Guardian Farming | June 2019 by Ashburton Guardian

Farming GUARDIAN

June, 2019

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What the hot air is all about By Linda Clarke

There are a lot of experts around. PAGES 6-9 These are people who claim to know a lot about their given field of interest. CENTURY FARM AWARDS Some have studied at recognised universities and other institutions and others have spent hours on the internet, arming themselves with comments from obscure websites and social media. Some have learned through their experiences. There are a lot of experts PAGES 18 when it comes to science and climate change, so it is essential to get some balance CARBON EMISSION MATHS in the debate. Farmers are being asked to improve their businesses so agriculture releases fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and adopting technology is one way to do that. Technology has helped genetically-engineer grasses but our farmers can’t plant PAGE 35 it because of this country’s stance on genetically modified organisms. PHENOMENAL FODDERBEET Are our farmers rewarded

for that stance with premium prices when their crops go to the market? And there are vaccines being developed for livestock that can reduce methane burps and farts. How often will these need to be administered and how

much will they cost? There is work going on to help farmers tweak what are already pretty sustainable operations. But all this needs to be kept in perspective with what the majority of non-farmers are doing: Nothing.

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I bet most city folk are not that worried about food waste, or driving to work, or shooting off to Melbourne for the weekend on a polluting airplane. Several of our columnists in this edition talk about the impact of greenhouse gases and who contributes. The answer is, we all do. And we all need to modify our behaviour. Government’s proposed Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill is a chance for farmers to speak up about the potential implication of the legislation and what it means for them and the communities they serve. DairyNZ is encouraging farmers to get involved at the Select Committee stage and make a submission. They’ve even suggested to Parliament that the committee travels to the main agricultural centres to hear what we have to say. Farmers and rural communities need to be loud.

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New Feds leader embraces change Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers new president David Clark says farmers have become political whipping boys and he wants that to stop on his watch. Clark says farmers are not the environmental vandals they are politically made out to be and agriculture needs to make sure its story is heard loud and clear. The Valetta farmer comes to the top job unafraid of speaking out, in person and on social media. He also writes about the New Zealand farming scene for a UK farming newspaper. Clark and wife Jayne run an arable property near the south branch of the Ashburton River and Clark has been active on the Feds scene since 2005, holding arable section roles locally and nationally. He says he has big shoes to fill, following Mike Salvesen into the job. “It is a bit daunting, the importance of the role, but it is an opportunity to give back to an industry that I love.”

Linda Clarke

RURAL REPORTER

Clark moved down from Auckland 25 years ago, where his parents were dairy farmers. They all came down seeking opportunity to grow and develop – they have flourished here. He says Mid Canterbury has changed vastly in that time, thanks to irrigation and the district economy is reliant on the primary industry, but presented opportunities for both rural and town folk. Clark points out Ashburton’s full employment, its urban facilities like the Ashburton Heritage Centre and Art Gallery and the EA Networks Sports Centre. Young professional people are returning by choice to the town they grew up in. Continued on page 4

David and Jayne Clark are positive about farming and say the district has offered them many opportunities.

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From page 3 “A lot of that is on the back of primary production in Mid Canterbury and that is on the back of irrigation.” The Clarks’ own farm 25 years ago was a run-down dryland sheep farm. It has been redeveloped twice since then, first with rotorainers and then centre pivots and laterals installed in 2010. “We grow cereal crops, herbage seeds, vegetable seeds and run 1000 breeding ewes. Last year we finished 10,000 lambs.” Embracing technology and being prepared to change has been a central theme in their lives. “We are very self-contained and do everything ourselves.” Clark’s parents, Terry and Pam, still take an active interest in the farm and the family, with Jayne and David’s three boys, enjoy farm life. He said Mid Canterbury farmers were under massive pressure on several fronts currently. “We have mycoplasma bovis, which up until now, was a shambles by MPI, even though I agree with the decision to eradicate.” He said Federated Farmers locally was working hard to

Valetta farmer David Clark in a field of carrot seed earlier this year.

PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

bring about improvements in the way MPI was dealing with farmers at a stressful time.

Forecast changes in the national policy statement for fresh water and its impact

on the Canterbury Land and Water Plan were also a cause for concern for farmers, who were already improving their operations to reduce the amount of nitrates that could leach into waterways and using water more efficiently. These anticipated changes would bring more angst to farmers who felt like the environmental goal posts were continually moving, he said. He called climate change rules with an emphasis on zero carbon “a nonsense” with a political agenda. “If we penalise New Zealand farmers, who will have to reduce stock numbers or grow less intensively, then we will just be moving production to less efficient producers elsewhere in the world.” It’s not that Clark doesn’t believe the climate is changing. He says the science is there, along with conflicting reports on what New Zealand should do about it. “Farmers are being used as whipping boys at the moment for political reasons and it is incessant. We are being portrayed as environmental vandals to keep eyes away from other places. I can swim in the

river by my farm, but not in the Avon in Christchurch. Why does that person who lives next to the Avon get to accuse me of being the environmental vandal? “Everyone has an interest in this planet. Everyone needs to take responsibility for their impact on it. “What we need is to have a balanced debate.” He said New Zealand farmers were already at the leading edge of the industry with systems that were sustainable. On a trip to the international herbage conference in Oregon recently, he had also seen the environmental impact of continuously growing nuts, rice and tomatoes in naturally dry valleys. By contrast, New Zealand arable farmers grew crops in rotation and used livestock as part of a holistic system. “It is my belief our sustainability, our agronomy and our use of technology is as good as anyone in the world. Can we do better? Absolutely we can and that is what we are doing. “We have to tell our story better about what we do in New Zealand.”

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Out-takes from Oregon conference By David Clark Our plan was to stuff as much into 16 days as we possibly could! We saw all four sides of Oregon and much of Northern California. During the conference we travelled 544km by bus, a further 1824km by bus on the post conference tour to Central and Eastern Oregon and then Jayne and I covered 1848km in our rental car and cycled the Golden Gate bridge. A lot of things made an impression on me, firstly while we went to very smart farming businesses, our farmers here in New Zealand are at the leading edge globally in agronomy and sustainability. In a crop production system, it is our mixed rotations, inversion tillage and livestock in the arable system that thus far has protected us from the difficulties facing farmers in a mono-crop system, whether that be continuous grass seed production in Oregon with their problems with grass weeds or continuous wheat production in the UK and their battle with

New Zealand seed growers, seed companies and researchers at the International Herbage Seed Group conference in Oregon last month.

Black Grass in their Min-Till system. Our arable system is the envy of the world. Much is said about the environmental impact of the dairy sector in NZ and many suggest that a plant-based production system or diet has less impact. Some would say that somehow artificially synthesising plant protein into a meat type product is the future of food. We toured the Sacramento Valley and saw large scale almond, soya and rice production. There was

nothing natural or sustainable about this production system. Almonds are entirely reliant on irrigation to grow in what is an arid landscape, as are rice, tomato, soya and every other crop totally reliant on the irrigation supplied by the Sacramento River Catchment. In the Sacramento Valley we stood in the morning under a blue sky, blue from one horizon to the other. By afternoon a haze had developed, caused by the criss-crossing of aeroplane vapour trails.

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We drove down motorways with thousands upon thousands of cars on them, and everywhere we went we generated waste, we ate on plastic plates with plastic knives and forks, drank from plastic cups and ate food packaged in plastic. Our last hotel in San Fran had a series of bins in the Breakfast area, marked COMPOST, RECYCLING, TRASH. While I was trying to split my waste into the various bins, folk just threw their breakfast waste into

whichever was closest. They simply couldn’t give a toss. As we walked down the footpath we stepped around Homeless folk everywhere we went. Not young druggies, no, people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s. Heartbreaking. We beat each other up way too much in NZ, sure we can always do better, but on balance, we don’t know how lucky we are. The modern urban existence is entirely dependent on fossil fuels for energy. That existence is built around consumption and that consumption is fuelled by burning fossil fuels. Taxing our sheep will not do anything but divert attention to the real problems and soothe the conscious of the liberal urban elite. I heard a great line from one of the academics at the conference ... “I majored in environmental sciences because I wanted to save the planet, once I graduated I realised that if I worked as an agricultural scientist I could actually make a difference.”

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Long-time farmers celebrated The future of farming is in good hands, says Methven farmer Phil McKendry. The McKendrys were one of three Mid Canterbury farming families honoured recently at the New Zealand Century Farm and Stations Awards for their love and stewardship of the land over 100 years. A total of 40 families from around the country were celebrated at a special gathering in Lawrence. McKendry and three generations of his wider family were among the 270 people who attended and he said the occasion was very much about family, sustainability and stewardship of the land over 100 years. McKendry said he felt positive about farming’s future. “You realise there are a lot of very capable and intelligent and committed people on farms all around New Zealand. You feel pretty good about being part of that.” The awards helped record a much wider part of New

JH and Kathleen McKendry building the homestead at Farnmcallan.

Zealand history, he said. “There was also acknowledgement of the strong women that were an important part of these families.” The awards were presented by local MP Mark Patterson, who acknowledged the families’ resilience, innovation and hard work.

Families were formally presented with a distinctive bronze plaque and certificate to display on their properties. The awards’ purpose is to capture and preserve family history which might otherwise be lost through the generations. Families submit narratives of their farm history,

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together with copies of related photographs and supporting documents which are then archived at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, ensuring all records are kept in perpetuity. Applications are now open for the 2019 year and any families that have owned their

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McKendrys are farming leaders Located 10km east of Methven, Farnmacallan has been farmed by the McKendry family since 1900. The farm is named after Farrenmacallan Road at Torr Head, Northern Ireland. This was the home that Denis McKendry and his brothers left in the 1870s, bound for New Zealand. Denis had already been farming in the Lyndhurst district, near Methven, for some 27 years before purchasing the highly regarded Kolmar property at Lyndhurst in 1900. There, he and his wife Margaret raised a large family, all of whom were actively involved in the extensive cereal and livestock production typical at the time on the drought-prone Canterbury Plains. Upon returning from RAF service in World War One, their son John Henry (JH), with his new wife Kathleen, built a home at Farnmacallan, a 452 acre portion of the family’s large Kolmar farm. Although Denis sold his property holdings, JH and

THE McKendry farming family of Methven.

