Dairy Focus AUGUST 2017
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INSIDE
Dairy Focus
EDITORIAL COMMENT
Dairy Focus is proudly published by the Ashburton Guardian Limited
Enjoy reading Dairy Focus? You may also enjoy Guardian Farming
PAGE 11
FARMERS IN THE COLD OVER IMMIGRATION
PAGE 12
KIWIS DESERVE ANSWERS ON WATER TAX
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WATER: JUST WHO SHOULD PAY FOR IT?
Colin Williscroft
RURAL REPORTER
The importance of water as an election issue continues to grow, with Labour’s water tax proposal firmly in the media spotlight of late. The plan has been condemned from almost all sides, given that it lumps the bill for river clean-ups unfairly and squarely on one section of the community, when in reality the problem is far more widespread than that. Of particular concern to rural communities is the knock-on effect it would have if it was ever implemented, given that farmers would have to find the money to pay the tax from somewhere, which would inevitably mean they will spend less in their local communities, or employ less people, sucking money out of small economies around the country. What’s ironic, and maybe shows the amount of forethought that has gone into the policy, is some non-dairy farmers are saying the only way they
could afford it would be to convert to dairying – and even then it would be difficult to stump up the cost. Given the whole thing resembles a thinly disguised attack on intensive agriculture, with dairying at the forefront, you’d have to say that outcome would be the complete opposite of what was hoped for. In this month’s issue we look at whether there would be anything to be gained by a water roundtable discussion, or has there been enough talking? Related, but lost in all the debate over the past couple of weeks, was the announcement of the latest Freshwater Improvement Fund projects, with $44 million in grants from the fund leveraging a further $98 million of investment from councils, farmers and others. Dan Cameron, a landscape architect who appears on this month’s cover, comes from an agricultural background and is well-placed to work with farmers on planting projects that will improve rivers, streams or even lakes around their properties. It’s about working together and everyone doing their bit towards a common goal, rather than expecting one group to take responsibility for everything. Now where have I heard that before?
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Water roundtable a good starting point In announcing its plans for a levy or rate on commercial water use, Labour leader Jacinda Ardern has said no figure would be set until after a roundtable discussion on the subject. Even if charges were consigned to the bin before that, would that style of consultation be beneficial and what are the real issues involved? Colin Williscroft
RURAL REPORTER
DairyNZ boss Tim Mackle is a believer. The industry good group chief executive said recently that future discussion around water use is inevitable and is a necessary part of a broader conversation about some of the sustainability issues New Zealand is facing. “Water allocation is a very challenging issue, and a water roundtable could be a good starting point,” Mackle said. “I expect a water roundtable would build on the existing package of work being carried out under the dairy sector’s water accord and the Ministry for the Environment’s clean water package,” he said. continued over page
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”Environmental policy and economic policy are closely linked. The dairy sector is already looking at different farming practices and how to balance profitability and productivity with environmental outcomes as part of a climate change action plan. “We all know that environmental sustainability isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. I can say with confidence that the dairy sector is committed to farming sustainability.” Sustainable farming is also part of Federated Farmers’ outlook, the federation’s water spokesman Chris Allen said, but he is a little more wary about sitting down at the table just yet, if only because of what might be assumed by others if that happens without some clear lines drawn first, and not the type drawn in the sand that could be washed over by a tide of ill-formed opinion. “We’re up for the dialogue and keeping the lines of communication open,” Allen said. “What concerns us is this (Labour) policy is really
Clockwise from top left: Tim Mackle – Dairy NZ, Chris Allen – Federated Farmers, Andrew Curtis – Irrigation NZ, Melanie Brooks – MHV Water.
poorly thought through. It’s a moveable feast that’s changing week by week.” He said roundtable
discussions on water use, if they were to occur, would need to start from a position where charges were not inevitable,
not that they were going to come and any talks were only to work out the level of charges to be meted out.
“It would just open up a can of worms.” One of the problems was the view that all irrigation somehow equalled pollution, he said, where in fact wellmanaged irrigation was a good on-farm management practice. Allen said one of the issues at the heart of the issue was actually water ownership, and that was a grievance between iwi and the Crown - and those two sides needed to go away and sort out that issue separately, without dragging farmers into the debate. On that point Allen has the support of Massey University senior agribusiness lecturer James Lockhart. Lockhart said that any discussion at this level on water will inevitably involve property rights and treaty claims – and it is unclear how property rights would be affected. “Due to the abundance of water in New Zealand we have not assigned value to it in the way we should. That means New Zealand has built an agricultural and horticultural sector around water being free. While the volumes used are regulated to some extent, all the costs to date are around access and application, such as storage, pumping and
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distribution. “So if a business has its own harvesting and storage, does it pay the same royalty as a business that takes artesian groundwater or surface water? At that point some fundamental property rights are being removed from those who have invested in their own systems.” Lockhart said the thorny issue of water ownership in New Zealand has, until now, been something that successive governments have tried to avoid. “Who owns water in New Zealand? Right now, Labour is saying that if they become government, they do. At that point, water ownership becomes highly contestable and immediately opens the door to another round of Treaty claims.” IrrigationNZ chief executive Andrew Curtis also sees little value in holding another talkfest on water use, saying discussion has “been happening for years”. He points to the work of the Land and Water Forum, established in 2009 to bring together a range of stakeholders in freshwater and land management with local and central government to develop a common direction
5
for freshwater and land management in New Zealand and provide advice to the government. “It’s a shame that Labour
“
So where do they stand, particularly in terms of a national levy on water use? MHV Water chief executive Melanie Brooks is unequivocal
“It is a robust framework and we have made, and are continuing to make, improvements on-farm to address the freshwater issues
We all know that environmental sustainability isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. I can say with confidence that the dairy sector is committed to farming sustainability
have not recognised that some things have already been agreed on, although to be fair National have not acted on all of them.” Curtis also agreed that iwi rights in terms of water have to be ironed out before anything else can be resolved “and there’s a lot going on in that space”. “Someone’s going to have to make some hard decisions,” Curtis said. “The reality is there will be a situation where it will be existing users versus iwi. “I’m just looking forward to getting it resolved.” When it comes down to those existing users, some of those are the companies that run irrigation schemes for their farmer stakeholders.
in her response, in that the company strongly objects to what she describes as “the inequitable implementation of water charging”. “Whilst the details are not available, at a high level we can see wide ranging implications for all New Zealanders,” Brooks said. “We are proud to be part of the agricultural community in Mid Canterbury and we share the desire to protect our waterways for future generations. “The existing Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan provides us with clear direction and facilitates the sustainable management of our land and water resources now and into the future,” she said.
