Ashburton Guardian Farming, Saturday, September 25, 2021 by Ashburton Guardian

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

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GUARDIAN

EDITORIAL COMMENT

INSIDE

Fast-track residency

Guardian Farming is proudly published by the Ashburton Guardian Limited

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ER 25, 2021

MAKING CALVING EASY

Heather Chalmers

ith this season’s payout nudging $8, dairy farmers should be smiling. However, a chronic shortfall in dairy workers, exacerbated by immigration roadblocks, has meant many farms have had a stressful calving. The global pandemic has meant migrant arrivals have dropped to a trickle and now dairy farmers are fighting to keep their skilled workers from departing for overseas. While New Zealand has effectively frozen its residency pathway for migrant dairy workers, other countries, notably Australia and Canada are welcoming the same skilled migrants with open arms and much quicker and clearer pathways to residency. These skilled dairy workers and their families have lived for many years in New Zealand, some of their children have been born here, they pay taxes and contribute to their communities. They want to stay and work in New Zealand but are

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Editorial Email your comments to heather.c@theguardian.co.nz Advertising For advertising enquiries email sonia.g@theguardian.co.nz or phone 03 307 7955. Designer Lisa Fenwick Post Ashburton Guardian, PO Box 77, Ashburton 7740

RURAL REPORTER

PAGE 49 ASPARAGUS’ FUTURE

Hilux spares 93-2015 Hilux Specialists Hilux spares 1993-2019 Hilux Specialists

frustrated they can’t get the security of residency. They have made a commitment to New Zealand, but the government won’t return the favour. Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi has said that government’s objective is to ensure Kiwis are prioritised for jobs. “Our long-term vision for immigration settings is to grow talent here in New Zealand and build a more self-reliant labour market,” he said in July. However, how realistic is that. In early August (admittedly just before the national lockdown hit many businesses) the jobless rate fell to four per cent, below the level before the pandemic. In the provinces, jobless numbers are negligible and people in cities don’t want to move to rural areas or to jobs on dairy farms. Migrant workers are also skilled; many are managers and can’t be replaced by inexperienced juniors. It is not just the agricultural industry that is struggling to retain skilled migrant workers; nurses and teachers are also heading overseas. With New Zealand’s borders closed and an ongoing MIQ bottleneck, migrant workers will not be arriving on our shores any time soon. So doesn’t it make sense to try and keep the skilled migrant workers we already have by fast-tracking their residency.

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Happy pigs grow the best pork Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

nitially working in the dairy industry, South Canterbury couple Mark and Helen Andrews are happy they made the switch to pig farming to realise their farming aspirations. Starting on a dryland block at Pleasant Point in 2004, the couple have gradually built the business from an initial 330 sows. “We now have 440 sows and that enables us to finish about 10,000 pigs each year,” Helen Andrews said. Originally from England, Andrews came to New Zealand to do relief milking, meeting Mark when they were both working in dairying in Southland. With sharemilking just out of their reach, they looked for another farming sector in which to get ahead and Helen had previous experience with pigs. “We really enjoy our pigs and we take great pride in

producing quality animals. They have been rewarding for us in terms of allowing us to enter the agricultural industry in our own right. “It would be great to see other young people do the same. We are very passionate about what we do.” On the Andrews’ farm, all their sows are outdoors, with animals finished indoors on a straw-based system. With a moderate climate, free-draining soil and low rainfall, it was well suited to outdoor pig farming. While Patoa Farms at Hurunui in North Canterbury is New Zealand’s biggest pig farm, finishing 100,000 animals a year, most are family farms like the Andrews, with 250 to 300 sows. Many are based in Canterbury because of the availability of feed, which is pig farming’s biggest expense. “Plus, the climate is ideal in Canterbury, as a rule.” Canterbury has a lot of outdoor production, as well as larger indoor production units, close to their feed source. Andrews, an NZ Pork director, said that along with the ongoing issue of New Zealand producers having to

South Canterbury pig farmers Mark and Helen Andrews with their daughters Honour aged 13 (right) and Eve, 11, say they really enjoy their pigs. Their sows farrow in paddocks, each with their own hut.

compete with often heavily subsidised imported pork, Covid-19 social restrictions mean the risk of a potential log jam of pigs for slaughter and sale. Delays in the Country of

Origin Labelling bill meant consumers were confused about whether pork products on the supermarket shelves were grown domestically. “A lot of people can’t tell if they are buying imported

pork. Often people say they always buy a particular product because it is a New Zealand company, but it can still be imported. That piece of legislation has really held us up. Continued on P4

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From P3 “I think that people, if given the choice, will chose New Zealand product,” Andrews said. Maintaining sales of domestic product was compounded by butchers and restaurants, normally reliable users of New Zealand pork, not being able to operate as they normally would because of Covid-19 restrictions. NZ Pork chief executive David Baines said that about 60 per cent of pork consumed domestically was imported, with much of it produced using practices illegal in this country. “Consumers should check product labels to ensure it is 100 per cent New Zealand pork or look for the ‘Born and Raised in New Zealand’ PigCare label. If

www.guardianonline.co.nz it says ‘made in New Zealand from local and imported ingredients’, then chances are it’s imported. “We encourage people to ask their retailer for home grown pork, and when buying online, search for ‘100 per cent NZ Pork’. “You will be buying a fresh and healthy product and supporting farmers working hard to maintain high standards of care for their pigs and keeping New Zealanders fed,” Baines said The Andrews are featured in a social media campaign by NZPork to encourage Kiwis to back local farmers and choose New Zealand born and raised pork over imported pork. “Pig farmers know that the more contented the pig, the better the pork,”

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Baines said. “We’ll be sharing the stories of some of New Zealand’s pig farmers talking about what makes New Zealand pork such a delicious and quality product.” Imported pork is also often heavily subsidised, which coupled with the lower welfare standards, means it is cheaper than New Zealand pork, Baines said. Andrews said that pigs were slightly different animals to sheep or cattle. “You would need a lot more than 440 ewes to produce 10,000 lambs. But the way the pigs cycle and they are only pregnant for three months, three weeks and three days. So, you can get between two to three litters from each sow each year.” This created a headache when there was a hiccup in sales, as was occurring during Covid-19 alert level social and business restrictions. This impacted on the steady stream of animals going out the gate. “We have about 180 pigs leaving here a week and they grow quite rapidly at the end. They can be doing about 1kg a day in weight gain in the later stages. “It is a system where you have just the right amount of space for your operation. You can’t just hold them in a paddock like other livestock.” The Andrews’ sows farrow in paddocks, each with their

own hut, and are fed a speciallyformulated diet, including barley, wheat and maize. The piglets scamper and play outside before being moved as weaners to opensided covered enclosures, with deep straw bedding. Central Canterbury pig farmer Sean Molloy said he likes to think of his fully indoors operation as “hotelstyle” accommodation for pigs. Offaly Farms, at Sheffield, has been in the family for more than 45 years. “Pigs are just very enjoyable animals to work with,” Molloy said. “Our facilities here enable the pigs to do what they naturally do in the best possible conditions for their health and wellbeing.” The operation runs 400 breeding sows. They finish 60 per cent of the pigs themselves, selling the balance to another nearby finisher. Covid-19 restrictions have been challenging “as unlike sheep and beef, our animals keep coming, week after week”. Molloy said he preferred to run a high-tech indoor operation, where the pig’s environment and feeding was closely controlled. “We like going camping, but I don’t like living like that all the time and we don’t expect our pigs to live like that. “They need a warm, healthy home just like everyone else. In our view it is the best way to

Sheffield pig farmer Sean Molloy, with junior stockwoman Nicky Tily. His farm has high-tech “hotel-style” accommodation for pigs. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

rear them.” Offaly Farms are big users of technology, including computerised records, feeding systems and ventilation controllers. “It is expensive to do, but it comes down to the degree of control that you have over the

environment for the animals. “I really enjoy the technology side because it helps you to look after the pigs so much better. Our buildings are very well insulated, which works to keep the pigs cool in summer and warm in winter. They live in a temperature-controlled

environment with ventilation to keep the air fresh, in the same way we live in our own homes. “Pigs are also quite dusty, so we have installed a misting system that releases a fine spray for 30 seconds every 10 minutes. That grabs all the dust in the air and drops it to the floor to drain away and can be used for further cooling in summer.” A major advance has been electronic feeding systems, Molloy said. “When a sow feels like eating, she will go to a feeding box, she walks in and the door closes behind her, so she can feed alone without competition. The system reads her tag and knows exactly how much feed she needs. It then opens the trough and drops feed in until she has had her daily amount. “We monitor it very closely, and if we notice a sow isn’t eating all their food, then we check them right away. Often it might be because they are feeling under the weather. “It’s also very natural because it means each pig can feed when they feel like it. They are very much creatures of habit and you find they tend to eat around the same times each day – and some even like to feed in the middle of the night,” Molloy said. “Good feeding and good facilities allow the pigs to do what they naturally do.”

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Country of Origin labelling delay N

ew Zealand’s pork sector is disappointed at a further delay to the introduction of Country of Origin labelling regulations. The Government has announced that the regulations covering fresh and chilled food including pork and cured pork have been delayed for three months until February 2022. “We were eagerly awaiting these regulations to come into force in November,” NZ Pork chief executve David Baines said. “Without these regulations, imported pork can be ‘hidden’ in ham and bacon processed in New Zealand under a label ‘Made in New Zealand’. Our research tells us that many consumers are surprised that the pork in these products may be imported from a number of countries. “That’s why this three-month delay is hugely frustrating for our New Zealand farmers when cheaper pork imports, that don’t have to meet New Zealand’s high welfare or environmental standards, can be presented to consumers without clear labelling. “While we appreciate the delay is due to the disruption and uncertainty caused to

NZ Pork chief executive David Baines.

Check whether your Christmas ham is New Zealand-grown.

business by the re-emergence of Covid-19, we are particularly disappointed that the regulations will not be in place for the Christmas period like we expected. “Despite the regulatory delay, NZPork will still be

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encouraging consumers to look on the label and ask retailers for NZ born and raised pork, especially going into the Christmas ham season.” The regulations will enable consumers to be more informed as to where their food is being

imported from and what pork is New Zealand born and raised, Baines said. However, NZPork remains concerned the regulations are not comprehensive because they will not apply to all imported pork.

“The regulations will only cover fresh, chilled pork and cured pork. Pork processed in other ways will not have to be labelled. That means imported pork would be labelled with its country of origin if presented as ‘fresh’ (chilled), while the same product, if marinated or infused, would sit alongside New Zealand pork and escape the need for labelling as imported.” It is not the first delay for the Country of Origin labelling regulations. The Government initially delayed these in May 2020 as part of its measures to manage business disruption due to Covid-19.

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Catchment groups recognised E

ntries are now open for the 2021 Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA) programme. This year the NZ Farm Environment Trust has added two new initiatives for the 2021 BFEA programme including a new Catchment Group Award and partnership with Farmax to provide free Farmax analysis for every awards entrant. The Catchment Group Award is supported by a new partnership between the NZ Farm Environment Trust and NZ Landcare Trust and is designed to showcase and celebrate the great work being done by catchment groups throughout the country. “The new Catchment Group Award recognises the efforts of a rural community working together to improve water quality in local rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands,” said NZ Farm Environment Trust chairwoman Joanne van Polanen. “This new initiative is designed to celebrate the efforts of catchment groups and help inspire other rural communities with examples of good practice.” The NZ Landcare Trust Catchment Group Award will

be open to catchment groups from all 11 regions in which the Ballance Farm Environment Awards operate. “It’s exciting to be initiating this new award across New Zealand,” said NZ Landcare Trust chief executive Dr Nick Edgar. “We provide support to a large number of catchment groups doing amazing work to protect biodiversity, clean up waterways and respond to the climate challenge. This award provides an excellent opportunity to showcase what farmers in these groups have been able to achieve by working together.” BFEA sector experts will meet with catchment group entrants to hear their stories and assess the great work they are doing based on a range of criteria including: • Their identification of risks and actions addressing water quality issues. • Their involvement of the local community including iwi and youth. • The robustness of their monitoring and evaluation to inform their work. • Their approach to other outcomes such as soil, nutrients, climate and biodiversity.

