Guardian Farming

An Ashburton Guardian Advertising Feature

July 2010

Guardian

farming $2.00 interesting • informative • essential

The personal touch is paying off ... page 3 Singing the praises of Brigadier beet ... pages 10, 11

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Page 2

GUARDIAN FARMING

What’s inside/happening

contents

calendar July/August 10

Event Tue 6

Firm believer in the personal touch..............P3

t $BOUFSCVSZ 1BSL "MM 4UPDL t 5JOXBME

Wed 7

Hidden costs in our businesses .....................P4

Thur 8

Don’t forget the salt............................................P5

Fri

t 5FNVLB TUPSF DBUUMF

9

Sat 10

Helmack - staying abreast of the times....P6-8

Sun 11

Winchmore June update...................................P9

Mon 12

t 5FNVLB

Singing Brigadier beet’s praises.............P10-11

Tue 13

t $BOUFSCVSZ 1BSL "MM 4UPDL t 5JOXBME

Wed 14

Rain, rain everywhere......................................P12

Thur 15

Weed of the month - Ragwort......................P13

Fri

Getting your nose in a twist..........................P14

Sat 17

t "TICVSUPO %PH

16

Sun 18

Grazing tips and treasures.............................P15

Mon 19

t 5FNVLB

Kids today not what they used to be ....16-17

Tue 20

t $BOUFSCVSZ 1BSL "MM 4UPDL t 5JOXBME

Oil and profit.................................................P18-19

Wed 21 Thur 22

Weather by the moon......................................P20

Fri

t 5FNVLB 4UPSF $BUUMF

23

Sat 24 Sun 25

Guardian

farming Please direct any correspondence to: Anna Money, on 307 7936 email: anna.m@theguardian.co.nz or to: Lance Isbister, on 307 7953 email: lance.i@theguardian.co.nz

t 5FNVLB

Tue 27

t $BOUFSCVSZ 1BSL "MM 4UPDL t "TICVSUPO )BZ BOE #BMFE 4JMBHF t 5JOXBME

Wed 28 Thur 29 Fri

interesting • informative • essential

Any feedback is welcome, any comments about our magazine, letters or story suggestions.

Mon 26

or write to PO Box 77, Ashburton.

Advertising: Phone 307 7900 Email: brian.t@theguardian.co.nz Publication date: July 6, 2010.

Next issue: August 3, 2010

30

Sat 31 Sun 1

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An advertising feature for the Ashburton Guardian.

Any opinions expressed in this publication are FREE not necessarily those of Guardian Farming or the Ashburton Guardian.

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GUARDIAN FARMING

Page 3

Firm believer in the personal touch

Lance Isbister, Ashburton Guardian rural reporter

One year after starting Brenton Rural Services, Merv Brenton wondered if he had made the right move, three years on he hasn’t looked back.

over on the West Coast.

He said the anecdotal stories of West Coast rainfall never stopped him from going over to do his job, but admitted farm mapping in swamps made for an interesting contrast to the Mid Canterbury landscape.

When Merv Brenton was made redundant from Wrightson due to his position being rendered obsolete through the company’s merger with PGG in 2005, he found it difficult to find employment with limited formal qualifications at his age.

Mr Brenton has played an active role as a judge in the Ashburton A&P Association winter feed competitions, which he sees as another avenue to gain more knowledge.

Knowing he had 45 years of knowledge in the rural industry prompted the former top Fluid Fertiliser representative to share his practical farming expertise as an independent farm consultant.

“It’s been an interesting three years, markets have changed with dairying becoming more prevalent nowadays.”

Mr Brenton said over the years GPS farm mapping had also become more important to farmers as the costs of fertiliser increased and necessitated more accuracy in application.

He said it was also a good opportunity to keep up with winter feed crop trends and varieties, which seemed to be improving each year.

PHOTO LINDA CLARKE 020709-003

Independent farm consultant Merv Brenton still sees huge value in the trust of a hand shake three years after he started Brenton Farm Services.

One of the biggest challenges he continues to face though his business is the relatively unpredictable Mid Canterbury weather patterns, which hinder him from carrying out the practical duties on the farms.

Mr Brenton is comfortable keeping the business sustainable as the sole consultant and is not looking to expand

in the future.

clients.

“I don’t want to get any bigger and take on staff, you can’t impart experience onto anyone quickly.”

Mr Brenton said one of the most fundamental aspects of his business was listening to what the clients want and not arriving at their doorstep with a fixed agenda.

While he said some of the day-to-day work he does could be contracted out, he preferred to take on as much as he could himself to avoid losing the personal contact he has built up with his

Over the past three years he has built up his client base between the Rakaia and Rangitata as well as one client who is

Mr Brenton said be believed the Ashburton A&P Association was the only one which kept comprehensive records of winter feed crops which included their inputs.

He has personally found field days to be excellent opportunities for picking up new ideas, one of which has led him to developing a prototype ATV mounted soil sampler.

Over the past 18 months Mr Brenton has been working on the invention, which could make it easier for soil testers to collect samples by taking away the drudgery of walking through paddocks to collect them.

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Page 4

GUARDIAN FARMING

Hidden costs in our businesses

Neal Shaw, ATS Chief Executive

What price do employers put on healthy staff? Is it factored into budgets or do we only count the cost when staff are sick or injured?

done many times before without incident – familiarity breeds contempt.

But before you contemplate taking shortcuts or overextending yourself or your staff, it is worth asking yourself if you can afford the downtime which comes with injury or illness. What are the additional costs your business or farming operation will face if you or your staff are out of action?

We all know the importance of healthy living and safe work practices, but proactively incorporating them into the dayto-day operation of our business is another matter for many.

Independent figures recently released by Southern Cross Health Society and ACC make for sobering reading and, as many farmers gear up for their busiest time of the year, it is timely to take stock of the information on offer.