Kathleen retained ownership of Farnmacallan, remaining there through the Great Depression and World War Two. In the late 1950s the farm was sold to their son Jack and his wife Kathryn. While

was able to be irrigated, due to the development of the Barrhill Chertsey Irrigation scheme. This scheme was first championed by Jack in the 1970s and son Philip was the founding chair of BCI, which has grown to irrigate more than 20,000ha of land in Mid Canterbury. Consequently, recent years have seen substantial growth in the farm’s crop diversity and productivity – it is now 100 per cent arable complemented by a livestock finishing enterprise. Farnmacallan has supported five generations of McKendrys, and in turn each generation has contributed back to the wider community in a variety of ways – including war service, Justice of the Peace, school and health boards, and co-operative business directorships. A regular sept at the nearby Lyndhurst Reserve continues to be an occasion for the McKendry families to acknowledge the lives and contributions of their Farnmacallan forebears.

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crossbred wool and prime lamb production remained a core farm enterprise, specialist seed production developed and grain production intensified. Jack and Kathryn sold the farm to their son Philip and his wife Judith in 1992. Philip

and Judith still farm there today and have raised their three children there, the fifth generation of McKendrys on this land. In 2009, nearly 11 decades after first farming at Farnmacallan, the property

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Gallaghers keep diversifying On April 9, 1871, Robert and Elizabeth Gallagher arrived from County Tyrone, Ireland, on the ship Zealandia. They settled at Brookside and had five surviving children. The family moved to the Mayfield area around 1887 and 10 years later their son, Isaiah married Florence Emmaline Bean. They had eight children. In 1899, Isaiah and his brother, William Glassey (known as WG) formed Gallagher Brothers partnership and purchased and leased various farms around Mid Canterbury. In 1917, the partnership purchased 849 acres of the original Valetta Run, with 421 acres of this land then being purchased by Isaiah and named Grassmere. The Valetta Run comprised of 9228 acres in total, and a large portion of the land was in virgin state with very little cropping done. Gallagher Brothers also purchased 2215 acres of land at Clearwater, up the South Ashburton gorge, and farmed it for 10 years.

The Gallagher family are fifth generation farmers in Ashburton.

William married his neighbour Elizabeth Lamb in 1924 and they had three children. In 1945, William purchased the 421 acres from his father, Isaiah. In 1952, William’s eldest son, Allan married Shirley Jaine and they lived in a new house, which they named Bentower. They had three sons, Struan, Grant

and Philip. Allan took over Grassmere in 1966 and farmed it alongside Bentower, running Romney sheep and growing mixed crops; mainly wheat, barley and peas. In 1983, Grant married Tessa Hayward and they raised three children, Jasmine, Dean and Garth. Grant purchased Grassmere in 1984, renaming it Antrim

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and then farmed Bentower and Antrim in partnership with Allan and Philip for three years. In 1987, Antrim was then carrying about 1800 stock units, mainly sheep, but diversified into deer – raising stags for their velvet and venison, and breeding hinds for replacements. From the mid-1980s, no

plough has been used on the farm, with a move to minimum, then vertical tillage. Mechanical stone picking replaced manual in the 2000s, de-stoning the entire farm, making cultivation more sustainable, with better soil structure and moisture retention. Extensive planting of trees and shelter belts was also undertaken and over the 100 years, various small forestry blocks were milled. In 2004, the family partially diversified again into dairy support, winter grazing of cows on kale, barley straw and grass baleage. Fattening of summer and winter store lambs and growing feed barley has complemented this. Antrim Apiaries is the latest diversification. In 2015, groundwater irrigation through a hard hose gun was commenced on 40ha of the farm’s better soils, giving further drought insurance. Jasmine, Dean and Garth are now the fifth generation of Gallaghers on the farm.

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Oakleys have seen many changes Alfred and Charlotte Oakley emigrated from Strumpshaw, Norfolk, arriving in Lyttelton in 1859. They first settled in Riccarton and subsequently moved out to Brookside, where they lived for many years. Their second son, Robert worked as a ploughman, contracting in the Dunsandel area. In the early 1870s he bought his first land at Overdale, 4km south of Rakaia township. Over the next 25 years Robert and his wife Margaret added to their holdings. At one stage they farmed 1175 hectares, running sheep and cropping grain. Hatfield (173ha), west of the main railway line and State Highway One from Overdale, was purchased in 1903. The farm is made up of fertile Templeton and Halkett soil types and a comment from the early days was that the land grew very good red clover. One of Robert’s sons, Lisle

The Oakley family have faced many changes in their farming guardianship since 1903.

married Marie and they farmed Hatfield from the late 1920s, running sheep and growing crops such as wheat, oats, ryegrass for seed and brassicas. Lisle died in 1959 and Marie and her son, Edward

carried on the farm until Edward took on ownership at the age of 25 in 1965. Edward married Bronwyn in 1972 and they retain ownership today. Additional land was purchased from the 1970s on,

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making a total area of 263ha. Stock carried in the early years numbered up to 1000 Corriedale ewes. Some of the land purchased was deer fenced and there were weaner stags running in those paddocks.

In the 1990s the farm changed to dryland cropping of wheat, barley, ryegrass, white clover, peas, in fact anything that looked profitable. Water consents were approved in 2006. In 2008, 88ha west of Thompsons Track plus a water consent was sold. At about this time, Bakker Bulbs expressed interest in leasing Hatfield as the land was ideal for bulb growing. Irrigation was installed, essential for lilies – the lease has now run for eight years. The family remembers the good things – the people and businesses dealt with, great dogs and the security that irrigation has brought. The not-so-good things have been the destruction from the 1975 windstorms, some very wet lambing storms and waiting for rain. The changes the family have faced in their time farming could not have been envisaged. The future will be no different.

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Carbon farming could work for mar Some marginal hill country land in Mid Canterbury could be converted to carbon farming but trees are unlikely to replace cows or crops on productive flat land.

Linda Clarke

RURAL REPORTER

That was one of the take-home messages of a carbon farming seminar in Ashburton last month. The event was put on by the Canterbury Mayoral Forum as part of their drive to explore different economic opportunities for the regional. Ashburton District Council Mayor Donna Favel said carbon farming wouldn’t be for everyone, but it was an option and one that intersected with the forum’s goals of long-term sustainability. She said increasing carbon storage could help the district increase the value and revenue of farming with few changes. The mayoral forum has a 20year plan to balance regional development against economic, social and cultural values and sustainability was one of the

challenges. Around 100 people at the seminar, which attracted a cross-section of industry

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ginal hill country land About 100 farmers and interested people attended a carbon farming seminar in Ashburton recently. ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

come from agriculture. An increase in dairy cows means that dairy makes up 51 per cent of those emissions; a 650 per cent increase in the use of N fertiliser since the 1990s is also to blame. Wreford’s view is that New Zealand farmers are

“ Bill and farmers are being urged to provide feedback, as 48 per cent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions

for its ability to store carbon (currently it is not). Government has recently introduced a Zero Carbon

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tonne was being achieved. He said grow and mow crops of radiata pine and eucalypts would help meet the Government’s zero carbon targets by 2050, slow-growing natives would not. The trees store carbon in their roots and trunks.

selling carbon in 2011 after buying the station, which had 520ha in trees. He had bought another property close by and planted 130ha in trees. “It is not for everyone, but it is for me. I think it has a great future but it is a right tree in the right place on marginal land.” Simon Osborne described himself as an experimental farmer at Doyleston. He has been improving his soil biologically through no till and no chemical practices. He says soil also has the capacity to store carbon. Farmers nationally have been concerned about good sheep and beef land being sold to forestry interests in the Wairarapa, where 12 farms have changed hands. They say foreign companies can buy the land and plant trees to offset the carbon emissions of other corporates. One of the seminar organisers, Sarah O’Connell, said if farmers didn’t reduce their greenhouse gas emissions alongside other industries, they would end up picking up the tab for all.

It is not for everyone, but it is for me. I think it has a great future but it is a right tree in the right place on marginal land

already efficient and have good production levels – their practices just need to be tweaked. New technology and harsh constraints were other options to reduce agriculture’s share. There is work on developing a vaccine for stock that will help reduce methane emissions, along with feed additives to improve digestion. Forestry expert Mark Belton has been brokering carbon sales for 15 years and said $30/

Belton said it was wrong to encourage forests on cropping and feed production land and the return would not be economically viable. But it was possible on marginal hill country land. He said landowners were in the box seat as they could sell land, lease it, plant trees or find a business partner to plant trees. Warwick James owns Flagpole Station in the Selwyn Gorge and said he began

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A dry winter would be a worry Tony Davoren

HYDRO SERVICES

Just as I decide on a theme for an article this month after a beautiful spell of weather – it rains! A relatively dry autumn always gets me thinking about the next irrigation season and the need to get some storage into the groundwater system. Can’t take credit for the rainfall today but it is very welcome. As we came toward the end of May my mind turns to the next irrigation season. Paranoia you ask? Sort of, but with a relatively dry autumn and winter just around the corner it is hard not to think of what needs to be done in preparation for September (potentially). There is regular maintenance of irrigators, bores and pumps, and plenty

of other little tasks. I think of the resource we utilise throughout Canterbury, especially groundwater. Taking a look at the observation bore L37/0022 in Mid Canterbury water level has recovered a little since irrigation “stopped” in early autumn. To date much of the recovery in water level has been the effect of everyone turning off – probably all the arable farmers in late February-March and then pasture irrigation later in April. Water levels did reach that point when some significant recharge was going to be

required before the next irrigation season. While we’ve been there before and water levels (and therefore reliable supply) have come right – the thought of a below average rainfall winter is always and should be a concern. How did we get there? It is a combination of insufficient rainfall recharge over last winter and irrigation abstraction. To date this year there has only been one month (April) when there has been above average rainfall. The 90mm for the month will have resulted in some recharge from irrigated