NZ Farm Environment Trust chairwoman Joanne van Polanen says the new award recognises the efforts of a rural community working together to improve water quality in local rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands. PHOTO: ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

The 2021 programme sees Farmax join the Ballance Farm Environment Awards as a new partner. “Farmax is thrilled to be supporting the awards which showcase some of the country’s most sustainable and profitable farmers,” Farmax chief executive Gavin McEwen said. “The awards align with the core belief of Farmax, which is that profitable and productive farms

are not mutually exclusive from sustainable ones.” With Farmax’s support this year, all award entrants will know their greenhouse gas emissions numbers and mitigation options thanks to the GHG and sequestration features in Farmax 8.1. Farmers, growers and catchment groups are encouraged to visit www. nzfeawards.org.nz to find out

more, enter or nominate an entrant into the Ballance Farm Environment Awards. All entrants are provided with feedback from sector experts about their activities and potential areas of focus for the future, something that previous awards entrants cite as being of great value and use to them as they continue on their sustainability journey.

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RURAL CONTRACTORS FEATURE

Challenges for new rural contractors’ leadership Rural Contractors NZ’s new line-up (from left): vice president Clinton Carroll, president Helen Slattery and chief executive Andrew Olsen.

new president, vice-president and chief executive at the helm at Rural Contractors NZ say ongoing shortages of experienced machinery operations is likely to impact on some farmers and crop production this season.

Contractors NZ as its first full-time chief executive, with the retirement of the long-serving Roger Parton. Slattery said rural contractors were facing intense challenges. This was largely due to the ongoing shortage of skilled staff, particularly experienced machinery operators. “We all work hard in the season, but these shortages are pushing some contractors to breaking point.” Olsen said contractors were being advised to focus on their businesses and consider their capacity to service customers, review pricing and how to train and retain good workers. It was likely that pricing of farm machinery and wrap film will rise next year by as much as 20 per cent in some cases. Farmers are increasingly less interested in applying their own chemicals, opening up new customer opportunities for spray operators, Olsen said. Slattery said the key issue for rural contractors was the minimal allowance for 125 skilled machinery operators to come in for this season, when a survey of rural contractors showed 400 or more were needed to keep up with

Waikato contractor Helen Slattery stepped up from vice-president to replace Southland’s David Kean who’d given 12 years to the RCNZ board. Wairarapa spray contractor Clinton Carroll is the new vice-president. Andrew Olsen joins Rural

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farmer demand. “We accept that as a quid pro quo, we have to continue lifting our efforts to train more Kiwis. A new round of training is underway including four month-long courses (with one to two more weeks of work experience). Those trainees emerge with tractordriving skills, but it takes our members a lot longer to get them to the point they can operate complex machinery.” Olsen said he will be working with the Government seeking more experienced machinery operators be allowed in from overseas or face crops left in the ground, jobs and export dollars being lost as well as increasing health and safety risks and stresses for farmers, contractors and their staff. “I also will be asking for an exemption to the unfair tax our members face when they need to replace their ute. Sure, we heard at conference of the recent launch of the electric Ford Lightning which saw 44,500 pre-sales in two days in North America but it’ll be years before we get them here.”

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RURAL CONTRACTORS FEATURE

Race to repair irrigators Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

shburton irrigation companies are racing to repair irrigators damaged in two consecutive windstorms in early September, especially with the new watering season about to start. The companies said that while some individual farmers experienced significant damage to irrigators, it was not as bad or widespread as the 2013 windstorm. Rainer Irrigation chief executive Lucas Cawte said that despite this “it is still bad enough to cause disruption to our clients’ operations and our own”. “The irrigation season is imminent, so farmers are eager to get them fixed as soon as we can. We will have a good portion of them done by then. “We’ve had trees falling on both pivots and RotoRainers and RotoRainers blown over backwards. We’ve had everything from all spans of pivots blown over to just a couple of spans, or an overhang blown over. “Some people have had minimal damage and others quite significant damage.” The damage was mainly in Mid Canterbury, with one pivot in Oxford needing repair. Rainer had parts in stock, but will have to order some from overseas, Cawte said. “We will get a good portion of the repairs done in the next one to two months.” Wind warnings meant most farmers had irrigators parked in line with best practice, but the strength of the wind meant this was not always enough to prevent damage.

Ashburton irrigation business owner Irrigators took a hammering during two consecutive windstorms. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED Ray Mayne said his main focus was to rebuild the damaged machines before • For Casual & Perm the start of the irrigation season. • Cardboard R “It is already a busy build season • For Casual & Perman • Drum H for us and our priority has switched • Cardboard Re We offer a regular Rubbish Removal Ser hiring our Front Loader Bins and using from installing new systems to getting • Drum Hir We also have Open Top Bins on a casu these repairs done and out of the way. We offer a regular Rubbish Removal building worksService and Ga hiring our Front Loader Bins and using our “Every good irrigation company And a Household and/or Garden w We also have Open Top Bins on a casual ba Allbuilding provided by aand Company has to carry stock on hand for this works Garde And a Household and/or Garden wast eventually and we do.” All provided by a Company bas New irrigation installations were Gary McCormick Transport Ltd being done for people updating from PO Box 5044, Tinwald, Ashburton 7741 | Phone: 3072100 | Fax: 3072 RotoRainer boom irrigators and in Gary McCormick Transport Ltd some cases borderdyke flood irrigation, PO Box 5044, Tinwald, Ashburton 7741 | Phone: 3072100 | Fax: 307210 Mayne said. Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers president David Clark said wind damage was particularly bad around Ruapuna, Mt Hutt, upper Methven, Lauriston and Lyndhurst. Slow shipping schedules as a result of the global pandemic meant getting parts into the country to fix irrigators would be slow. A few sheds and shelterbelts along the foothills were also damaged. Much of the damage was in the same districts worst hit by the lateMay Canterbury flooding. Clark said he knew of instances where fences damaged by flooding had been repaired, only to be damaged again by trees falling on them. Rural insurer FMG chief product and pricing, underwriting and claims officer Nathan Barrett said that so far, it had about 860 claims from the • Open top bins for property and garden clean ups, perfect for • Open top bins for property and garden clean ups, perfect for windstorm, compared to around 700 moving off farm. moving offthe the farm. & ••For Casual Bin&Hires Hires For Casual Casual & Permanent Bin Hires For Casual & Permanent Permanent Bin •• For Permanent Bin Hires claims from the Canterbury flood and • • Bins already on a number of farms in the area and casual •Cardboard Cardboard Recycling Bins already • onCardboard a number of farms in the area and casual 800 from the Buller storm. • Recycling Recycling hire hireavailable available• Cardboard Recycling • Drum Hires “We are seeing irrigator damage, and • Drum Hires •• Drum Hires • • Household waste Drum empty service Weoffer offer regularservice RubbishRemoval Removal Service, with many local Companies Drum Hires Householdand/or and/or Garden Garden waste Drum empty we are still getting a picture of the We aaregular Rubbish Service, with many local Companies hiringour ourFront FrontLoader LoaderBins Bins and using Cardboard Recycling Cages, hiring and using ourour Cardboard Recycling Cages, full extent of it and how best we can • • Regular Removal Service, with many local We aRubbish Removal Service, with many local Companies Regular Removal Service, with many local Wealso also have Open Top Bins on a casual basis, property clean Weoffer offerRubbish aregular regularRubbish Rubbish Removal Service, with many local Companies We have Open Top Bins on a casual basis, forfor property clean ups,ups, building works and Garden ups. companies hiring our Front Loader Bins andusing using ourand support those clients. It is significant, building works Garden tidytidy ups. companies hiring our Bins Front Loader Bins and our hiring Loader and using our our Cardboard Recycling Cages, hiringour ourFront Front Loader Bins using Cardboard Recycling Cages, AndaaHousehold Householdand/or and/or Garden waste Drum empty service. Cardboard And Garden waste Drum empty service. CardboardRecycling Recycling Cages Cages although not to the extent (in number We casual basis, basis,for for property ups, Wealso alsohave haveOpen OpenTop Top Bins Bins on a casual property clean ups, All providedbyby a Company based in Tinwald. All provided a clean Company based in Tinwald. of claims or damage) of 2013. Allprovided provided by a a works Company based in All by Company basedtidy inTinwald. Tinwald. building works ups. building and Garden Garden tidy ups. “Around 60 per cent of claims are AndaaHousehold Household and/or and/or Garden waste And wasteDrum Drumempty emptyservice. service. to buildings and contents and around Gary McCormick Transport Ltd All provided by a Company Company based Gary McCormick Transport Ltd All provided by basedininTinwald. Tinwald. 40 per cent are vehicles (including POBox Box5044, 5044, Tinwald, Ashburton 7741 7741 || Phone: PO Tinwald, Ashburton Phone:3072100 3072100| Fax: | Fax:3072101 3072101 • For Casual&&Permanent Permanent Bin Hires • For Casual Bin Hires irrigators),” Barrett said.

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Flood recovery fund political football David Clark

President of MC Federated Farmers

he flood recovery fund provided by the Ministry for Primary Industries to assist in the cost of cleaning up after the May flood event is topical again, as decisions and offers of settlement are being sent to landowners. Unfortunately, it has or is becoming a political football. I thought it would be timely to go over the concept of what we managed to negotiate with MPI to deliver funding to affected farmers. The flood event was huge. In rural areas, our agreed level of protection for the Ashburton River is one in 50, so it was not unexpected that some failure of the flood protection works would occur in the one in 200 event that resulted. On the Ashburton River, landowners in the predicted flood plain contribute via rates to the maintenance and upkeep of the river protection works.

Excess shingle spewed out onto individual farms as the flood protection works began to fail. PHOTO: ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

On many other Canterbury rivers, landowners decided, rightly or wrongly, that they did not wish to be part of a comprehensive river rating scheme and have elected to carry out their own river berm works to achieve a level of protection that they are comfortable with. For us on the Ashburton, the urban area has a protection level of one in 200 with

the recent construction of stopbanks close to town, however, by design, the stopbanks or berm plantings will begin to fail in rural areas in a flood event over one in 50 of magnitude. Whether that decision to have a split level is sound comes down to the cost borne by ratepayers to engineer greater degrees of protection works. The Ashburton River is an

alluvial river with a natural movement of shingle out onto the plains, which has been constrained as we have held the rivers to a predefined bed. Arguably as a whole of community, we have not adequately managed the aggradation of shingle in the riverbeds. In this flood event, some of that excess shingle spewed out onto individual

farms as the flood protection works began to fail as their design levels were exceeded. Effectively it is this process that saved the town of Ashburton from inundation by the Ashburton River. It is following the logic of the mechanics of this flood that formed the basis of our request to central Government for funding to assist the impacted farmers to remove this shingle from their farms. As part of this process, we (Federated Farmers, Beef + Lamb and DairyNZ) were asked to draw up a criteria for this funding that targeted it precisely to the purpose for which it was applied. As we did not know the scale of the problem at the time the $4 million fund was announced, the Prime Minister was very clear in stating that additional funding would be available should it be required. Our task was to draw up the criteria, which we did with good intent. Provision was given to a second round of applications for remediation of other uninsurable assets such as culverts, ponds and tracks should the $4m not be fully required for shingle removal.

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“

The funding that we did manage to secure, that has delivered money directly to farmers, has rarely, if ever been distributed before.”