According to a Southern Cross survey on New Zealand employee health and wellness, employers are “likely to be paying a surprisingly high cost for the poor health of their employees”. When absenteeism is combined with what is known as “presenteeism” the estimated cost to employers nationally is $2 billion per year.

Presenteeism occurs when employees are at work, but not fully performing because of a medical condition such as depression, back pain, arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure or gastrointestinal disorders.

The survey found the average number of “presentee” days taken by employees was about 11 per year compared to around four “absence” days and this cost employers around $1500 per employee annually.

There are many ways employers can tackle this problem.

At ATS, we have taken a proactive stance by offering flu vaccinations for staff, along with annual medical check-ups for the likes of diabetes and blood pressure and, where necessary, extra blood tests. Often, these check-ups are a good opportunity to pick up health-related problems early before they become a bigger problem.

We all know that prevention is better than cure and this adage is applicable to both the health and safety of

It is not just the financial cost which needs to be considered, but also the forward planning needed to keep things going. It isn’t pleasant stuff to consider, but planning for all eventualities is an important part of running a business. The value of insurance should also be reassessed and farmers need to recognise its worth, not just when the premiums are due but, when it is time to make a claim.

employees. Prevention is being heavily promoted as a way of reducing the frightening statistics released by ACC last month.

Farmers need to have insurance and plans in place to minimise down time and the incidence of it occurring. It is important to ask yourself if your employees are safe at work and if there are ways of better handling health and safety issues.

The headlines told us 13 farmers died in accidents on our farms last year, but the fine print also made serious reading.

There were 18,600 injuries on farms in 2009, with the most common causes being poor handling of animals, quad bikes and farm machinery. Canterbury claimed 2,662 of those injuries, making it the region with the second highest number of ACC farming injury claims.

At ATS, we have recently taken part in an accredited employer scheme which has seen us receive a 15% reduction in ACC levies because of full staff participation in health and safety policy and procedures. This is one way we can make our work place safer, while also reducing costs. It is a scheme which could be adopted by many other work places. More information on this and other health and safety issues can be obtained from our compliance manager, Pete Jacob. Contact him via his email pete.jacob@ats.co.nz.

ACC has produced three new safety booklets which provide useful information on cattle, tractor safety and controlling quad bikes. These can be obtained at ATS or directly from ACC. It is logical and sensible to follow the prescribed safety recommendations, but when the work has to get done, it is easy to become lax about safety procedures. This can easily be the case during calving or lambing times, when staff are under pressure and time is short. Many accidents also happen when farmers are carrying out tasks or jobs they’ve

There is plenty of advice available on health and safety in the work place and it is important to remember- adopting these practices doesn’t have to be a financial burden. This investment can lead to higher productivity achieved by a healthier and happier workforce.

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Are you feeding enough salt?

This is turning out to be the ‘nutritional tip of the century’! As it turns out, horses don’t consume nearly enough from salt licks to balance up their high potassium diets.

Horses grazing green, growing grass can be ingesting many times more potassium per day than they require. As potassium is involved in cell division it is always in the tips so, in this respect, short grass is worse.

Also high in potassium is lucerne, molasses and many herbs.

All the literature says that excess potassium shouldn’t be a problem as it is normally excreted in urine, but not in the absence of sufficient sodium! As grasses become higher in potassium, they do not correspondingly become higher in sodium.

Lucerne and clover, being legumes store sodium in their roots while the leafy part is very high in potassium. When you add salt to their diet, horses drink way more and this aids excretion of more potassium.

Close observation has demonstrated that consuming the tiniest green shoots is enough to keep some horses ‘affected’, some ponies laminitic and some horses head-flicking. When you remove them completely from the grass they come completely back to normal. Then mature grass can be introduced slowly back into their diet.

Numerous horses exhibit the signs of excess potassium and/or a lack of sodium:

everything from pinning their ears when asked to go, having ‘no go’, having lots of saddle-fitting problems, sweating with little exertion and sweating in odd places to not being able to canter properly, swapping leads behind, showing inflammation in thermograph pictures, getting the shakes, being prone to laminitis and head-flicking.

The horse in the picture frequently exhibited swelling along her abdomen forward of the udder. Her owner noticed it worsen particularly after rain.

Prescribed anti-inflammatories and penicillin made no difference so we asked Dr Thomas Swerczek D VM, a veterinarian from Kentucky, who has had years of experience with the effects of ‘grass tetany’ in horses.

Here is Dr Swerczek’s reply:

Jenny Paterson, B.Sc

Subsequently the horse’s daily salt intake was increased to approximately 100gms/ day (split into two feeds) with great

success.

For more information go to www. calmhealthyhorses.com

References: Minerals The Metabolic Miracle Workers

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Hyperkalemia Joyce C. Hollander-Rodriguez, MD and James F. Calvert, JR, MD Potassium Ion & Anaesthetic Implications S. Parthasarathy, M. Ravishankar Nitrate Toxicity and Sodium Deficiency Associated with Hypomagnesemia, Hypocalcemia and the Grass Tetany Syndrome in Herbivores.

T. W. Swerczek, DVM, PhD. www.equi-analytical.com

http://nrc88.nas.edu/nrh/

Dear Jenny, I feel the edema is related to a spike in potassium and nitrate in the grass after a rain. Adequate salt in the diet should help restore the electrolyte and mineral imbalance. Horses need a minimum of 1% salt in the diet on a dry matter basis. Most all horse feeds are deficient in sodium. All forages are deficient in sodium, so most all the sodium has to come from the fortified feed. You can calculate how much dry matter you are feeding and determine how much salt you need.

Dr. Swerczek

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GUARDIAN FARMING

Above: 1998 Helmack’ s first brand new retail store Top Right: 1979 The first Helmack workshop on South Street Right: The Helmack store today.

Proud history in Mid Canterbury

Helmack ITM/Engineering has a long and proud history as a local company, and has cemented itself as a well known and respected entity.

