Dairy Focus JULY 2016
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WIN WIN WIN
EDITORIAL COMMENT This month win The man who saved Smith by Rick Searle. To enter the competition for this issue’s book giveaway, email susan.s@theguardian.co.nz, or write to Ashburton Guardian, 161 Burnett Street, Ashburton, 7700. Write “Guardian Farming book giveaway” in the subject line or back of the envelope, and supply your address.
Congratulations to the lucky winner of last month’s Dairy Focus book giveaway. Russell Falconer of Gore is to receive the copy of Man of Iron by Jock Vennell.
CONTACTS We appreciate your feedback. Editorial Email your comments to susan.s@theguardian.co.nz or phone 03 307 7961.
Advertising Email trudy.b@theguardian.co.nz or phone 03 307 7955. Post Ashburton Guardian, PO Box 77, Ashburton.
Susan Sandys
SENIOR REPORTER
Sleep will be a sought after commodity for dairy farmers in the weeks ahead as calving gets into full swing. Farmstrong, a charitable-funded organisation focussing on rural wellbeing established last year, plans to help in this regard. It is asking for farmers’ questions on sleep issues via www.farmstrong.co.nz. An expert is to address these in a podcast discussion which will be available to listen to from July 27. It’s a great initiative which will hopefully be taken up by stressed farmers. Farmers are traditionally a stoic breed, but things will be particularly tough during the busy time this year as property owners, managers and staff crack down on unnecessary expenditure and steer a tight ship towards what will hopefully be better dairy farm profits in the future.
A recent press release from the Labour Party reported pressure in the dairy sector spreading to the value of dairy farms, with prices having dropped 33 per cent from their peak in October 2014. Not exactly the stuff of happy dreams. But as Dr Tom Mulholland, featured in this issue of Dairy Focus, says, industry ups and downs will come and go. Just like other events beyond one’s control, such as drought and floods. It is not so much what we are dealt in life that defines us, but how we cope with it. Calving will be full-on for everyone, and sleep and other essentials such as good nutrition are likely to slip off the radar. But now, more so than at any other time of year, is the right time to remember the priorities of putting your own and your family’s health first.
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Lifestyle choice for sharemilkers For many in the dairy industry, the path to the dream of farm ownership is changing.
Cole and Virginia Groves enjoy their sharemilking life at Mayfield with daughter Ebony and baby Hunter. PHOTO AMANDA KONYN 150716-AK-033
Mayfield sharemilkers Cole and Virginia Groves are young, hardworking, determined and passionate about the dairy industry. But like many sharemilkers, life has not been easy for them over the past couple of years. Mr and Mrs Groves are contract milkers on an 840cow farm, after starting there this season, on June 1. They were previously herd-owning, or 50/50, sharemilkers at Pleasant Point for four years. They had two good years on the farm, then hard times hit with the drop in payout combined with drought conditions. Having accumulated debt as they progressed up the industry, there was less opportunity to pay off their principle, amounting to $300,000 less per year for the two years going towards this. Additionally, they had to rely on $300,000 extra money just to keep going, meaning the tough times cost them $900,000 in equity. Mr and Mrs Groves
Susan Sandys
SENIOR REPORTER
never lost their passion for sharemilking and, when the Pleasant Point farm sold they began to look for other herdowning opportunities. They made the shortlist in a few cases, but never quite got the job. “It was a pretty big shock to the confidence,” Mr Groves said. The couple set their sights on contract milking and sold their herd of about 800 in a depressed market, achieving a price of $1380 per head for cows they had several years earlier paid $1800 for. Mr and Mrs Groves, parents to one-month-old Hunter and 2 1/2, Ebony, now have no plans to return to herd-owning sharemilking.
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Mr Groves said contract milking suited because it offered the opportunity to use the skills they had built up over the years and retain all the lifestyle benefits that sharemilking offered. Income-wise it took out the uncertainty of the payout price, as they received a set amount per kilo of milksolids. Mr Groves, who is a previous New Zealand Young Farmers chairman and coconvened this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final championships, said his goal of ultimately buying into a dairy farm equity partnership remained unchanged. It was just something which would take longer to achieve. “I love dairy farming, it’s a lifestyle thing for us,” Mr Groves said. “For us to be able to spend time with our kids when we need to…The next three months are hard slog, but after that it’s quite enjoyable.”
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From P3 Delaying the dream of farm ownership is something more and more sharemilkers are resigning themselves to and the opportunities for 50/50 sharemilking are declining. Federated Farmers and DairyNZ‘s recent Dairy Progression Pathways report shows the percentage of sharemilkers intending to purchase a dairy farm at the conclusion of their sharemilking career has declined from 70 per cent in 1996 to 55 per cent in 2011, and 47 per cent in 2016. The number of dairy farms nationwide had declined from 14,597 in 1995 to 11,970 in 2015. The percentage of sharemilking agreements in the industry remained relatively static, while the percentage of herd-owning sharemilkers had declined to 17 per cent compared with 25 per cent 20 years ago. The decline had been more marked in the South Island, with only 13 per cent of dairy farms having a herdowning sharemilker in 2015, compared to 19 per cent in the North Island. This was due to farmers being less able to take on herd-owning sharemilkers due to higher debt levels, and being in corporate farming
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Industry experts emphasise opportunities for progression still exist, but dairy career pathways are changing.
