any underlying nutritional issues such as acidosis and ketosis, as well as boosting the immune system. Because of these results a number of farmers are looking to see if they can eliminate the use of antibiotics in controlling mastitis. To help farmers get a handle as to how this would work on their farms Probiotic Revolution is supplying small packs of ImmunoMax to treat 5 or 24 cows. The cost of this for 5 days, treatment is up to $20 + GST and as it is nil milk withhold it is a fraction of normal treatment costs.

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Dairy Focus

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PROFILE

Cow-less farmer wins Ruwan Wijayasena’s religious beliefs stop him from owning cows, but not from being a top farmer, writes Tim Cronshaw.

Ruwan Wijayasena is at ease knowing that he will forever be a cow-less farmer. The Hororata contract milker walks up to the crossbred herd he manages and before long they surround him, curiously nosing in his direction. He stretches out his arm and they crane their necks to get closer to him, contentedly grazing on the ryegrass and clover mix in between bouts of curiosity. There almost seems to be a state of calmness between man and animal. That’s perfectly understandable because as a follower of the Therawada Buddhism faith, Ruwan believes that animals and fellow humans should be treated as he would want to be treated. His religious beliefs prevent him from owning cows or making terminal decisions about them going on a oneway trip to the meatworks. “My wife and I are Buddhists and the Buddhist philosophy we believe in means we don’t like to do anything to any other person or animals that we don’t like to receive ourselves. That’s the simple answer. We don’t want to get hurt so we don’t like to hurt anybody or animals. This is the way we look at it, but not every Buddhist sees it the same way because there are some Buddhist farmers that own cows and take the normal traditional path that other farmers do in New Zealand.’’ The nature of dairying means that there comes a time when ageing and underperforming cows must be removed from the herd to make way for betterproducing animals. Ruwan and his wife, Niranjala, understand this dynamic and that life and death is part of dairying. His interpretation of his faith means

that he is not prepared to make life and death decisions for his own animals. Hence, he doesn’t own them and has dismissed ever running a sharemilking business and owning a dairy farm. However, he is prepared to follow the instructions of other herd owners. If that means ageing or underperforming cows have to go on the truck at the end of their fruitful life then he will ensure this is carried out. During their active milking lives he will do his best to ensure they have a happy and productive life. “Our own religious beliefs are that for our own animals we need to make culling decisions when they stop making

money for us, but I don’t want to make that decision on behalf of profitability. But we are happy to work to a guideline from a company or another owner. We like to follow the rules they put in place and we do our maximum so they can achieve while still holding true to our beliefs. We take the decision on behalf of the company or the owner.’’ Early on in their career they did raise some young stock. “We bought some heifer calves and raised them and sold them. We haven’t had the opportunity to do that again and we got busy with the contract work. I’m [at ease with that] because we were raising them.’’

There were no losses, but in the event a veterinarian might have instructed an ailing calf being put down, Ruwan would have understood the decision. “Welfare is the major part of any farming business so that should come into play first rather than your own beliefs.’’ The no-cow ownership philosophy hasn’t stopped him from getting ahead in dairying or being named the Canterbury/North Otago Share Farmer of the Year. The Dairy Industry Awards judges will return to Lighthouse Dairies and Beacon Dairies properties later this month to assess how he stacks up for the national grand final in Wellington

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on May 11. The city-born Sri Lankan is contract milking 1840 cows for Theland Farm Group on two farms over 537 hectares near Hororata and Niranjala runs a motel business in Christchurch. In his 14th year in dairy farming, Ruwan has worked up to owning his own contract business, running a team of eight staff across two properties. He says their religious beliefs haven’t stopped them from getting ahead because the New Zealand dairying model offers different ways of building wealth. “It does mean we had to find a way to grow our business rather than stay in the traditional path.’’ Ruwan was born far from rural surrounds in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, a densely populated city of about four million people. He studied agricultural science at the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka and specialised in livestock production. The couple met at the university as Niranjala was also studying for an agribusiness management degree. After completing his degree, he worked on a dairy farm and managed a laboratory testing for aquaculture disease and providing disease

PROFILE

prevention advice. He soon tired of working on the congested island and they began looking at other countries to make a new start. “I didn’t like that life anymore. It was so busy and there are too many people in a small area. I quite like this environment that New Zealand offers which is quiet, calm and clean.’’ They considered working in Australia and Canada before settling on New Zealand, leaving their family behind which wasn’t easy. continued over page