that we are facing as a nation. “We want to reinforce that freshwater management is an issue for the urban and rural communities. We all need to be part of the solutions and we are proud of the progress that has been made by our farming community to address these issues.” Brooks said MHV Water, like other irrigation schemes, was investing in science and technology, was a major contributor to the Managed Aquifer Recharge pilot and was continuing to work closely with its farmers to share best practices, as farmers were leading the way with innovative and sustainable farming systems that were making a difference. “Our farmers have already
invested millions of dollars on on-farm mitigations specifically to improve their environmental sustainability and we strongly oppose an additional tax for the primary sector. (Labour’s policy) will not achieve the desired outcome.” Lockhart agreed, pointing out anomalies in the Labour policy that would have a huge impact on farmers in regions were water supply is at risk, including Canterbury, north and central Otago, Nelson and Marlborough. “If this tax, and it is a tax, at the levels it is being mooted, there could be as much as $500 to 600 billion to be paid by irrigation users … agriculture and horticulture is being asked to bear the entire burden for the nation’s water use and the degradation of its waterways.” All-in-all it sounds like it’s time for less talk, more action. And not action that targets farmers while ignoring issues at the heart of what needs to be dealt with. Keep communication open but central government needs to bite the bullet and get its own house in order, rather than let farmers, who are already doing their bit, be caught in the crossfire.
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Latest freshwater grants announced Grants announced in the past few weeks from the Ministry for the Environment’s Freshwater Improvement Fund are set to improve the water quality of 33 rivers and lakes around the country, including the Selwyn River. The fund, which is for projects costing $400,000 or more that will improve the quality and availability of water in lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater and wetlands, aims to work in partnership with stakeholders, including farmers, to make the biggest difference possible with the available funding. That’s why it focuses on water bodies in vulnerable catchments that are showing signs of stress but have not yet reached a “tipping point”. The latest round of funding will see an initial $44 million in grants from the fund, which will leverage another $98 million of investment by farmers, councils, other landowners and a variety of agencies. Environment Minister Nick Smith said the money will fund the fencing of waterways
Colin Williscroft
RURAL REPORTER
from farm animals, planting along streams, development of wetlands, sewage reticulation and water storage to increase minimum flows. There were also initiatives in the package to eradicate water weeds, remove pest fish and to retire marginal land adjacent to waterways. Federated Farmers has hailed both the investment and the partnership approach. “It’s great to have acknowledgement from the government that it’s expensive to restore water quality in these hotspots to a level that meets the standards expected by government and all New Zealanders,” federation water spokesman Chris Allen said. “It’s often more than
Landscape architect Dan Cameron wants to work with farmers to improve biodiversity on and PHOTO SUPPLIED around their properties.
individual communities or sector groups can do on their own. We’re trying to get there by working together, and this announcement is certainly a step in the right direction.” The funding announcement has also been welcomed by landscape architect Dan Cameron. Cameron, who grew up on a farm near Kaikoura, said when people hear the job title “landscape architect” they assume he’s involved in areas such as working on people’s
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gardens, but that’s not the case. He has recently been focusing on improving rural biodiversity by creating corridors of native growth. That work has also involved areas such as reducing sediment run-off and stabilising streambanks. His speciality is working with landowners and councils to come up with plans and strategies to help improve waterways. that need restoration, including finding
out whether financial help is available to help deliver those outcomes. Cameron understands that the vast majority of farmers love the land and want to protect it as much as possible He said although there was “no silver bullet” to magically achieving the increasing environmental requirements that are becoming part and parcel of farming in the modern world, people in his line of work were well-placed to help farmers in that area.
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DCANZ joins biosecurity group The Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) has become the 15th and largest industry sector to join the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) biosecurity partnership. DCANZ is the national organisation representing the dairy processor and exporters sector, comprised of 11 members responsible for 99 per cent of the milk processed in New Zealand. “It’s very pleasing to have DCANZ working with the Ministry for Primary Industries and other industry partners on biosecurity,” Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy said. “The dairy industry is a crucial part of New Zealand’s economy, making up over a third of all New Zealand total exports. It is vital we work together to prepare and respond to biosecurity threats. “The discovery of the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis near Waimate is a real reminder of how important biosecurity is to the dairy sector. It’s good practice for all farmers to have an on-farm
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and representatives of the major dairy companies at the GIA signing. PHOTO SUPPLIED
biosecurity plan. “As the recent Biosecurity 2025 Direction Statement outlines, biosecurity is a shared responsibility. We need everyone working together sharing their expertise and experience.” DCANZ chairman Malcolm Bailey said the signing of the GIA Deed was an important step to safe-guarding the sector’s ability to continue
meeting its global customer demand for safe, high-quality, New Zealand dairy products. “New Zealand’s status as being free from many of the pests and diseases which hinder livestock production and exports in other countries is a significant source of competitive advantage,” Bailey said. “Dairy export earnings have averaged $14.4 billion
in recent years. These trade benefits flow through the economy for the benefit of all New Zealanders. We must do all we can to minimise the chances of a major, trade stopping, biosecurity incursion, such as foot and mouth disease occurring.” GIA secretariat manager Steve Rich welcomed DCANZ on behalf of the GIA partnership saying the new addition further strengthens efforts to deliver better biosecurity outcomes. “GIA continues to go from strength to strength as more industry groups recognise the benefit of a joint approach to managing biosecurity readiness and response activities,” Rich said. “The arrival of DCANZ into GIA means New Zealand’s largest single export sector is now directly represented in the partnership, and we look forward to working with them.” The signing of the agreement was attended by Guy, Trade Minister Todd McClay and representatives of all major dairy companies.
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Nicole Jackson said the primary aim of Fit for Calving was accident and injury PHOTO SUPPLIED prevention.