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land, there will have been zero recharge from dryland areas because the soil moisture deficit would have been much greater than 90mm. But just as I decided what to write about this month – wham it rains and in “buckets”. As of 9am this morning (June 1) a reliable source of rainfall in Mid Canterbury reported to me 65mm and still counting! Perfect I say – this will result in a decent recharge event. Imagine how much water could end up in the groundwater from the 186,500 odd hectares of groundwater

zones between Rangitata and Rakaia Rivers if say 40mm was to end up as recharge – a staggering 74.6 Mm3. Now that would give us a real boost to groundwater for the next irrigation season – and that would be just a start and allay some of my concerns that prompted this article. 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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Early lambs make roadside attraction Sheep on one Ashburton lifestyle block are not waiting for spring to have their lambs. In fact, they are not even waiting for winter. A dozen ewes on Graham Matthews’ property have already given birth and have eight twins and four singles to show for their efforts. Matthews runs 80 wiltshire poll dorset cross ewes, timed for lambing in early June, but he was happy to see the lambs beginning to arrive last month. He believed a good mating season at the end of December with good pasture growth had set the scene for the earlier-than-usual season. Matthews enjoys winter lambing, as it ties in well with the seasons on the dryland block. As well as pasture, he feeds out lucerne hay, baleage and sheep nuts. Matthews has a long history of sheep farming behind him, having acquired his first flock at the age of 14. “Dad let me have a paddock and I bought 100 ewes of my own,” he said. Today, aged 83, he said

Susan Sandys

SENIOR REPORTER

the main thing he had learned was that it was most important for newborns to get their first drink of colostrum. Matthews worked as a shearer in his younger years, saving enough to buy his own property, graduating to having as many as 5000 sheep at Waimate. He and wife Yvonne moved to Ashburton about 20 years ago, where going out to the lifestyle block remains the most enjoyable part of Matthews’ day. “They are more intelligent than what people think,” he said of sheep. Last year 105 lambs from his winter lambing averaged $169 each at the Coalgate saleyards in late October and his top lamb in mid-October

Graham Matthews with one of his new autumn lambs.

weighed an impressive 27.4 kilograms at the butcher’s. Matthews believes there is a good future in sheep. “The sheep market looks fairly promising, the last two years have been quite good years and this year looks

pretty good,” Matthews said. Good autumn growth is also encouraging other farmers in the district to take on more sheep. Wakanui farmer David Bennett said he had 25 per cent more sheep than usual

ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

at this time of the year, when he was usually managing feed carefully. Feed measurements after great growing conditions in April and May had encouraged him to take on more stock.

Farming

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Time for a freshwater emergency? A recent report on the water quality of the lakes and streams in the Ashburton Lakes basin is sobering reading. Most of the lakes monitored do not meet the current Land and Water Regional Plan’s freshwater outcomes for lakes. Lakes are often problematic because most of them are not flushed out by fresh water. Rivers on the other hand usually have fresh water coming in and an outflow, which can dilute and remove nutrients. When nutrients are fed into lakes from the surrounding catchment, most of them stay there, and levels of them build up over time. Eutrophication is the term describing an increase in the nutrient load. The trend of the Ashburton Lakes studied is for increasing eutrophication. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the nutrients of concern. Algal growth occurs when both of these nutrients are occur, and sunlight is also needed. Water clarity is the

Mary Ralston

FOREST AND BIRD

indicator of algal growth; if the water is clear, there is no or little algal growth but if the water is turbid or murky, there is a “nutrient load” shown by considerable algal biomass. Once a lake is turbid, it is very hard to reverse because those nutrients are trapped there and there is no way to flush them out. The report shows that several of the lakes have already degraded from clear to turbid systems (lakes Denny, Emma and Roundabout) and others are trending towards this turbid state (lakes Camp, Clearwater, Front Maori Lake, Heron and Emily). Lake Emma demonstrates the lack of reversibility in

A field of green amongst native vegetation in the Ashburton Lakes catchment. PHOTO SUPPLIED

nutrient load and poor water quality despite changes to surrounding land management. The lake became turbid in the early 2000s and even though the land changed to Department of Conservation ownership to reduce nutrient flow into the catchment (removal of stock and fertiliser), the degraded state of the lake has not reversed. The trend towards a turbid state in the other lakes has occurred during a time of huge land-use change in the catchment of the Ashburton Lakes.

Paddocks of green now dominate the basin rather than the brown of tussocks and other native plants. Was this deteriorating water trend predictable? It would seem so as the science of water quality has been well understood for a long time. Poor tenure review outcomes have contributed – a lot of the land recently developed was freeholded under tenure review – a process which removed many of the restrictions on land development that were

previously in place. Environment Minister David Parker says that regional councils have failed to do enough to protect the country’s water quality. “Regional councils have had full authority [to look after waterways] since the RMA was passed in 1991,” Parker said. “They were meant to do these things on our behalf and they haven’t. Central government dropped the ball in not responding to this failure early enough.” Perhaps we need to declare a freshwater quality crisis as well as a climate crisis. We need all involved (farmers, land managers, all levels of government) to take heed of the science and respond accordingly. There’s no time to waste. 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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Farming

Capsules offer parasite control option

Richard Sides.

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Sheep farmers are stepping into another farming year with strong prospects of continuing good returns, and the opportunities to build on flock performance and health are greater than ever. Richard Sides, veterinary technical advisor with animal health company Boehringer Ingelheim says the start of the new farming year is a good time to re-assess flock parasite management, and getting selective about treatments with flocks can help make the most from already promising returns. One of the most frequently debated tools available for parasite control is the long acting anthelmintic capsule. A recent research study on the use of long acting capsules conducted by Massey University associate professor in sheep and cattle production Anne Ridler was released in the New Zealand Veterinary Journal earlier this year. The research has revealed the success that can accompany selective use of long acting capsules in younger sheep. Professor Ridler’s research studied the production responses of long acting pre-lamb capsule treatment in two flocks of commercially run hoggets. The benefit of the treatment was determined by measuring weight gains made in ewes, and final weaning weights of their lambs. The results of the research showed that in the flock where an economic analysis was done there was a definite cost: benefit advantage in using the capsules. The treated ewes in both flocks recorded both a higher lamb weight at weaning, and higher ewe weight at weaning. In the flock where the further measures were done the treated hoggets went on to extend their weight-gain advantage going into the following tupping. The extra lamb weights were two-

PHOTO SUPPLIED

fold. They came directly in the current season, and in the likely extra lambs coming from the heavier 2-tooth tupping weights leading to higher lambing percentage in the following season. These were added together where they equated to a gross extra return of $13.29 per ewe. Allowing for a capsule cost of $3.85, the net return of $9.44 per treated ewe represents a significant economic gain. Richard Sides said the capsule research was encouraging news for farmers looking at all the tools in their tool box to manage parasites. “What the study highlights is that with care and selection there is a place for capsule use. “As a class of sheep more vulnerable to parasite impact, hoggets are ideal to target in combination with some management practices that should assist in mitigating resistance issues.” Taking faecal egg counts prior to treatment can also indicate the level of infestation. This allows a rational assessment of the parasite challenge the animals are likely to face, along with the amount of parasite contamination they may contribute to the paddocks over the spring. “And egg counts done post treatment will also help ensure there has been no egg leakage post-treatment, confirming that the desired effects are achieved.” Wrapped around good management practices is a consulted worm control programme with the farmer’s veterinarian. “Smart planning and management means the drench options we have before us can remain sustainable for years ahead, and a targeted approach to drench type and active working alongside your vet can achieve this.” Advertising feature

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KEEPING WARM

Winter warning from firefighters After battling a series of house fires over the past month, Mid Canterbury firefighters are reminding everyone about fire safety over winter so they don’t end up at your house. Fire risk management officer Bevan Findlay said a house fire was something that could happen to anyone but taking a few small steps could reduce the risk. People think it won’t happen to them, but it does, he said. “There are simple steps to help reduce that chance it could be you.” The heat has been on habits with candles after a house was destroyed in Chertsey; that fire was believed to be caused by a candle. Another small structure fire was caused by a candle. “Anything that is a legitimate fire people need to remember not to keep anything that could catch fire too close to it,” he said. Fireplaces are another source of fire that fall under that message and it is believed to be the cause of a fire that

Take care staying warm this winter, say firefighters. PHOTO ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

razed a house in the Hatfield area recently. “A lot of people want to go out and come home to a warm house but you only need to be out for a few minutes for things to go wrong,” he said. “Don’t leave fires unattended.” FIRE TIPS Remember the “heater meter rule” – always keep at least a metre from the heater or fireplace to anything flammable (furniture, curtains, clothes, and children).

Phone: 0508 03 1990 | 73 Burnett St Ashburton

Don’t put or store anything on top of a heater or fireplace. Never cover them. Never overload clothes dryers and clean the lint filter every time you use it. Clean chimneys and flues before your first fire of the season. Ashes can take up to five days to cool – always empty woodburner ashes and ashtrays into a metal bin and pour water over them before disposal. Make sure your fireplace is out before going to sleep.