This funding was a partnership with MPI contributing up to 50 per cent and the landowner meeting the remainder; only for freehold or Crown Pastoral Lease land; and only for commercial farms where greater than 50 per cent of the family income came from the farming operation. My understanding of the process so far is that as of September 14, the total number of applications received was 168, with a total monetary value of $8m. Offer letters sent to date are 82, with a monetary value of $1.48m. An offer letter is sent once an application has been approved. The remaining applications are still being actively assessed. MPI has committed to cover up to 50 per cent of eligible costs with a

A stopbank on the Ashburton River is repaired within days of being breached during the Canterbury flooding. PHOTO: ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

total limit of $250,000 for each application. On the completion of that funding round, if the $4m is not fully allocated, the fund will open to applications for remediation of land assets. At this point, it will become clearer as to whether additional funding is required as pledged by the Prime Minister. In the interim, if there are farmers out there who have

received a decision back that has declined or scaled back an application that met the criteria, then we are very keen to hear from you so that we can understand why your application may have fallen short. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, we can only presume and trust that the fund has been carefully allocated adhering to the criteria that we set.

For those who have ended up disappointed with outof-scope applications that have been declined, or those who are kicking the political football currently, there are some important concepts for us all to remember. No Government, red or blue has in recent history funded the repair of private assets on private land after a weather disaster. The funding that we

did manage to secure, that has delivered money directly to farmers, has rarely, if ever been distributed before. The problem we have is that if we regard that Government should fund repair of business assets after a flood event, then we may find that Government places greater restrictions on what we might be allowed to do on flood risk classified land, such as constructing buildings, using irrigators, having fencing, culverts and tracks. Then we get ourselves into a debate as to where that state liability starts and finishes, should any business that suffers damage in a weather event have that damage repaired by the government? Should the government step in and fund the drop in revenue for the retailers impacted by the drop in foot traffic as a result of the East Street roadworks in Ashburton, as it is an impact outside of their control? There is no doubt the impact of this flood disaster has been enormous on many families and as a whole of community we need to give a lot of thought to how we manage these rivers going forward and how we fund that work. If your application met the criteria and has been unsuccessful, I am very keen to hear from you and happy to help where possible.

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The 2021 Cobber Challenge winner was a kelpie, Skyblue Jack, owned by Ben Jeffery which ran a record 1012km over the three-week period. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

Ashburton Gorge stock manager Cam Clayton’s heading dog Pine.

Mid Canterbury duo top Kiwi team M

id Canterbury stock manager Cam Clayton and his heading dog Pine were the top ranked New Zealand team and fifth overall, in a trans-Tasman challenge to identify the hardest working dog. Clayton said he was amazed by the distances Pine travelled during winter months, a quiet period on Hakatere Station, an Ashburton Gorge sheep and beef property. “I believe Pine would be right up there in the top, giving them a good run in the summer,” Clayton said. Over the three weeks of the

competition Pine clocked up 319 kilometres over 35 hours and 53 minutes at an average speed of 8.89km/hour. Clayton’s dog was one of three New Zealand entries, competing with nine from throughout Australia in the 2021 Cobber Challenge. The dogs wore GPS collars to track the distance, duration and average speed of their work. Fellow Kiwi competitor Peter Aitken from Otago, who came seventh, agreed that it was eyeopening to see how far his dog Spark travelled. The 2021 Cobber Challenge

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winner was a kelpie, Skyblue Jack, owned by Ben Jeffery, a leading hand at a 3200-hectare sheep and cattle farm in Victoria’s western district. With Jeffery’s boss unable to get back to Mepungah Pastoral because of border closures, he along with Skyblue Jack and his kennel mates had to step up to get all the stock work done. Those circumstances gave six-year-old Skyblue Jack a leg up in the competition and saw him clock a Cobber Challenge record of 1012km over the three-week period. They worked every day to record 87 hours worked and an

average speed of 11.59 km/h. That’s an average of just over four hours and 48km a day. “Jack’s happiest when he’s working – I even had to hold him back on a few days to make sure he still had plenty in the tank,” Jeffery said. Competition organiser and Cobber marketing manager Kellie Savage said the challenge acknowledged the invaluable contribution that working dogs make on Australian and New Zealand farms every day. “Our farmers always tell us that a good dog is worth at least a few workers. They don’t just provide a safer, more

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Breakthrough remote pasture monitoring available in Canterbury I

magine being able to accurately monitor your pasture growth every day of the season with a few quick taps on your phone. No platemeter, no hours spent walking the farm, no worries about you or your staff getting it wrong, no guesswork – just precise, consistent, reliable data to help you make good decisions. It sounds too good to be true, but it’s not. This spring, thanks to worldfirst technology designed, tested and made in New Zealand, Canterbury dairy farmers have the chance to transform the way they manage pasture. The Farmote system combines latest advances in cube satellite imagery with remote sensors, micro electronics and weatherproof, cow-proof design to automatically record daily grass growth across part or all of your farm. The Farmote hardware is deceptively simple – each unit or mote comprises a hollow

plastic pole, topped by a sphere the size of a tennis ball, mounted year-round in the paddock. The pole is full of solarpowered electronics and batteries; the sphere contains optical sensors used in smartphone cameras; and the prongs securing the mote to the ground include soil moisture and temperature sensors. What makes the Farmote system unique – apart from being permanently installed on-farm – is the way it automatically integrates data collected from the paddock with aerial imagery captured by low Earth orbit cube satellites. The result is real-time, objective daily pasture measurement, in all conditions. Sixty Farmotes have been tested on Canterbury dairy farms over the past three years; testing has also been done in Manawatu and Waikato. Now the Christchurch startup which pioneered the system is launching it on subscription to local farmers.

Richard Barton (left), with Luis Canobra - world-first pasture measurement technology available in Canterbury this spring. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

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www.guardianonline.co.nz Founder Richard Barton, raised in a fourth-generation farming family in South Canterbury, says his team provides all the installation, training and maintenance. “The only thing farmers have to do is download and use the software, or simply log onto our website.” In return, they save hours spent measuring pasture growth manually (or worrying about how they can find the hours to do so), and get a better result, on time, every time. Good pasture management, based on knowing how much grass is growing at any one time, is vital to optimising dairy herd performance, productivity and profitability, Barton said. But until now, getting reliable growth data has not always been easy. Existing tools and systems can be time-consuming. Results often vary depending on who does the monitoring. It’s difficult to standardise data across different farms. Even relatively new satellite-based systems are affected by cloud cover and time-lag. Barton said the thing that really struck him in the early days of developing Farmote was that so many farmers knew the value of pasture

SPRING CULTIVATION FEATURE

measurement but struggled to find time to do it. They also worried about getting it right. Newly returned to Christchurch from the United Kingdom in 2016, already excited about then-emerging advances in remote sensing, and keen to start a new business, the successful medical design engineer saw in pasture measurement an irresistible technical challenge that needed fixing. “I’ve always retained a strong interest in agriculture; I wanted to try something new; I had experience in remote monitoring, and I could see there was a real gap for a device that could be left in the paddock long-term to help dairy farmers get better data.” Five years later, he’s very pleased to have made this goal a reality and said that while dairy farmers are first in line to access the new technology, their red meat and arable colleagues have not been forgotten. “We see dairy pasture monitoring as the first step for Farmote. Using in-field devices to ground-truth imagery from satellites and drones has huge potential for sheep and beef farmers too, along with cropping farmers. I’m really excited about the future of this system.” For more detail visit farmote.com.

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SPRING CULTIVATION FEATURE

Managing pesticide resistance threat P

esticide resistance is a serious challenge for the farming sector – decreasing its ability to manage pests and diseases such as Blackspot (apples), powdery mildew (a fungal disease affecting a wide range of plants), diamond back moth and weeds affecting ryegrass. Farmers, industry and government all have a part to play to manage it. Farmers can follow simple measures to keep ahead of the game. When applying pesticides, following label instructions ensures products are - and will remain - effective against the pests threatening the quality and yields of their crops. Resistance issues can occur if products aren’t mixed properly and the dose of active ingredient is either measured in excess or below the prescribed amount on the label. This can allow resistant populations to multiply. Other measures include reducing the reliance on specific products and using pesticides with other pest management strategies. Crop rotation and alternating agrichemicals with different modes of action are strategies farmers can use to delay the development of resistant insects, weeds and diseases.

When applying pesticides, following label instructions ensures products are - and will remain - effective against the pests threatening the quality and yields of crops. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Addressing the limited alternatives to the herbicides that pests and diseases are becoming resistant to is also crucial. Incentivising the introduction of newer and greener products offers farmers more tools in the toolkit to do the job. Pesticide resistance is cited by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations as one of the main global concerns for the future success of agriculture. A loss of pesticide options could

have important economic and environmental consequences for New Zealand. “New Zealand is a small market for bringing in new pesticides. This limits the products offered to farmers and growers and increases the chances of resistance developing,” Agcarm chief executive Mark Ross said. “The government must continue to address regulatory delays to introducing new products, especially those that

are based on softer and greener chemistry, such as biopesticides. The crop protection industry is committed to supporting best practice use of the industry’s products. It invests heavily in the research and development of new actives and products, and stewardship activities to ensure pesticides are not only economically viable and safe to use, but also environmentally sustainable. What is pesticide resistance? Pesticides include herbicides,

insecticides and fungicides and are used to manage pests - mainly insects, pathogens (fungi, bacteria and viruses etc) and weeds. Among the billions of individuals that make up a pest population (be it disease, insect, mite, weed etc), there may exist some individuals that are more tolerant to a pesticide than others. If the same pesticide is continually applied, then the more susceptible individuals will be killed, leaving only resistant individuals to breed and multiply. If the resistance is heritable then eventually a large proportion of the population may be resistant to the pesticide. The resistant pests may then cause unacceptable damage to crops. Pesticide resistance prevention and management uses pesticides in ways that delay or avoid resistance in pest populations, and depends on: Understanding the mechanisms of resistance and its development Reliable methods for monitoring and detecting resistance The availability of strategies to prevent or delay the development of resistance and minimise the impact of resistance that has already occurred.

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SPRING CULTIVATION FEATURE

Red meat pasture trifecta P

icking the best pasture for red meat farms can be easier said than done, because so many variables and goals have to be factored into the decision. But now there’s a better way to improve your odds of getting a perfect fit. And with spring sowing just around the corner, there’s no better time to make the most of it. Between them, three perennial ryegrasses from Barenbrug literally cover the field, from early feed for ewes and cows with lambs and calves at foot, to persistent, easy-care grazing on the hills. Tyson, Governor and Rohan each have different strengths for today’s highly tuned red meat systems. All you have to do is decide which one (or more) best suits your needs. Tyson, with the earliest spring growth of any perennial ryegrass available, is probably the most topical at this time of year, for good reason. “We believe Tyson is the most exciting perennial ryegrass developed for breeding systems,” Barenbrug pasture systems manager Blair Cotching said. During August and September, when lactating ewes need all the highquality grass they can eat to milk well and keep lambs growing fast, Tyson produces 35 per cent more dry matter than average pasture. That can provide major benefits. It sets up more lambs for weaning

straight onto the truck. Lambs finished off mum never suffer a growth check, don’t need to be drenched or dipped, and free up feed for other stock. Governor is the universal allrounder, a dense, reliable pasture bred for persistence, palatability and high DM yield on the shoulders of the season, Cotching said. Whether it’s finishing lambs, flushing ewes, or growing out young cattle, this ryegrass is quickly finding favour on parts of the farm which suit a more traditional pasture option. Its high density makes it particularly useful on heavier ground which can be prone to treading or pugging damage. Last, but definitely not least, is Rohan, New Zealand’s only spreading ryegrass, developed specifically to improve feed quality and pasture longevity in hill country paddocks where ordinary ryegrass struggles. Rohan is unique in its ability to cover the ground. It creates a thick, robust pasture that can compete aggressively with weeds, stand up to harder grazing pressure and recover better from extended dry periods or other adverse weather events. It’s easy care and tastes good too – stock preferentially graze it ahead of other varieties, making it ideal for grazing ewes after weaning, for example. Seed for Tyson, Governor and Rohan is available for spring sowing now.