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Dairy Focus

From P13 Ruwan remembers the exact date – March 11, 2005 – he landed in New Zealand. He had a job lined up as a dairy farm assistant at Robindale Dairies, then owned by Synlait Farms under Juliet Maclean, John Penno and Ben Dingle. Niranjala came to New Zealand in 2006 and joined Robindale farm as a calf rearer. There were many differences between dairy farming in his home country and New Zealand. Robindale’s 3000 cow herd compared with the average 100 to 200-cow herds in Sri Lanka. Herds of as many as 1000 cows can be found in the island nation of South Asia, but many of them are small scale with farms of 10 cows commonly run by owner-operators. While the dairying systems were pasture-based, most herds are kept inhouse in a cut and feed system. Ruwan considers himself fortunate to work under the owner trio and his first manager, Brian Kensington. “I learned a lot from them – I learned everything and not only New Zealand dairy farming, but the New Zealand lifestyle. It was a big step, but I believed in myself that I could adapt anywhere. We had around 20 people working on that farm and I fitted in – they welcomed me into the farming lifestyle. Everything was bigger, the farm itself was about 600ha so you can get lost any time in the day and there were long milking hours.’’ Promotion came quickly as his knowledge of farming systems

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PROFILE

increased and his motivation to improve himself was recognised. After a year he became a herd manager of 1000 cows. They were milked in an 80-bail rotary shed with two people putting on the cups and another taking them off. In 2007 he progressed to assistant

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main farm and an adjoining lease block. When he started the large friesian crossbred herd was producing about 400kg of milksolids a cow through a 50-bail rotary shed. Today the A2 herd, which has a genetic variation that is said to produce stomach-settling milk, is achieving

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PROFILE

Left – A friendly herd comes up to Ruwan. Right – Canterbury share farmer of year Ruwan and Niranjala Wijayasena.

430kg and earns a premium for the end product. The crossbreds also better handle the hot and cold weather swings that come with dairying in the district and the farm’s lighter soils. The light soils have their advantages and disadvantages – they hold less water and require more irrigation, but the paddocks avoid being trampled into mud by the herd. A computer system has been added to in-shed feeding of grain and can allocate different rations for each cow, or in groups to bridge the gap between the lower performers and the highproducing milkers. Technology that can pick if cows are on heat has also been introduced and artificial insemination of the herd is completed in 11 weeks without the assistance of bulls. The principle of Lean management, used by major corporates to increase overall efficiency, has been applied to the farms since 2011 and is

used to eliminate waste and drive improvement throughout the team and across the farming system. The properties also come under Synlait’s Lead with Pride programme which rewards operators for running farms and producing quality milk with integrity.

Ruwan says the wider Synlait Farms group, since sold to Chinese interests under Theland Farm Group, has always been open to innovation and taking on new opportunities and continues to do so. In 2014-15 he took over the management, under his contract

milking business, of the neighbouring 262ha farm Beacon Dairies, as well as Lighthouse Dairies which no longer has the lease block. Each farm has 950 cows and last year they produced 1463kg of milksolids per hectare and 430kg per cow. continued over page

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Dairy Focus

By coincidence, the light theme across the property names extends to the Wijayasenas’ company name DDSM Farms. The first initials are from Ruwan and Niranjala’s middle names – Deepthi and Damayanthi – and the latter two are the initials of their daughters, Senuli and Methuli. In each case the names are different but all have the same light meaning in their home country. Ruwan mostly puts down his rapid rise at the Synlait Farms/Theland Farm Group properties – within a five kilometre radius of each other – to his attention to detail. His scientific background also provided him with an analytical and logical thought process for every component of farming. And then there was his zest for selfimprovement and to provide a good life for his family. As someone who was given a new start, Ruwan likes to present others with opportunities. He hires new staff based on an applicant’s attitude and his team consists of three Sri Lankans, a Ugandan, Filipino, Argentinian, Brazilian and a Kiwi staff member has just left. Ruwan, 43, and Niranjala became Kiwi citizens last year and are grateful for the opportunities that have enabled them and their New Zealand-born daughters to call New Zealand home. By ruling out owning a dairy herd Ruwan has ruled out ever owning a commercial farm.

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PROFILE

Ruwan manages Lighthouse Dairies and Beacon Dairies. Each farm has 950 cows.