If an electric blanket is showing any signs of wear, get it checked by an electrician or replaced. Electric blankets should be replaced every five years. Always make sure the electric blanket is switched off before getting into bed. Never stick sharp objects into electric blankets (e.g. pin it to the bed) and never tuck it under the mattress. If you need to clean an electric blanket, sponge it lightly and air-dry on a flat surface; don’t put it in a washing machine or tumble dryer. When putting an electric blanket away, roll it, don’t fold it. LPG heaters: make sure the ceramic heating element is in place and not broken or chipped and that the element guard is in place. Check to see that the gas hose is in good condition and doesn’t show any signs of damage. If it doesn’t light straight away, turn it off, wait a while, then try again – don’t let the gas build up before trying to

light it again. Always have fresh air coming into a room where a gas heater is in use. Get it serviced every year. Other general fire safety messages that are appropriate: Don’t overload power points and multi-boxes – in general, my recommendation is that if it generates heat, it should be in its own socket not in a multi-box. Never smoke in bed, and ensure all cigarettes are stubbed out in an appropriate solid ashtray. Make sure candles are stable, on a wide, flat base, and not near anything that could catch fire. Candles in glass containers shouldn’t be left to burn right to the bottom. Never leave a burning candle in an unattended room – blow it out before you leave the room, even for a moment. Test your smoke alarms and have a long-life photoelectric alarm in every bedroom, hallway, and living area (but not kitchens, bathrooms, or the laundry).

Farming

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Global warming – who is to blame? I am sick to death of hearing in the media, especially in newspapers and on TV, of how farmers are the cause of global warming and how they are going to cause the end of the world as we know it! So I thought I would look up a few figures from the internet and see just what percentage of the blame should be placed on farming compared to say, tourism as an amount of CO2 emissions compared to income earned. These are the results as per Myclimate website: Total international visitors last year were 3,820,000 to March 2018. I calculated that for ease of working they all came from Beijing to Auckland return flight. The amount of C02 per person was as follows: Economy Class: 4 tonnes C02 Business Class: 7.7 tonnes C02 First Class: 12 tonnes C02 So, for this exercise I used 5 tonnes/person. Which equals 19,100,000 tonnes of C02 emissions. I am informed from the internet there is

Chris Murdoch

PROPERTY BROKERS

approximately 6,500,000 dairy cows in New Zealand and each cow emits approximately .2300 tonnes of C02 per year so total emissions from dairy cows is approximately 1,500,000 tonnes of C02. So, for round figures tourism is 20,000,000 tonnes and dairy is 1,500,000 tonnes per year. Income from each is estimated to be from dairy $7.8 billion and tourism $12 billion. So dairy industry is producing approximately 66 per cent of what tourism is but the amount of emissions as a percentage is approximately 7.5 per cent. It seems to me that all their figures have been picked out of the sky but they are somewhere to start. There is the argument that

the milk has to be transported, processed, etc. but the tourists also have to travel, eat drink and excrete waste as they travel throughout New Zealand as well. Another interesting thing that I discovered on this web page was that my own C02 footprint for the year, including driving my car, was estimated at approximately 15 tonnes C02 per annum. We are told that to halt global warming we need to be at 0.6 tonnes per year. I see this as a major issue for New Zealand in the future. If our governments continue to sign us up for these greenhouse emission levels our distance from our markets are never going to allow us to reach the low levels that some countries (such as in Europe) that live on each other’s doorsteps can achieve. The fact is air travel emits a lot of C02, as does shipping. Having done this tiny piece of research I can now see that tourism is a far greater threat to global warming than dairying and yet all the noise is on dairy having to reduce

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its footprint by 30 per cent. What about tourism and the average person in the street? If I’m average, but let’s just say 15 tonnes isn’t and say 10 tonnes is then the output by all New Zealanders is 50,000,000 tonnes per year and we are worried about 1,500,000 tonnes. Surely there is a lot more to be gained if each person in New Zealand reduces their footprint. As against isolating our poor old dairy cow. In conclusion each dairy farmer is being asked to reduce their output by approximately 30 per cent over the next few years. This means they need to get rid of 2,000,000 cows which in turn will reduce the GDP by approximately $2 billion on today’s workings until more can be produced from less. Farmers over the years have kept their heads above water by intensive farming and increasing cow/sheep/cattle and arable numbers by better use of fertilisers management etc. but to combat what’s coming I believe they need science’s help.

This means genetic modification and editing of plants and animals otherwise the targets set by our government won’t be met. I believe New Zealand is like a farm, we have increased our population which has increased needs which in turn keep everything turning over but like farming where everything has been developed and increased to almost a maximum we now need to start culling cows and selling our stock so as we can get more from each animal for less cost. New Zealand needs to do the same slow unessential immigration and get our own people and population working at a higher level. But if we need to be at 0.6 tonnes /year/person we are back to grass skirts and horse drays. 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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Farming

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COUNTRY ROADS

A clean sweep for the Kia Cerato! The all-new 2019 Kia Cerato has recently arrived in New Zealand and is one of the safest vehicles in its class. Kia Motors New Zealand has confirmed that all hatchback and sedan variants of the new Cerato have achieved a 5-star ANCAP safety rating under the new 2019 standards. Todd McDonald, general manager of Kia Motors New Zealand, says this rating is supported by the decision to include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane keep Assist functions as standard across the entire Cerato range. Using an advanced camera and radar that recognises when vehicles ahead of the Cerato are braking, the AEB may help the driver to bring the car to a safe stop and avoid a collision – it can also detect a possible collision with other road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians. Meanwhile, lane keep assist helps maintain the vehicle within the lines on the road, assisting Cerato drivers with staying in a

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270,200kms, 4.5L V8 diesel, auto, 4WD, 8 seater, leather seating, cruise control, GPS navigation, parking sensors, towbar, CD, bluetooth

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2011 TOYOTA HILUX SR5 4WD

2016 TOYOTA YARIS SX

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2009 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER PRADO RV 257,900kms, 3.0L turbo diesel, auto, 4WD, 8 seater, climate control, cruise control, towbar

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2018 TOYOTA RAV4 GXL AWD

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220km, 2.5L Petrol, Sat Nav, Pre Crash Safety System, Balance of 3 yr/100,000km Warranty + Service Advantage Package

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2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER GXL AWD 1450km, 3.5L Petrol, Leather Seating, Powered Rear Door, Sat Nav, Pre Crash Safety System, Balance of 3 yr/100,000km Warranty + Service Advantage Package

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Farming

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COUNTRY ROADS

Intersections – killing zones Let’s face it we have all had a near miss at an intersection sometime in the recent past. The interesting thing is that we probably felt upset at the time of the incident but as time passes, we would put that experience away somewhere deep in our memory. What is a near miss? In general terms this means that there had been an incident where one or more drivers thought they were going to crash, but then for some reason they missed it. We all have been in a situation where we were the guilty party. Humans are fallible beings and therefore the risk is high. Nobody plans, (unless you are some real mixed up person), to cause a crash and almost everyone thinks they will never crash until the day it happens… From January 2014 to December 2018 there were 2047 reported crashes in the Mid and South Canterbury region. Forty-eight were fatal, 133 were serious, and 443 were minor injuries.

This is a grim picture, and unless we all make positive changes, these numbers are going to stay at the same level or may even increase. Sadly, for some people these statistics are only numbers, but for others these numbers represent people that include family or friends. For some strange reason, we generally accept road trauma as part of life. This attitude must first

change to affect the outcome for many more loved ones who are going to be killed or disabled in road crashes in the near future. At rural intersections where the speed limit is higher, the outcome of a crash is usually life-threatening. Therefore it is extremely important to avoid situations that could cause an incident. Pulling out from the farm gate or from a side road and

driving along at slow speed when traffic approaches at high speed is not a good idea! When you see a big enough gap to move safely, speed up to the travel speed on the road as quickly as possible. How can you help to minimise the risk? Here are five points to consider: 1. Always make sure you and your vehicle are as visible as possible to other road

users – when visibility is not perfect, turn on the headlights. (NOT parking lights) 2. Look or observe as if your life and other people’s lives are at stake, because they actually are. 3. Never assume other road users/drivers have seen you. 4. When in doubt ALWAYS wait. This means that if you are not a hundred per cent sure it is safe, then don’t proceed. Rather wait until it is absolutely safe. 5. Compensate for other people’s mistakes by anticipating driver error and take steps to avoid a crash. Slow down or give them a gap. Some of you may believe that it is ridiculous to go to these extremes. You could be the best driver ever, but it may only take ONE mistake to change the outcome for yourself or someone else … forever. Forever is a long time! Advertising feature

EVERYONE STOPS AT INTERSECTIONS

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Families invited to fun day at races After a hugely successful inaugural running in 2018, the Farming Families Day at the Races is set to return again this year. Held in the wake of the mycoplasma bovis outbreak as an outlet in which likeminded people could get off the farm for the day and enjoy an afternoon of fun and entertainment, plans are well under way to make this year’s edition at the Ashburton Trotting Club meeting on Sunday July 15 a must-attend occasion for farming folk from around the South Island, and even further afield. At no cost to those attending, the day sees food, refreshments, entertainment for both adults and children, a fashion in the field competition, and a huge number of spot prizes to be given away throughout the day from meal vouchers to accommodation packages. And of course, there’s horse racing going on throughout the day as well. A meeting was held earlier this month between

Rural families are being invited to a fun day at the Ashburton races next month.

representatives of the major sponsors of the event, event organisers and the Ashburton Trotting Club and there’s plenty of plans in place to make this year’s event even bigger than last year. Well-regarded rural identity Craig Wiggins will

be on track to guide those who attend the day through the event with the use of his trusty microphone and he’ll be tapping on the shoulder of a number of harness racing experts to help guide people into a few winners throughout the day as well.

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The event has seen major support coming from a huge number of businesses and organisations with key sponsorship roles being held by Farmlands, Rabobank, FMG, Farm Source, Ballance, Ashburton Guardian and the Ashburton App with support

from the Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust. Anyone who wishes to register their interest in attending the event is asked to do so using the Farming Families Day at the Races Facebook page or by emailing rst.midcanterbury@gmail.com

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Farming

FARM ADVISORS

A PGG Wrightson livestock agent watches a bidr auction online.