Owner Allan McCormick says the business is the oldest surviving engineering firm in Ashburton, still trading with one of it’s original owners, which is why customers have come to trust and depend on their knowledge and experience.

Originally, Helmack began as an engineering workshop in 1973, as a partnership of two.

The ‘mack’ in Helmack comes from Allan’s surname.

In 1988, the engineering side of the business was moved from it’s previous site in South Street, to it’s current site at 92 Dobson Street, a facility that better suited the needs of a rapidly growing business. Today, it still operates from this site with a team of 12.

The primary focus of the engineering team is motor body building, including ute decks, single and tandem trailers, crates for single and tandem trailers, single and double dog motels, horse floats, farm trailers for motorcycles, quadbikes and vehicles, sheep ramps, truck curtain-sides for line haul and full size truck decks.

Many local trucking companies don’t hesitate to send their trucks into Helmack’s engineering

department for urgent repairs to decks and curtain rails, as Helmack have an outstanding reputation for quality workmanship and a fast turn around time, prioritizing urgent work to get trucks back on the road.

In 1997 a new business venture was started under the Helmack name, and a new company was formed – “Helmack Hardware Ltd”.

The company joined the ITM Group in 1998 trading as Helmack ITM.

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GUARDIAN FARMING

The then Rakaia MP and Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley, opened the new store, complete with a drive through, that same year.

Now, with a total of 19 staff, Helmack ITM, managed by Craig Fraser, stocks a full range of building materials, including plywood, MDF, flooring, timber, Pink Batts, James Hardie products, Winstone gib board, a full range of builders hardware, paint, trailer parts, bolts, nuts, screws, washers, pre-mixed concrete products (Dricon), and all materials for pole sheds and other farm buildings.

Helmack also owns a hiab truck for deliveries and has a full-time sales representative, who spends a lot of time out and about with customers, with the ability to give on site consultations to ensure the best recommendations are given.

The company is complemented with a frame and truss manufacturing division, which started in 2001 in what is now their timber shed.

Part of the expansion of Helmack ITM led to the Frame and Truss plant being relocated across the road to larger premises on South Street.

Originally, contractors were used in this area, until March 1, 2010, when they were all employed

by Helmack.

Through the Frame and Truss manufacturing, Helmack ITM offers a full estimating and plan take off service.

Helmack ITM’s total staff count has now been extended to 20, with the introduction of a new rural consultant, to allow their rural clients an experienced point of contact, who is fully knowledgeable in all rural construction needs. If you prefer the DIY approach, Helmack ITM will make your next project easier with the use of some very handy equipment. They offer the use of a free loan trailer, they have both single and tandem axle available. IF you are installing GIB board in your home or office for the ceiling, we can lend a hand by providing you with a GIB lifter free of charge. They have steel benders for bending and cutting of reinforcing steel for use in foundations, for loan free of charge. Helmack also have their own hiab truck for deliveries, giving an ontime service at a reasonable price.

Page 7

Allan McCormick Managing Director

Craig Fraser Manager

Fred Reddecliffe Building Sales Rep

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Page 8

GUARDIAN FARMING

New rural sales consultant

Top: One of the Helmack eet Above: Helmack’s frames and truss department

The company is pleased to announce the appointment of Allan Breakwell as its rural sales consultant promoting and selling rural farm buildings.

Allan has more than 28 years sales experience dealing primarily with farmers, and will be available to do on farm consultations. This is a new service offered by Helmack.

Allan will be able to help clients through the whole process, and is knowledgeable on the entire range of products and services offered by both Helmack ITM and Helmack Engineering, be it a rural building, or a new trailer.

This means that Allan can give Helmack’s clients a stress free experience from start to ďŹ nish. He will work through the initial stages of plans and permits, then he Allan Breakwell Rural Consultant will arrange the delivery of all products whether it be a kitset or a full building, to the clients requirements and budget, and he will be there right through to the very end, ensuring a smooth and seamless experience.

If you are considering constructing a Rural building, or are after a new farm trailer, then Allan and the team at Helmack are the ones to see you right. With friendly staff and a plentiful supply of quality equipment and supplies, you’ll waste no time in tracking down the right materials, for the right price, supported by plain old-fashioned good advice.

For your next new farm building, supreme trailer or horse oat contact Allan on 027 230 2000 or give the team at Helmack a call, 3070412.

We pride ourselves on providing our customers with great service, value and a vast product range. You can depend on us to ‘see you right’ for all your building needs.

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GUARDIAN FARMING

Winchmore update - June I remember my grandmother telling me the story from the Bible about Noah and the flood and that, because people were bad, God made it rain etc, etc. so I had better start behaving myself. Fairly heavy stuff for a seven-year-old boy to handle.

Since then, I have been told that it also says in the Bible, “The rain falls on the just and the unjust”, so not sure where I fit now but I figure that wherever we see ourselves in life at the present, the rain is going to keep on coming down.

With 217.6mm for May, only previously beaten in May, 1959 with 242mm. To date, this month, another 83.8mm, although as I write this (25th) it is still raining.

It could be easy to forget that the benefits far outweigh the negatives, but with opportunities for underground water systems to be replenished, I say let’s be positive and take it while we can get it, there may be a long, hot summer ahead of us, we just never know.

The 17 frosts we have experienced dropped the soil temperature down to 3.4°C but is has since climbed back up to 5.8°C. With July and August still to come I expect the soil temps will still be quite variable.

Pasture growth has only averaged a bit over 2cm, not a lot but, with some autumn

Page 9

John Carson

saved pasture still to graze off yet, the sheep and the young dairy heifers will be doing alright for the rest of the winter.

After a few initial problems with cows busting out and a few getting cast on the border dykes, the winter cow grazing is going extremely well.

Sure, it’s a bit muddy, but not deep, “bog a tractor” mud, really only ankle deep stuff.

The beauty of a Lismore stony soil I guess.