Fit for calving An initiative aimed at getting women fit for the calving season is likely to step up a gear next year. Run by Canterbury dairy farm contractor Nicole Jackson and Methven dairy farmer Alice Liljebäck, Fit for Calving is a sixweek programme of exercises aimed at preparing women’s bodies for the physically gruelling calving season. Jackson said Fit for Calving came about as a result of conversations she had on-farm with calf rearers. That got her thinking about the three months of physical preparation she does each year to get into shape for calving, which has kept her injuryfree during five seasons. So she decided to team up with Liljebäck, a dairy farmer with a background in personal training, and together they came up with a series of “super basic, super simple” exercises to help get people’s bodies ready for going to work. Jackson said the target audience was people with lower levels of fitness and the goal was accident and injury prevention. “It wasn’t about body transformation or weight loss, and you weren’t going to run a marathon, we were helping to get joints limbered up, getting bodies thinking about physical work.” Working with a philosophy of time is short and doing something is better than nothing, the programme involves exercises that can be done for five minutes, 10 minutes, or strung together to form a half-hour workout. They included things such as arm circles, shoulder shrugs, toe taps and flutter kicks, which can all be done anytime and anywhere, and do not require equipment. Videos of the exercises were put on the Fit for Calving Facebook page
Colin Williscroft
RURAL REPORTER
and women around the country were invited to jump online and try them out. Jackson said the feedback they received was extremely positive, especially considering they were just testing the waters. The main problem they faced involved the online nature of the programme. “Definitely our biggest hurdle was the internet,” she said, with uploading and downloading videos in some rural areas quite a challenge. “Facebook was not really the best place to be putting up some of the longer-length videos,” she said, although they have a couple of ideas on how to overcome that for next season. One of those is teaming up with Farm Strong, an initiative designed to give farmers the skills and resources to live well, farm well and get the most out of life. Jackson said it’s hoped that by working with Farm Strong they will be able to use a different platform to get their videos up, which will make them easier for people in rural areas to access. Once this year’s calving season is over Jackson will touch base with Liljebäck, Farm Strong and others around the country who have expressed an interest in getting involved so they will be a bit more prepared for next season. DJ6743_SW_calf_campaign_ad_360x124_v5.indd 1
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Report predicts supply slow-down New Zealand dairy processors will struggle to fill existing and planned capacity in coming years as milk supply growth slows, leading to more cautious investment in capacity over the next five years, according to a new report from Rabobank. The report, Survive or Thrive – the Future of New Zealand Dairy 20172022, explains that capital expenditure in new processing assets stepped up between 2013 and 2015, but capacity construction has run ahead of recent milk supply growth and appears to factor in stronger milk supply growth than what Rabobank anticipates. Rabobank dairy analyst Emma Higgins said milk supply has stumbled over the past couple of production seasons and, while the 2017/18 season is likely to bring a spike in milk production of 2 to 3 per cent, Rabobank expects the brakes to be applied and milk production growth to slow to or below 2 per cent for the following four years. This slow-down in
Rabobank dairy analyst Emma Higgins says a slowdown in milk production will have implications for the supply chain. PHOTO SUPPLIED
production will have implications for the supply chain, Higgins said. “There is a risk for processors that they may not achieve optimal capacity utilisation going forward, as milk supply slows. It will be a more challenging and competitive environment to get the necessary throughput for those plants,” she said. “We have seen extra capacity come online over the past five years, largely to deal with the wave of milk New Zealand has produced.
If we see a slow-down in milk production growth, the risk is that processing plants could be operating at sub-optimal capacity utilisation.” The second implication is that processors will need to review their strategies for obtaining new or maintaining their existing milk supply. There are at least three options for processors to maintain their milk base – protecting and defending the status quo milk supply, aggressively recruiting for new supply or expanding into
new territory, or acquiring existing production assets with milk supply attached. “Regardless of the supply strategy employed, processors will need to deliver more competitive returns to farmers to ensure supply stickiness, either by adding value to their product mix where possible and passing some gains through to farmers, or efficiently producing commodities at low cost,” Higgins said. But both of these strategies come with risk. “Value-add is easier said than done and requires exceptional execution. Not only does it require additional capital outlay, but it also requires long-term dedication from both the suppliers and the company to see it
come to fruition. Producing commodities at low cost is a possible strategy, but a tight rein on cost control is required and there is no guarantee of relief from global market volatility,” she said. The final implication is greater competition at the farmgate, as milk supply slows and processors look to fill plants. “We may see new pricing structures emerge and new, innovative products to support farmers to manage cash flow and capital in order to attract and retain milk supply,” she said. Higgins said the increased competition for milk is most likely to affect Fonterra, Open Country Dairy and Westland, as the most exposed processors to adverse shifts in their existing supply base in relation to their current plant capacity. Farmers in the Waikato, Southland and Canterbury regions are the most likely to benefit from increased competition, with three new plants in the pipeline over the next two years.
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Minister keeps farmers in the cold If it wasn’t so busy on farm at this time of year, I don’t think farmers would have let the most recent immigration adjustments slide by. They may not, though, when they look up in September to drop their ballot in the box. Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse recently announced that he has taken into account the more than 170 submissions regarding visa changes and is adjusting salary thresholds downwards. These salary thresholds are going to be important for migrant visa applications across all sectors because, from August 28, they will help define what will be high, medium or low-skilled jobs. The big change is in the mid-skilled salary band, which will now be set lower at $41,538 a year, just under $20/hour. Any migrant earning between $41,538 and $73,299 a year in an occupation classified as ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) level 1 – 3 will be considered mid-skilled, and
This is the first in a series of columns by Greenstone Global on immigration and farm staff recruitment issues. Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse says he has listened to the rural community. Graydon Sharratt
IMMIGRATION ISSUES
those earning over $73,299 a year will automatically be considered higher-skilled, regardless of their occupation. While these changes are being welcomed by the tourism and hospitality sectors, farming loses out. The problem is the new bands catch virtually all farm staff below farm manager level. Farming only have two ANZSCO codes : one for skill level 1 positions, which are mainly farm manager positions and level 5 positions, which are low level farm worker positions There is
nothing in between. We have no ANZSCO levels 2 and 3 in farming to deal with herd managers or assistant farm managers, who are anything but low-skilled. Having a job which falls into the low skilled band is a big deal. After three years in New Zealand, migrants in this band will have to go home for a year and, whilst they are here, their partners will not
PHOTO SUPPLIED
be able to hold partnership work visas. Additionally, if they want their children to live with them in New Zealand and go to school, they are going to have to fork out more than $10,000 a year for international student fees. This has big implications for rural New Zealand, whose communities rely heavily on migrant families to keep their farms, schools, clubs, churches and businesses operating. I recently met leaders at Federated Farmers and Dairy NZ and the room was virtually united in identifying the flaws in the government’s proposals. But the Minister kept saying he had listened to farmers. And the rural community
had certainly voiced their concern Federated Farmers, Dairy NZ, individual farmers and mayoral forums had all made detailed submissions and had come up with some good solutions. Greenstone Global made a detailed submission too. That afternoon, the announcements held no good news for farming. Granted, the Minister did say phase two will address “concerns raised by primary industries that the current ANZSCO lacks classifications for some jobs and therefore disadvantages workers whose occupations are classed at a lower-level by default.” The problem is, if National are no longer in government after September 23, phase two may never happen and farming will be left out in the cold. Graydon Sharratt is Director of Greenstone Global Immigration Advisors and farm staff recruitment specialists, Greenstone Recruitment. www. greenstone-recruitment.co.nz
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IRRIGATION AND EFFLUENT FEATURE
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Kiwis deserve answers on water tax Ever since Labour announced it planned to charge a tax on water, the phones have been running hot at IrrigationNZ. We represent around 3500 New Zealand irrigators and they’re not happy. They also have a lot of questions about the new water tax. Don’t we all? So, IrrigationNZ has launched a campaign calling for Labour to explain a number of questions around the tax. Like how much would it cost and how would it be implemented. Or is it fair to charge users for water use while other commercial users are not charged. And how will it impact on jobs or food prices? We’ve also been busy on social media where there has been a huge amount of discussion and debate about the new tax. If you want to join this then you can visit our IrrigationNZ Facebook page. Labour isn’t sure how much the tax will be or what rate it will be levied at – we’ve heard lots of different versions of what it could be. To address that we’ve developed a new
Andrew Curtis
IRRIGATION NZ
calculator where you can type in your water use and enter a tax rate to see how much the new tax would cost you. Because your guess about the new tax rate is will be as good as Labour’s. You can try it out at www.irrigationnz.co.nz Something that has been ignored through this whole debate is the fact that river pollution is an issue which affects many areas. Auckland currently has the worst rivers in the country, with 62 per cent graded as poor for swimming and none as excellent or good for swimming. We’ve asked Labour to explain why there isn’t a sewerage tax on urban areas and would like to see a debate about urban river pollution.