arrangements. “There is a noticeable trend away from sharemilkers aspiring to farm ownership,” the report writers said. “While in some cases this is almost certainly due to the fact that sharemilkers are seeing farm ownership as a goal beyond their reach, there are increasing instances whereby the sharemilker is content to remain in their position until retirement or career changing.” Industry experts emphasise opportunities for progression still exist, but dairy career pathways are changing. DairyNZ’s strategy and investment leader for people and business, Mark Paine, said others have succeeded and those wanting to progress should make the most of alternative business structures, as well as undertake better due diligence before taking on a new contract. Federated Farmers sharemilker farm owners’ section chairman Tony
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Wilding said while the number of traditional herdowning agreements was slowly declining, their scale had increased and other options to invest in cows and land in equity ownership were continuing to emerge. Federated Farmers sharemilkers’ section chairman Richard McIntyre said sharemilkers needed to be better equipped to survive the climate of volatility through contracts that were flexible, allowing them to manage risk. “As sharemilking contracts evolve, it is important that the risk remains relative to reward,” Mr McIntyre said. The research highlighted there was a lack of due diligence reflected in sharemilking agreements, and many failed arrangements could be traced back to this. Sharemilkers needed to understand a range of issues such as the property owners’ management style, feeding philosophies, and physical aspects of the farm.
Farmers, contract milkers and sharemilkers are undertaking a range of actions to adjust to a lowered milk payout.
Sharemilkers and farm owners are undertaking a range of changes to adapt to the decreased milk price, according to the Dairy Progression Pathways survey. ■■ 73 per cent of farm owners have taken up Fonterra’s interest-free loan. ■■ 60 per cent of sharemilkers/contract milkers and 39 per cent of farm owners are reducing drawings. ■■ 27 per cent of sharemilkers/contract milkers and nine per cent of farm owners have partners who are going back to work part-time or full-time. ■■ 35 per cent of respondents indicated they were looking at restructuring to reduce staff numbers. This could be parttime/relief staff or full time staff.
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Getting the right mix for investors Many of my clients are retirees and consider themselves to be conservative investors. These are investors who are happy to take on some risk, for example, in order to beat bank deposit rates. But on the whole, they are not inclined to take on too much risk. Most retirees would fall towards the conservative end of the risk spectrum. However, a staggering amount of investors who knock on my door for the first time have portfolios that are anything but conservative. Many will have very large positions in one company, not realising the increased risk associated with being insufficiently diversified. Diversification is known as the only free lunch when it comes to investing. This is because, all else being equal, it markedly reduces the amount of risk you are taking without reducing your expected returns. Even in seemingly safe companies, risk can rear its ugly head in unexpected ways. A great example is Kodak,
Grant Davies
A BROKER’S VIEW
who actually developed the first digital camera in 1975, and eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2012 as they failed to adapt to the digital age. History is littered with similar examples. Not being over exposed to one particular company is an important part of prudent investing, as is not being over exposed to one particular asset class. Asset allocation is the split between different asset classes, such as bonds, shares, property and cash. Getting the right mix is essential for maximising returns whilst minimising risk. Many conservative investors, who haven’t looked closely at their asset allocation for a while, could have portfolios that are too heavily
weighted towards shares and property, particularly given the very good returns seen in these asset classes in recent years. Having too much in riskier assets may help returns in the short term, but can result in capital losses if those riskier asset classes have a rough patch. This is fine for those with a long enough time
frame to recover, but can be devastating for retirees that need the funds to meet day-today living costs. Retirees need to be wary of taking too much risk, chasing the returns of yesteryear. They need to ensure they are sufficiently diversified and have an asset allocation that fits their appetite for risk.
*Written by Grant Davies, Investment Advisor at Hamilton Hindin Greene Limited. This article represents general information provided by Hamilton Hindin Greene, who may hold an interest in the security. It does not constitute investment advice. Disclosure documents are available by request and free of charge through www. hhg.co.nz.
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Doctor brings healthy thinking Dr Tom Mulholland has himself survived two lifethreatening events – a tsunami and being stabbed. He has also come through a serious bout of depression. In 1994, he was working as a surf camp doctor in Java when a tsunami hit at 2am and he was smashed up into the jungle. About 400 people were killed when the large wave hit the island. Then in Auckland several years ago Dr Mulholland was visiting a friend, when he was viciously stabbed in his arm in a home invasion. The knife hit his radial artery, but emergency surgery ensured he did not bleed to death. And when his children were young his wife left him, making him miserable and depressed. It was around the turn of the millenium, and there was not a lot of easily accessible public information on depression. “Half the stuff I read put me to sleep, and the other half made me more depressed,” Dr Mulholland said. But he managed to come out of it, and one of the main things which helped him was
turning his thinking around. Recognising the thoughts which lead to an emotional response is at the core of teachings by Dr Mulholland, who has authored the best seller Healthy Thinking. About two years ago he launched his own initiative of driving around the country in a retro ambulance to talk to groups about his healthy thinking strategies. He recently teamed up with Farmstrong, a charitable initiative established last year by the Mental Health Foundation, rural insurer FMG and the Movember Foundation. Farmstrong’s focus is rural wellbeing, and ACC has recently come on board as a strategic partner. Talking at a free Healthy Thinking breakfast seminar held by Farmstrong at the Hotel Ashburton earlier this month, attended by about 30 farmers, Dr Mulholland instructed in healthy thinking strategies. One of those was to ask the question “Have you twigged yet?”, playing on the acronym, TWiG. The T is for true – are your thoughts true? The Wi for Worth it – is it
Emergency room doctor Tom Mulholland is on his way around the South Island, determined to be the ambulance at the top of the cliff for farmers. Susan Sandys reports.