Now that a routine has been established, most days are spent feeding out the straw and baleage, followed by coffee time, allowing the cows to eat their fill and then pulling down the electric fence to let the cows onto the next break. Despite the weather, it is working really well and the cows are quite settled now they know what is happening and how the system works.

Shearing has been a mission this season.

Fortunately, the shearers managed to complete one mob and then we waited three weeks for the weather to clear up to shear the remainder.

The ewes were scanned last week, with the mixed age mob scanning at 181%, slightly down on last year’s and the second scanning at 156%. Overall both mobs are in better condition than in previous seasons so, hopefully, this will

The cows are finally settling in to a feeding routine. also reflect in a better lamb survival, weather permitting at lambing.

and farm audits were completed two weeks ago.

Scientists are still running one more parasite trial and should complete it this next week, which will mean we can, at last, have the opportunity to weigh up the last of the lambs for sale and send them off.

Some of the issues can seem irrelevant but then, with the recent report out last week, stating that one person is killed every 28 days on a farm and 18,600 people who work on farms are injured each year, makes it even more important to ensure that our workplace is a safe place to be.

I managed to get the majority of the boxes ticked when the Health and Safety

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Page 10

GUARDIAN FARMING

Brigadier beet a crop to be reckoned with Seed Force Brigadier beet strikes gold in Mid Canterbury feed competitions Seed Force (SF) Brigadier beet was the big winner in this year’s highly contested Mid Canterbury winter feed competitions.

Brigadier was the top crop in the fodder beet section in all three Mid Canterbury A&P associations’ winter feed competitions – Methven, Ashburton and Mayfield, as well as being the overall grand champion.

Methven farmer Richard Maw took out the prize for the best crop of fodder beet in the Methven A&P Association’s winter feed competition.

It was the second year Richard and his wife, Fiona, have planted SF Brigadier on their 250ha cropping farm, which also runs ewes, fat lambs and cows for winter grazing.

Richard trialled Brigadier a couple of seasons ago and was impressed enough with the results to plant more.

Methven farmer Richard Maw with a sample of his prize winning Brigadier beet.

“It was pretty good the first year – it yielded 27 tonnes per hectare and we fed it to ewes predominantly,

with cows cleaning it up after they had finished,” he says.

Not only did his SF Brigadier win the fodder beet section of the Methven A&P winter feed competition, it was also named the overall winner in the competition and went forward into the regional winter feed competition.

“The fodder beet yield is pretty hard to compete with,” Richard said.

Richard is impressed with SF Brigadier’s growth rate. “We planted the crop at the beginning of November and we’ve had no sheep on it this year. We will see how it feeds out. This is the first year we’ll feed it to the cows. Last year they just finished what the sheep couldn’t eat.

“The guy I’m grazing cows for fed them on his own fodder beet last year and milked them off it. He said it was good.”

Mayfield farmer Brendon Daly fed Brigadier last year and planted

more last spring for feeding this year. He was rewarded by winning the fodder beet section of the Mayfield A&P Association’s winter feed competition in May and the crop was also the Mid Canterbury area grand champion.

Brendon says his 17ha crop of SF Brigadier is offering an economic alternative to kale and his cows are well fed and contented on the crop.

Brendon and his father Barry run a 500ha mixed cropping, sheep and dairy support farm at Carew.

“We planted 10ha last year. It only did 15 tonnes per hectare but there were a couple of reasons for that.

It wasn’t drilled very well and our timing with planting wasn’t quite right,” Brendon said.

“This year our crop measured about 26 tonnes per hectare. We had a better seed bed when it was drilled,” Brendon said. “It was an ex-kale paddock so it was fallowed – it wasn’t coming out of grass into fodder beet.

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Page 11

“There were a few things that worked in our favour. After the pre-emergent spray we got a bit of rain to wash it in and, really, it was just management and making sure it was watered at the right time. It was on border dyke irrigation and had five waterings through the season.”

Brendon said the growth rate was good, following a slow start due to cold weather after planting last October.

“It was drilled about the 10th of October and the strike was very slow. Next year, we might try and drill it 10 days later just to get that soil temperature a bit better. But once it was up it was away.”

“The yearling heifers are on it now.

They took a bit to get into it but they’re a lot more contented than they are on other winter feed crops like kale,” Brendon said.

He and Barry intend to plant about 20ha of SF Brigadier fodder beet next season.

“I can see it being a huge advantage if we can get it like we’ve got it this year ... it becomes very economic compared to kale,” Brendon said.

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GUARDIAN FARMING

Water whisperings

No matter, there has been significant groundwater recharge since I last wrote. And, every rainfall now adds to the amount of recharge.

Last month I used a plot of the groundwater levels from K37/0398, a shallow (7.9m deep) observation bore in the Ashburton River area. In mid May, nearly 4m of recovery was needed before the water level was at a comfortable level going into the next irrigation season.

While the prospect for rainfall was not looking bright, the last week of May and June to date has turned everything on its head. Up to June 15 (the last water level measurement), more than 3m of the 4m recovery “wanted” had been delivered. All good news.

In the same area as K37/0398, the deeper bores

I will pose the same question as last month – “so what to do?” I pose this because the last week of May and most of June have been exceptional rainfall months and I have had a client or two ask if I could write, “we have had enough recharge!”

K37/0388 -4

Depth to Water

-8

-10

-12

-14

Firstly, in most areas the significantly below average year-to-date rainfall has now surpassed the average year-to-date rainfall. With current rates of recharge in aquifers one and two, it is unlikely reliability will be an issue for next season.

Secondly, unless the aquifers (and not just aquifers one and two) have been recharged toward the maximum-recorded water level, there is never enough recharge. I say this because the deeper aquifers have not shown any signs of recharge other than the usual end-of-season kickback that results from everyone turning off their pumps.