Instead, he and Niranjala have plotted out another way of building equity. They own two rental properties in and around Christchurch and Niranjala runs a motel business in the city, leasing the site. Their end goal is to eventually own a commercial property or a motel outright. “No, we don’t want to own a dairy

farm, that’s not our interest, but we want to keep growing our contract business and then our bigger goal, probably by 2030 is to invest in a passive income source. We haven’t really decided yet but we have options.’’ The rural pull is still strong though and their immediate goal is to buy a lifestyle block – somewhere they can live now and not in their 60s. “We are probably not going to rear

any animals at the lifestyle block, but we quite like nature and will probably grow more trees and that’s the dream we have got. We want it to be clean and green and every human should have that. In Buddhist terms we talk about meditation but we see it in a different angle. When we do things consciously we are always meditating. That’s our meditation and not always trying to control things.’’

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OPINION

Proactive versus reactive farming I read an article before Christmas which asked, “Why are farmers so despondent?” By all accounts the season was looking great, but I felt this was a very onedimensional approach to the challenges farmers face each season. One good season does not erase the uncertainty farmers have had to contend with since 2008. Pre-2008, the milk payout was set in May and it was guaranteed. Farmers budgeted with this in mind. However, in 2008 that all changed. The milk price was set at a very respectable $7.50 per kilogram of milksolids in May, but in November, Fonterra dropped the payout to $5.50/kg. For our family, that meant a $400,000 loss in income. And because farmers had always been guaranteed what was forecast, many had already spent or committed that money, and then found themselves in debt. Since then, any extra money has

David Law

FORWARD FARMING

gone toward paying down that debt. Farmers now have little confidence in milk payout forecasts, and coupled with effluent and waterway compliance issues, nutrient budgeting, mycoplasma bovis and the weather, even the most seasoned, optimistic farmer can find themselves beaten. So, how do we survive in a future of uncertainties? The most practical way to survive is to be smart. A lot of farmers fall into the trap of false economy. If you cut back on feed, fertiliser, trace elements or dry cow therapy you create a reactive, rather than proactive, business

model – and as a rule, reactive business models cost a lot more in the long run. If you reduce your fertiliser, the farm will stop growing grass and you will be forced to buy in feed. If you fail to utilise what’s already on farm and have a too-short rotation length, you’ll also end up buying in feed to fill these gaps. If you do need to buy feed, make sure it’s not rubbish. There’s a big difference in the quality of feed available, although comparable in price, and sellers should be open to it being tested. Grass silage, although touted as a great feed, is one of the most expensive around due to the extra costs of baling and wrapping. At 45 cents/kg of dry matter, you may be better off to spend your money on feed that increases cow performance. It’s a tough ask of a cow to calve and be ready for mating six weeks later. Without a good trace element and

feeding programme, she won’t be in good enough condition to calve, milk and cycle. If she doesn’t cycle, farmers are forced to use CIDRs. There is a $1000 difference in value between an in-calf cow and an empty cow; a small fortune when it’s multiplied by further empty cows. Watch your stocking numbers. On a farm with 430 cows and enough stored feed to get the herd through a drought, you are better to keep numbers static than increase them and be short of feed in summer. To produce milk, a cow has to maintain its body weight for one year. If you increased cow numbers by 70 and fed a maintenance level of 12kgDM per cow per day, that’s 840kgDM. Multiplied by 365 days, that is 306,600kgDM. And at an average maize silage price of 32c/kgDM that’s $98,000 of feed those 70 cows will consume just for maintenance, before they start to produce

any milk. Alternatively, that amount of feed in the stack would cater for 430 cows at 8kgDM per cow per day for 90 days. To be proactive you need to plan ahead, and now is the time to start looking at next season. The largest profit window is July to December, so the number one priority is to get cows to a body condition score of 5 before calving so they are ready to perform after calving. An important part of looking forward is making structured decisions and being proactive and planning to survive - not just hoping you’ll survive. David Law is the managing director of Forward Farming Biological Consultancy. 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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Dairy Focus