Tyson has the earliest spring growth of any perennial ryegrass available. .

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Spikey tackles cow urine patches A

shburton-based Jackson Spreading are the first commercial agricultural contractors in New Zealand to offer clients a new technology which detects and treats fresh cow urine patches in pasture. The technology, called Spikey, is proven to grow more grass, reduce nitrogen discharge to the air and water, while improving profitability. Spikey is so called because of the rows of spiked discs which contact the soil surface when Spikey is towed over a paddock. The spikes detect recent urine patches with a high degree of reliability by identifying electrical conductivity changes in the soil. Spikey then treats the urine with a liquid solution NitroStop, which is especially formulated to interact with the nitrogen cycle to accelerate pasture grass growth and reduce leaching past the root zone. The components of Nitrostop also reduce nitrous oxide production from the urine patch Developed by Pastoral Robotics, trials show Spikey can increase drymatter by 25 per cent and reduce nitrate leaching by about 30 per cent in urine patches. The technology has been trailed by Massey University, Landcare Research and AgResearch.

Spikey is so called because of the rows of spiked discs which contact the soil surface when Spikey is towed over a paddock. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Jon Jackson, who runs Jackson Spreading with his father, Dusty, said it had two Spikey machines pulled behind tractors, available for clients. “We have rolled it out slowly to get our heads around it. “As Spikey follows the cows after they leave a paddock, we are at the farm to treat within 48

hours of grazing, so it is quite a logistical exercise to work out as a contractor how you are going to get around every farm in two days,” Jackson said. In the same way that farmers generally follow the cows with fertiliser applications, Spikey can also apply fertiliser or seed as it passes over a paddock.

Fertiliser can be applied at any rate, including very low rates. The unit has an 8-metre wingspan that can be folded up for easy relocation to another paddock or property. Pastoral Robotics sales and marketing general manager Denis Collins said that the only other Spikey in Canterbury was

part of a trial involving milk processor Synlait on Ngai Tahu dairy farms in the Waimakariri district. A group of dairy farmers in the Rotorua catchment have been using a machine for more than five years. They share the costs between the farms involved. Nitrate leaching is a serious challenge for dairy farmers with 80 per cent of leaching coming from urine patches. The ingredients in NitroStop would evolve over time and could be adjusted to suit the region and soil type, Collins said. Jackson Spreading has heavily invested in technology for more targeted and efficient application of fertiliser. Its fertiliser spreader trucks are all fitted with optical sensors for variable rate nitrogen fertilising of dairy pastures and crops. This technology identifies both colour differences and the amount of biomass (pasture cover) in pasture to help farmers optimise their use of N and get the best pasture response and the lowest environmental impact. When fed into a variable rate-enabled fertiliser spreader, this sensor signal can tell the fertiliser spreader where to apply less N fertiliser and where more, according to the N demand in real time.

Dairy Focus

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

FARMING WITHOUT

FENCES

Page 21

Dairy Focus

ElbowDeep 20

Brought to you by POWER FARMING ASHBURTON

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with Craig Hickman

Standing still never a successful strategy Some farmers don’t like Fonterra’s new collaborative approach.

t is much easier to say no to new ideas and just accept the status quo than it is to embrace change. Change can be scary. Fonterra changed, they became more honest and transparent in their communication with farmers, and they completely transformed the way they deal with the Government. They became better at articulating what they want from their suppliers. Plenty of farmers don’t like this change, this new collaborative approach, and four years on they are still muttering that the dairy co-op is cosying up to the enemy. Slowly but surely, with the odd hiccup along the way, farmer advocacy groups like Beef + Lamb NZ, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers have adopted the same approach and given the same reasoning; it’s much more fruitful to work collaboratively with whoever is in power than to shout impotently from the sidelines.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

These groups are getting the same response from a sector of the farming community; you’re hanging farmers out to dry. I think Fonterra and the others have missed an opportunity to communicate a very important point; often these policies are what our customers want to see. The majority of what we produce is exported and New Zealand farmers must meet global consumer demand, if we don’t then other countries will take our place. Fonterra and the advocacy groups are just convenient targets for the outrage; what those farmers are really upset about is the Government policies these parties are collaborating on. What these farmers would much rather see is those policies being opposed and hopefully, never implemented. Of course, the Government is elected by a majority, so in theory they are implementing policies a majority of voters want to see and our best course

of action remains making the achievement of those policy goals as painless as possible. My mind keeps going back to July’s farmer protest organised by Groundswell. It was aptly named A Howl of a Protest, apt not because you could hear the howls of outrage from thousands of farmers, but because a howl is often an incoherent noise whose meaning is hard to decipher. Groundswell highlighted seven key points they wanted farmers to protest, but on the day it seemed to boil down to the idea that farmers were experiencing too much change too fast and just wanted it all to stop. Groundswell are shamelessly playing to that sentiment. In an email to supporters after the July protest they said “Groundswell NZ are calling for a halt to all environmental regulations including freshwater, indigenous biodiversity/SNAs,

Climate Change, high country legislation and remove the ute tax.” The email concluded with a threat of further action. Quite apart from sounding like an excellent way to further erode our social license to farm, taking a hardline approach of no compromise is more likely to see you excluded from any policy discussions than being able to effect change to them. To date, Groundswell have not even been able to meet with a Minister to discuss their demands. Proof that the collaborative model has merit can be seen in the intensive winter grazing rules, delayed by a year to give farmers the chance to show they can improve without more regulations. Changes to the National Policy Statement on Freshwater were being worked on well before July’s protest because industry bodies had sat down with the Government and pointed out areas that were impractical and unworkable. Farming by its very nature

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is dynamic, constantly evolving and innovating. It’s a characteristic that New Zealand farmers have always taken pride in. Never in farming’s history has just standing still been successful, and it’s not going to be a successful strategy now. If farming leaders and industry bodies had been reading the global consumer tea leaves and made the required changes years ago, the Government wouldn’t be seeking so many changes now. The argument that these policies will gain us access to new markets is one I take with a very large grain of salt, but they will help us retain the customers we already have. New Zealand has traded on our clean and green image for a very long time, we have certainly talked the talk. Now our trading partners want to see us walk the walk.

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High-tech fenceless farming expands Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

he job of bringing cows in for milking or shifting them to fresh pasture may soon become redundant with the roll out of new technology which instead enables farmers to automate herd movements. Even fences may become unnecessary, with cows instead guided by smart collars to stay within the bounds of virtual fences until being given the signal to move. In development in Waikato for the last three years, including its implementation on farms in the region, the world-leading smart collars called Halter will be rolled out to Canterbury farms by November. By using an app on a mobile phone, farmers can use Halter to shift, manage and monitor their herds remotely from the comfort of their home, or anywhere in the world. Halter is the brainchild of Craig Piggott, who grew up on a dairy farm in Waikato and started developing the technology while studying for a mechanical engineering degree at university. He then worked for Rocket Lab, whose founder Peter Beck, has invested in the technology. The business attracted $32 million in new investment earlier this year to fund its expansion. Piggott, the company’s chief executive, said that Halter, a solarpowered, GPS-enabled smart collar for cows, could revolutionise dairy farming. Powered by a set of patented algorithms the business calls “cowgorithm” the technology tracks the health and behaviour of every cow in a herd via their collar and gives an early indication of when an animal is sick, in heat, or calving. While smart cow collars are becoming more widely used, the added applications of guiding the cows around a farm using sounds and vibrations and creating virtual fencing are world-leading. Halter business manager Steve Crowhurst said that outside of Waikato, the biggest interest in the technology has come from Canterbury. The region’s flat topography is also ideally suited to the technology. Halter could also provide a solution to some of the “pain points” such as staff shortages that farmers are experiencing, Crowhurst said. “One of the biggest changes that happens as soon as you implement Halter on a farm is that the workload significantly decreases. All the manual moving and shifting of cows to the cow shed and to new pasture can be done in a couple of seconds on your smartphone via the Halter app. “Currently, cows on farms have a bunch of cues that they use to stay on a break, move to the next break, or move to the cow shed such as fences, farmers, dogs and motorbikes,” Crowhurst said. “Halter swaps out those traditional cues that cows respond to and replaces

these with sounds and vibrations. Vibration is the cue to walk forward, similar to a motorbike coming down the track. “At a sound in the left ear the girls turn right and in the right ear the girls turn left. So, using sounds and vibrations together is how we guide cows out of the paddock onto fresh grass. “The cows come to trust the collar and understand it because the software and technology is more consistent than different workers on different days. The cows really relax. They are happy and comfortable waiting for the cues from the collar. “My family farm has Halter and seeing the change in the relaxation and behaviour of the cows has been phenomenal,” Crowhurst said. The number of herds that farmers could run was currently restricted by workload but using Halter they could run as many as they liked. “So you can really optimise the cows and grass by running separate herds based on lights and heavies, body condition score or calving date,” Crowhurst said. Back fencing was also much easier. Piggott said that Canterbury dairy farms were typically large-scale operations and it was not unusual for cows to walk as far as 3km for each milking. “Due to the time required to shift cows and create breaks, even a large farm of say 1200 cows will typically only run three mobs - which is limiting. “With Halter, farmers can run four to six smaller mobs and create smaller breaks within a block style paddock. This not only optimises pasture management but also enables feed conversion efficiencies for different mobs. And all with the touch or swipe of a smartphone. For dairy farmers in Canterbury, who work some of the longest shifts in the country, this is potentially going to change their lives.” Halter farmer and industry leader, Pete Morgan who runs 630 cows in the Waikato says the new technology will be transformational for Canterbury farmers. “Undoubtedly, Canterbury farmers are going to witness huge gains on-farm. For us with Halter, the time saved automating shifts and fencing has been game-changing. We use Halter to rethink how we graze pasture, increasing utilisation and overall productivity. Our girls are monitored 24/7 helping us detect heats and health issues earlier, improving overall cow performance. “Of course, a Iittle more shut-eye in the morning is nice, but the big drawcard with Halter is efficiency. It’s transformed the way we farm, it’s the way of our future,” Morgan said. Since Halter was founded in 2016, its team has grown to a group of over 100 engineers, data scientists, farmers, designers and business people that are split between Halter’s headquarters in Auckland and its pilot farm in Morrinsville. Halter collars are leased under a per cow subscription model - based on the features farmers want to be enabled. Halter retains ownership of the collars and takes responsibility for their maintenance and upgrading of software. To ensure connectivity, Halter set

up a direct internet connection to the cow shed to run the system. This sends signals to the cows, so it can be run independently of mobile phone reception. An app on a farmer’s mobile phone connects through wifi in the cow shed or home. “You don’t stand in the paddock beside the cows to

shift them anymore. You move the cows remotely, from home or the cowshed, or anywhere in the world.” Cows can start moving to the shed for morning milking while staff are still at home, based on a schedule pre-set the evening before.