Maximum Recorded

-6

mbgl

It is winter and, really, this is the weather we should expect. Yes, I did suggest we needed a wet June and July, I know not of a good rain-dancer so either my “request” was granted or someone knew a good dancer.

are also showing quite rapid recharge. Take for example K37/388, 45m deep and to the south of K37/398 toward the coast. This aquifer two observation bore has also recovered 3m since the May water level measurements and is close to reaching the maximum-recorded water level. Once again, this is all good news for the next irrigation season.

-16

24-Jul-98

6-Dec-99

19-Apr-01

1-Sep-02

14-Jan-04

28-May-05

10-Oct-06

22-Feb-08

6-Jul-09

2-Jul-08

2-Jul-09

18-Nov-10

Observation Bore K37/0398 0

Depth to Water

Maximum Recorded

-1

-2

m below ground level

Hmmm! One should be careful what one wishes for – whether it be rain aplenty in June and July for a good and successful rain dancer. This I requested in my last article in May and oh, how it has rained. It is all good for irrigators and for the environment. Furthermore, it is just what is needed every autumn and early winter.

Tony Davoren, Hydroservices

-3

-4

-5

-6

Maybe I can appease the messages from clients by suggesting that one recharge event each month is enough. Alternatively, just one rain dance a month is sufficient.

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Page 13

Weed of the month Controlling ragwort without the pressure Ragwort is often a problem on cattle and horse properties as it is very poisonous. Sheep are less susceptible to ragwort poisoning but can suffer liver damage, which can eventually lead to death.

The yellow flowered weed favours most well drained fertile soils particularly where the pasture is weak and open. It is a prolific seeder. The seeds may remain viable for over 10 years, and individual plants can produce from 30,000 to 150,000 seeds.

Ragwort incorporated into silage or hay not only retains its toxic properties but also becomes more palatable and, therefore, more dangerous. Ragwort plants, which have been sprayed with a herbicide, show increased sugar levels (making them more palatable) and also higher levels of toxins in their tissues. Stock should not be allowed to graze sprayed ragwort for 2 (and preferably 3) weeks after spraying.

The smothering effect of ragwort reduces pasture production and lowers utilisation because cattle avoid grazing close to ragwort plants.

system is removed. Small root fragments left in the soil will re-grow. Roots of plants pulled at late flowering are less likely to regrow. The flower heads of pulled plants must be burned to prevent the viable seed from spreading.

Mowing any stage of ragwort is not recommended because although it temporarily suppresses flowering and makes for a tidier paddock, it encourages the development of multiple crowns (perennial) ragwort plants.

Control using herbicides

Ragwort is described as a biennial (ie. it flowers, seeds and dies between 12-24 months after germinating), but its cycle can be variable. Plants have been known to flower in less than a year and others may live for over two years before flowering. In addition, various forms of damage especially ineffective control methods, can increase the numbers which behave as perennials. These plants tend to be multi-crowned, i.e. having a number of stalks growing from big root masses.

All products except 2,4-DB (used to control ragwort seedlings only) in some way can damage clovers and with some products, grasses as well.

Apart from large plants in pasture which can be spot treated with grass safe products such as TORDON* Gold or TORDON 2G, the most efficient method of ragwort control is to take a planned approach.

In most situations a variety of seedling, rosettes and multicrown ragwort plants are present at one time in pastures. Two products, TORDON* Gold and Pasture-Kleen* can help provide high yielding pastures within a short time frame. The control programme should begin with the spot spraying of large rosettes and multicrown ragwort plants in March to May, as at this time there is fairly good weather and shorter pastures so plants can be seen more easily. The best products for spot spraying are those that are grass friendly like TORDON Gold or TORDON 2G granules.

To control the remaining rosettes and seedlings, PastureKleen is the herbicide of choice. Application of PastureKleen should be boom sprayed after spot spraying, to ensure all ragwort will be controlled.

Controls

Timing

Grubbing or pulling of ragwort plants in the rosette to early flowering stage is ineffectual unless the entire root

The key months for spraying Pasture-Kleen are May/June/ July due to ragwort plants being most susceptible.

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During this time clover suppression from the Pasture-Kleen is minimal compared to spraying during spring.

TORDON Gold should only be spot sprayed as it is damaging to clover. Full instructions are available on the back of your TORDON Gold container.

A planned approach before ragwort ever reaches the flowering stage (7-8 months before) is the only fully successful method, where all infestations are controlled with little or no pasture damage. As a result there is no compromise to cattle, sheep or deer grazing ensuring they remain healthy.

For more information on Ragwort control or any of the products mentioned in this text, contact your nearest Dow AgroSciences Sales and Technical Representative, your local Farm Merchandise Stockist, or call the Dow AgroSciences free phone: 0800 803 939 *Tordon and Pasture-Kleen are registered trademarks of Dow AgroSciences

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GUARDIAN FARMING

Getting your nose in a twist Sometimes our equine patients need a little restraint. Often we have to perform quick, mildly invasive procedures that require the horse to be still. Maybe it is the farrier getting that last nail into the young horse, pulling manes for the weekend show, finishing the last of the winter clip or us veterinarians trying to bandage up that open wound.

While it would be great if all our patients were trained to accept some basic procedures, the truth is many owners do not have the skill, time or initiative to use “natural methods” and often us “vets” are in a hurry.

An age-old method of restraint in the horse is the application of a “twitch” – a small loop of rope, twine or chain attached to a handle (plastic pipe) that is placed onto the upper lip and twisted tight. Most horses tolerate the use of a nose twitch, while others are noncompliant. So is a twitch cruel or painful?

Is it necessary?

The controversy rages on.

A few years ago, the debate reached the American Association of Equine Practitioners and sparked research and recommendations. Their conclusions: “For mildly painful and brief procedures, for most horses a twitch can offer some added security to avoid injury to the animal and personnel.”

Dr Glen Beeman

How does a nose twitch work?

A nose twitch applies pressure to the sensitive nerve endings in the horse’s nose. This mild pressure inflicts mild discomfort and acts as a deterrent (distracts the horse).

The mild pain associated with application of a nose twitch causes a release of endorphins (the body’s morphine).