Ultimately the water tax will increase the cost of production, with a knock-on effect for New Zealanders and on the country’s international competitiveness. Farmers who are already spending billions upgrading irrigation infrastructure, complying with environmental legislation and upgrading the health of their rivers and lakes will have less to spend. It will have a disproportionate impact on Canterbury and Otago, because that’s where 75 per cent of New Zealand’s irrigated land is located. If $100 million needs to be
raised through the new tax, that’s $75 million coming out of those regional economies to fix up rivers elsewhere in New Zealand. Canterbury will be particularly badly affected, with $35 million just coming out of Ashburton and Selwyn districts alone, as these areas have just over a third of the country’s irrigated land. There is no way that significant sums of money can be removed from these economies without having a knock-on impact on jobs, and not just those on farms. So, if you don’t agree with the water tax, what can you do
about it? Firstly if you have your own questions, then you should ask Jacinda and other Labour Party members for an answer. And say how it will impact you. Secondly, you could let others in the community know how reduced farm income would affect the community. Thirdly, you can support IrrigationNZ’s campaign by joining our organisation at www.irrigationnz/ membership. We’ll be working to represent your views, keep you updated on how a tax could affect you, and keep you informed on our campaign progress.
BY BYLINDSAY LINDSAY
0800 ZIMMATIC ZIMMATIC 0800
Ashburton: 25 McNally, Ashburton 7700. Phone (03) 307-2027 Ashburton: 25 McNally, Ashburton 7700. Phone (03) 307-2027 Timaru: 81 Hilton Highway, Washdyke 7910. Phone (03) 688-7042 Cromwell: 9 Rogers St, Cromwell 9310. Phone (03) 445 4200 Timaru: 81 Hilton Highway, Washdyke 7910. Phone (03) 688-7042
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IRRIGATION AND EFFLUENT FEATURE
13
Irrigation can benefit the environment Irrigation is good for farming and for the environment, Nick Pyke, CEO, Foundation for Arable Research, says. Pyke may not be involved in dairy farming but his message cuts across different agricultural sectors, particularly as the common theme of a lot of mainstream news media coverage is that irrigation is bad for the environment and that it is intensifying agriculture, which is also assumed to be bad. “These messages that irrigation is bad are usually provided with little, if any, supporting scientific data,” Pyke said. “While bad irrigation can result in excess nutrient loss, good irrigation can reduce nitrogen loss to ground water and improve soil quality. It also has the potential to improve river flows, and reduce the risk of erosion.” Pyke said there were a number of ways that irrigation could help reduce nutrient loss, which were supported by research. Irrigation is a very effective tool to mitigate nitrogen loss through leaching, he said. It ensures that the plant is actively growing and, if
it is growing, it is relatively easy to work out the nutrient requirement of the plant for each stage of growth; estimate the amount of nitrogen available from the soil; and apply the requisite amount of nutrients, particularly nitrogen, to meet the plant’s demand. Pyke said irrigation also improves water holding capacity, something that had been backed up by long term trials comparing irrigation and dryland crop production on a Templeton soil at the FAR Chertsey Research Site in Mid Canterbury, which showed increases in soil carbon in the irrigated treatments compared to the dryland ones, irrespective of the crop establishment practice. Improving soil quality through irrigation so that it has a higher water holding capacity means there is less drainage, and less drainage means less nitrogen is leached, Pyke said. “Irrigation also means it is possible to have active plant growth throughout the year, reducing the risk of wind erosion or surface sediment run-off. In the cropping situation, irrigation can be used to help establish
crops if there is insufficient soil moisture for germination and growth. Pyke acknowledged that not all irrigation benefits the environment, but he said that instead of constantly criticising irrigation as damaging the environment its benefits to the environment should also be celebrated. “The next step is to look at improving the poor irrigation practices and determining how we can efficiently irrigate more land in high risk areas, such as the Ruataniwha and the Wairarapa, to benefit the New Zealand economy and the environment. Alongside good scientific data that illustrates the benefits of irrigation, we also need good scientific data that demonstrates its negative impacts, so these impacts can be addressed. “Using good quality scientific data to support irrigation management should result in increased stream flows, reduced water extraction from aquifers, reduced nitrogen leaching to ground water and reduced erosion, sediment and phosphate loss.”