Halter chief executive Craig Piggott says the technology has enormous potential for Canterbury. Halter enables farmers to automate herd movements, create virtual fences and receive real-time health alerts. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

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Dairy Focus

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Through good management and the use of a suite of targeted ADAMA products on their sugar beet, Matamata dairy farmers Bruce and Jacquie Tiddy were able to grow a weedfree, high-yielding crop last season. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

Wrap-around boosts beet crop T

he science, specialist capabilities and expert advice being wrapped around beet crops are combining to produce significant results and dairy herd management benefits. That’s according to ADAMA New Zealand commercial manager Doug Speers. ADAMA has invested in developing a suite of beet products spearheaded by Goltix® Gold herbicide. The two most recent additions to the toolbox are Mavrik® Aquaflow Insecticide (Mavrik) and Custodia® foliar fungicide, launched this season and last season respectively. Speers said the breadth of the chemistry’s support is a direct result of the company listening to technical field officers and the needs of farmers. “Some of New Zealand’s leading farmers are growing beet crops and their careful husbandry, combined with the expertise and products that are available means they have been reaping the rewards.” He says an example is Matamata dairy farmers Bruce and Jacquie Tiddy who used the ADAMA programme including Mavrik, foliar fungicide Custodia® and Goltix® Gold herbicide. The Tiddys grew 22 hectares of sugar beet this season with yields pushing 30 tonnes of drymatter/ha and 15.2 ME. Their experienced technical specialist described it as “pure rocket fuel”. He said the Tiddys

had benefitted from keeping the paddock clean of weeds and their meticulous approach to management. Further growing expertise was provided by experienced contractor, Paddy Contracting based in Bulls who planted and lifted the Tiddys’ crop. Paddy explained that achieving an even germination was another factor critical to a successful crop. In terms of value, “it’s one of the cheapest crops you can grow”. The Tiddys are planning to plant sugar beet again in the coming season but are yet to decide on the hectarage. ADAMA’s approach to beet is multi-faceted and very much in-line with current farming drivers. Speers said the beet programme makes a contribution to animal health and welfare by providing flexibility for dairy farmers grazing or lifting beets and addressing the increasing demand for chemistry that controls pests while protecting the wider environment. “It’s something we have worked hard to achieve.” ADAMA’s break-through synthetic pyrethroid (SP), Mavrik is proven in local trials to combine effective control of the serious fodder beet seedling pests nysius and cutworm while being safer for beneficial insects. Beets will generally hold their own once they reach canopy closure, but as experienced

growers, agronomists and technical specialists will tell you, getting there is the real challenge. It is at this early post-emergence stage when beet seedlings are particularly at risk from nysius and cutworm. Nysius are found where vegetation is sparse and sunlight falls directly onto the ground, making vulnerable seedlings especially susceptible. Unchecked, nysius feeding damage to the base of the plants can destroy a high percentage of the crop. The pest thrives under the hot, dry conditions many regions have experienced over the last two growing seasons. Speers said that application of Mavrik is recommended when nysius are active as temperatures rise during the day; applying at seedling stage only, as a first post-emergence spray. “Apply at first sign of pest presence and ensure good coverage of plants and surrounding soil. A repeat application can be made after 14 days if required.” Trials showed Mavrik provided a high degree of nysius control and reduction of plant damage following one or two applications. Trials also showed Mavrik prevented significant cutworm plant damage. After hatching, young cutworm caterpillars forage on leaves until they are about one third grown. Larger cutworm caterpillars lie curled up 25-

50mm below the soil surface during the day and emerge at night to feed. Larger cutworm caterpillars are also the most damaging, cutting seedlings off at their base. Applications of Mavrik can control small cutworm caterpillars, preventing them growing to a much more damaging size. For larger cutworm, its recommended that spray applications should be made in the evening or night when the caterpillars emerge to feed. Importantly, Speers said Mavrik has minimal impacts on the key beneficials which help provide ongoing control of pests in the field. “Tau-fluvalinate, the low toxicity active in Mavrik is proven to be much safer for beneficial insects, including parasitoids, predators, and pollinators, than other SPs available in New Zealand. Additionally, it is entirely crop safe when applied with approved ADAMA products at the sensitive cotyledon stage.” Mavrik’s chemistry is consistent with recognising the vital role beneficials, including hoverflies and lacewings, can

“

play in the health of the beet crop and other nearby crops. Hoverfly larvae feed on aphids of all kinds while the adult is an important pollinator. Lacewings are broad spectrum predators, effective against pests including aphids and other soft bodied insects, such as small caterpillars. “Effectively, they’re the farmers’ and growers’ free workers”, Speers said. Another significant ADAMA product, Goltix Gold beet herbicide has a unique formulation, providing improved efficacy in controlling hard-to-kill weeds which can be the scourge of beet including fathen and wireweed. Last season, ADAMA also introduced Custodia. This beet foliar fungicide supports greener, healthier, more vigorous leaves and has a withholding period 14 days less than other available fungicides – a lifetime when stock is hungry and feed is tight. Other compatible products in the ADAMA beet programme include Torero herbicide, Ethosat® herbicide, and Rifle®. For more information on ADAMA products contact ADAMA or visit www.adama. com.

Some of New Zealand’s leading farmers are growing beet crops and their careful husbandry, combined with the expertise and products that are available means they have been reaping the rewards

Taking care of the bad guys. And the good guys.

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There are goodies and baddies lurking everywhere in your fodder beet crop. Fortunately, MAVRIK® can tell the difference. MAVRIK offers powerful control of Nysius and cutworm in your fodder beet crop. This unique SP insecticide is IPM friendly and crop-safe, yet highly effective against pests. MAVRIK is far more user-friendly than existing OPs, but no less effective. Combined with our other fodder beet specific products, like GOLTIX® GOLD, TOREROTM, ETHOSAT® and RIFLE®, it will help maximise the return from your crop.

Contact your local merchant for details.

HC AGR0280

Mavrik Aquaflo Insecticide (Mavrik) registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997 No. P7278. See www.foodsafety.govt.nz for registration conditions. Approved pursuant to the HSNO Act 1996. Approval No. HSR000316. See www.epa.govt.nz for approval controls. Ethosat, Goltix, Mavrik, Rifle and Torero are trademarks of an ADAMA Group Company.

INSECTICIDE

Dairy Focus

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MATING FEATURE

Yearling bulls noted for calving ease T

he historic Orari Gorge Station is holding its annual spring sale of yearling hereford bulls suitable for dairy mating on Monday October 11. There are 39 yearling hereford bulls catalogued. The station also expects to sell nearly 200 yearling bulls privately as well this spring. The bulk of the bulls go to repeat buyers each year but as the station’s hereford herd has been expanding over the last few years there are more available this year. All bulls are born on the property and have tested negative for BVD and EBL. Orari Gorge Station is set in the South Canterbury foothills just north of Geraldine. It consists of river flats, rolling clay downs and tussock country rising to 1066 metres. The station’s fifth generation owner Robert Peacock, a descendant of the original owner Charles Tripp, said it did a lot of heifer mating with its own 700 hereford cow herd on the station. “So we are selecting for low birthweight combined with good growth and carcass traits.” More than 200 heifers, both from its stud and commercial herds, are mated at the station.

“For the second year running it looks like only a handful will need help at calving. We only helped three out of 220 last year and have only helped three out of about 120 so far this year,” Peacock said. The yearling bulls are more suited to mating with dairy cows than dairy heifers. “But I know of at least one client that has bought our bulls for dairy heifers last year and had no calving problems. A few of the bulls will go to beef farmers for beef heifer mating.” All bulls are below breed average for birth weight and above breed average for calving ease. The station also has an annual June sale of rising twoyear hereford bulls for purchase by commercial beef farmers. The station’s 250 registered hereford stud cows are run with the 400 commercial cows on steep high tussock over 1000m from weaning to calving. “This year we have made the step to register all the commercial cows as well. So, going forwards all the yearling bulls for sale will have breeding values. We have used top stud bulls over the commercial cows and have been using AI on cows and heifers from the

Orari Gorge Station’s yearling hereford bulls are suitable for dairy mating.

commercial herd for several years which means the genetics of the commercial herd are very similar to the stud herd which is in the top 10 per cent of the industry. In addition to its hereford stud, the station also runs three sheep studs as well as commercial sheep, beef and red deer farming operations. It runs romney, RomTex and composite terminal (SufTex) sheep studs, with the station

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

carrying 1300 stud ewes and winters on the hill and 7000 commercial ewes. Just then giving high levels of over 1000 of the commercial production in terms of lambing ewes have been part of a Beef and calving. We finish almost + Lamb Low Input Progeny all the progeny on the farm and Test for the last three years any stock that are sold store using top rams from all over are usually well sought after,” the country to measure the Peacock said. genetic difference between their Its deer operation is focused ability to handle parasites with on venison production. Hind minimal input. numbers have increased “We breed stock that are from 1500 to 1800 over the WWW.ORARIGORGE.CO.NZ capable of looking after past couple of years, with all WWW.ORARIGORGE.CO.NZ themselves through tough progeny on the farm. Formally knownfinished as Nithdale Herefords

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ORARI GORGE HEREFORDS HEREFORDS ORARI GORGE WWW.ORARIGORGE.CO.NZ WWW.ORARIGORGE.CO.NZ

ORARI ORARI GORGE GORGE HEREFORDS HEREFORDS WWW.ORARIGORGE.CO.NZ WWW.ORARIGORGE.CO.NZ Formally known as Nithdale Herefords WWW.ORARIGORGE.CO.NZ Established 1947 Formally Formally known known as as Nithdale Nithdale Herefords Herefords Established Established 1947 1947

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FERTILITY • STRUCTURE • BREEDPLAN RECORDED • CARCASE SCANNED • TB STATUS C10 SERVICE & SEMEN TESTED • BVD TESTED & VACCINATED • ALL BULLS HYPOTRICHOSIS FREE FERTILITY • STRUCTURE • BREEDPLAN RECORDED • CARCASE SCANNED • TB STATUS C10 FERTILITY • STRUCTURE • BREEDPLAN RECORDED • CARCASE SCANNED • TB STATUS C10 SERVICE & SEMEN TESTED • BVD TESTED & VACCINATED • ALL BULLS HYPOTRICHOSIS FREE SERVICE & SEMEN TESTED • BVD TESTED & VACCINATED • ALL BULLS HYPOTRICHOSIS FREE

ORARI GORGE OHAU ORARIGORGE GORGENAPIER OHAU 140143 140143 ORARI 130133

| Tel 03 692 2853 | Email rosa@orarigorge.co.nz | Tel 03 692 2893 | Email robert@orarigorge.co.nz | Tel 03 692 2853 | Email rosa@orarigorge.co.nz | Tel GERALDINE, 03 692 2853 | SOUTH Email rosa@orarigorge.co.nz ORARI GORGE STATION, TRIPP SETTLEMENT ROAD, CANTERBURY 7991, NEW ZEALAND. | Tel 03 692 2893 | Email robert@orarigorge.co.nz | Tel 03 692 2893 | Email robert@orarigorge.co.nz

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MATING FEATURE

Wagyu dairy beef genetics deal A

n exclusive agreement between CRV and NZ Wagyu Corporation will provide New Zealand dairy farmers with the opportunity to diversify their businesses and capitalise on high returns for wagyu dairy beef. CRV will now exclusively sell NZ Wagyu’s Black Origin Wagyu semen straws to New Zealand farmers. Until now, farmers have purchased semen directly from NZ Wagyu. Farmers’ purchase of Black Origin Wagyu semen includes an agreement for NZ Wagyu to buy the resulting wagyu-cross calf for a fixed premium price, agreed at the time of mating. Wagyu beef is widely recognised as the world’s most premium beef, famous for its flavour and melt-inyour-mouth texture. CRV managing director James Smallwood said it was seeing increased interest from New Zealand dairy farmers to reduce their bobby calf numbers while also adding value to calves that are not being bred as herd replacements. “Dairy beef production has become a larger part of the industry in recent years as farmers look for innovative ways to run a more sustainable business, in terms of animal welfare, environment and profitability.

“Demand from CRV customers for beef semen has increased 10 per cent year-on-year for the last five years, with no sign of things slowing down. “This demand demonstrates a real appetite from farmers to diversify their businesses and explore opportunities to boost returns. “Our collaboration means NZ Wagyu can provide its customers with security of supply. At the same time, we are creating a lucrative opportunity for New Zealand dairy farmers to diversify their farm business portfolio,” Smallwood said. Black Origin Wagyu began in 2015. It combines ancient Japanese breeding genetics and 200-year-old techniques, with New Zealand’s grass, grain, water and air to create world class wagyu. NZ Wagyu director Arato Tsujino said the company had generated enormous demand for its premium brand in Asia and was now working to guarantee supply. “Contracted market demand for Black Origin’s wagyu beef in Asia will grow four-fold over the next two years. NZ Wagyu currently has a number of wagyu cattle under direct management on farms here in New Zealand, but we need more to meet this burgeoning customer demand.”