Endorphin release results in the classical ‘sleepy, glazed eye, droopy-lipped’ horse after a few minutes following application of a twitch. This mild sedative effect of the endorphins generally inhibits movement or kicking.

Dr Sue McDonnell at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine was able to blood sample, analyse and study endorphin levels related to the application of a twitch. Her studies found better use and compliance is found when ample time (three to five minutes) is allowed for endorphin release to be effective before aversive procedures are initiated.

After this initial period, circulating endorphin levels peak and are retained for 10 to 15 minutes so owners, farriers and vets can take advantage and get procedures completed. Approximately 15 minutes after application of the twitch, most horses gain alertness and may become agitated.

This response is associated with the decline in circulating endorphins. If a twitch is maintained for longer than 15 to 20 minutes many horses will suddenly “blow” (lose the plot). Horse owners should learn to recognise the signs and limit the duration of mildly aversive procedures before this “blow point” occurs.

Hopples is another effective method of retstraining a horse.

Dr McDonnell’s work also showed that positive reinforcement (food rewards) following the use or removal of a twitch will greatly increase the ‘positive value’ of the twitch and the compliance of the

For a vet to be able to work on a horse they may need to be effectively restrained. This is not only to protect the vet but also the horse. horse.

Other general points to increase your horse’s compliance to the use of a twitch: • Conduct twitch practice sessions with each horse, with the goal of gaining maximum compliance and benefits of twitch use.

• Use a calm and gentle approach. Avoid hitting the gums and teeth. The ‘ideal’ level of pressure is one that does not allow the twitch to slip off, yet is not so tight to cause trauma to the lips, gums or teeth. Do not lead horses by a twitch.

• Remove the twitch before the ‘blow point’. If necessary, remove the twitch, wait five to 10 minutes, then start again.

Many alternatives can be found to the nose twitch, including a gum chain (‘nerve line’ or Stableizer). Sometimes a skin pull or an ear twitch can be useful if properly applied.

Other horse owners will gain compliance and submissive behaviour from horses by depriving “flight”. Hobbles, leg ties, crushes, stocks and blindfolds are all examples of flight deprivation.

Regardless of your method of restraint, best results are achieved when we appreciate and respect the severity of the aversive or painful procedures that will be tolerated.

Respect your horses, some procedures are painful or frightening. If further sedation is required, contact your equine vet.

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GUARDIAN FARMING

Grazing snippets Winter Dairy Cows • As I predicted some time ago, there is plenty of feed available for winter dairy cow grazing. The earlier perceived shortage has not eventuated. Some surplus is still available for sale. A number of late crops may not be able to be grazed as cows would have gone home for calving. It is unfortunate that some who played the market are now finding difficulty in locating stock to eat their crops. Crops generally are yielding very well and, with a number of people putting in extra crop and dairy farmers keeping some cows at home, the surplus has been accentuated.

• In general, the stock are doing very well, apart from some lines grazing fodder beet. Lines of stock supplemented with straw and baleage are doing better than the ones not receiving baleage as part of their diet. Mineral supplementation is also very important with fodder beet as with other green feed winter crops.

• Some losses have occurred with bloat especially where stock have not been made to eat straw before being given green feed. However, don’t assume a dead cow, which is blown up has died of bloat as clostridial deaths while feeding brassica result in a “blown” animal. Get deaths checked out for a cause. Cows have a high value this year.

• Keep an eye out for cows that are not eating green feed crops. They may need to be taken out and given grass or another feed.

• Watch for young cows changing teeth on crops, which require the teeth to bite the feed such as swedes, fodder beet or turnips. These are better drafted onto grass.

• There seems to be a growing perception among crop growers that dairy farmers are flush with dollars due to

‘

Page 15

John Benefield, Managing Director Graz4u Ltd

Young Stock

Don’t roar in on the tractor with feed and out the gate again. This can result in deaths where sick animals have not been identified earlier and could have been saved

• Those heifers on green feed crops need to be given additional supplementation of trace elements. In Canterbury, trace elements added to drenches are not usually sufficient top ups for the heifer’s requirements.

Copper and selenium are in high demand over this period.

’

recent media hype. Firstly, they have not received the increase payout to date and, secondly, the projected higher payout for the coming season is exactly that - a projection.

There are many factors that could affect the final result so farmers supporting the dairy industry need to bear in mind in their decision-making that market forces and affordability will determine future grazing prices.

In other words, if you are going to grow silage to provide grazing for young stock or winter cows, you need to calculate the costs of growing such feed and then assess whether or not the market will provide you with a satisfactory return for your investment and efforts.

Many dairy industry support businesses will verify that dairy farmers are not yet flush with surplus funds and, as with the arable industry, the banks appear to be restrained in seasonal lending.

• From now on, watch for injuries caused by riding when a heifer is “on heat”. Well fed animals can have very strong and lengthy heat periods and can injure or exhaust themselves.

• Spend a little time when feeding the heifers to walk through the mob looking for symptoms that may be unusual. It’s a good time to pick an animal that is unwell as it may not be feeding. Also, the animals will become much quieter and be easier for you to handle. Don’t roar in on the tractor with feed and out the gate again. This can result in deaths where sick animals have not been identified earlier on and could have been saved.

• Weight gains over recent times have been lower than average and I think the continual rain and lack of sunshine is having an affect on all stock, particularly young stock.

• Parasites appear to have been a big problem this year with young stock needing more regular drenching than normal. Vets I have spoken to are all of the same opinion and are recommending close monitoring of all young stock. In observing parasitic infection between farms, it is obvious that grazing management and irrigation, particularly where pivots are used, are influencing the growth of parasites. By this, I mean regular watering with a pivot, keeping pastures damp over the late summer/autumn period combined with the heat is ideal environment for parasite growth.

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GUARDIAN FARMING

Show me a child at seven . . .