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IRRIGATION AND EFFLUENT FEATURE
Irrigation projects targeted
Heavy duty as standard
Greenpeace has set its sights firmly on irrigation projects in Canterbury, with the organisation planning a day of civil disobedience in the province on September 7. According to a post on the Greenpeace New Zealand website “the plans are pretty ambitious”. Hundreds of us, in Canterbury, on the 7th of September standing up for our rivers by taking part in peaceful civil disobedience against Big Irrigation,” it says. “The more of us who are there, the more powerful our message will be there. Will you be there?” The post goes on to say: “We know that when we stand together, we always win. Here’s our shot to
Johnson Gluyas Tractors are proud to be the importer for the Redrock Machinery range. Redrock has been a major exporter of high quality agricultural and construction machinery into the Irish, UK and European markets. Our focus is mainly the vacuum tanker range as the high quality build and design are designed to meet our customers high expectations. Each tanker comes with excellent standard features such as Full Road LED Lights, Hydraulic brakes and handbrakes, Anti-Enclosure Rings for durability and strength and sprung drawbar as standard on all single and tandem axles. The filling system comprises of quick attach suction hose, three fill points, two with quick attach and a wash hose valve, three removable sight glasses for filling and hydraulic change over on the vacuum pump is also a standard feature. Redrock offers a large range of Jurop pump options from 8000 Litres to 13,000 litres. Pumps are standard PTO driven with wide angle PTO shafts, and an option for hydraulically driven is also available. We currently have in stock tankers
create a tonne of political pressure that could change the story of New Zealand’s rivers forever. Let’s make 7th September the day everything changed.” The plans should come as no surprise. Following a protest earlier this month at a Central Plains Water site in Hororata, Greenpeace campaigner Gen Toop said it was “just the start here in Canterbury”. “We’re putting big irrigation on notice. We will be back, real soon and next time we’re inviting the public to join in.” Toop said Central Plains Water was “ground zero for this irresponsible and short-sighted policy”.
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Dairy Focus Farming
IRRIGATION AND EFFLUENT FEATURE
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Consents to farm needed now Do you have your resource consent to farm yet? If your property is not served by an irrigation scheme with its own land use consent, it’s time for the vast majority of Mid Canterbury dairy farms to be applying for their own consent to farm. ECan have been proactive, ensuring people are aware of the need to apply. They have been advertising, have written to farmers who are likely to need a consent and have been following this up with phone calls. This level of focus from ECan is unprecedented on such a large scale and provides an indication that they are serious about ensuring this process is now pushed along. Although many have been aware of the need for these consents for a while, relatively few have secured their consent. The majority have been waiting until there is clarity over when the consents will be required. The mist has cleared on this
“
issue; the timing is now! The main things that are needed for the application are a Farm Environment Plan and Overseer modelling to assess the rate of nitrogen loss from
the property. In addition to these, the 27 pages of application form and planning assessment will need to be completed and the ECan application fee of $1725 will
Visit our website for more on how the
need to be paid. There will be very few dairy farms in Mid Canterbury that don’t now have a Farm Environment Plan. As such, that box is ticked.
The mist has cleared on this issue; the timing is now!
The Overseer modelling is a little trickier. Although Overseer nutrient budgets are typically carried out for dairy farms, these are often not sufficient for the consent application. This is because an assessment of N losses through the ‘baseline’ period (2009 to 2013) is also required. There’s currently a ‘log-jam’ for this Overseer work, with a huge amount of work to do, but limited capacity within the industry. ECan realise it will take a long time to clear the back-log and they are unlikely to keep chasing if they know you are on a waiting list for this work. As such, contact your consultant or advisor and make sure that you are on their list. Advertising feature
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IRRIGATION AND EFFLUENT FEATURE
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Providing your irrigator needs Contact the team at Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings for all your irrigation needs. We design, supply and install all types of irrigation systems from the smallest sprinkler system through to large Reinke centre pivots or lateral irrigators. We can programme manage large-scale dairy conversions right from the earliest discussion point through to commissioning the entire system. We design and install stock water systems to suit all types of farming activity. Our team of experienced and knowledgeable staff cover all areas of irrigation. Our qualified pivot technical staff can maintain and repair all of our systems. Right now winter servicing is being carried out to ensure that, when the rain stops, your irrigator will be in good condition and ready to go when required. Reinke systems are different to all the rest - all the steel in Reinke systems is high tensile steel, this makes them lighter which means less wheel tracks in the paddock.
Reinke swing arm corners and laterals have been Trimble GPS guided for many years we lead the field in that form of technology. We have many farmer clients who have both centre pivots and laterals operating on one single base station. The Reinke swing arm corner centre pivot irrigator has the longest swing arm in the business -just under 100
metre, covering more area . Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings have been the sole New Zealand dealer for all of Reinke Manufacturing products since 1999. Our loyal staff have been employed by our company for a very long time - some for more than 20 years. We know our business, we know our clients and owe know our client’s needs.
Snap-tite irrigation hose is a well-proven product that many farmers who have travelling irrigators, are aware of. We currently are taking indent orders for spring delivery at favourable pricing. We have staff who can carry out flow meter verifications and also irrigation system evaluations. During the irrigation season, our staff are rostered
during weekends to ensure that when you have a breakdown on your irrigation pump, or your irrigation mainline has sprung a leak or your irrigator has stopped, for whatever reason, the problem can be repaired promptly and efficiently. Contact our friendly team. Check out our web page or see us on Facebook. Advertising feature
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Dairy Focus Farming
IRRIGATION AND EFFLUENT FEATURE
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Water being put to a new driving force The majority of New Zealand’s irrigation water is supplied by rivers that run from the mountains to the sea over a relatively short distance. This gradient is increasingly being utilised to provide farmers and growers piped, gravity pressurised irrigation water which reduces or eliminates pumping and its associated costs. Once this pressurised water reaches the farms centre pivot irrigators are predominantly used to apply the water to the crops. As these are inherently low pressure devices there are cases in which excess pressure is available. Carrfields Irrigation have identified an opportunity to utilise this excess pressure or excess flow, by running the water through a turbine and powering their T-L hydraulically driven centre pivot irrigators. This eliminates the need for electric or diesel power sources which can be especially costly when installing irrigation systems in remote environments. An existing prototype has been in place on a T-L centre