Alister Argyle

Jane Paul Argyle-Reed Gooby

Emma Taylor

Joseph Shaw

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Rural trading channel finds farmer fans Canterbury farmers are among those embracing a new virtual saleyard where they can buy livestock in real time. The rural trading channel bidr.co.nz is initially focused on livestock but will expand to enable farmers and agents to bid, buy and sell all things rural online. It has been developed by PGG Wrightson. The channel has been used recently at feature livestock sales and been welcomed by farmers and livestock agents. PGG Wrightson general manager Livestock and bidr chair Peter Moore said strict protocols were in place, along with an accreditation process for assessing and listing livestock, to provide confidence to buyers and vendors. It offered farmers greater flexibility to buy or sell as and when suited them, while opening up a geographically wider audience, he said. And it reduced animal movements so there were potentially greater animal welfare benefits relative to other sale channels. Atihau Whanganui Incorporated offered 98 R1 Friesian and Friesian X Hereford bulls via bidr last month. Dean Francois, who manages Ohotu and Tohunga Stations for the business, said their closest saleyard was Feilding, which was a couple of hours away. “Saving our bulls that trip was good and having no transport cost to sale was a bonus for us. The sale went pretty well, and we will use bidr again.” Livestock agent Simon Luoni, who marketed the bulls, said 80 of the bulls were sold. “Offering high quality stock is one

thing, but this is a new channel so everyone involved was interested to see the outcome of the sale. “I’ve been an agent for 40 years … it’s the way of the future.” A dispersal sale for Feilding-based Panorama Polled Herefords attracted farmer bidders from all over the country. Half the 51 lots sold on auction day and most of the other lots were sold post-sale because of the online profile. Livestock agents Gerard Shea and Keith Willson worked with their Central, North and East Otago customers to put together a combined Otago store lamb feature auction involving three vendors in March. As a bidr accredited assessor, North Otago area livestock manager Mark Yeates travelled to the vendors’ farms to evaluate their lambs first-hand. He compiled the pre-sales assessment for the auction. The three vendors (Will and Laura Heckler of Stoneburn in East Otago, Philip and Geoff Nicholson of Hampden in North Otago, and Donny MacLean of Omakau in Central Otago), were all interested to offer some of their end of season store lambs for sale via the new channel. They achieved full clearance of the 915 lambs. The Heckler and Nicholson families have held on-farm lamb sales for a number of years and will continue to do so, but bidr provides another option for livestock trading in the future. Yeates said the sale went smoothly and each lot, with a duration of 60 seconds, was completed surprisingly quickly. To sign up or find out more visit www.bidr.co.nz

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FARM ADVISORS

Farmer satisfaction with banks dips Farmers’ overall satisfaction with their banks remains strong but it is declining steadily, the Federated Farmers 11th biennial banking survey shows. Satisfaction rates are at their lowest since the survey began in August 2015. “More than 1300 of our farmer members responded to the survey we commissioned from Research First and overall satisfaction with banks has dropped over the last six months from 74 per cent to 71 per cent,” Federated Farmers economics and commerce spokesperson Andrew Hoggard says.

“

Perceptions of pressure from banks has jumped, with 16 per cent of farmers perceiving they have come under undue pressure – up 5 percentage points since our November 2018 survey.

The falls are most apparent among dairy farmers and sharemilkers. The percentage of farm businesses with mortgages has increased by 4 per cent to 81 per cent in the last six months. However, dairy farms are the only group to see an increase in mortgage amounts since November, and they also have the largest mortgages, most of them owing between $2 million and $20 million. “Perceptions of pressure from banks has jumped, with 16 per cent of farmers perceiving they have come under undue pressure - up 5 percentage points since our November 2018 survey. The arable and dairy sectors are feeling this particularly, with more than one in five dairy farmers citing extra strain,” Hoggard said. “This might seem counter-intuitive, given that dairy farmers’ incomes and

profitability have been recovering since the 2014-16 downturn. Banks generally stood by their dairy clients during that time and allowed them to increase debt to get through. It’s not a surprise that banks want that debt paid down now that dairy returns are better.” New Zealand Bankers’ Association chief executive Roger Beaumont is pleased to see most farmers remain satisfied with their bank. “Our banks stand by their agri clients in good times and bad. That was particularly evident during the dairy downturn,” he says. As well as a general tightening of conditions over the past couple of years, the Reserve Bank’s proposed increases in bank capital requirements is a more recent factor behind the erosion in farmers’ satisfaction levels with their banks, and perceptions of pressure. Hoggard says banks are telling farmers the increases in bank capital will result in tougher lending conditions and higher interest rates for borrowing. “The Reserve Bank’s very conservative stand on this is causing quite a bit of resentment,” he says. Beaumont says the Bankers’ Association analysis shows the Reserve Bank’s proposal to almost double capital requirements will have a net cost to the New Zealand economy of $1.8 billion a year. “Depending on individual banks’ commercial decisions, it’s fair to say there’s likely to be an impact on customers.” Federated Farmers has met with Reserve Bank officials and put in a formal submission. It has asked the Reserve Bank to: Rethink its one-in-200 years risk tolerance and take a less risk-averse approach, which will reduce the increase in capital required and the additional costs on banks and their customers. Undertake a robust and independent cost-benefit analysis, including on sectors like agriculture. Adopt a longer transitional period allowing for a more measured, gradual pace of any change.

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Federated Farmers economics and commerce spokesperson Andrew Hoggard says farmers satisfaction with banks continues to slide. PHOTO SUPPLIED

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Farming

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FARM ADVISORS

Credit squeeze on dairy farmers Dairy farmers who are currently facing the two major challenges of falling land prices alongside increasingly restrictive access to capital are being encouraged to focus on a robust budgeting process and get on the front foot with their bank manager. Findex Head of Agribusiness Hayden Dillon said access to funding was becoming more of an issue, despite the good payout and this is putting some farmers under pressure. Dillon points to several factors combining to cause the credit squeeze. Firstly, changes in OIO legislation, coupled with uncertainty about the regulatory outlook for the overall sector, has led to a softening of land prices driven by low demand for dairy infrastructure, limiting exit options for both farmers and lenders. “On top of this, the RBNZ is closely scrutinising the sector as the spectre of new RBNZ regulations around capital requirements to

Hayden Dillon.

protect the industry from a 1 in 200-year event begin to take effect,” he said. This could increase the cost of capital as banks look to protect their margins. “This has created an environment of increased

PHOTO SUPPLIED

scrutiny for farmers from their bankers.” Dillon said banks will move to where they see improved returns and lower risk. “Banks are deleveraging dairy and moving towards horticulture as shown by

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the recent six monthly RBNZ report on financial stability, showing dairy only experiencing a 1 per cent increase in lending while horticulture lending growth was running at 19 per cent.” There is a concentration of high debt positions, with 35 per cent of dairy sector debt being held by farms who have more than $35 of debt per kilogram of milksolids. There has also been a move away from interestonly loan structures, with banks expecting principal and interest repayments on loans, which will further limit cash availability. Dillon said this, along with investments into environmental compliance and rising cost of inputs such as labour and fuel, has left farmers facing a balancing act with creditors and cash flow. With options for sale limited for the near future, Dillon is encouraging farmers to be pro-active with their lender to develop a sound repayment strategy in order

to sustainably service debts, which is possible with a robust business management plan and can be developed with the help of an adviser. “Farmers can’t afford to take a back seat in this process, otherwise they will just have to take the number the bank gives them, and we are increasingly finding adequate buffers have not been built into budgets and farmers are running short on working capital.” Dillon says farmers need to be well prepared and represented when it comes to presenting financials to the bank. “Farmers need to be engaging independent advice around their budgeting assumptions, to make sure they are realistic by ensuring there is sensitivity testing, ensuring the business can cope with changes in both income and expenses throughout the season, allowing adequate buffers when calculating how much principal they can repay each season.”

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FARM ADVISORS

Agri Optics Ltd – your Planning essential for Precision Ag Partners health and safety, HR Agri Optics New Zealand Ltd is a leading New Zealand Precision Agriculture (PA) provider with a focus on moisture monitoring, soil mapping technology and farm management software. Agri Optics works alongside New Zealand farmers, contractors and industry to combine farm agronomics with innovative, proven farm technology. In helping farmers make commercial sense of their field data, Agri Optics provides the support to drive real benefits in terms of economic and environmental sustainability. With a range of products and services based simply on precision agriculture’s philosophy of: The right input, in the right amount, in the right place, at the right time and in the right manner. Agri Optics provides a very practical approach to PA adoption. Whilst most farmers and PA practitioners strive to achieve all of these, possibly the toughest one to understand and get right is ‘in the right place.’ Agri Optics’ core services include: EM surveying whereby we map

Agri Optics conducting an EM survey to determine the variability in soil texture. PHOTO SUPPLIED

soil variability, enabling the client to manage the different zones appropriately; AquaCheck soil moisture probes, helping to make informed decisions on your water management, with the ability to add other sensors such as weather stations, milk vat monitoring and effluent control; Grid Soil Sampling for a financially and environmentally sustainable approach to nutrient management. We work with our clients to find the best solutions and pride ourselves on giving impartial advice on all things precision ag. For more information call Agri Optics NZ Ltd Phone: 03 302 9227, Email: info@agrioptics.co.nz or visit: www.agrioptics.co.nz Advertising feature

Before the establishment of Compliance Partners five years ago, it might have been more a matter of good luck rather than good planning for some farmers when it came to health and safety and HR. Jane Fowles was determined to change that mindset and so while for many farmers or ag contractors, health and safety is an easily procrastinated task, for Jane it’s a passion. “I just love health and safety, and anything to do with how we manage our people, and I could, and do, talk about it till the cows come home,” Jane said. We’ve always prided ourselves on being different. We partner with our clients rather than just handing over the information and saying, get on with it, have a nice life. CP are like their farm advisor or

their accountant, we build a longlasting relationship. So today we’d like to say Happy Fifth Birthday to Compliance Partners! It’s been a wonderful five years as we’ve forged some wonderful relationships across the district, as well as having seen the Compliance Partners team grow to a team of five. We’ve been extremely fortunate for the wonderful support we’ve received from the rural community. We’d like to extend a warm thank you to all our current, past and future agricultural clients for letting us help them with all their health and safety and people management needs. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Advertising feature