Dr Tom Mulholland travels New Zealand in a retro ambulance teaching his healthy thinking PHOTO SUPPLIED techniques.
worth it to have the emotional response those thoughts trigger? The G for Goal – did your emotional response help you achieve your goal? He gave an example of a Canterbury farmer recently
being forced off his land due to hard times, and that farmer thinking he only knew farming and there was nothing else he could do. In fact, farming had given him a wide range of skills which could be used in other
jobs. And for Dr Mulholland himself, his wife leaving had made him think he had lost his family, when that in fact was not the case. “You get into this place where you are trapped,” Dr
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Dr Tom Mulholland instructs in the art of healthy thinking at an Ashburton PHOTO AMANDA KONYN 070716-AK-004 seminar this month.
Mulholland said. In some cases a negative thought might be true, so the answer to the T question would be yes. However, if either or both of the Wi and G questions return a negative response, then it was time to change those thoughts around to a positive perspective. Healthy thinking was both a drench and a fertiliser, the drench blasting out stress and anxiety, and the fertiliser
nourishing well-being and happiness. The hardware of someone’s brain had to be okay before healthy thinking could work its magic, and anyone suffering depression needed to see their GP or talk to someone about it. Problems such as drought and low payout may continue to come back and haunt farming as the decades unfold, but farmers could help future generations by demonstrating healthy
thinking. Dr Mulholland also reminded farmers about their physiological fitness, and urged them to eat healthily, take breaks, get enough sleep, and visit their GP for a check-up annually. “People say to me it must be awesome working in emergency department, you could help so many people. But most of the time the damage has been done. We save
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more lives at talks like this than we do being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff,” he said. He played the Attitude Health Game with the Ashburton crowd, asking everyone to stand up, then sit down if they answered no to a question he posed, such as, do you know your cholesterol levels, do you still get sunburnt, do you eat too much salt, and do you exercise at least three times per week.
There was just one woman standing at the end. Dr Mulholland was on a six-week tour of the South Island in his ambulance, which he had left in Christchurch as he popped down to Ashburton with the Farmstrong team. They were off to the Greta Valley that evening, to give a talk at the local pub. They were expecting a full house, with more than 70 farmers having registered.
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Farming Dairy Focus
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Catchment groups involve farmers Have you heard of OTOP catchment groups? The Orari, Temuka, Opihi, Pareora zone encompasses eight active catchment groups. The wider Opihi catchment covers 384,000ha of South Canterbury and includes over 2600 farms. The catchment groups are there for the local community to identify their issues, gain information and develop solutions and ways of improving their local situation. By talking to their wider community they identify how different proposed scenarios would work for their catchment. These groups are a mix of farmers and other local community members and anyone can go along. Some of the issues in the region include identifying and improving water quality and quantity, management of soils to reduce leaching, protection and enhancement of biodiversity, gaining funding and improving communication. A number of field days were identified for 2016 and have been carried out, with a focus on:
Chanelle O’Sullivan
CATCHMENT CO-ORDINATOR
• Wintering – feeding of crops, protecting soils and reducing nutrient leaching. • Riparian planting – species selection, biodiversity and water quality. • Overseer – improve understanding and interpreting results and nutrient budgets. A newsletter is produced every six months outlining key learnings and activities. The groups are keen to involve a wider representation of their communities and we encourage anyone to come along to their local meeting. Progress is being made in the Sub-Regional Plan process and the Zone committee now meets monthly. We are planning for catchment groups to be able to present on their local issues and
The Waihi catchment group visited Anita and Ad Hendrik’s dairy farm in May. Discussion included actions identified in their Sustainable Milk Plan.
activities on a rotational basis. The ‘Healthy Catchments Project,’ facilitated by Environment Canterbury is about to reach stage 2 with further public meetings planned for September and is focused
around our current State. This is a snapshot of the health of the catchment today. This is compared to the community’s desired outcomes, so it can be seen if we are tracking in the right direction.
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and the wider community UPCOMING EVENTS July 27, 7pm
Kakahu steering group, Heritage Hotel, Geraldine
July 27
Te Ngawai steering group meeting
July 27
FEP workshop at Albury Hall with Beef + Lamb. Phone invite. 10am-3pm? Max 15
July 28
Upper Opihi steering group Caleb TBC
August 1
OTOP zone committee meeting
August 2
Combined catchment group meetingOpportunities with new water in Geraldine at Waihi lodge, Senior Care on Shaw Street.
August 3
Opihi working group
August 4, 7pm
Pareora catchment group meeting, Southburn Hall
janet.gregory@landcare.org.nz phone 027 222 4005
August 8, 7pm
Waihi catchment group meeting with Hamish Graham (ECan) Lee Burbury (ESR)
Chanelle O’Sullivan, OTOP Project Coordinator david.chanelle@hotmail.co.nz phone 027 444 0742.