pivot located near Methven for a number of years and Carrfields Irrigation, with the help of a University of Canterbury Mechanical Engineering Final Year Project group, have been performing further research and testing on this machine. Through this
they have been able to further develop, standardise and commercialise the system - the Carrfields HydroDrive. Locally sourced pumps and components were found to be as effective as more expensive, specialised, important components so the cost for
such a system to the customer has been able to be kept to a minimum with short payback times expected. The first of the Carrfields HydroDrive prototypes was installed on the North Otago Irrigation Scheme, with four commercialised
units planned for installation and commissioning in the Mackenzie Country in the Spring of this year. The advantages of coupling such a system with a T-L hydraulically driven pivot come down to efficient energy transfer. Water pressure is translated to hydraulic oil pressure through a turbine coupled to the standard T-L hydraulic pump. The oil pressure then drives hydraulic motors at each wheel through high efficiency planetary gearboxes. This compared to an electric alternative where water pressure needs to be converted to electricity and then back to a motive force at an electric motor/shaft system at each tower. Carrfields Irrigation are continuing their involvement with the University of Canterbury Engineering department through sponsoring another final year project, this time looking at an irrigator damage avoidance system. Advertising feature
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IRRIGATION AND EFFLUENT FEATURE
19
Watering at the push of a button
Hamish with one of his irrigators. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Growsmart Precision VRI with FieldNET is the ultimate add-on for easy and cost efficient irrigation, Maniototo sheep and beef farmer Hamish Mackenzie says. “It’s simple, easy to use and gives you heaps of flexibility. I can sort and upload a watering plan and set it going at the push of a button,” Hamish says. At Kyeburn Station, an extensive 3300ha sheep and beef property, 260ha of flats are irrigated. Half the area is watered by a 570 meter Zimmatic centre-pivot. It was installed with Growsmart Precision VRI in 2015 and in November 2016 was upgraded with FieldNET, a remote communication tool making it possible to control Growsmart Precision VRI from any internet-capable device. The limited cell phone coverage means Hamish is not set up for complete remote control but FieldNET has given him greater flexibility over irrigation. And he says the new updated system is far superior to its predecessor. “I do all of my irrigation plans on the home computer. If we had reliable cell phone coverage I’d be able to send them remotely to the pivot but because we don’t I put them on a memory stick which I then plug into the pivot panel of the irrigator. It’s
really simple and straightforward.” This season the pivot watered 37ha of Relish red clover-based pasture; 28ha of lucerne; 12ha of barley; 17ha of swedes; and 7ha fodder beet. The patchwork of different crops, each with different watering requirements throughout the season could have made irrigation planning and management a headache. But the combination of Growsmart VRI and FieldNET made it surprisingly straightforward. “You can add in as many different fields as needed, and alter the watering rates on each or keep them out of the rotation as required. That’s the beauty of VRI and FieldNET, it’s so easy to alter things.” Installation of FieldNET was about $1000 on top of the Growsmart VRI but he reckons he’s easily recouped the cost – and saved water. Efficient use of water is a number one priority given the region’s 500mm annual rainfall and extended summer dry periods. Water is taken from the Kyeburn River, from a main race which Hamish shares with four farms. He has a 52l/s allocation but over the last year the combination of Growsmart Precision VRI and FieldNET has reduced pivot water use to about 43l/s.
WE MAKE THE SOLUTION THIS SIMPLE
“I’ve been able to cut back the percentage flow through the pivot in summer and we’ve been able to use the extra if needed for k-line irrigation. Also we’ve saved money because we’re not having to pump as much water and we don’t need as much pressure.” Irrigation development at Kyeburn Station started after completion of tenure review in 2009. “We surrendered 4700ha of hill country to the Crown in 2009 so we had to intensify what we were doing.” The goal was to maintain the same number of stock units by ramping up production on flat country. They purchased some neighbouring land that was irrigated, and added another 100ha pivot. There is now 260ha under irrigation, of that 180ha is covered by two Zimmatic pivots, one of which has Growsmart Precision VRI and FieldNET. “I will sometime in the future retro fit the older Zimmatic pivot with Growsmart Precision VRI as well. I think it’s really important given the push by regional councils to encourage farmers to use less water and become smarter with how they irrigate.” Advertising feature
With Growsmart® Precision VRI, FieldNET® remote management and Zimmatic® irrigation systems, your Zimmatic dealer will deliver a “single box” irrigation solution – the only fully integrated solution on the market. Growsmart Precision VRI is the world’s first true variable rate irrigation system, and it’s the most advanced precision irrigation solution available. The fully integrated system, managed through FieldNET, provides unparalleled ease-of-use. And with the support of your Zimmatic dealer backed by Lindsay you can rest assured you’re working with the most experienced precision irrigation specialists globally. Having one point of contact makes upgrading and maintaining your irrigation system seamless, so you can spend less time in the field, giving you more time for what matters.
CALL YOUR LOCAL ZIMMATIC® DEALER TO MAKE IRRIGATION CHILD’S PLAY! 0800 438 627 • growsmartvri.com
ZIMMATIC, FIELDNET AND GROWSMART ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THE LINDSAY CORPORATION. © 2017 LINDSAY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Dairy Focus Farming
IRRIGATION AND EFFLUENT FEATURE
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Optimise irrigation with Aquaflex AQUAFLEX - the unique 3m long New Zealand designed and manufactured Soil Moisture Sensor will help you: • Save water • Save energy • Save fertiliser • Optimise yield/production • Optimise crop quality • Comply with Farm Environmental Plan conditions Aquaflex Soil Moisture Sensors are an investment that can provide immediate returns to improve your bottom line. With more stringent environmental and consent requirements being enforced on farmers, Aquaflex is a vital part of any Farm Environmental Plan and Nutrient Budget. The Aquaflex Sensor is a 3m long tape which is laid into the root zone of the crop and measures a volume of six litres of soil and provides soil moisture and soil temperature information on a continual basis. Locally designed (at Lincoln University), manufactured and supported you can
have confidence in both the Aquaflex Sensor and the support provided by Aquaflex NZ. Refer to www.aquaflex. co.nz for more information and to download the Aquaflex Handbook which provides useful information on soil moisture and how to interpret Aquaflex data including notes on soil water-holding characteristics – some of which are summarised below:
The above graph shows soil moisture content in relation to field capacity and refill Point. Drainage is evident when soil moisture content exceeds field capacity.
Field Capacity (FC) The maximum amount of water the soil can hold against the force of gravity. Permanent Wilting Point (PWP) The water content where most plants will wilt and fail to recover.
Plant Available Water (PAW) The full range of water that the plant can extract from the soil (i.e. FC to PWP).
Refill Point (RP) (also called Stress Point) The lower level of the RAW. Water below this level is difficult for the plant to access.
Readily Available Water (RAW) The water that is easy for the plants to extract from the soil.