Farming

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FARM ADVISORS

Summary of Zero Carbon Bill By David Goodman and Reuben Adams-Cook

The Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill (Zero Carbon Bill) was released on May 8, 2019 after a longer than anticipated public consultation process which involved the consideration of more than 1500 submissions. The Zero Carbon Bill is scheduled to be passed into law in late 2019, at which time it will amend the Climate Change Response Act 2002. This new legislation will sit alongside the existing New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZETS) that was also established under the Climate Change Response Act 2002. The overarching goal of the Zero Carbon Bill is to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. In order to achieve this goal, the Zero Carbon Bill establishes the Climate Change Commission (Commission). The Commission will be an independent body that will report to the Minister for the Environment. Its primary purpose will be to provide independent and expert advice to the government on mitigating,

monitoring, and adapting to the effects of climate change. It will also monitor and review the government’s progress towards its emission reduction goals, report on the effects of climate change, develop specific policy and monitor emissions levels. In addition, and importantly, the Zero Carbon Bill sets the following targets: the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (other than biogenic methane) to net zero by 2050; the reduction of gross emissions of methane by 10 per cent by January 1, 2030 (in comparison to 2017 emission levels); and the reduction of gross emissions of methane by 24-47 per cent by January 1, 2050 (in comparison to 2017 emission levels). The targets will be enforced by the use of emissions budgets that will cover a five year period (apart from the first four year period). The first tranche of emissions budgets will be set on December 31, 2021 and will take effect from the beginning of 2022. These emissions budgets will state the total emissions that will be permitted over the relevant budget

period. The Ministry for the Environment (www.mfe.govt.nz/climate-change/ new-zealand-emissions-tradingscheme/nz-ets-and-new-zealandsprovisional-carbon) has details of New Zealand’s provisional carbon budget from 2021 to 2030. The budget is provisionally set at 601 MtCO2 (million metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent), with actual gross emissions projected to be 804 MtCO2, which therefore gives a shortfall of 203 MtCO2 that is to be offset. Annual emissions are currently at approximately 80 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The spot price for a carbon credit is $25 (Carbon News – May 31, 2019). This therefore values the shortfall liability of 203 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent at approximately $5 billion dollars. The offset is likely to come from a mixture of domestic emissions reductions, carbon credits from forestry and by purchasing international emission reduction credits. Given the likely targets and offsets required, there is a cost that has to be met by industry, although the Minister for the Environment has the power

to allocate free credits to assist a new industry entering the NZETS, like it did for the fishing industry. The government is currently considering a report from the Interim Climate Change Commission (ICCC) that discusses whether the agricultural sector will be required to enter the NZETS and, if so, when this will occur. It is interesting to note that the New Zealand First/Labour Coalition Agreement states that if the ICCC determines that the agricultural sector should be included in the NZETS, then all revenues from this source will be fed back to the agricultural sector to encourage agricultural innovation, amongst other things. It remains to be seen exactly how these changes may impact on the agricultural industry, however it is certain that further consideration and discussion is needed.

David Goodman is a partner and Reuben Adams–Cook is a solicitor at the Christchurch office of law firm Anderson Lloyd. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writers

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FEATURE

C E L E B R A T I N G

YEARS Proud Past, Exciting Future Brophy Knight are established leaders in business advisory, taxation planning, wealth creation and farm accounting. In November 2018 we celebrated our 100 year anniversary of servicing the business needs of Mid Canterbury. The origins of Brophy Knight began in 1918 when Fred Hickman established himself as a sole practitioner. Ted Brophy acquired the business from Fred Hickman in 1949 and was joined by Gordon Knight one year later. The name of Brophy Knight was established in the early 1950s and has remained to the present day through various ownership changes. We think our longevity is a huge achievement as we constantly look to improve our business and meet the needs of our clients. Brophy Knight’s leadership and wider team can provide advice and expertise for whatever your situation. A large number of services are available including business, tax and other specialist services. Our business services include monthly and annual accounting, benchmarking, budgeting, business advice, business start-up, cash flow forecasting, farm accounting, financing, office duties, payroll services, software solutions, succession, strategic planning and business valuations. Tax expertise is also available which includes income tax, FBT, GST, PAYE and payroll services. The specialist services offered are acquisitions and mergers, business valuations, charitable trusts, company secretary, estate planning, human resources, information technology, rental property, retirement planning, selling or purchasing a business, due diligence assistance, trust administration, and management reporting. Brophy Knight looks forward to continuing their strong relationships with their existing clients and providing expert advice to new clients. Our dynamic and enthusiastic team look forward to maintaining our client focused approach and responsiveness. If you want the best possible advice to achieve your financial goals, contact Brophy Knight.

Brophy Knight – Appointment of Associates To support the need for growth, innovation and transformation within the accounting and business advisory field, we are pleased to announce two new appointments to the leadership team. Angus Lindsay and Emma Rosevear have recently been appointed as Associates. These appointments will bring fresh thinking, renewed energy and engagement to the already strong leadership team of Mitchell Bellew, Brendon Adam, Marcus Schoonderbeek and Greg Wall, the Directors. Emma has been working at Brophy Knight since 2013 and lives locally in Tinwald. Growing up in Dunedin and moving to Ashburton after graduating from University of Otago, she has made Mid Canterbury her home. Since starting at Brophy Knight she has gained experience over a range of industries and enjoys the challenge that each industry brings. “I am very excited to be appointed as Associate and be a part of the leadership team here at Brophy Knight and I look forward to the challenge, while continuing to provide strong business advisory services and helping our clients grow and prosper.” To contact Emma Rosevear Phone 03 307 9051 Email emmar@brophyknight.co.nz

Angus joined Brophy Knight in 2014 and lives locally in Allenton. He originally grew up in Tauranga and moved to Dunedin where he graduated from Otago University. Over the past five years at Brophy Knight Angus has been exposed to a range of industries acquiring knowledge and experience across them all. “Being appointed associate, I look forward to bringing some new energy to the leadership team here at Brophy knight. I am excited about the challenges that this role brings, building strong client relationships and helping clients achieve their financial goals.” To contact Angus Lindsay Phone 03 307 9051 Email angusl@brophyknight.co.nz

144 Tancred Street, Ashburton P. 03 307 9051 E enquiries@brophyknight.co.nz www.brophyknight.co.nz

Farming

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FARM ADVISORS

Employing online Employing good people is good business. But getting there can be an uphill battle. Hiring isn’t getting any easier, and you may need to find help quickly and often. You have to find time to put the job out there in the first place, see what’s around, and pick someone you want on your team. Once you’ve found that person, it might seem like the hard part is over - and then onboarding begins. It’s hard to overstate the importance of getting the employment agreement right. This is your insurance - one of those things that doesn’t seem too important until something goes wrong. You’ve probably heard dire warnings about getting fined ten grand for not having a written contract in place but it also protects you if a disagreement arises or somebody walks off the job. You need to keep thorough, organised records when you bring someone on board, and the employment agreement is the biggest part of this. But getting your preferred candidate’s John Hancock is often a long, dull process full of waiting, uncertainty, stacks of paperwork and messy record-keeping. You might be employing somebody from a different region, or even another country. And you have to make sure the contract actually has you covered - generic employment agreements fall short for farming roles, without clauses for accommodation, operational allowances, and irregular rosters. There’s a lot of potential for delays and mistakes, dragging out a process that needs to run smoothly. It’s hard to get excited about bringing on your new team member when you’re in the process of printing or ordering hard copies, crossing out irrelevant sections, initialling and mailing to a prospective employee for their signature. Other employment functions like timesheets and payslips have gone digital, but the contract is still a paper pain in the neck. The Federated Farmers contracts have long been farming favourites, trusted to meet the industry’s unique employment requirements. So PaySauce has teamed up with Federated Farmers to take the employment agreement process online. The Contract Builder tool lets you build the contract

you need from ready-made, farm-specific parts. The tool locks in the clauses that are required by law, so you end up with a complianceproof, custom contract. Choose from job descriptions for standard farm roles, send, sign and return the contract instantly, and then let the system do your record-keeping. Going digital means you’ll

never need to print, send or store a hard copy. If you regularly hire for the same roles, you won’t have to keep creating a new contract from scratch. You can save your go-to employment agreements as templates, and they’ll be all set for next time. And of course, the contract will cover agri employment, with accommodation terms,

roster-based work schedules and on-farm allowances. While it’s great to have the technology to streamline another tricky job, you probably already have too many different tools for different tasks. The nice thing about this app is that it works in tandem with PaySauce Payroll, and is accessed via the PaySauce platform.

So if you’re paying your people with PaySauce, you’ve got just one password to remember and one place to go. Plus, all the information on your new employee and the terms of their employment will load straight into payroll automatically. Contract type, hours, payment and allowance details: you won’t have to tell us twice. The contract seals the deal and formalises the employment relationship. It’s an absolutely crucial part of the hiring process. You’ll still have to do the legwork to find the right person, but the Contract Builder can make it a lot easier from there. A digital contract is a more adaptable, practical and efficient way to bring somebody on board. We’re not sure why we didn’t think of it sooner. Not sure what PaySauce is about? We’re a cloud software provider creating smart solutions for agri employers. With PaySauce payroll, you get digital timesheets, leave management, automated payments and payslips, and filing with Inland Revenue.