August 11, 4pm
Rangitata/Orari catchment group meeting. In Geraldine
Steve and Bindy Dakin’s small block (0.75 ha) is surrounded by reserves – road, esplanade, river and conservation reserves. Protection and enhancement of the reserves involves weed and pest control for natural regeneration, some planting and maintenance of access.
plan through your irrigation scheme but if you are outside of an irrigation company, DairyNZ is currently funding these plans throughout the catchment. If you would like to get
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NZ NEWS BRIEFS MilkBaa idea earns top honour A Northland student has successfully tackled one of the biggest challenges facing the world - how to produce more nutritious food - to win the inaugural Massey Innovator’s Award. Laura Blundell, a Year 13 student from Ruawai College, was part of the eight-strong team, which included students from surrounding high schools, that took out the competition. She came up with the innovative idea of fortifying sheep’s milk with iodine, calcium and iron to produce a mineral-rich drink for toddlers. The team also developed a cute brand for their product - MilkBaa, offering flavours like ‘straaw-berry’, ‘choco-laate’ and ‘baa-naa-na’. The competition, run by the Young Enterprise Trust and sponsored by Massey University, was held this month as part of the annual Enterprise in Action weekend and involved 80 of the country’s brightest, business-minded teens. Dr Jeff Stangl, the Massey Business School’s executive director of education partnerships, said food innovation was important, not only because it could benefit the country’s economy, but also because feeding the world would become increasingly difficult. “Food isn’t just a way to make money or create employment. It is one of only three commodities, along with water and shelter, that every human on the planet needs to survive,” Dr Stangl said.
Happiness may boost calcium levels Happy cows can potentially make more nutritious milk, according to a new study. Reporting in the Journal of Endocrinology, American scientists said they infused the “feel good” chemical of serotonin, which is naturally produced internally by mammals, into 24 dairy cows in the lead up to calving. Half were Jerseys and half Friesians. The serotonin improved the overall calcium status in both breeds, increasing calcium in the blood of the Friesians, and resulting in higher milk calcium levels in the Jerseys. It had no effect on milk yield or feed intake. The team from the University of WisconsinMadison, led by Laura Hernandez, said the results had implications for the nutritional values of milk and for the prevention of hypocalcaemia in dairy cows. Hypocalcaemia, or low calcium, is a metabolic disorder which can affect dairy cows, particularly immediately before and after calving. The next steps were to investigate how serotonin regulated calcium levels across different breeds and to investigate the possibility of using serotonin as a preventative measure for hypocalcaemia. “That would allow dairy farmers to maintain the profitability of their businesses, whilst making sure their cows stay healthy and produce nutritious milk,” Dr Hernandez said.
Pioneering days of farm computers Getting computers onto farms took dedication and bravery, recalls the author of a new book. Peter Nuthall, an honorary associate professor at Lincoln University’s Department of Land Management and Systems, has written Dare to Compute - The Early Years in the Development and Uptake of Farm Computer Systems. It is about the Kellogg Farm Management Unit (KFMU) at Lincoln, which Dr Nuthall founded and was head of for all but two years of its existence, from 1980 to 1995. The unit was initially funded by the American philanthropic Kellogg Foundation. It aimed to develop computer software for farm and horticultural property managers, and train them how to use it. Dr Nuthall said the unit had played an important role in introducing computer technology and software to primary producers in New Zealand and Australia, and its history needed to be told. The unit’s employees had been involved in the dawning of a new era. “They helped explore and forge managementbased computer technology down on the farm. It took a dedicated staff and pioneering farmers brave enough to go along with our ideas.” The book follows his novel The Intuitive Farmer – Inspiring Management Success which was released earlier this year.
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11
Around the traps More than 120 rural suppliers were displaying their wares at the ATS annual in-store days in Ashburton this month. Products ranged from electronic heat detectors for cows to dairy cleaning chemicals and health products. Hundreds turned out from near and far, and transactions were up 15 per cent on last year.
Above - Karen Tait (left) and Sarah Tait. PHOTOS SUPPLIED ATS
Above - Dean Crossan (left) and Blair Watson.
Above - (from left) Owen Moore, Rosemary Moore and Pip Duffell.
Above - Rob Sharkie (left) and Jo Goodhew.
Above - Chris Richards and his electronic heat PHOTO JOSEPH JOHNSON - 080716-JJ-011 detector.
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• Cattle • Goats • Calves • Horses • Other farm animals Please call Nick for more information 027 210 1621/03 348 9439 or send us an email nick.pacey@hotmail.com
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13
Avoiding stress in your herd It is not far off from calving now. Some have already started. What are the points that are important to minimise lameness at this time of the year? Being the start of the season it is important to realise the risk factors and how to manage them as this has an impact on the whole season and possibly beyond. Spring is a particularly important time because there are lots of things happening in the cow’s life that are stressful. At calving there are lots of hormonal changes in the body, their diet often changes suddenly, getting into a different routine etc. This is even more so for R2’s. They have never calved, or been milked before and, especially the more dominant, heifers will struggle with finding their place in a new herd where they suddenly are not the dominant animals anymore. So, this time of the year a big focus should be on minimising stress on our cows. This is important at any time
Fred Hoekstra
VEEHOF DAIRY SERVICES
of the year but particularly so at calving time. You need to make sure cows are fully fed, keep heifers in a separate herd, practise excellent animal handling skills and make sure your cows have comfortable dry resting areas. I can hear some of you think that this just isn’t practical and we need to eat out the paddocks properly to make sure we have a good quality grass in our second round. Don’t underestimate the importance resting and of fully feeding your cows. Of course, there is a balance between fully feeding and wasting grass and that needs to be managed properly as well. But if you hold back on your cows in order to gain a
better quality grass, then it will cost you more than you probably realise. Why not use a mower? That is what they are made for and it doesn’t cost as much. It only feels that way because you can see and calculate the cost and it is a lot harder to calculate the gains of properly fed cows. The resting opportunity is a big challenge for most farmers. Especially on
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irrigated farms where all the trees had to be taken out to give way to the centre pivot. On top of that, many cows in NZ are now wintered on winter crops. You may have noticed that those cows spend a lot more time standing. Especially when we had some rain. Those cows haven’t had the rest over the winter that they needed. They are “coming to work” after their
holiday already tired. It’s only going downhill from there. That is why I have big problems with the way winter crops are being fed. It is too hard on the cows, and you will be paying for it in loss of production, lameness, mastitis and the image that you create to the public. Send your comments and thoughts to me at fred@veehof.co.nz.