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Immigration woes cause exodus Heather Chalmers

RURAL REPORTER

Mid Canterbury dairy farmer says he is just one of many who have lost skilled and experienced dairy staff to Australia because of government immigration roadblocks. The shortfall in dairy workers was leading poaching of staff to become rife, as desperate farmers sought to fill job vacancies. The farmer, who milks 730 cows at Hinds and asked that his named not be used, said his second-in-charge, a Filipina woman, had left for a job across the Tasman in May so that she could be reunited with her husband and two children who were living in the Philippines. “We had her on a three-year visa, and we had been trying to get her family here, so we could keep her. “We tried and tried with immigration, but it got to the point where she was

getting so frustrated. It was so much easier for her to go to Australia because it has border exemptions for families.” The woman has now reunited with her family in Australia. The farmer said the woman was experienced, skillful and good with stock and he would have loved to have kept her. “She didn’t want to go. The only reason she went was to reunite with her family.” Immigration difficulties had existed even before the global pandemic but had significantly compounded because of border closures and a stalled pathway to residency for migrant staff. “It seems so difficult for them to get residency to bring their families here, so we can’t keep them. “It is one thing getting migrant workers through the border, but the bigger issue now is the rate that they are leaving. And who can blame them.” The dairy worker shortfall was leading dairy farmers to poach other farmers’ staff with the carrot of a few thousand dollars more pay, the farmer said. “It is very difficult to get staff to remain loyal, settled, and stay on farm.” He was short of a staff member all of last year. After

The shortfall in dairy workers is leading to the poaching of staff becoming rife, as desperate farmers seek to fill job vacancies. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

the Filipina worker left, he recruited two other staff who didn’t stay long. “One was here for 20 days and the other for 49 days after we got their

three-year visas. They went to another farm as they were offered more money, so we were two staff members short all calving.

“We have been very lucky that we have family here to help us and we have one very loyal staff member who has been with us for five years, to get through.

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“

The government can say what they want, but there are no Kiwis out there that want to work on a dairy farm with any sort of skill set that we require.”

“There is a lot of focus on people’s physical and mental wellbeing these days and when you are short-staffed it puts an enormous amount of stress on everyone else.” The farmer had since employed a Filipino and a New Zealander and was now fully staffed. “The government can say what they want, but there are no Kiwis out there that want to work on a dairy farm with any sort of skill set that we require,” the farmer said. Managing director of The Regions immigration law and recruitment business Ben De’Ath said that in the last two years, 68 migrant workers had left its clients’ farms for overseas jobs, with 42 of these leaving since April. Virtually all had gone to Australia, with only five headed to Canada. Most had left farms in Canterbury and Southland, with only 14 from Waikato and Taranaki. One worker had been in New Zealand 15 years and almost all more than five years. The Regions predominantly deals with Filipino workers and has offices in Ashburton,

Oamaru and Hamilton. De’Ath said these figures were only his clients, which represented about 50 per cent of the market. While Australia had relatively closed borders, it had reopened its agricultural visa pathways, De’Ath said. “People leaving New Zealand on an agricultural visa can get into Australia and have a defined four-year residency pathway from the day that they land. In contrast, New Zealand’s residency pipeline is frozen. “So, we are losing the cream of our crop in the dairy sector that we as an industry have put 10 years into training.” Most of these people were experienced and had their families here. “The third punch to the guts is that we are losing them with no chance of replacing them. “A lack of planning by Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi is causing this mess,” De’Ath said. It is believed that no-one has yet entered New Zealand as part of a border exception, announced in July, to bring in 200 migrant dairy workers and their families.

Ashburton immigration advisor Maria Jimenez has organised a petition urging the government to reintroduce a pathway which allows migrant dairy workers to apply for residency after five years. PHOTO: ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

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Cows can be part of leaching fix N

ew Lincoln University pastoral livestock production laboratory research is defining how to get the maximum benefit from cows predisposed to urinate nitrogen (N), resulting in less leaching to waterways. PhD student Cameron Marshall has just published two new articles in top scientific journals as part of his doctoral thesis, showing what cows with phenotypically lower milk urea N eat, and how they eat, is important to reduce their environmental impact. Marshall said inefficient N use from pastoral dairy production systems has resulted in concern regarding environmental degradation “and cows are demonised for it”. “This is a result of excessive urinary N leaching into waterways and nitrous oxide emissions from urination patches into the atmosphere. “Dairy cows are demonised for it, but can be part of the solution too,” Marshall said. His first paper* reports that cows with low milk urea N concentrations eating plantain rather than a ryegrass diet, urinate significantly less N excretion per urination event, thus reducing the potential N

Lincoln University PhD student Cameron Marshall says that dairy cows, not just what they eat, can be part of the solution. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

leaching to waterways. The second paper** found that the grazing and ruminating behaviour of cows selected for divergent

milk urea N, masticate, and ruminate the pasture they eat differently, which determines their rumen function and the efficiency of N digestion and

use in the rumen. This alters the N excretion patters to the environment. Cameron’s previous research has already shown that cows

selected for low milk urea N had a 28 per cent reduction in the urinary urea N loading rate per urine patch than cows with higher milk urea N breeding values. Those ‘better cows’ also yielded an increase in milk protein percentage. “The results of this new research indicate two promising tools that temperate pastoral dairy production systems can use to reduce N losses and ameliorate the negative impact on the environment.” Cameron’s research is showing promising results of using an animal-based solution in conjunction with dietary management strategies to reduce the environmental impact from dairy farms in New Zealand *Nitrogen balance of dairy cows divergent for milk urea nitrogen breeding values consuming either plantain or perennial ryegrass. https:// www.mdpi.com/20762615/11/8/2464 ** Dairy cows with different milk urea nitrogen breeding values display different grazing behaviours. https://www. sciencedirect.com/science/ article/pii/S0168159121002161

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LUDF adopts flexible milking, plantain L

incoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) is launching three new farm systems initiatives at its demonstration farm, all geared at sustainable dairy farming practices. Three new farming systems are now being implemented to expand LUDF’s focus and extend its outlook through to 2030. The research is on variable milking frequency; moving the forage base to include plantain and replacement rate reduction. The South Island Dairying Demonstration Centre (SIDDC) has revised LUDF farm systems to more effectively contribute to New Zealand dairying and the wider primary sector. Speaking on behalf of the partnership, Lincoln University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Edwards said that SIDDC was committed to taking a leadership role in dairy farming through LUDF. “It’s important that the partnership regularly reassesses and revisits the farm’s systems to consolidate its position at the vanguard of current and future scenarios.” DairyNZ general manager for new systems and competitiveness Dr David McCall said New Zealand’s dairy sector was committed to remaining the most sustainable milk producers.

“As a SIDDC partner, we support LUDF implementing new farm systems. It is also exciting to see the adoption of variable milking frequencies, following DairyNZ’s threeyear flexible milking project which highlighted the opportunities this system presents farmers.” The variable milking programme to be implemented this season involves moving from the traditional twice-aday milking to a more flexible milking regime with 10 milkings over seven days. AgResearch sustainable production lead Dr Robyn Dynes said that this suits both cows and farm staff. SIDDC demonstration manager Jeremy Savage said that variable milking had several benefits. “A variable milking programme will not only improve cow welfare through less lameness, better overall health condition and enhanced vigour, but will also lift the safety and wellbeing of staff, with kinder rosters, fewer early starts and more condensed workloads allowing for better work/life balance.” LUDF expects to achieve these improved outcomes without impacting profitability. In addition, starting in October, LUDF will plant at

SIDDC demonstration manager Jeremy Savage (left), with Lincoln University Dairy Farm manager Peter Hancox, says that variable milking, implemented this season, has several benefits. PHOTO: ASHBURTON GUARDIAN

least 10 per cent of the farm per year in plantain. “This is a forage that may significantly reduce nitrogen leaching. With cow intakes of 30 per cent plantain or higher we anticipate LUDF will achieve further improvements to its nitrogen leaching results,” Savage said. “The potential benefits of reducing on-farm nitrogen leaching by up to 20 per cent by managing the cows’ diets, and without reducing overall

herd numbers, are obvious and compelling.” In introducing plantain, LUDF is applying research from the Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL) project. FRNL was a six-year cross-sector programme that looked at ways forages can reduce nitrate leaching. Nearby Lincoln University Research Dairy Farm is also part of the Plantain Potency and Practice programme – a $22 million research initiative

into plantain on dairy farms. LUDF’s third research initiative will be a greater focus on lowering the replacement rate of heifers for the herd. Greenhouse gas emissions modelling shows significant gains can be made by dropping the current 28 per cent replacement rate to a target of 15-18 per cent. Ravensdown’s general manager of innovation and strategy Mike Manning said the SIDDC partnership has been shaping LUDF over the last 20 years to anticipate changes to dairy farming and to demonstrate new approaches to farming in the future. “These new systems are the next phase in the journey.” The 186-hectare irrigated property, of which 160ha is the milking platform, is near the university campus. The farm operates in the top 2 per cent on profitability, producing 1700 to 1750kg of milksolids/ha from high quality irrigated pasture. Operating with the support of the farm manager and some of the industry’s best farmers and technical input, LUDF has lifted production through increasing efficiency across the business. The farm delivers demonstration of successful dairy farm practices for the wider dairy community.

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WATER FEATURE

Are all moisture sensors the same? Tony Davoren

SWIMS CONSULTING LTD

n the last month I’ve had occasion to review soil moisture records from a few clients. Some have lost faith in what they see, some can’t get their head around what they are observing and all have not had useful explanation of what the sensor is showing. Am I surprised that having been providing soil moisture advice for nearly 40 years that I still come across “the same old”? As time has passed, we’ve seen many different types of soil moisture monitoring technologies sold to farmers to assist with irrigation management decisions. When we started back in the early 1980s with our neutron probes everything was done for the farmer: • We owned and operated the neutron probe.

• We had field calibrated the probes using “pedantic” gravimetric sampling and analysis so that true volumetric (V%) or mm was measured. • We did all the interpretation and were available every week to explain anything to the farmer client they didn’t understand. It is now “easy” to sell a soil moisture sensor hooked up to a telemetry system so you can see what is happening any time of the day or night. Mostly the sensors are capacitance type sensors (eg Aquacheck, Enviroscan) or TDR type sensors like Acclima and Aquaflex. Often the installation and interpretation leaves much to be desired. They are as good as their installation and I’ve seen horrors – like installed in fencelines or where the ground has subsided over the sensor and they are now in a hollow or in an enclosure where there is nothing growing! Almost every manufacturer recommends field calibration; eg MeterGroup reports “studies show both TDR and capacitance to be (equally) accurate with calibration”

if you want true V% soil moisture content. The two plots shown demonstrate how different the soil moisture measurements can be depending on the type of sensor. • Only the neutron probe has been field calibrated so that the measurements are a true measure of actual V%. True values are valuable because they can be used to see how effective irrigation (and rainfall) has been, that is, if you applied 12mm can you see 12mm in the soil moisture measurements. The Aquaflex has measurements that mirror

those of the neutron probe and has been properly field calibrated (the “factory” calibration is a good representation of the actual V%). The Acclima “factory” calibration does not represent the actual V% and measures field capacity that is 7-8 per cent less than actual field capacity (or full point) and the lowest measurement are about what one would expect wilting point to be on a silt loam soil. • In the second plot neither the Aquacheck nor the 5TM (MeterGroup) sensors measurements

with their “factory” calibrations represent true V% soil moisture. Neither measure field capacity accurately and measure very low V%. It may be that you are not interested in the true V% soil moisture content. If that is the case, then you would not look to field calibrate your sensors. But, you will need to interpret the soil moisture record to ensure the full point (field capacity) and stress point (refill or trigger point) are correctly determined. That is another “horror” story I’ve dealt with in the last few years. There isn’t space this month – I’ll deal with that next month.