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Farming

FEATURE

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Pivotal. Anderson Lloyd is the trusted strategic advisor for major players in New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s irrigation sector, with a proven ability to deliver results. Between them David Goodman and Sarah Eveleigh have acted for more than a dozen irrigation schemes. For such projects they deliver the very best in legal know-how and can-do.

David Goodman, Partner p: 03 335 1235 m: 027 787 8785 david.goodman@al.nz

Sarah Eveleigh, Partner p: 03 335 1217 m: 027 204 1479 sarah.eveleigh@al.nz

www.guardianonline.co.nz

FARM ADVISORS

Helping hand to manage finances Knowing where you are going to be before you get there is absolutely crucial for managing your finances. No doubt you’ll have plans in place to ensure your farm is as productive as possible, but have you considered whether you’re doing everything to ensure your farm is as profitable as possible? At MCA, we work closely with our clients to give them the advice and support they need to manage their businesses with confidence and control. We believe that the right tools and the right advice are critical to the success of any business. Which is why we are recommending our farming clients use Xero and Figured to keep a handle on the finances. The Figured and Xero platform makes it easy to keep up-to-date with your budget, and being an online system means that we can give you advice in real time, using upto-date financial information. Figured gives us the ability to help you track farm profitability in real time, build

and manage a budget that is easy to maintain and most importantly ensures that you have the information to make good informed decisions from anywhere at any time. Figured multi farm enables reporting

on multiple operations at a simple click of a button. At MCA we’ve helped many of our clients move across to Xero and Figured, so we know that the beginning of a new financial year is the best

time to do it easily, we also know that getting started with any new system can be a challenge, so we are offering complimentary training sessions for anyone who’s interested in learning more

about Xero and Figured. Just drop us a line and send us an email to arrange a time to come in and meet the team.

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Principles of Soil Fertility & Fertilisation

Farming

The farmer’s job

with Albrecht Consultant, Neal Kinsey 18th, 19th & 20th June 2019 Want to learn more about successful soil fertility management?

“Neal, your program has not only made me tens of thousands of dollars; it has saved me tens and thousands of dollars…”

Want to learn more about successful soil fertility management? HEAR NEAL KINSEY AT THIS UNIQUE 3-DAY SOIL FERTILITY COURSE

Today, Neal Kinsey is the leading consultant and advocate for this Albrecht fertility system. For “Neal, your program has not only made me tens of thousands over 40 years in over 70 countries, Neal has proven that this balanced approach to soil chemistry is the key to of successful plant it growth animal health. He hasand demonstrated, scientifically and dollars; hasand saved me tens thousands of dollars…” practically, that when this nutrient balance occurs, soil pH, aeration, drainage, structure and beneficial soil biology inevitably improve. Neal Kinsey has HEAR NEAL KINSEY AT THIS UNIQUE 3-DAY SOIL FERTILITY COURSE been called a Today, Neal Kinsey is the leading consultant and advocate for this Albrecht TOP SOILS & GOLDEN BAY DOLOMITE YOU TO fertility system. For overINVITE 40 years inATTEND over 70 countries, Neal has proven‘consultant’s consultant’. His Whetherthat your this business is orchards, vineyards, cropping or pastural farming, we welcome you balanced approach to soil chemistry is the key to successful understanding to participate in this seminar, to hear Neal Kinsey speak about the most important issue facing plant growth and animal health. He has demonstrated, scientifically of micro and our industries today – Soil Health. and practically, that when this nutrient balance occurs, soil pH, aeration, macro nutrients drainage, structure and beneficial soil biology inevitably improve. in the soil is hard FOR ENQUIRES PLEASE CONTACT EITHER: to match. Ross Wright 027 246 2114 ross@goldenbaydolomite.co.nz SOILS GOLDEN BAY DOLOMITE INVITE YOU TO ATTEND Don HartTOP 027 432 0187 & don@topsoils.co.nz business is orchards, vineyards, cropping or pastural farming, ChantelleWhether Fisher 027 your 305 6405 chantelle@topsoils.co.nz Trevor Pearce 027 230 9934 trevor@sollys.co.nz we welcome you to participate in this seminar, to hear Neal Kinsey speak Or register online at www.goldenbaydolomite.co.nz

about the most important issue facing our industries today – Soil Health.

PROGRAM FOR THE 3-DAY VENUE: Hotel Ashburton: PricesCOURSE: include all lunches, morning COST COST OF OF REGISTRATION: REGISTRATION: 11/35 Racecourse Road, and afternoon teas + course Day 1 – 18th June Working with Soil Tests, pH, and Liming Full Course Single: $750 + GST Full Course Single: $750 + GST Allenton, Ashburton. Full $1200 GST TheDouble: Soil Audit Full Course Course Double: $1200-+ +Key GST Information manuals. Accommodation Single Day Day $300 $300 + + GST GST Single Soil Testing and Soil Fertility using the Albrecht Model bookings: 03 307 8887 Soil pH. Neutralizing Extreme pH Liming. Evaluating Liming Materials How Calcium and Magnesium Affect Soils and Crop Production Soil biology Soil Compaction and Solutions Day 2 – 19th June - Working with Major Nutrients Nitrogen and Sulphur Phosphate and Potassium Sodium Composts and Manure Day 3 – 20th June - Working with Micronutrients Introducing Micronutrients for Soil Fertility Needs Boron - Use and Cautions Considering Iron and if it is needed Manganese for Soils and Crops Copper - Importance and Uses Zinc for Fertility and Crop Needs

Lambs on cover crop near Methven.

The farmer’s job is to produce healthy food, productively, sustainably and profitably. But how many people are achieving this? There are a lot of buzz words around today, sustainable, traditional and biological. Everybody wants to be sustainable, but why would we want to sustain a farming and fertiliser system that is causing so many environmental and nutritional issues and failing farmers with declining profit? We are degrading our soil resource with the current production model. Our aim should be to regenerate the soil and your ecosystem, hence the term regenerative farming. Top Soils is committed to developing a regenerative farming programme for you. With advice and management tools that improves soil health and produces crops that are of such exceptional nutritional quality. Whilst improving the livelihood of our farmers, economically and environmentally - bringing the passion back to farming!

Why we do what we do

FOR ENQUIRES PLEASE CONTACT EITHER: Don Hart 027 432 0187 don@topsoils.co.nz Chantelle Fisher 027 305 6405 chantelle@topsoils.co.nz Topsoils Facebook Page Or register online at www.goldenbaydolomite.co.nz

We cannot continue with the present farming techniques that are Destroying the valuable carbon in our soils. Reducing profit margins. Making the meeting of environmental regulations and outcomes more challenging. Making farming stressful and undesirable for the next generation.

What do we do?

COST OF REGISTRATION: Full Course Single: $750 + GST Full Course Double: $1200 + GST Single Day $300 + GST

PRICES INCLUDE ALL LUNCHES, MORNING AND AFTERNOON TEAS + COURSE MANUALS.

VENUE: HOTEL ASHBURTON: 11/35 RACECOURSE ROAD, ALLENTON, ASHBURTON. ACCOMMODATION BOOKINGS: 03 307 8887

Complete systems approach. Top Soils founder, and Springfield Estate Farm owner is getting tremendous results with – Taking comprehensive soil audits. Using the Kinsey-Albrecht system of soil fertility to balance the minerals and biology in soil to optimise photosynthesis and establishing a habitat for the biology. Where we can, replacing synthetic soluble fertiliser which is addictive and harmful to the biology and replace it with plant available and non-water-soluble fertiliser. Custom blending the fertiliser to match the soil audit results.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Following the five principles of regenerative farming - soil health. We offer advice following the tools and techniques we adapted for use on Springfield Estate. As a result, we are building Carbon in the soil and seeing healthy, resilient, stock and crops. We have very little insect and disease pressure and therefore little need for chemicals.

How we do what we do? To improve the biological and economic performance of your farm by challenging the status quo to find more profitable and regenerative ways to grow food. Rather than re-inventing the wheel from the start, join us in developing practical management systems that we have created on Springfield Estate. By moving from an unsustainable degenerative farming approach that degrades soils that we are witnessing today, to a totally proven sustainable regenerative way of farming that demonstrates with proven science that progress happens when chemistry aligns with biology.

Five principles of regenerative farming – soil health 1. Minimise soil disturbance. 2. Armour the soil surface. 3. Build plant diversity. 4. Keep living roots in the soil. 5. Integration of animals. This is achieved by limiting tillage to prevent damage to soil structure and function, and the habitat for the biology. Keeping the soil covered to provide a coat of armour against erosion, germination of weeds and to feed the biology. Multi-species pastures that work together with the biology to unlock nutrients. Always having living roots in the soil through the use of cover crops and companion plants and management of grazing stock, to mimic what happens in nature.

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Fodderbeet crop wins award A phenomenal crop of fodderbeet grown by Dorie farmer Vaughan Jones won the combined Ravensdown and Mid Canterbury A&P associations’ winter feed grand final recently. Judge David Whillans said many early-sown winter feed crops like fodderbeet and swede had struggled because of a very wet spring and too little sunshine. Jones’ crop, however, seemed unaffected. Whillans said a combination of great soil, good advice from agronomist Dan Copland and Jones’ farming skills had produced a phenomenal crop. Each of the three grand final judges had 50 points to allocate, with additional points earned for drymatter, and a change in the judging format levelled the field for the different crops. Even then, Jones’ fodderbeet scored 70.28 points to be overall winner, ahead of Andrew Barlass (68.89 fodderbeet) and Barrie Begg (65.07 brassica).

Judges check out Vaughan Jones’ winning winter feed fodderbeet crop.

Whillans said the effects of the wet spring, an establishment time for winterfeed crops, was noticeable. “Through November and December, there was record rainfall and that has really held back yields because there was also no sun. It had a big impact across the county.”

Whillans lives at Ruapuna and that area had 40 per cent of its annual rainfall in a sixweek period. By contrast, autumn bought fantastic growing conditions. Whillans said brassicas and cereals planted after harvest had enjoyed ideal growing conditions and were not under pressure from disease or pests.