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PGW board gets director refresh Rural Equities executive chairman David Cushing is among fresh faces added to the board of PGG Wrightson (PGW). Deputy chairman Trevor Burt and independent directors Bruce Irvine and John Nichol will stand down as part of a “board refresh’’. The new directors replacing them are Rodger Finlay, Cushing and Sarah Brown with their roles effective from the end of the month. Chairman Joo Hai Lee said the three new appointees would be independent directors. “On behalf of the board I wish to thank Trevor Burt for his leadership of the company as deputy chair and also express gratitude on behalf of the board for the significant contributions of Bruce Irvine and John Nichol over their tenure as directors.” Finlay will become chairman of the board on appointment and will also join the audit committee. He is the chairman of fund manager Mundane Asset Management and the independent advisory panel of the Provincial Growth Fund and is deputy chairman of Rural Equities, a director for Ngai Tahu Holdings and a governor of Radio New Zealand. Previously he farmed in a partnership in the Hakataramea Valley, was on the PGW agritech committee

and was a director of ASX-listed cotton company Tandou. Cushing is a director of Skellerup Holdings, ASX listed water and agribusiness Webster, H&G and Red Steel. He will become chairman of PGW’s audit committee. NZME reported that H&G, the Cushing family’s investment vehicle, bought a 2.2 per cent stake from Agria this month, adding 17 million shares to its existing stake of 3.1 million shares. Cushing’s father, Sir Selwyn Cushing was on Wrightson’s board from 2005 and remained until 2012 which included the merger with Pyne Gould Guinness and the introduction of China-based Agria as a major shareholder. Brown is a director on the board of Electricity Invercargill, PowerNet and a member of the OtagoNet governing committee and is on the independent advisory panel of the Provincial Growth Fund. A commercial lawyer, she was previously council chairwoman of the Southern Institute of Technology. With Finlay assuming the chairman’s role, Lee has agreed to become deputy chairman. Remaining on the board are Ronald Seah as an independent director and U Kean Seng as a director.

Sir Selwyn Cushing and David Cushing have a governance track record with PGG Wrightson. PHOTO SUPPLIED

OVERHEAD LINES OVERHEAD LINES

UNDERGROUND CABLE UNDERGROUND CABLE

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MOVING DAY

Farmer planning starts for Moving Day Dairy farmers will again be mindful of taking precautions so their herds don’t catch mycoplasma bovis during the traditional start of Moving Day on June 1. The date marks the first day of winter and farmers moving thousands of cows to new pastures for winter grazing. As in the past, herds are also shifted on the day as sharemilkers change jobs, stock is shifted after being bought or sold and herds are relocated when properties change hands. This is the second big moving day for farmers since Ministry for Primary Industries first responded to a M. bovis call-out at an Oamaru farm on July 2017. Some of the lessons learned from last year will be carried over to this season. For farmers the presence of the cattle disease M. bovis will have them making sure cows do not mix with infected cattle or trucks while on the move. They will make sure trucks are clean and go over the routes beforehand to ensure

boundaries are double fenced and stock are far enough from fences so they don’t curiously rub noses. Part of managing the risk is bypassing infected properties or treading carefully past them. Moving stock onto other farms or wintering units is an essential part of the farming cycle as the grass stops growing during the winter and cows need to eat. Taking cows off the main platform also gives paddocks time to recover before spring arrives and a new farming season begins. DairyNZ recommends farmers are well prepared before moving cows to winter grazing sites or between farms. To make the day as smooth as possible cows should be fed hay and removed from green feed for a minimum of four hours before transport, but not more than 12 hours. This will help reduce effluent during transport. Feeding cows 12-20 grams of dietary magnesium per day for at least three days before and after transport

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will also help them recover quickly. Stock need to be fit for transport, in good condition, strong enough to bear weight on all four limbs, and able to withstand the stress of transport. Several years ago DairyNZ asked if there should be more industry talks about whether there are less disruptive ways to move from one farm to another. Shifting stock, equipment and families to new farms can

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be a trial and there’s more awareness of the disruption it can have on families, small rural communities and schools. Moving Day often spells an end to effective employment relationships, perhaps unnecessarily. For staff to know a farm system, understand a farm and get it to its productive best can be a three year proposition. With Moving Day so entrenched in dairy culture

there is an expectation that it is time to move whether it is the right time or not. Moving to another farm is often a reality of the dairy business and the dairying season, but there is substance in taking children and school communities more into account. Perhaps it’s better to make the move weeks before the new season once cows have been dried off or even at the beginning of the school year.