2 14
Farming Dairy Focus
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BUSINESS PROFILE
Milking with a difference Milk R Us owners Lars and Inge de Kruijf are committed to helping dairy farmers increase milking efficiency and maintain the health of their cows. That’s why they are excited to introduce the innovation of cup liners to South Island dairy farmers. Their business Milk R Us at Winton has the New Zealand dealership for Milkrite’s award-winning cup liners. The triangular liners have a vented air hole which reduces the vacuum under the udder of the cow and the amount of friction on teats. “It has the advantage it gives a massage to the teat, rather than pulling it or squeezing it,” Lars said. “Another advantage is that while taking off the cups the cluster will drop quickly and doesn’t pull on the cows teats.” “The liners are designed to improve milking efficiency and increase cow comfort.” Air is introduced behind the milk, providing a more even vacuum through the milking system. This reduces the negative effects of vacuum
Lars (left) and Inge de Kruijf.
Milkrite shells inserted with Impulse Air liner
on the teat, and improves the output and speed of milking, improves teat-end condition, results in drier teats and reduced teat-to-teat cross contamination. Benefits of using the liners
include reduced slips and kickoffs, less mastitis, and lower somatic cell count levels. The liners are triangular in shape and have received innovation and performance awards around the world,
including in the United Kingdom, France, Denmark and Sweden. Lars and Inge established Milk R Us last year, after themselves working for 18 years as dairy farmers.
PHOTOS SUPPLIED
Lars was machine testing in Holland before they moved to New Zealand, and registered here six years ago to undertake testing parttime in the winter while dairy farming. As well as being suppliers for Milkrite, Milk R Us tests milking equipment South Island-wide. Inge and Lars are flat out at this time of year, as farmers get their milking sheds ready for the busiest time. “We can check that your milking machine is running efficiently during the season with a simple onsite mini-test. It’s a good idea to minimise production downtime with regular testing,” Lars said.
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ADVERTISING FEATURE
15
Clean, green and sustainable John Morris – CEO Agrissentials NZ Ltd When it comes down to rugby, Ireland have always been a strong competitor, however their wins against the All Blacks, although memorable, are minimal. But don’t worry about that. Over the past ten years, Bora Bia, the Irish food board have introduced a new marketing brand, “Origin Green”. This brand is described as a verifiable commitment to sustainability throughout the entire supply chain, involving farmers, processes and suppliers, aimed at reducing the environmental foot print. So it looks like Ireland, have not only stolen a march on New Zealand, but also the rest of the world. New Zealand has always put forward our clean, green image brand, but that has been heavily tarnished over the years by overuse of chemicals, such as antibiotics, herbicides, insecticides, drenches and synthetic fertilisers, etc, which continues to keep us locked into commodity markets and low returns.
There is something critically wrong with New Zealand’s obsession with chemical production, especially in a time when consumers are calling out for safe, certified, nutritiously dense food produced in an eco friendly and sustainable manner. Ireland has stolen the march, but we can tackle them.
“
science is based on a “NPK theory” put forward by Justus Von Liebig in 1840. It is not science it is just a theory! Von Liebig declared his theory to be false and in the United States Department of Agriculture, year book, 1957, it states clearly that the NPK Balance sheet theory is false, so where is the science?
Farming is a natural system, not a chemical system
In a recent rural paper it was nice to see Landcorp moving towards certified organic production. I enjoyed Steven’s comments; “…that there are people sceptical about organics in terms of science, but you cannot dispute the substantial premium especially with Dairy”. Having been on the organic track for the past 30 years, there is a myriad of books and journals, written by doctors and professors expounding the science of the natural system. The chemical fertiliser
Farming is a natural system, not a chemical system. The natural system works together with mother nature, who provides all the free natural capital needed for farming, such as topsoil, micro organisms, sunlight, rain, atmospheric minerals, carbon as carbon dioxide, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, making up 97.5 per cent of the plants mineral up take, all for free. Plus bees and other pollinators, worms and manure recycled by animals, the list goes on.