PHOTO YVONNE LIEMBERG

“It was significant how growth in that three-month period has been and how high quality the crops are.” Judges awarded their points for utilisation (how much of the crop could be eaten), evenness (no spray lines) and for the presence of disease or pests. Grand final judging

convener David Bennett said there had been some exceptional crops visited by Whillans and fellow judges Rex Lash and Adam Glass. He said the autumn growth was obvious and showed especially in the oats and rape crops they had seen. “It’s been the best autumn growing conditions for many years.” The farmers in the winterfeed grand final were all winners at the Ashburton, Methven and Mayfield A&P Associations’ separate winterfeed competitions. Results Overall winner: Vaughan Jones, Dorie (fodderbeet). Brassica: Barrie Begg, 65.07, 1; Gerard Murphy, 61.66, 2; Bert Oliver, 60.48, 3. Oats/Grass: Andrew Spencer, 48.87, 1; Murray Holmes, 47.55, 2; David Butterick, 46.56, 3. Fodderbeet: Vaughan Jones, 70.28, 1; Andrew Barlass, 68.89, 2; Johnny Bell, 58.47, 3. Judges’ Choice: Graham Marr 1; Andrew McKenzie 2; Mark Slee 3.

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Farming

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Food scraps add to methane problems Dairy Woman of the Year, Trish Rankin has undertaken the Kellogg Leadership Programme this year. Her research project is: How can a circular economy model be developed on a NZ dairy farm. Her message for all farmers is very clear: Recycling systems work and it is worth doing your bit. There is a misconception that recycling just gets stockpiled somewhere and this is something that people talk to me about regularly. Actually, it doesn’t. Everything that is sent to AgRecovery and our recycling depots gets recycled, if it is clean and the materials are recyclable. If people knew that, they may take the time to triplerinse their containers and take them to their local AgRecovery depot to drop them off to recycle. So make sure you and your farm managers and workers are doing the right thing with your farm recycling, especially chemical containers and balewrap.

WHAT CAN YOU® DO?

® Sheryl Stivens

ECO EFFICIENCY

What could be worse for the planet than plastics? Images of animals choking on plastic waste have urged people to be more careful with plastic – but is throwing away food an even bigger problem? When it comes to climate change, the answer is yes. It might seem bizarre but scraping that leftover lasagne, mince or salad from your plate into the bin is seriously damaging the planet, because when those scraps of pasta and lettuce which you never got around to eating end up in landfill, they rot. As they break down, they emit methane, which is many times more harmful in the short-term to our climate than carbon dioxide (CO2). When food waste and lawn

Clean agrichemical containers are loaded onto a truck for recycling by Agrecovery staff. PHOTO SUPPLIED

clippings end up in landfills they rot, producing methane, one of the most damaging greenhouse gases driving climate change. Food waste is a bigger cause of climate change than plastics. It is still vital that we continue to reduce plastic waste, which remains an

FIELDAYS FAST

extremely serious issue. As more people ditch singleuse plastics and awareness grows of the wider impact of plastic waste, including pollution, we will need to send a stronger message on the damage caused by binning leftovers and other wasted food or garden waste.

Set up a hungry worm bin, a Bokashi Bucket or a compost bin and challenge your household and work place to return organic waste to soil. Recycle clean sorted materials at our community recycling depots Take your rubbish to the Ashburton or Rakaia Resource Recovery Parks for disposal to landfill. Pick up plastic litter wherever you see it and place it in a secure bin.

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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Farming

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TREE MAINTENANCE AND LOGGING

Forestry farm prices increase Logs harvested from a tree felling operation.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Time to call the experts Timber harvesting has been, and unfortunately continues to be, a dangerous task. The Health and Safety at Work Act (HWSA 2015) makes it clear that all Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) have a responsibility for safety. A landowner engaging in a timber harvesting activity is by definition a PCBU and should actively take part in ensuring health and safety of the people working on their land. It is unlikely that a small scale forest landowner will have the expertise to develop a detailed health and safety plan for the timber harvesting operation. The most prudent option is to engage with a professional forestry company, consultant or contractor to ensure they have the appropriate health and safety plans in place. The forest industry has been working hard at improving its safety record and has a dedicated safety council. A comprehensive review of the forest industry was completed by an independent panel and a summary document outlining some of the main shortcomings, as well as an agenda for change, was published (IFSR 2014). A number of initiatives have been undertaken including setting up Safetree a website that provides resources such as documents and videos on how to complete timber harvesting safely. WorkSafe, which is the New Zealand regulator for health and safety, has

published a great document entitled Managing a Safe and Healthy Small Forest Harvest that provides an excellent resource in terms of a practical step-by-step guide for managing your harvest. For example, one task the landowner must complete is the identification of hazards on the property and making sure they are communicated to the logger. Examples of hazards on farm woodlots can be fences, proximity to powerlines, but also the strength of stream crossing structures. You are also likely to be responsible for the safe access to the forest on the farm, so if the farm roads and tracks leading to the area to be harvested are steep and not accessible for a logging truck in wet weather, then you need to take action to restrict access. With regard to the individual harvesting tasks, there is an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP 2012) for forest operations that is considered a minimum standard, and it includes the expectation that all workers are both trained (or in training) and competent in carrying out the designated harvesting task. Best practice guides are also available from various sources including for higher risk practices such as manual tree felling or choker-setting (known colloquially as breaking-out in NZ), or complex harvest systems such as cable logging. Source: New Zealand Farm Forestry Association.

Proud locally owned suppliers of all your timber requirements • Full range of rough sawn treated timber • Cattle and sheep yard materials • Urban fencing and landscape supplies • Irrigation/utility sheds • Calf loading pens with roof and walls

The median price of forestry farms across New Zealand has increased by 45 per cent over the last year from $6487 per hectare to $9394 per hectare, according to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) data. This increase may be largely the result of the Government incentives to plant trees making forestry land more desirable and leading to increased sales of sheep and beef farms. Interestingly, the North Island is seeing a greater impact on forestry prices than the South Island. Bindi Norwell, chief executive at REINZ said that over the last few years there had been a growing voice from the rural community that the Government’s incentives towards planting trees were favouring forestry sales and leading to increasing sales. “With the price of forestry farms across New Zealand increasing by 45 per cent when compared to the same time last year, the data tends to suggest that the rural community is correct in its assertions. “The North Island has seen a greater impact on forestry prices, with prices rising by 95 per cent yet actually falling in the South Island by 4 per cent year-on-year.”

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The incentives may also be the reason for a reduction in farm sales. The number of farms sold across New Zealand fell by 29 per cent when compared to the same time last year, however, the South Island has seen a greater impact than the North Island with falls of 32 per cent and 26 per cent respectively. “Unsurprisingly, the number of forestry farms sold over the past year has fallen too, as investors are seeing forestry farms as a highly sought-after investment. “Those investors are holding on to their farms which is also contributing to the price rises,” Norwell said. “Feedback from farmers and rural salespeople around the country is increasingly one of concern with many saying that once beef or sheep farms have been converted to forestry, they will never be converted back again.” Incentives towards forestry assets were introduced October 2018 and changes to the Overseas Investment Act that now prevent foreigners (with the exception of Australians and Singaporeans) from buying existing residential or lifestyle properties means that it may now be easier for foreigners to invest in forestry.

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Case IH MXM 130 FH/PTO

$49,000 + GST

$26,000 + GST

$38,000 +GST

McCormick MTX175

McCormick MTX165

$33,000 + GST

$44,000 + GST

6400Hrs, C/W Pearson, 20-43 Loader

Case IH Puma 140 MC

Ford 6610

Mahindra 4530

$48,000 +GST

$12,000 +GST

$20,000 + GST

New Holland T6060 Elite

New Holland T7040

$52,000 + GST

$60,000 + GST

Loader 8464hrs

New Holland T7.185 4100 Hrs C/W Loader

$82,000 + GST

Deutz 9340 TTV Agrotron

6000hrs

6315Hrs FH/PTO New Tyres

Kubota M135X

C/W GPS 2000hrs

4516 Hrs Loader

$210,000 + GST

$42,500 + GST

Case IH 8010 Axial Flow

Case IH 1680 Axial Flow

$250,000 + GST

Gregoire Besson 5 Furrow Hyd Vari & Reset

22,000 + GST

Scannell 5B Bale Feeder 5 Bale trailing Feeder

$16,000 +GST

$45,000 + GST

Kuhn PH2 6 Row Planter $25,000 + GST

Sam Ag Trailer $13,500 + GST

656Hrs Loader

6113 Hrs

9000 Hrs Loader & Bucket

7500 Hrs

New Holland T7.170 $65,000 + GST

Kubota M126X Half Track

Landini Ghibli 90

56000hrs

B Power Cummins 5032Hrs

New Holland T5060 3400Hrs C/W Loader

$60,000 + GST

Case IH 9120

126Hp 1720Hrs

3700 Hrs Loader & Bucket

$65,000 + GST

$28,000 + GST

Buhler/Farm King 2 metre Grader Blade

Duncan Mk 3 23 run

Duncan MK4 Renovator

3rd seed box disc openers

24 run

$6,000 +GST

$29,500 +GST

$33,900 + GST

Krone BP1270

Giltrap RF16 Feed Wagon

NEW Hustler SL300X

32000 Bales

1742 Mill Hours POA

$22,000 + GST

Bale Feeder

Sam SI 3000 Sprayer

Massey Ferguson DM1364

Taege CF1100

$88,000 + GST

$9,800 +GST

$9,000 + GST

$75,000 +GST

7014 Hrs

Disc Mower 4mtr Cut

For more information, or to view any of our tractors, contact: Ashburton 03 307 8027 Amberley 03 314 9055 Leeston 03 324 3791 Timaru 03 688 2179 www.cochranes.net.nz

$7,000 +GST

Centre Feed Silage Wagon