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MOVING DAY

We find the best people for your farm Nicky Fairbairn and Paula Conti, co-owners of Rural People Ltd, possess a passion for working with the dairy industry and assisting farmers to find the right employees. Working together for four years now, we believe our success in finding the right people lies in how well we get to know our clients. “We work with you, not for you”. We don’t “fill a job”. We will come to your farm and take the time to really get to know you. We have built long term lasting relationships with our farmers; it is important for us to spend time to understand your business. Our recruitment processes are thorough, we do the hard work for you. When we advertise, we talk to every applicant, in the past we have found that applicants who do not provide a CV get overlooked. Just because a person has not written a CV does not mean they are not a good employee; we give everyone a fair hearing. Once we have conducted our full interview, we do at least one reference

Are you spending too much time finding the right people for your farm?

(two where possible) that is industry related. Then present the final two or three candidates that we feel fit into our client’s farm and arrange for them to conduct an onfarm interview. We are recruiters not dairy farmers, our interviews are behavioural based, we question them on their work

ethic, morals, personality etc, all the things you can’t teach. We do cover skills, but we do not rule them out if they are one or two skills short. We are big believers in the fact that skills can be taught, the other things you either have or you don’t and we whittle out the ones that don’t. Once our clients have

PHOTO SUPPLIED

interviewed and chosen the right person, we take care of letters of offer, employment agreements, visa’s (if necessary). Once they arrive at your farm, we maintain contact with both the employee and the employer. We don’t just dump them at your farm and be on our way, we are in regular contact

with everyone, if there is a problem, we come back to your farm to sit down with you and work out what the problem is and reach a solution. In this candidate short market, it is imperative that you retain staff, we work with you to ensure that you retain the best people. We are not just recruiters, both having a background in HR we are well positioned to give the best possible advice when it comes to matters of employment and our Licensed Immigration Advisor Andrew will give you the most up-to date immigration advice. In recent months we have also had a lot of success recruiting people from South America and the Ukraine. When you need legal advice you call a lawyer, when you need tax advice you call an accountant so when you need staffing advice call the professionals, call Rural People Ltd.

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MOVING DAY

Taking care of your liquid waste Robson Environmental Services Ltd has been in the liquid waste business for over 40 years. We are proud of how our business has become successful and grown over time. In the beginning we focused on removing chicken waste from laying hen sheds and emptying septic tanks, as well as installing new pumps when required. As the dairy industry has grown, we use our vacuum trucks to remove farm effluent from ponds, sumps, wedges and weeping walls and spread it on paddocks. Over time we have purchased a 20,000 litre tractor-drawn tanker, to allow us to move effluent in a more efficient and economical manner. We also have two tractor drawn muck spreaders that allow us to remove dry effluent and spread it on paddocks. With our own front end loader, we are able to load the spreaders ourselves when required, allowing the farm tractor to carry on with

Storth Megamix stirring an effluent pond.

its normal duties. This has become a growing demand from our clientele and proved to be a successful part of our business. Our water jetter with drain camera has managed to clear a lot of blocked drains efficiently, whether running from septic tanks, dairy sheds, or below culverts. We have a large fleet of trucks ranging from 3000 – 10,000 litre capacity tanks,

with the larger trucks capable of towing a trailer that can give a total capacity of 25,000 litres. We also have three six wheel-drive trucks with one being a recently purchased Scania with large flotation tyres. This allows us to not only tackle, hilly ground, but also causes less damage to paddocks and laneways compared to conventional ‘on-

PHOTO SUPPLIED

road’ trucks. We have several pond stirrers including a Storth Mega Mixer to destroy crust buildup and get even the biggest of effluent ponds stirred and ready, making sucking up and spreading cow effluent a breeze. We are willing to look at any job and have recently finished emptying three large ponds in Twizel and are currently emptying three ponds in Culverden. Travel is

no problem for us. We are always open to giving information on any service you require and are happy to give an obligationfree quotation. Our company is a 24/7, on-call business. Therefore, if you have any urgent issues regarding your septic tank, pump, blocked drains etc. requiring immediate service, then please, contact us. Advertising feature

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NEWS

Breeders build up for bull sale season Whether the fast approaching bull selling season reaches the heights of a South Island bull making $60,000 again remains to be seen. Last year Grassmere Gallant 244 led the hereford catalogue at the combined Grassmere and Capethorne Hereford bull sale near Cheviot after the final bid was taken by stud owners from Beechwood and Richon Herefords. The bull just slipped under the $62,000 paid last season for an angus bull at Springdale Angus in central North Island sold to Tangihau Angus Stud in Gisborne. The beef market remains healthy, if off the record levels of previous years, and demand at this level will be dictated by the quality of elite performers emerging from the catalogues.