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WATER FEATURE

Sustainable irrigation leaders named T

his year’s Zimmatic Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation Awards finalists cover a range of farming types from high country to mixed cropping and livestock. Three farmers have been selected as finalists in this year’s competition, which aims to celebrate excellence in sustainable irrigation and encourage farmers to share ideas for achieving sustainable freshwater management. This year’s finalists are: Simon and Lou White (Hawkes Bay); Angus and Elise Aitken (North Canterbury);

and high country farmers Richard and Annabelle Subtil of Omarama Station (North Otago). The farms range from mixed arable cropping and beef finishing to sheep and fine wool production, highlighting the breadth of farming sectors that rely on irrigation. The Subtils, who run merino sheep and beef cattle won the supreme award in the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards in 2015. In the last five years, 560 hectares of centre pivot irrigation has been developed at the 12,000ha Omarama Station and

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this has allowed an expansion of the operation into the fattening of bought in store stock and the growing of speciality small seed crops for export. Angus Aitken farms a mixed cropping property in Waiau that grows a variety of produce from sweet corn to red clover for lamb finishing. Irrigation NZ chair and Irricon Resource Solutions principal Keri Johnston, the head judge for the awards, said it was exciting to see such a high calibre of entries from all over New Zealand for this year’s competition. “These awards are an opportunity for the irrigation sector to celebrate and showcase how irrigation done well can benefit the environment and our communities. “It’s also about farmers building their businesses’ resilience through the adoption of technology, raising awareness amongst their peers and their community about what they’re doing and monitoring performance. “The three finalists stood out for

their willingness to embrace the challenges that irrigation is often associated with. They demonstrated their commitment to working through the issues, seeking out opportunities to do things better, and highlighting the positive synergies of working with our natural resources for the benefit of all. They really are leading by example. “While we could only choose three finalists, all our entrants should be commended for their commitment to responsible water management both on and off the farm.” The competition is run by agricultural irrigation systems leader, Zimmatic by Lindsay. It recognises farmers leading the way in responsible irrigation, innovative water management and environmental stewardship. Awards coordinator Sarah Elliot said it was exciting to see the awards gaining momentum, with double the nominations of last year. “This result demonstrates that people see the awards as an opportunity to recognise farmers’ efforts, thank those leading the way

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www.guardianonline.co.nz and use them to tell positive stories about their journeys. “This year’s finalists embody the very essence of the awards. They understand that by being innovative and responsibly managing one of our most precious resources, their business thrives and so does the community,” Elliot said. Ted and Sue Rollinson from Mid Canterbury were the New Zealand winners of the 2020 inaugural competition. This year’s competition is only open to New Zealand farmers, with the awards being held in Australia in 2022. Each entrant is judged on the following categories: sustainable irrigation management; irrigationdriven improvements, which may include cost reductions, environmental outcomes, yield improvements and/ or improved efficiencies; waterway protection; stewardship/community. On-farm judging will take place in November before the supreme winner is announced later that month. Together, Zimmatic and its awards partners are offering a total prize package of more than $22,000. For more information about the awards visit www. irrigationtrailblazer.com

WATER FEATURE

Richard and Annabelle Subtil are finalists after developing 560 hectares of centre pivot irrigation at Omarama Station.

Finalist Simon and Lou White

Location Otane, Hawkes Bay

Angus and Elise Aitken Waiau, North Canterbury Richard and Annabelle Subtil Omarama, North Otago

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WATER FEATURE

Central Otago farmer Hamish Mackenzie, of Kyeburn Station, says the ability to irrigate crops is one source of security; another is having precise control over that irrigation. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Precision irrigation gives peace of mind O

ne way to cope with the changing climate and the usual vagaries of the weather is to build fat into the system. If you grow more feed than you need and carry a comfortable number of stock, you won’t end up close to the edge. Another way is to control the environment. Hamish and Jan Mackenzie own Kyeburn Station in Central Otago, where they do both. Kyeburn Station is 3300 hectares and carries 200 angus cows and up to 9000 ewes, crossbred or half-bred merinos. It is in the Maniototo, which is a dry region that gets 500mm of rain a year with little or none of that falling in summer. The property has 260ha of river flats, with two Zimmatic centre pivots that irrigate about 180ha, which gives Hamish Mackenzie peace of mind. The irrigators guarantee enough feed to fatten stock and carry cows and ewes over winter. Sometimes there is too much growth and they have to top the pastures, but

that is okay because they are building carbon in the soil and maintaining a safety margin. The ability to irrigate crops is one source of security; another is having precise control over that irrigation. One of the centre pivots is equipped with Zimmatic precision variable rate irrigation (VRI), which means it can apply water at variable rates according to a prescription map. Mackenzie can target the application of water depending on the soil types in different parts of the paddocks, the type of crop, and its stage of development. For example, lucerne needs less water than pasture, and he can turn the water off cereals as they approach harvest. Water is turned off permanently over tracks, gateways and boggy areas. The brain of the system controls the speed of the pivot and valves on each individual sprinkler, which pulse on and off to ensure the correct amount of water falls on each area.

The Zimmatic precision VRI system was installed in 2015, and the following year they added FieldNET. This is a remote irrigation management tool. If Kyeburn Station had reliable cell phone coverage, then Mackenzie could be controlling the whole system from his smart phone when out on his farm. But he can still use FieldNET to operate the precision VRI system from his home computer. He sets up his maps and rates, transfers it to a memory stick and plugs it into the control panel. Kyeburn Station generally needs irrigation from midSeptember through to May. It is used to finish stock and produce silage and brassicas for winter supplements. The Zimmatic precision VRI system can be set up to adjust application depths according to readings from soil sensors, but Mackenzie has chosen to do it manually. If it rains, he turns it off.

The Mackenzies have a water allocation of 521 litres/second from the Kyeburn River. Since using Zimmatic precision VRI, their actual take has dropped to 431 litres/second. Theoretically, they could irrigate more land with the water they save, but that is not the aim. Mackenzie wants the security and reliability, not life on the edge. Using less water saves electricity, so they have quickly recovered the cost of the variable rate irrigation system. Two years ago, the Mackenzies took their security a step further and put in a buffer dam next to the pump. The dam holds 270,000m3and the pivot uses about five million litres per day, giving them enough water for two months. “If there are water restrictions out of the river, we can still irrigate. This is what everyone has to do.” The pressure is on around the country to care for water supplies – both what is taken out and what is allowed back in. Their Zimmatic system

keeps the Mackenzies ahead of council regulations because they use what they take and they take only what they need. There is little or no run-off. The precision VRI technology was developed by two Kiwi engineers and eventually acquired by US company Lindsay Corporation, which produces Zimmatic centre pivots and other irrigation technology. “Zimmatic are really good irrigators and they are reliable. I get good backup from Lindsay. Most of the time they can explain anything over the phone,” Mackenzie said. “They are a good bunch – really practical and always willing to help out. But the pivots are that reliable you hardly ever talk to them. “With the Zimmatic centre pivots and the Zimmatic precision VRI we are self-sufficient. We have not bought in feed for a long time because of the reliability of our water supply. “I would hate to farm now without it.”

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WATER FEATURE

Overseer: be Drink Healthy, careful what Stay Healthy A you wish for I

write as someone who has had a 30-year association with Overseer as a scientist involved in the early development, as a user helping farmers and as a teacher with fertiliser sales representatives. Most of the debate is around Overseer as a predictor of nitrogen (N) leaching losses although it has many other functions such as estimating phosphorous (P) loss and greenhouse gas emissions. It was developed as a decision support programme so that it assists land users in making changes in management so to reduce N leaching losses. As such it is a world-class programme that has not been duplicated in any other country. Like any model or results from an experiment there is variability around any single estimate of N leaching loss which is normal in a biological system such as farming. Critics say that it was not designed nor is useful for regulation. I agree with the first point but would argue that it can be useful if the N leaching losses are interpreted as relative values as part of a trend rather than absolute values. So, if the regional council has a N leaching loss target for a particular farming system on a specific soil type, and the N loss values are trending downwards towards this target in response to changes in management on-farm then Overseer has a role to play. If you cannot measure, you cannot manage they rightly say and for many other practices such as grazing management or improving genetic merit farmers correctly measure pasture cover or DNA markers. Determining N leaching losses from on-farm measurements are too costly and no more accurate than Overseer anyway as shown by the Otago Regional Council exercise several years ago. And what are the alternatives to the current use of Overseer? Input controls are clumsy and often ineffective as seen with our first attempt with the recent limit on fertiliser N use. There is nothing to stop dairy farmers substituting for the extra feed from N by applying it on runoffs right up to the limit and importing extra feed into the milking platform. Or just buying in more supplement. Also input controls are very expensive to administer. Despite recent statements, the science behind the N leaching losses in Overseer is very sound and based on peer-reviewed publications of calibration trials in most environments. Sure, high rainfall areas like on the West Coast lack

Jeff Morton.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

validation, but you are only talking about a very small proportion of dairy farms. It is true that Overseer has been mainly calibrated for farms on flat land. So, in the short term until more research has been carried out, why not just use it for this environment. As is generally the case at present. Anyway, flat land is where most of the intensive farming with cattle that causes N leaching is carried out. In hill country, P loss on sediment is much more of a problem and there are other programmes such as LUCI or MITIGATOR that can be used for modelling them. Arable farming where each paddock has a different management history is much more difficult to model for N leaching loss and there has been less research carried out. It makes sense to only use Overseer with caution in these farming systems. But I still cannot see that trends over time do not have some relevance. It has also been stated by reviewers that we need a model that predicts real-time N leaching losses rather than long-term average losses as in Overseer. But to what advantage in terms of practical farm management? Say we have a high rainfall event in early spring causing excess drainage and a spike in the N leaching rate. The N lost from the root zone is a result of the deposition of urine from previous grazings so it is all retrospective and little can be done to reduce it in the short term during or after the event. So rather than focus on the negatives with Overseer, which can be a human failing, why not recognise the positives and improve them. Two common sayings come to mind when I think of the future use of Overseer. Be careful what you wish for and don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. — Jeff Morton, consultant

re you happy with your drinking water? Do you know for sure that it’s an acceptable quality? Does it taste good? The water we put into our bodies determines our health to a large extent. The average adult human is made up of 60% water so it better be good! Bore water and private water schemes are vulnerable to nitrate contamination, heavy metals, pesticides, E-coli, giardia and water borne viruses. It was nitrate concern in particular that moved Richard Ellis to create Filtration Canterbury. Richard lives in the Alford Forest area and was approached by local farmers – aware of his expertise in the area of filtration – to come up with a solution for their shallow bore water concerns regarding nitrates. These were families worried about the wellbeing of themselves, their children, and in one case of a pregnant woman. Richard met the challenge and Filtration Canterbury was born. A New Zealand owned and operated company created to fulfil the clear need for everyone to have access to quality drinking water. Richard’s 40 years as a dairy contractor; extensive experience in

food and beverage filtration; food production; sanitation and chemical cleaning, puts him in a unique position to advise on and recommend a water filtration solution that’s spot on for your situation. This includes domestic, town and rural water supply. The Government’s Water Services Bill (currently being drafted) means drinking water suppliers will have a primary duty to supply safe drinking water. If you’re off town supply and have any workers drinking your water you’ll need to meet these requirements. You’ll remove nitrates, lead, chromium, barrium, campylobactor, E-coli, giardia, chlorine odour and water borne viruses from your water with a filtration solution from Filtration Canterbury. Many towns and villages in Mid Canterbury are struggling with consistent water supply. Water sampling shows worsening nitrate contamination in Canterbury in general. Take control of your water so you’ll know for sure that you and your family – whoever raises a glass to their lips – are getting pure goodness and therefore better health.