As I viewed television news footage of student accommodation and lifestyle in and surrounding Castle Street, Dunedin recently, I became very aware of the change in young people’s behaviour over the past 50 years.

I freely admit I’ve some very old fashioned views in relation to what I see as appropriate behaviour of students and young people. I’m told it’s called progress and I’m stodgy!

If that’s the case then so be it.

Perhaps the fact that, like many of my era, I was a full-time member of the workforce at age 15 has something to do with it.

But life was far from devoid of fun. Sports, Young Farmer activities and “after match” events, along with regular Bible class dances provided an ample outlet for what surplus energy was left after a 50-60 hour working week, on minimal wages and a 25km cycle trip to town.

The images of student accommodation and behaviour were nothing new, neither the realisation that this is a nationwide phenomenon.

Not so today.

The arrogance and total lack of self respect of those interviewed leaves me wondering. Media portrayal of this ugly minority tends to expose this as normal behaviour.

What did surprise me was the statement that students were happy and willing to pay a $40-$50 a week premium, to be part of that “human pig-sty” culture. No doubt paid by a student loan.

There is overwhelming evidence that people are the product of their early environment and how they think and act is mostly a reflection of the values they are taught in their formative years.

Where have we gone wrong? Are the words ‘respect’ and ‘pride’ still part of our vocabulary?

Does Dunedin City Council have an Environmental Health Officer?

There was a nationwide hue and cry from student organisation representatives around New Zealand when Finance Minister Bill English announced some restrictions to future student loan availability and indicated that loan extensions would be linked to academic achievement and pass rates. Great!

I’ll happily pay my taxes to enhance educational qualifications. However loan availability must surely be linked to responsibility and achievements.

We can all name areas where taxes would give a greater financial or social benefit, than subsidising student accommodation.

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Page 17

John Leadley

While many of the items I addressed in my budget “Wish List� printed in Guardian Farming six months ago have received some acknowledgement by the Government, I still don’t think the proposals go far enough.

I’m thrilled the issue of axing depreciation as a tax writeoff on rental properties has been addressed and welcome the slight drop in house prices that has occurred.

As landlords quit further properties before April 1, when the rules take effect, I hope even lower prices will enable more young people to get a foot on the home ownership ladder.

An added bonus would be that funds freed up in sales by landlords are invested to grow the economy, rather than in the expectation of tax-free capital gain, albeit that real estate figures indicate low levels of equity in much rental ownership.

Since inception over 60 years ago there has been an average increase in life expectancy of more than 15 years.

Compounding the affordability issue is the low percentage of taxation revenue coming from the 17-25 age group, as many are in full-time study. It is important to note many actually cost the government significant sums by way of student loan or accommodation supplement.

I’ve absolutely no problem with this as, eventually, the nation will benefit from a better qualified workforce, assuming, of course, they work in New Zealand.

The comparison I draw is, at superannuation inception, nearly all workers were taxation positive at age 20. Today,

many are still taxation negative at age 25-30 years.

Apart from raising the age of eligibility from 60 to 65 a generation ago, no government has had the fortitude to address this significant imbalance.

The improved health and mobility (thanks in part to our welfare system) of many persons over the age of 65 years, indicates many could effectively remain an efficient part of the workforce until age 70 or more.

This is already the case as many employers prefer the experience and work ethic of older persons.

With increasing medical knowledge and expectation of a continuing rise in life expectancy, it is surely time to begin transitioning the age of entitlement to 70 years by 2025.

It will take a government of courage to make this happen.

Our three-yearly parliamentary election cycle probably precludes instigating capital gains tax on non-owner occupied residences, however I still maintain this would give accruing benefits.

Simple mathematics indicates the need is urgent, if superannuation is to remain universal.

There’s quite a leap from student behaviour and loan availability to superannuation, however the credibility and sustainability of our welfare system is a serious issue.

I’d like to think that, in future, the welfare system would encourage healthy New Zealanders to accept personal responsibility from late teens through to age70.

The result of the GST increase/tax cut balance remains somewhat of an unknown until after implementation in October. As GST is a consumptive tax, it should, in theory, benefit the lower paid.

Optimistically it may even kick–start a return to home gardening and the self-sufficient mentality of our forefathers. Wouldn’t that be great?

Recent events tend to indicate this is not happening.

One key issue that continues to evade the radar of successive governments is the nation’s ability to fund universal superannuation at age 65.

I doubt the current welfare packages will deliver this result.

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GUARDIAN FARMING

Oil and profit There is no doubt that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is an unfortunate calamity. As terrible as it is, especially to local wildlife, it is not as if spillage doesn’t happen regularly.

Oil leaks from tankers cause “environmental disasters� about once every five years. After each, the oil quietly dissipates.

Oil wells in the same Gulf of Mexico have been leaking since 2004. What happened before humans and oil rigs?

Oil has been sitting underground for thousands of years. The ground means the ground under the sea in most cases, for 75% of the surface of the earth is water. Oil is situated under the sea in the same distributed proportion.

Geologists know volcanoes are mostly underwater and, if it were not for these, there would be no land. New Zealand was formed along the fault line that starts at the Southern Alps and runs northeast, becoming Mamakus, Kaimanawas, Kaimais and finally the Coromandel Ranges.

Iceland was also formed by land jumping out of the sea.

Pacific atolls sit astride tectonic faults, because that is their origin, which is why fairly new bits of land poking out of the ocean like Tuvalu rise and sink again like nature’s elevators.

thousands of times.

As always, nature has found ways of dealing with it. Certain bacteria are able to feed off petroleum oil, which is full of these kinds of bacteria. Some bacteria live in the petroleum oil in its natural state. Some live on the shore. A great number of different such micro-organisms, hundreds, live together.

There are oil-feeding bacteria of all kinds: those that eat the oil rapidly and those that degrade the petroleum very slowly, a wide variety. These bacteria work as a team. Some digest the big hydrocarbon molecules of oil generating much shorter chains of carbon; other bacteria consume these shorter chains. It is a Pacman-like food chain similar to the world of fish, where the bigger species eat the smaller.