Tim Cronshaw

RURAL REPORTER

Prices at this level are paid out by stud breeders and commercial farmers, both in beef and dairy farming, will have their bidding pointed at animals which are below this threshold but which are best suited for their business. PGG Wrightson livestock national genetics manager Callum Stewart said the bull selling season would kick off in mid-May for the season and the genetics team was trying to get to as many properties now to evaluate bulls and programmes before the sales began.

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The bull selection that farmers made could extend into their breeding programme for the next 10-15 years and they were already doing their buying homework, he said. “We would be hoping the decisions are made prior to the sale because it’s an important part of their strategy for their breeding plans.’’ He said farmers were working with experts such as PGW’s genetics team and stud breeders to select the best bulls which suit their farm environment and breeding programme. Often farmers in the hill country were looking for a “moderate-type’’ bull to generate better efficiency in their herd and fertility without losing animal constitution as well as working towards trending markets.

Some farmers were paid a premium for producing top quality beef and had to maintain high performing genetics. Both stud and commercial farmers were always looking to improve their herds, he said. Stewart said it was always difficult to find a balance across estimated breeding values (EBVs), but farmers were generally looking at traits including for growth, fertility, mature cow weights for retaining females and easy calving. He said the heights of the beef market had carried through to last year and remained strong even after coming back for “more of a balance’’. This had resulted in a trend of weaner beef calves coming back in price, but some of that could be because farms were dry as well as beef pricing, he said.

“They are still very good returns.’’ Farmers seeing the benefits of the direction of their breeding were still prepared to pay good prices for a quality bull, but lesser quality bulls might struggle, he said. He said the $60,000 paid for Gallant 244 was at the elite end of the industry. Bull buyers relied on figures to evaluate bulls, but also liked to eye them up and this part of the process was enjoyed because it also got them off the farms, he said. Stewart said dairy farmers were mindful of mycoplasma bovis and wanted beef bulls from reputable breeders who had done their homework so they could have peace of mind about their biosecurity. Dairy farmers were looking for good yearlings to diversify returns and this was the growth part of the business for the industry.

Get the right advice when buying and selling your livestock We have clients wanting to buy and sell: • Herds • In-calf heifers • Heifer calves • Empty heifers & cows

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Dairy Focus

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OPINION

Dairy customer is always right We’re all familiar with the saying, “the customer is always right”, and that’s something I believe we need to keep front of mind when responding to consumer expectations around agrifood production. More and more consumers are wanting to know their food is ethically produced, and rightly so, and these expectations are driving a number of regulations farmers are facing. I’ve been impressed with how dairy farmers have responded to these changes over the last decade, and continue to look for ways to meet, if not exceed, consumer expectations. And we can expect more changes in the future, as people want to know more about the origins of their food. We can’t ignore the influence these conscious consumers are having in driving change. Take the ban on single-use plastic bags for example. As little as five years ago, many New Zealanders would have been resistant to

Richard Kyte

DAIRYNZ

the idea. Now, it’s the norm. Consumers are rapidly evolving, and we need to keep up if we are to retain our social licence to operate. This means constantly looking at how we can operate more sustainably to ensure our product remains a top choice for international and domestic consumers. DairyNZ is committed to supporting farmers on this journey and we have a clear vision of what we need to do to achieve this, outlined in our sector strategy Dairy Tomorrow. We’re working on innovative solutions to meet some of the challenges facing the sector, particularly around animal welfare and sustainability, which are two

key values for consumers. We’re investing in research, such as breeding cows that excrete less nitrogen in their urine, and animals that are not only healthier but more productive. In my opinion, consumer pressure has challenged us to do better, and that’s always a good thing. Over the last few years, I’ve seen many dairy farmers go from good to great and inspired others to look at how they can do the same. And I think that’s something we should all be proud of. This has seen almost all dairy farmers fence off waterways on their property, carry out extensive riparian planning, protect or restore wetlands and invest in efficient irrigation systems. And that’s only part of the work the sector has been doing to be more sustainable, and we continue to help farmers build on this to retain their reputation as the best in the world. After-all, our unique pasture-based systems offer