Advertising feature
Touch Screen Control
Effluent Traffic Lights
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Dairy Focus Farming
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Sharpen up your trimming skills Do you know what hoof trimming is all about? How would you, rate your own or your staff ’s hoof trimming skills? Many people may answer that question with a certain amount of self-confidence. “It’s not that difficult, right? I have seen vet’s trim cows. I have even watched professional trimmers. I think I do a pretty decent job”. Lameness is expensive. It is in the top three animal welfare problems, and along with mastitis and fertility, is in the top three main health costs on a dairy farm. It pays to take it seriously and, unfortunately, most people underestimate the skills and know how required for proper hoof care. Just to put it into perspective, it takes 14 months to get a qualification in hoof care in Europe. Apparently, about 40 per cent of trainees fail their exam after that time. I know that is at a professional level, but farmers are professionals as well, therefore their hoof care skills should be at a standard where the speed of recovery is
Fred Hoekstra
VEEHOF DAIRY SERVICES
similar to work performed by a professional hoof trimmer. We come across many cows that have been trimmed by farmers and who end up being worse off after the trim than they were before. A cow’s recovery does not necessarily reflect the quality of the trimming; most cows will recover without any outside interference. So, when we decide to intervene it needs to be done for the sole purpose of speeding up the healing process. I think a lot of cows in New Zealand are trimmed because it makes the farmer feel better, not the cow. This may be my bluntness coming through, but I see way too many cases that support this view. In reality this is very
understandable. Most farmers have had insufficient training, and because of my experiences teaching final year vet students at Massey, I can say that even most veterinarians have minimal training in this important skill. How can you be confident that you are helping your cows if you don’t know what aspects of the trimming process are important, and
why? We are planning a hoof care expo at VeeHof head office on Coplands Road in Ashburton on October 17. Along with demonstrations on hoof knife sharpening and claw block applications, and an opportunity to observe and experience trimming with a grinder, there will be a one-hour seminar which will explain in more detail
the rationale behind the hoof trimming process. This programme will run in the morning and be repeated in the afternoon, with lunch provided between sessions. Reservations are required for the seminar due to limited spaces. For more information, or to book your spot, please call 0800 833 463, or email info@veehof.co.nz.
Must we kill the good guys to get the bad guys? CHLORINE Pathogens: Bacteria Bad Guys Pathogen
BUG
They’re called Pathogens, microscopic organisms that cause animal disease by direct invasion of body tissue. These bad guys produce toxins that poison the cells they invade.
Dangerous in the Dairy Shed Because these pathogens are present in the milking system, farmers diligently sanitise their sheds. The way farmers destroy these dangerous microorganisms is with chlorine. And it works – chlorine is an effective sanitizer.
2. Converting volatile effluent nutrients into stable forms that are readily available to plants. 3. Reducing leaching and soil run-off. 4. Reducing pond odour by capturing the ammonia within the urine. Slurry Bugs are the good guys that can save farmers thousands of dollars (and time) in effluent management .
Green Death in the Pond In March this year, something strange happened at a Waikato pond we were treating with Slurry Bugs.
CHLORINE A bomb that kills everything
The problem with standard chlorine is that it doesn’t differentiate between Bad Bacteria and Good Bacteria. It is a bomb blast that kills all microorganisms indiscrimiately.
The Bacteria Good Guys Good bacteria are Nature’s allies. For a farm to thrive, good bacteria need to be present and active. In the soil, these good guys do the following:
After initially seeing the solids eaten away, the condition of the pond began to go backwards. We also noticed a green colouration in areas of the pond where Slurry Bug activity had been dynamic. On closer inspection, it was clear that the Slurry Bugs were no longer active. Something had killed the Good Guys.
Mineralise nutrients into plant-available forms Release nitrogen and nutrients for plants to use Increase nutrient retention Suppress disease-causing pathogens Detoxify the soil by degrading toxic materials Improve the accumulation of organic matter Produce plant-growth hormones Ensure root architecture is correct and extensive Enhance soil structure to improve water flow and reduce erosion
Could it be Chlorine?
Good microbes in your POND
Further confirmation came in the form of phone calls from other farmers informing us that they had somehow ‘killed the bugs’.
One type of beneficial microbe is the Slurry Bug. When these aerobic bacteria are in an effluent pond, they help the farmer by: 1. Eating pond crust and sludge and giving the farmer liquified, spreadable effluent.
Upon asking the farmer about his activties, we learned he had recently washed Chlorine into the pond after cleaning down the yard.
But what’s the alternative to the Chlorine Bomb? Chlorine is the accepted germ killer. So before farmers will consider using another sanitiser, the alternative must tick two big boxes: It must kill bad bacteria as effectively as chlorine. It must be as easy to use and as cost-effective as chlorine. So what’s the effective alternative to chlorine?
DX50TM: a powerful, new eco-friendly sanitiser DX50TM is Chlorine Dioxide, an eco-friendly chemical engineered to be highly selective in its bacteria killing. • A broad-spectrum sanitiser • Kills only pathogens - not good bacteria • Kills 2.46x better than toxic Chlorine • Kills a wider range of pathogens • Effective with cold water • Non-corrosive: no acidic residue • Effective at breaking down dairy plant bio-films • MPI approved for use in farm dairies
To confirm the presence of chlorine, we took pond samples from the affected area to a laboratory. Tests showed that the green colouration was the killing reaction of Chlorine with the Slurry Bugs.
All of them had recently washed chlorine into their effluent ponds.
TO ORDER DX50
or to find out more information
SOUTH ISLAND: Ross Wright: 027 246 2114 NORTH ISLAND: David Law: 027 490 9896
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www.guardianonline.co.nz
25
Water: Just who should pay? It’s strange to be contemplating paying for water as I survey the damage another 60mm of rain has done to an already waterlogged dairy farm, but here we are. It must be an election year. What a bold and defining policy it is too: a levy on all commercial water users! A levy on water bottlers (but not Coca Cola), a levy on farmers (but only for irrigation, not for stock water), a levy on… well that’s the end of the list really, all other commercial users of water seem to have escaped for now. Currently all water to everyone is free, you may pay for pipes and treatment and delivery but the water itself is free. This is a detail that seems lost on anyone with a residential water meter whose immediate response seems to be “I pay for my water, so can the farmers!” It seems to be a detail lost on David Parker too, Labour’s spokesperson for Water and the Environment asserts that Coca Cola would not be subject to the levy as they already
Craig Hickman
ELBOW DEEP @dairymanNZ
pay Auckland Council and “nobody should have to pay twice.” Well I’m sorry David, but Coke don’t pay for the water, they pay for its treatment and delivery to their plant, the water itself is free. By the same logic anyone on an irrigation scheme should also be exempt as they already pay for the water and “nobody should have to pay twice.” What exactly is the levy supposed to achieve? If it’s supposed to send a price signal that intensification is not the way to go, I fear Parker is about to learn about unintended consequences. About 70 per cent of all irrigation in New Zealand occurs in Canterbury, some 385,000 hectares are irrigated, and by far the most profitable use of that land is
dairying yet only about half that is used for that purpose. I calculate that, at 2 cents per cumec, the farm I manage would be liable for between $50,000 and $60,000 per annum in irrigation tax, a figure that made my arable friends’ eyes water. “The thought you could come up with $60k ‘spare’ money for tax sickens me!”
said one cropping farmer on twitter “none spare here!” Low debt dairy farms may well be able to absorb the cost, lower margin arable farms might find it a little tougher. If you’re an arable farmer faced with an extra tax for continuing to water, doesn’t converting to dairying look a little more attractive? As a dairy farmer that
$60k adds 13c to my cost of producing every kg of milk solids: how do I claw that back? Intensification seems to be the simple answer. If, as Parker says, the revenue is to be used to clean up waterways nationwide, I hope Canterbury can withstand the sudden evaporation of tens of millions of dollars from the local economy.