At the termination of this teamwork, the oil eventually completely disappears – only remains of water and carbon dioxide are left.

Fault lines are also where the biggest oil reserves are found. Oil is formed in the heat of volcanism, which is why oil consortiums search tectonic joins first. Old dormant volcanoes may spring back into life long after oil has formed in the upper layers of the same location.

Why aren’t we told about this? Surely school children would be interested. Is it because the media wants us to believe

Volcanoes have no eyes and brain and cannot erupt so as not to disturb oil deposits. There have been many oil pools sitting directly over volcanoes. Oil deposits have been blown up a zillion times over the 4.5 billion years of our geological history, and the oil spilled into the sea and onto beaches

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the planet is going to fizzle up and die next week, so we will buy more papers? If global warming won’t do it, farting cows will. If they don’t, then a planetary alignment will perhaps in 2012, if that won’t do it an oil spill will or an Icelandic volcano or too many people will eat up all the food.

Oil is just part of nature and releasing it all in one lump is temporarily bad for the local environment, but so is a cyclone. Oil spills will not spell the end of all life forms.

It sounds strangely familiar. CO2 was accused of the same villainousness. CO2 from the atmosphere is consumed by trees, which is how they get to grow. A molecule of carbon (from CO2) is added to a molecule of water which makes a carbohydrate molecule, hence the name carbo-hydr-ate, the building block of nature.

Burning firewood releases CO2 back to the air. The atmosphere is still CO2-deficient. Before vegetation, the air was CO2-rich. Along came plants and extracted it. When fossil fuels are burned CO2 is returned to the atmosphere.

Releasing a bunch of CO2 back into the air via fuel emissions won’t spell the end of all life forms.

Oil was known to be out at sea when native populations told of it drifting onto beaches, which gave oil companies clues as to where to search.

Such was the case at Taranaki. Oil sands are a mixture of sand, clay, water and deposits of bitumen. Canadian tar sand is strip mined and hauled in big trucks to a facility that uses solvents, detergents, heat and centrifuges to extract bitumen, a tarry substance. (The local indigenous people used bitumen to waterproof their canoes.)

These tar sands are the second-largest oil deposit in the world, bigger than Iraq, Iran, or Russia, and exceeded only by Saudi Arabia and lying beneath more than 141,000 square

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Page 19

Ken Ring

kilometres of northern Alberta forest.

The oil on beaches sitting in tar sand can be recovered, if the microbes don’t get there first, and Canada is cold enough to have fewer microbes. Tar sands produce 1.3 million barrels of heavy oil a day and supply the US, the world’s largest oil consumer, with 13% of its crude imports. That share is tipped to grow to 37%.

China, the world’s second-largest oil consumer, has already proposed a strategic alliance with Canada to transport dirty oil by super tanker to Asian refineries. Like many European oil companies, Royal Dutch Shell has banked its entire future on production of dirty oil from the tar sands. It is on track to become the world’s most carbon-intensive company.

Oil sands may prove to be a greener and safer way of extracting oil, for rigs at sea could be replaced with groundbased extractors. Canada’s bitumen deposits are trapped in sand and clay. And the oil got there from the drift and redistribution of oil by volcanic eruption, by tectonic displacement over the years, and by constant and relentless underwater leakage.

So the Gulf oil spill is part of a natural process, sometimes given a nudge by the carelessness of Man. Environmentalists sense a philosophical windfall if they can whip up a public frenzy of indignation.

World oil prices will probably rise to cover costs of damage real, imagined or perceived, creating a sudden feeding trough that will have a few more noughts added to costs per barrel by the oil cartels.

Give a soccer crowd trumpets and they will surely blow them. Give the world an oil spill and some immediately smell money. Why waste a good catastrophe?

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Page 20

GUARDIAN FARMING

Weather By The Moon: July Forecast Mid Canterbury, Rakaia to Rangitata. Outlook period: July 1-31

21st JUL

23rd JUL

25th JUL

27th JUL

29th JUL

31st JUL

23rd JUL

25th JUL

27th JUL

29th JUL

31st JUL

19th JUL

21st JUL

19th JUL

17th JUL

15th JUL

13th JUL

11th JUL

9th JUL

7th JUL

5th JUL

Sunshine daily hours

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 17th JUL

15th JUL

13th JUL

11th JUL

9th JUL

0

Temperature trends, max and min

25 20 15 10 5 0 -5 31st JUL

29th JUL

27th JUL

25th JUL

23rd JUL

21st JUL

19th JUL

17th JUL

15th JUL

13th JUL

11th JUL

9th JUL

-10 7th JUL

125hours (July average 123 hours)

0

7th JUL

Estimated sunshine amount for Ashburton:

5

5th JUL

July 7, 19-24 July 16 July 2-7, 23-27, 30 July 5-9, 25-29 July 12-24 July 5-9 93mm 99mm 91mm 25mm

10

5th JUL

Coolest maximum temperatures: Warmest minimums: Coldest minimums: Sunniest days: Cloudiest period: Best days for outdoor recreation: Estimated precipitation for Ashburton: Rakaia: Methven: Ranfurly

15

3rd JUL

July 4-9, 22-30 July 18-20 July 15-16

20

1st JUL

Mostly dry: Wettest period: Warmest maximum temperatures:

25

3rd JUL

About 5-7 July 3, 10, 16-21, 31

30

1st JUL

Number of rain days: Likely precipitation times:

July could be the coldest month of the year, with the potential for minimums in some parts of the district to go below minus 10°C. The only heavy precipitation period may be in the third week. The average for monthly maximums may be around 6-10C and the average for minimums 0 to -5C. Snow in the South island is expected around 3rd-6th, 9th12th, 14th-21st, 29th31st

35

3rd JUL

Summary, outlook period

40

1st JUL

General (allow 24-hour error)

Estimated precipitation timing

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