Farmers have worked hard to fence off waterways and develop riparian strips. PHOTO SUPPLIED

us a range of opportunities to market our premium products on the world stage. This is also why it’s so important we tell our story. This is essential not only to show consumers where their food comes from and how it’s produced, but help us better connect with them. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, consumers “are not dependent on us, we are dependent on them. They are not an

interruption to our work. They are the purpose of it.” Richard Kyte is the Southland regional leader for DairyNZ 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

www.guardianonline.co.nz

OPINION

Virtual school trip to irrigated farms It was very exciting for IrrigationNZ to be involved in organising and delivering the Virtual Field Trip with primary schools from across New Zealand in March. The theme of the field trip was around irrigation use on farms and with so many water and drought related stories in the news over the summer it was certainly a very topical subject. Eleven short videos were created at various locations in Selwyn district in Canterbury which were uploaded to a website to allow children to explore different topics without leaving the classroom. On each of the three days of the trip a live online web conference was also held where children could ask questions to a panel of experts. We had 128 classes registered to join the trip which was designed for students in years five to eight. We also had many more classrooms join the web conferences on the day. On day one of the field trip we covered how the recently

Experts are interviewed during IrrigationNZ’s virtual field trip at the Central Plains Water intake at Waimakariri River. Elizabeth Soal

IRRIGATION NZ

opened Central Plains Water scheme provides water to farms, and how decisions about who can use water and how much water can be taken are decided. Day two of the trip involved a visit to a Sheffield farm where a range of arable crops were grown and irrigation was also used to help finish lambs. Irrigation there helps grow seeds for export worldwide and to produce wheat for local mills to bake bread. On day three of the field trip we visited IZONE, one of New Zealand’s largest business parks. The Rolleston industrial park is home to many agricultural businesses and Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton discussed how water was

PHOTO SUPPLIED

important to Selwyn from an environmental perspective as well as for recreation and to the economy by supporting farming activity and jobs in places such as IZONE. Day three also included a visit to the Selwyn River to hear about a planned project to recharge the river using alpine water from the Central Plains Water scheme to help improve its flows. The children also heard about some of the increasing career options in the irrigation and water fields. I was one of a panel of experts who answered questions from children on two of the three days of the trip. They had a really wide range of questions about

water, some of which involved a bit of research to answer – like where did water come from originally and why is ocean water salty. Many of their questions were intelligent and well considered, such as how is water made, when did irrigation start being used, why do some countries have more water than others and how do we clean our waterways? It was great to get a mix of urban and rural schools participating in the field trip and we’ve had some good feedback from the schools who participated to date, so hopefully it served to build their knowledge of irrigation, farming and water, and

perhaps even sparked some ideas about future careers. Our thanks also go out to CORE Education who filmed and delivered this event. All of the videos from the field trip are able to be viewed online at www.learnz.org.nz. If you need an activity for kids on a rainy day or over the next school holidays they make interesting viewing. Elizabeth Soal is chief executive of IrrigationNZ. 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

Dairy Focus

www.guardianonline.co.nz

OPINION

Preventative trimming highlighted in Japan Fred Hoekstra

VEEHOF DAIRY SERVICES

Last month I attended the International Lameness in Ruminants Conference in Tokyo, Japan. This is a conference where the latest research in lameness is presented from all over the world. You wouldn’t necessarily think of Japan as a dairy country, but dairy is actually a significant industry there and so with that comes lameness, which means that Japan has professional hoof trimmers, vets, researchers and everything else they need to keep up with the rest of the world. In Japan they organise hoof trimming competitions for professional hoof trimmers. The aim is to trim a cow using a chisel, hammer and a hoof knife. The trimmer is not alowed to use a crush, instead he or she has an assistant who helps control the cow.

The cow is then trimmed in a very similar manner as to how a horse gets trimmed. It is interesting to see, but if we had to trim cows that way I probably would have very long arms and a very sore back – just Google ‘Japanese Hoof Trimming’ for a demonstration.

“

weight bearing between the medial and lateral claw before trimming, after trimming and on rubber matting. We had a digital pressure plate similar to what some shoe shops use. The pressure plate is basically a thin flexible mat with lots of sensors that are connected to a laptop.