Current agro chemical production is eroding this natural capital. We need to work with mother nature to restore this natural capital. Here at Agrissentials we are re-mineralising the top soil and regenerating new top soil through our fertilising programs. Our multi mineral, microbial rich fertilisers, not only do this, but bring health and vitality back to the soil, which transfers onto plants, animals and humans, dramatically reducing sickness and health problems. The United Nations, F.A.O. (Food and Agriculture Organisation), declared 2015 as the “International year of Soils”, they stated ”Soil is a finite resource, meaning its loss and degradation is not recoverable within a human life span!” Agrissentials dispute this and have recorded anecdotal evidence, using our own fertilisers on a BioGro certified farm, with 50mm top soil on a clay base, we witnessed over an eight-year period an increase in the top
soil of 250mm, (Ralph Littles Dairy Farm, Ruawai, NI). So bring it on! Organic farming is not only the future, but it is also the security and sustainability we need to continue enjoying our lives and our farming. The change from chemical production to natural certified production is very simple. All it entails is a change from synthetic, soluble fertilisers that are impacting on our environment, to Agrissentials multi-mineral, microbial rich fertilisers which enhance the environment. There is only one choice – Call us today on 0800 THE KEY for a FREE INFO PACK, that’s 0800 843 539 to find out how we can partner with you to find a better way of farming. Alternatively, you can contact one of our Best on Earth Fertiliser representatives: Murray Nichol (Central) on 027 655 4360. Ailsa Broughton (Southland) on 027 681 1100 and Darryn Graves (Mosgiel) on 027 288 0140 to grab your special today.
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Farming Dairy Focus
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ANIMAL HEALTH FEATURE
Good feed vital for spring calving Mid Canterbury-based dairy cattle feed specialists Enerpro deliver premium products at sharp prices to grow your herd from conception to the milking shed. Husband and wife team Noel and Nikki Dew spend much of their time on the road talking to customers and during their three years in business have developed a range of feed products designed to meet the seasonal needs of Canterbury farmers. Nikki says getting the right fuel into spring calving cows now is essential to lifting the poor in-calf rates prevalent in the district last season. When times are tough it’s easy to cut back on supplementary food, but the common denominator in high milk solid production and low
“ Husband and wife team Noel and Nikki Dew.
PHOTO SUPPLIED
empty rates is good feeding. “These cows have to run a marathon but they are not always getting the right feed to balance their diet,” Nikki said.
Getting the right fuel into spring calving cows now is essential to lifting the poor in-calf rates prevalent in the district last season.
“Pre calving and pre mating it’s really important to get the right feed into them. When you get the right stuff in you get the right stuff out”. At $275 a tonne the Enerpro Survival blend has been developed to get cows through the period they most require a high energy diet. Containing no more than 40 per cent PKE, the balance of the blend is corn-based dried distillers grain, soyabean hull and rolled barley.
Extra minerals and nutrients can be added for an additional $16 per tonne. “We are getting great feedback on that product,” Nikki said. Once the calves are on the ground giving them the best start in life also becomes a priority. Enerpro calf meal comes in two protein levels to achieve target weights quickly. Enerpro20 can be fed from day four following colostrumfeeding, in conjunction with
quality milk replacement while the Enerpro16 blend has been developed for feeding from four weeks. Both blends are manufactured with corn dried distillers grain, soya meal hulls and oil, soya meal, lime flour, salt, molasses, essential vitamins and minerals and Bovatec to help control coccidiosis. No PKE is used in the calf feed blends. Working in partnership with the team at Rural Transport has proved a winning combination for Enerpro. “We use Rural Transport to move our blended feed and the palm kernel – they are fantastic, they bend over backwards to get the job done at really great rates.”
In a market where survival is key we understand every cost saving is critical, so we’ve developed ENERPRO Survival Blend. ESB is an economically priced silo feed that provides an effective balance of protein and energy that will enhance and improve animal production and nutritional standards.
INGREDIENTS Corn Dried Distillers Grain, Soyabean Hulls, Rolled Barley, Palm Kernel Meal A full range of macro, micro, vitamins and minerals can be added to customise your blend and suit your feeding requirements.
ENERPRO Survival Feed Analysis Typical Analysis: Dry Matter 90% Protein 16.5% min Energy 12.2MJ/KgDM Startch 10% INGREDIENTS Ingredients for both Enerpro 20 and Enerpro 16 are selected from:
PHONE (03) 352 3792 | www.enerpro.co.nz
Wheat, Barley, Soyameal, Canola Meal, Corn DDGS, Soyabean Hulls, Lime Flour, Salt, Molasses, Soya Oil, Vitamins & Minerals, Bovatec No PKE is included in either Enerpro 20 or Enerpro 16. Both calf supplements contain essential Vitamins & Minerals along with Bovatec to help control Coccidiosis.
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Visit our website www.ruraltransport.co.nz
ENERPRO Calf Feed Analysis ENERPRO 20 Typical Analysis: Protein 20% min Energy 12.7MJ/KgDM Starch 24% NDF 25%
ENERPRO 16 Typical Analysis: Protein 16% min Energy 12.3MJ/KgDM Starch 20% NDF 35%
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ANIMAL HEALTH FEATURE
17
Colostrum gold for newborn calves 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.
Newborn calves should be fed 10 per cent of their bodyweight, for example 4kg for a 40kg calf, within the first six to 12 hours. It is most effective to give smaller feeds more frequently, for example, two feeds within the first 12 hours. Calves are born with a poorly developed immune system because the bovine placenta does not enable the transfer of antibodies, which are essential for immunity. Calves must instead absorb these large immunoglobulin molecules across their intestinal wall, from colostrum. The process, referred to as passive transfer, is most effective in the 24 hours after birth. Calves that fail to absorb sufficient quantities have suffered from Failure of Passive Transfer (FPT). FPT can result in increased mortality rates, disease and ill-thrift, including greater susceptibility to diarrhoea, respiratory disease, septicaemia and enteritis. It can lead to under development of the digestive tract leading to lower feed intake, hence reduced growth and milk production. The prevalence of FPT in calves has been reported as being up to 40 per cent worldwide.