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26 2
Dairy Focus Farming
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Invest in cost-saving technology With bank interest rates near all-time lows it may be appropriate to investigate other investment options to maintain the purchasing power of your hard-earned capital. Current low deposit rates barely protect against inflationary pressures. There are a multitude of investment options and the best ones for you will depend on your priorities and financial situation, although on-farm investment in cost saving technology will generally be a good investment and I will outline some energysaving options relating to our refrigeration specialisation to get you started. These options may also assist in milk cooling compliance for marginal systems.
Heat recovery
Heat from the refrigeration system (after having removed it from the milk) is normally rejected into the air and the opportunity exists to capture this and utilise it to heat hot water for plant and milk silo
Diagram 1 Mahana Blue Desuperheater
Installed Cost $13,000 $3500
washing. As this is free energy as far as hot water heating is concerned, other options such as air heatpump or solar heating can’t even come close to matching it on payback times as the capital costs to achieve similar savings are much higher. Typical returns for a 1000 cow farm (all figures are estimated) see Diagram 1 above. It should be noted the returns from the desuperheater are more variable depending on use patterns as the hot water cylinders have to be alternated to allow time for the elements to heat the water to 85 degrees whereas the Mahana Blue heat water to usable temperature. The Mahana Blue will save up to 80 per cent where the hot water is heated on normal day rate electricity as opposed to
Savings 60% - 80% 20% - 30%
the more common night rate. There are additional precautions with desuperheater heat recovery systems and your refrigeration specialist will be happy to discuss these with you.
Annual Savings $3090 - $4920 $860 - $1300 Investing in high quality silo insulation and a good heat recovery system could save you thousands.
PHOTOS SUPPLIED
Milk silo insulation
Good quality insulation products vary in price from $2500 to $3850 installed and in most cases will pay for themselves in two to four seasons. The savings on the larger silos with an insulated side wall are more variable as the insulated side wall eliminates the savings until the milk level is above the side wall pad level. If the milk silo spends a fair portion of its time reasonably full of milk the savings in power and wear and tear at the refrigeration unit end will be substantial. Murray Hollings Dairycool Ltd
THE COUNTDOWN IS ON
SILO INSULATION = MONEY SAVED
months TILL MILK COOLING COMPLIANCE
On a hot Canterbury day the average uninsulated silo could experience 8Kw of energy loss, meaning an additional spend well over $1,000 on electricity each year. Add the higher wear, tear and maintenance costs and you could be losing more! Dairycool offer an excellent energy saving option to dairy farmers – the silo insulation wrap. • Assists with compliance regulations • Reduce day refrigeration maintenance running times by upto 80%! • Made with top quality, local materials
www.dairycool.co.nz 03 307 8903 • 0274 748 489 enquiries@dairycool.co.nz
• 5 year warranty on exterior PVC fabric • Eliminate hard to clean tidemark
BLOCKED DRAINS
Dairy Saucer/Wedge/Sump and Drain Clearing.
Allen’s Ashburton offer a great service
SEPTIC TANKS, SUMPS, WEDGES AND PONDS
Does your Septic Tank need to be emptied?
CALL THE POOCRU
Locally owned and operated
Phone Darryl Burrowes on 03 308 5293 or 0274 333 563
www.guardianonline.co.nz
27
Dairy real estate market quiet
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Data released last week by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand showed a continued softening in the rural real estate market and dairying was no exception. For the three months ended July 2017 the median sales price per hectare for dairy farms was $36,332 (36 properties), compared to $34,789 for the three months ended June 2017 (59 properties), and $35,614 (32 properties) for the three months ended July 2016. The median price per hectare for dairy farms has risen 2 per cent over the past 12 months. The median dairy farm size for the three months ended July 2017 was 133 hectares. On a price per kilo of milksolids basis the median sales price was
$35.97 per kg of milksolids for the three months ended July 2017, compared to $33.45 per kg of milksolids for the three months ended June 2017 (+7.5 per cent), and $33.62 per kg of milksolids for the three months ended July 2016 (+7 per cent). The REINZ Dairy Farm Price Index rose 4.3 per cent in the three months to July 2017 compared to the three months to June 2017. However, compared to July 2016, the REINZ Dairy Farm Price Index fell 0.9 per cent. The REINZ Dairy Farm Price Index adjusts for differences in farm size and location compared to the median price per hectare, which does not adjust for these factors.
Nominations open for roles Candidate nominations opened last week for farmer-elected roles on the DairyNZ board and directors remuneration committee. Nominations close at noon on Friday, September 8. This year two farmer positions on the board of directors are available, along with one position on the DairyNZ directors remuneration committee. Electionz.com returning officer Anthony Morton said the first election for two directors is an opportunity for levy paying farmers to get more involved with leadership of DairyNZ. “These roles are a chance to contribute to the whole dairy sector, supporting DairyNZ, its priorities and objectives. This is an important governance role which will help shape and influence the organisation’s direction for dairy farmers.” The board consists of five farmerelected directors and three boardelected directors. This election for the two farmer
directors comes as Alister Body and Jim van der Poel retire by rotation. Body will not be standing for reelection. DairyNZ’s second election is for a directors remuneration committee member who would join two others in considering and recommending remuneration for directors each year. Chris Lewis is the retiring committee member. “All farmers paying a levy on milksolids to DairyNZ are eligible to stand for either election,” Morton said. “If more than the required nominations are received, elections will be carried out using the STV (single transferable vote) voting method. Vote packs will be posted on September 25, with all votes weighted by annual milksolids production, for all registered DairyNZ levy payers.” Election results will be announced at the DairyNZ annual general meeting in Rotorua on Wednesday, October 25.
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