This conference is held every two years in a different country in the world and digital dermititis usually takes up a lot of the conference time, however this time the biomechanics of the foot got significant attention. I was asked to run a workshop with Professor C Mulling from Germany. Prof Mulling is a well-respected dermatologist who does a lot of work with horses, cows and pigs. In our workshop we looked at the

Top – Biomechanics Demo in Japan. Bottom – Measuring pressure distribution across the two claws.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

When a cows’ foot stands on the mat the sensors measure the weight in such a way that we can see where the hoof touches the ground, how much weight is on each spot and what area of the hoof doesn’t touch the ground. We used a hydraulic press equipped with a custom made clamp that held cadaver feet in a natural position. With this setup we could simulate the pressure applied to a cow’s foot as she stands and measure the pressure

points of the feet on the ground and also the load bearing difference between the medial and lateral claw. It was interesting to see how correct trimming considerably increases the surface area of the hoof that touches the ground. But more importantly it showed the improved load bearing difference between the medial and lateral claw before and after trimming. This demonstrated very nicely why preventative trimming is so beneficial for our cows because we were able to trim feet that had had a 30:70 per cent load bearing difference between the medial and lateral claw back to a 50:50 per cent. Reducing the load on the lateral claw makes this claw less vulnerable and therefore less prone to lameness.

Fred Hoekstra is the managing director of Veehof Dairy Services. 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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SOIL QUALITY FACTSHEET

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Reduce your NPK fertiliser cost by 50%

IT IS understood that growing almost anything increases your soil acidity or lowers the soil’s pH. While Aglime easily corrects acidification the final target pH level for optimum nutrient availability is and always has been a moving target. The absolute building blocks for growth such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Sulphur and Magnesium, are not even close to their peak availability at a pH of 5.5 as shown in the table below. As you can see a pH at 5.5 seems inefficient and illogical. However, a pH between 6 and 6.5 increases availability exponentially and even starts peaking across many nutrients.

WHAT IS THE OPTIMAL PH AND WHY?

Your soil’s pH is one of the

key drivers in making nutrients available to the plant. With a pH that is too low (< 5.5) trace minerals such as Aluminum become available which can heavily diminish growth or even kill crops. While the general consensus is that a pH of 5.5-5.8 is ‘good enough’, the science just doesn’t back this up.

NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY TABLE

5.5

6.5

7.5

8.5

ALKALINITY

ACIDITY NITROGEN PHOSPHORUS POTASSIUM SULPHUR CALCIUM MAGNESIUM IRON

MANGANESE BORON COPPER & ZINC MOLYBDENUM

“One aspect that has baffled us for years, is the apparent disconnect between fertiliser application and the availability or efficiency of the very nutrient being applied due to soil acidity.“ Almost every element of a fertiliser is represented in the nutrient availability table. When you are spending good money on fertiliser, you should be concerned if your advisors aren’t ensuring that the nutrient you are applying is at, or near, maximum availability. If they are not, you need to ask yourself why not? Maybe they have a vested interest in selling more fertiliser? One of the fastest ways to neutralise soil acidity and increase pH is to apply lime. Liming is relatively cheap, especially when you consider that a shift in pH could potentially double the efficiency of a fertiliser in both the short and long term. The fertiliser efficiency table indicates this point and goes some way to show how a capital investment in lime may affect your overall and ongoing annual fertiliser spend.

FERTILISER EFFICIENCY AT VARIOUS SOIL PH VALUES

Soil pH

N P K Overall Efficiency Efficiency Efficiency Fertilizer Efficiency

pH = 6.5

95%

63%

100%

86%

pH = 6.0

89%

52%

100%

80%

pH = 5.5

77%

48%

77%

67%

pH = 5.0

53%

34%

52%

56%

vanRoestel, J. (2014, March). The Value of Maintaining a Good soil pH.

consistent long term release into the soil. Consider solubility and As a rule of thumb 1 tonne/ha ensure you are dealing with a of high quality Aglime will raise limestone resource that has been the pH by 0.1 pH unit. Therefore a proven to lift pH as expected. Talk 6 tonne/ha application is required to a few neighbours, they will to increase the pH from 5.7 to 6.3. know the history. To maintain the optimum pH of Keep in mind that many lime 6.2-6.5, maintenance applications companies can create specific lime of at least 500kg per annum will be and fertiliser/mineral blends prior required. to dispatch to make your The above rates are based on annual applications even more high quality Aglime – that means cost effective. a lime equivalency or ‘as delivered’ Calcium Carbonate content of 90% SOIL PH TESTING or greater. It is vital that you have a The particle size should meet comprehensive soil test done prior New Zealand Aglime standards to any fertiliser application to of 50% passing 0.5mm and no show what other trace minerals are present. Talk to your specialist more than 10% passing 2mm to lime company today. allow good even spreading and NOT ALL LIME IS CREATED EQUAL

At Victory Lime we’re here to help. If you have concerns about your soil talk to Shaun today on: 027 228 7045 • 0800 303 980 • www.vlime.co.nz