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A study with 4000 dairy calves from nine different regions across New Zealand indicated that the average prevalence at various intervals during the spring calving period was 33 per cent. Prevalence ranged on-farm from five to 80 per cent. Continuing to feed colostrum to calves beyond the initial 24 hours may also have advantages, as
immunoglobulin can bind to infectious agents in the gut, limiting disease prevalence and severity. It is also a highly nutritious feed. Vaccinating herds three to six weeks before the planned start of calving with a product such as Rotavec or Scourguard will boost specific antibody levels in colostrum. Source: DairyNZ
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DRILLING AND RE-GRASSING FEATURE
Quality pastures for maximum prod Trudy Bensted
RURAL SALES CONSULTANT
The busy months are upon us, as the focus goes on calving and having quantity within pasture as opposed to quality. Having happy and healthy stock, and planning for any bad bouts of
weather, is first and foremost. But feed will also be at the forefront of dairy farmers’ minds as they aim to ensure their animals are well nourished in the months ahead. There is never a right way or a wrong way when it comes to feeding, rather it is finding a management style that suits your farm and cost structure. As farmers eye up their paddocks they will be giving consideration to winter crop and re-grassing. The low payout has made pasture-based production more attractive than ever.
Pasture deteriorates over time and re-grassing thus offers benefits to cows, in terms of palatability, higher ME, and higher milk solids. It also gives the potential for higher stocking rates. When selecting seeds for your pastures you need to have an eye for quality control, and have a plan in place. Seeds should come quality assured, and treated, to reduce the risk of losing newly-emerged seedlings to pests and disease. On-farm, seed should be stored in a cool, dry place and sown within one month of uplifting.
PASTURE REPLACEMENT STRATEGIES Cultivation – eliminates soil compaction, pest and weed control with good seed coverage, levels paddocks minimising ponding and leaching. Spray-drilling - existing pasture killed by herbicide then treated seed direct-drilled into uncultivated paddock. Quick to graze again, but pasture quality can be affected if you have not sought the best advice for your soil. Under-sowing direct-drilling – treated seed sowed into existing pasture. This
works well in a narrow time frame, when pasture has thinned out and before weed has ingressed. Use after extended dry conditions where large areas need to be sown, or after winter pugging damage. Over sowing - repairing smaller areas, for example after pugging damage, or to establish white clover in spring into renewal area where the land is too steep or stony for cultivation. Not recommended for improvement of lowland pastures due to high seeding mortality.
And when all the hard work is done, don’t forget to make sure there is secure fencing around all new pastures. Winter crop The rate of pasture renewal can be increased by including crops in your system. Integration of cropping must be planned, and viewed as a long-term process. The Foundation for Arable Research found in a study at its Waimate West Demonstration Farm that a dairy farm’s productivity will benefit from faster
exposure to new, more productive pasture species and cultivars. In the study, 10 per cent of the pasture system was replaced with forage crops. While it took two years for the cropping component of the farm to reach equilibrium and match the economic performance of the all-pasture farm, after five years the crops had improved the farm’s operating profit by about $1000 per hectare. Good crop agronomy was required to achieve maximum crop productivity.
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DRILLING AND RE-GRASSING FEATURE
Grazing control
duction
Grazing management during winter is about transferring autumn and winter-grown pasture into early spring to achieve target average pasture cover at calving, and meet the feed requirements of the milking herd. This is achieved by lengthening the rotation in late autumn and winter, beyond the time taken to grow three new leaves. Moist, cool conditions mean tiller death is low. Ryegrass is forgiving of stress, such as severe grazing, except where high soil moisture leads to pugging damage.
Poor management that will reduce persistence includes: • Pugging, which reduces tiller density. Consider standing cows off on races/feed pads. • Grazing at high stock density on wet soils. This reduces subsequent pasture production by up to 45 per cent the following year. • High farm covers in August. This leads to shading and loss of tiller density. The level of pasture cover at calving is very important. Too much feed will mean that pasture is wasted and growth may be reduced. If there is insufficient pasture, the cows will be
TC LOVETT WINDROWING WINDROWING
21
N
! W E
underfed and pasture growth reduced. Cows typically graze for eight to 10 hours per day, consuming approximately 2kg of dry matter per hour. Cows can adapt their grazing behaviour relatively quickly and increase the efficiency with which they graze. Research data indicates that when cows are offered two four-hour bouts on pasture, they consume approximately 90 per cent of what they would eat when on the pasture for 22 hours. This is a good rule of thumb when using on-off grazing principles. The better the quality of the pasture available, the more energy that the cow can eat during a grazing bout. The cow grazes pasture in successive layers from the top to the bottom of the sward. Stem and dead material act as a barrier to grazing, reducing bite size, biting rate, eating time and daily intake. Grazing at the two-and-a-half to three-leaf stage with pre-grazing yields less than 3500kg of dry matter per hectare. And targeting consistent residuals to maximise leaf material will ensure there is good quality pasture available for the dairy cow throughout the season. Source: DairyNZ
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Farming Dairy Focus
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DRILLING AND RE-GRASSING FEATURE
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Better results with biological farming While farming in the present economic environment has its problems, it is an exciting time for those involved in biological agriculture, a resilient and sustainable farming system that is not only economically viable during low commodity prices but also achieves all the environmental goals. BY DON HART – TOP SOILS This is not an attempt to tell you how to farm, but to tell you what can be achieved by changing your farming fertility system. Traditional fertiliser practices and excessive nitrogen applications are failing farmers in times of low commodity prices and, in many cases are the reason that farmers find themselves both economically and environmentally unsustainable. The efficiency of applied N is generally less than 50 per cent due to losses from leaching, volatilisation and denitrification. These inefficiencies costs farmers a lot of money as well as contributing to environment as issues. Which seems extraordinary really, when there is a proven clover-based pastoral production system that would supply most of the nitrogen required. But the fertiliser and management systems that are still being
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used are counterproductive to achieving this goal and it is under preforming and negating financial benefits to the grower. Why? You cannot solve the problems of today with the same thinking that created them in the first place – Albert Einstein. The phrase used heavily in the media and science circles, is that everything should be “science-based” and they suggest that if you are not promoting “science-based” agriculture production systems, anything else is side-lined to the realm of pseudoscience. New farming information and science from the last decade that wasn’t available 40-50 years ago, about soil biology and the microbial life in the soil is not recognised, understood or practised, and in many cases the same recommendations from the fertiliser industry and advisers still exist, that is failing farmers. Farmers want only what’s true and works.
To o s “
Researchers found that planting diverse cover crops, between cash crop resulted in that the availability of essential minerals and trace elements increased.
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Traditional fertiliser practices and excessive nitrogen applications are failing farmers in times of low commodity prices and in many cases the reason that farmers find themselves both economically and environmentally unsustainable
Diversity drives soil health Whilst having worms in soil and organic matter is an indicator of biological activity, the soil will never reach its full potential in its ability to support higher microbial populations and will never become sustainable
as long as high rates of synthetic fertilisers are used, along with mono plant species. A diverse multi species pasture or cover crop, above the ground, produces a diverse range of microorganisms below the ground.
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DRILLING AND RE-GRASSING FEATURE
23
systems
A diverse multi- species pasture recently tested at Dairy One Laboratory in New York demonstrated an increase of in the levels of Lysine by 30 per cent and Methionine by 29.5 per cent, both essential amino acids, (the building blocks of proteins) and a 33 per cent decrease in NDF as compared to a typical dairy pasture. This is responsible for increased milk production.
better yields than using synthetic fertilisers, and that wasn’t all, soils tests showed
Healthy soils require balanced soil chemistry, balanced plant nutrition that supports healthy, diverse populations of soil microbes and once the health of the microbial communities improves, legumes and biology will produce biological nitrogen and sequester the minerals required for higher production without the need of additional fertilisers. The real aim is to have a system in place to create an environment that stimulates and builds up the numbers of the existing microbes in the soil. Most of the traditional farming methods and former best practices in fertilisers and management are doing the opposite in many cases.
Doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result. Albert Einstein (definition of insanity). Researchers found that planting diverse cover crops between cash crops resulted in better yields than using synthetic fertilisers and that wasn’t all, soils tests showed that the availability of essential minerals and trace elements increased. Essentially, biological farming is an attempt to increase the health of plants by improving the health of the soil. It all begins with photosynthesis and a farming management system, to produce carbon and enhance the life and function of the soil, to allow the
5% ORGANIC MATTER
25% AIR
45% MINERALS
25% WATER
An ideal soil has 5 per cent organic matter, 45 per cent minerals, 25 per cent air and 25 per cent water.
soil to live. An idea textbook soil has five per cent organic matter, 45 per cent minerals, 25 per cent air and 25 percent water. The Kinsey-Albrecht system of soil fertility achieves this balance by utilising soil chemistry (mineral nutrients) to affect the physics (structure) to build a home and this determines the environment for biology (micro-organisms). This is an essential part of the biological farming system, managing air and water, creating an environment where the micro and macro organisms can flourish to mineralise and sequester soil nutrients. Important it’s not the fertiliser
that feeds the plant, it is the soil that feeds the plant. We all are familiar with rhizobium bacteria and their relationship with legumes, we need to understand a new term BNF (Biological N Fixation) with free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Once the biological soil function is restored, eg, (natural N-fixation and P-solubilisation) then a reduction of applied fertilisers over time is all that’s required to maintain production, because the biology is mineralising the required nutrients. The end result substantial, economic, environmental and sustainable benefits. Growing top soils is a biological process.
SOIL HEALTH IS THE KEY we focus on balancing soil nutrients and on soil health
It's the unifying principle behind our work:
For the growers we support, healthy soils lead to
Every product, every step is designed to build healthy, life sustaining soils.
higher prots
Healthy soils support stronger more resilient plants produce higher yields produce more nutritious food and forage We welcome enquiries
Building soil health is the only way to consistently,
TopFarming
Don Hart 027 432 0187 Biological Farming & Soil Fertility Consultant Lydia Gundry 027 698 9907 B.Sc Plant Science & Horticulture
To o s
sustainably, increase yields and resilience
through
TOTAL SOIL FERTILITY SOLUTIONS
Charlies Takeaways A Division of Robsons Canterbury
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