Drink Healthy, Stay Healthy Are you happy with your drinking water? Do you know for sure that it’s an acceptable quality? Does it taste good? The water we put into our bodies determines our health to a large extent. The average adult human is made up of 60% water so it better be good!

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EARTH MOVING AND CONSTRUCTION FEATURE

Greendots provide biodiversity corridor T

he establishment of two large native planting sites will mark another major step toward restoring native biodiversity in the Selwyn district. In August, members of the Te Ara Kakariki Canterbury Greenway Trust and friends gathered to plant the first of what will eventually be thousands of native seedlings at Ahuriri Reserve. The 3.5 hectare site, located between Tai Tapu and Motukarara, is Environment Canterbury-owned endowment land. It lies 500 metres upstream of the former Ahuriri Lagoon, and is a recently re-created wetland that has been planted with thousands of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants, and is already attracting fauna to the area. As well as 20,000 plants from the totara/matai plant community, a walkway and shelter will be established in the site, which can be reached from the end of Neills Road and runs parallel to the Huritini/Halswell River and the Little River Rail Trail. Ngai Te Ruahikihiki kaumatua and co-chair of the Selwyn-Waihora zone committee Les Wanhalla, who also represents Te Taumutu Runanga on the Ahuriri Lagoon steering group, said that the first totara planted at a special dedication ceremony would be the “Tane Mahuta” of the planting

area, and acknowledged the dedication of generations of Ngai Tahu and the wider community to see Ahuriri restored. Te Ara Kakariki is also establishing another major native greendot inland near Springfield. A 6ha site containing a moraine, known to the locals as Broom Hill, will also be planted with 30,000 eco-sourced seedlings from the totara/tawhai/beech forest plant community. Te Ara Kakariki coordinator Letitia Lum said her team was excited about the potential these areas have to attract native birds from the nearby mountains and hills. “We’ve been planting greendots all over Selwyn over the past 12 years, as we work to establish a biodiversity corridor from the mountains to Te Waihora and the sea,” Lum said. “What we were missing were some larger sites that can extend the habitat of native birds, so they can re-establish a foothold on the plains. We hope these two sites, along with the other plantings being carried out, will help our native species thrive alongside us across the Selwyn region.” The two sites will be planted over the next three years, partly by volunteers through Te Ara Kakariki’s annual volunteer plantouts.

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Ngai Te Ruahikihiki kaumatua Les Wanhalla plants the first tree at a new site near Ahuriri.

Irrigation storage dam guide I

rrigation NZ has designed a guide to help irrigators through the process of constructing a freshwater storage facility for irrigation. It takes irrigators through each part of the dam-building process – from concept through to construction and sign-off. It includes information on council requirements and engaging professionals (like designers and engineers). What will a dam mean to you and your farming system? A correctly designed and constructed pond will provide: • Surety of supply (reliability). • Flexibility – you choose when you irrigate. • Effective utilisation of water. • Reduced risk of non-compliance. Through the feasibility, design and construction phases of the pond you need to ensure: • You have enough water to recharge the dam every year – or the recharge

period for which it is designed. • Consideration has been given to the lining material – clay or artificial. • The dam is the appropriate size for you irrigation area and crops. • The pond meets all regional and district council resource management and Building Act requirements. It introduces the fundamental questions that need to be answered before, and whilst engaging third party professionals, to deliver the most suitable on-farm storage option for your needs. The book is designed for irrigators who are looking to build small embankment dams or embankment storage ponds. It provides a detailed outline of the decision-making process required to ensure you build storage that is best suited to your needs along with basic design and construction information.

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CROPPING FEATURE

No single solution to bird damage B

irds have been frustrating New Zealand grain and seed growers for well over 150 years. In the early days, management was down to scarecrows, poison, shooting and egg destruction, while today’s growers are more likely to use gas guns, netting or lasers. And yet, birds are still a problem for the industry, with estimates of up to $15-30 million in losses to cereal growers annually, and the potential for similar losses to the vegetable seed industry without good management. Because birds are also an issue for horticulture and viticulture, the Foundation for Arable Research has started working with a pan-sector group of growers and other industry representatives to investigate the best management options across the board. Owen Gibson from FAR, who is co-ordinating the group, says that while different techniques and tools are used across the agri-food sector, there is no single solution. “Successful bird management relies on choosing a range of approaches that are appropriate for the crop and bird species concerned and also for the size of the paddock and its location.” Netting offers the greatest protection from bird damage but is also expensive (typically $1200 to $1500/ha per season) and seldom provides complete crop protection. Losses through nets can be as high as 5 per cent, as birds learn to feed through the nets. This, along with the high labour cost and time associated with netting has seen a reduction in the use of nets, with a number of seed firms opting to use field lasers as the preferred option in larger areas. Field lasers work by scanning a green laser over the paddock, either in a predetermined pattern or randomly. To get the best control when using lasers, it is important to include not only the paddock, but also the birds’ resting areas (for example, hedges). If the laser beam cannot be set to random, change the pattern (waypoints) every 7-14 days to maintain the best control, Gibson said. “Birds are smart, and no matter what kind of deterrent system is employed, if you don’t tweak it regularly, they’ll either learn to ignore it, or figure out a

way around it. Using a mix of scaring devices and moving them, or altering their sound/light pattern, will help to avoid this ‘habituation’ and provide more effective control.” Netting and lasers aside, there are numerous other options for deterring birds. Gas guns have long been used in arable cropping situations, but they are not suitable for farms bordering onto urban areas, especially as the most vigorous feeding occurs around dawn and dusk – not good times to be annoying your neighbours. Other sonic systems, such as bird distress or predator calls, can offer similar results to gas guns, although unless high quality sound formats are used and libraries are rotated regularly, birds will quickly habituate to these units. Kites, balloons and janglers are also tools for bird management. Attracting predator birds, especially swamp harrier (kahu) with dead carcasses of rabbits, possums and ducks is also practiced as a biological means of protection. Good seed hygiene around the farm is extremely important to limit easily available food sources, especially during the winter months. Controlling birds early, before the crop has started to set seed is essential for adequate control. Once birds know there is a food source available it is hard to dissuade them from predating the seed, especially highly palatable seeds such as sunflower, radish and hemp. Drones, especially larger units (700 to 1000mm) coupled with sound devices are reported to be very effective, but current regulations constrain their use. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) are likely the future of self-propelled bird scaring devices. Regulation still restricts the use of UGVs, however this is likely to be relaxed before drone regulation. Landscape management, hedge and shelter species and the interactions between improving biodiversity of birds, pollinators and predator insects are not yet well understood. House sparrows and greenfinches are the most damaging of the introduced bird species, with the greatest economic losses occurring as a result of feeding at grain fill. However, depending on the variety

and species of birds present, damage can occur at any time. For example, pigeons, pukeko, ducks, shelducks (paradise ducks) and geese can be very damaging at establishment. Radish, brassicas, sunflowers and hemp are particularly attractive food sources for birds, while early maturing cereals are also vulnerable. Non-field related bird damage includes nesting in farm machinery and faecal contamination in sheds and around grain drying/stores. Source: FAR

Scarecrows have been replaced by more high-tech controls, but birds still cause significant crop losses. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

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Feeding the soil which feeds us Sheryl Stivens

ECO EFFICIENCY

he nor’westerly winds that the Canterbury plains are renowned for have returned with a vengeance this September. With hundreds of kilometres of shelterbelts removed to make way for irrigation systems, the increased velocity of howling winds across the plains has been frightening recently. There are many trees blown over and clean ups underway. There is so much to do in our food forest in spring that sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Ultimately, it’s the soil that feeds us, so once the soil temperatures begin to rise it’s time to feed our soil. We have been applying a mixture that includes EM (effective micro-organisms) for over a decade now and have seen good results. We brew an extended EM liquid with molasses and water to make it more cost effective for applying to our hay paddocks and orchard and garden areas. EM is an amazing natural technology developed in Japan in the 1980s and is now used in more than 140 countries around the world and manufactured in over 60 countries largely through non-profit. We were fortunate to attend an initial training seminar in Thailand some years ago and have been brewing and using EM ever since. I have also been to Japan to visit the world headquarters and some of the ways EM is being used include improving soil quality and health

along with the growth, yield and quality of crops, crop residue recycling, bio control of pests and diseases, composting including bokashi bucket composting and wastewater treatment including effluent ponds to control odour and improve function. I think of it as a kind of probiotic for our soils. EM consists of mixed cultures of naturally occurring micro-organisms that can be used as inoculants to increase the diversity of soils and plants. Lactic acid bacteria, which is a major ingredient in EM, suppresses pathogenic microbes both directly and indirectly through the production of actinomycetes, a beneficial bacteria. So, EM produces an antioxidant effect which improves the immune system of soils, plants and animals. The micro-organisms in EM have a “revving action” on soils, animals and growing systems such as orchards and gardens. Along with the EM, we mix worm juice harvested from our bathtub worm farms throughout the year. It’s another valuable resource and a simple way to turn orchard and farm waste into organic liquid plant food. Adding a range of prehistoric plantbased minerals completes our spring soil tonic and it is ready to be sprayed onto pastures and orchards and applied to gardens. The blossom is spectacular this season and here’s hoping for no big frosts till the fruit is set. As I write, our vegetable seedlings are popping up through the soil and it’s so rewarding watching them germinate in a homemade propagation box made from reusing a plastic lidded bin. It works a treat. Here’s hoping for a great growing season for us all in 2021. Happy planting.

Blossom on young heritage peach tree seedlings

Sheryl Stivens with wattle which has been blooming spectacularly this spring.

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Rural property market buoyant Calvin Leen

PGG Wrightson Real Estate

nvestor appetite for the dairy sector has rebounded since the beginning of 2021. Our region’s rural property market is particularly busy this spring. Several Mid and South Canterbury and North Otago drystock properties have or will shortly come to the market. Transactions should be brisk as uncertainty around environmental issues begins to abate, while buoyant commodity prices encourage both vendors and purchasers to act decisively. Underlying confidence, based on lamb returns above $9 per kilogram, means demand for sheep and beef farms with capacity for between 6000 and 10,000 stock units is keen at present. As a consequence, purchases at or near benchmark levels are indicated through spring and summer. Even more notable, continuing

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the trend that started earlier this year, the dairy property star is rising again. Spurred on by low interest rates and a milk solids payout forecast around $8, existing farming businesses are motivated to consolidate, and investors are looking to put external capital into the dairy sector. They will have plenty of Mid and South Canterbury and North Otago properties to choose from, particularly in the 500 to 700 cow range. While several dairy farms of this scale are coming to the spring market in our region, similar listings are also on offer throughout the rest of the South Island. A limited number of barnbased dairy farms have listed for sale this spring, offering benefits around environmental compliance and pasture protection, as well as herd and therefore financial performance. Environmental awareness, including farmers wanting to farm cleaner, makes farming this way likely to become more widespread, and if the market reaction to these listings is an indicator, keeping a dairy herd in a barn for all or part of the time will probably become more prevalent in our region. Gauging what has sold

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Demand for sheep and beef farms with capacity for between 6000 and 10,000 stock units is keen at present. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

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‘Brilliant, but for how long?’ ADAMA UK expert sounds note of caution on new single-site cereal chemistry.

ew cereal chemistries will always carry high hopes, but expectations alone are not enough to protect against Septoria in wheat and Ramularia in barley. That’s the blunt warning from global fungicide authority and ADAMA United Kingdom technical specialist Andy Bailey. Speaking from his home in England, Bailey said resistance to fungicides will continue to be there. “It’s all about how long we can keep new single-site chemistries. They can be highly effective, but the real question is until when?” Bailey said in all resistance, the first thing to go is the curative effect. Following that, doses tend to be increased, in some cases to the maximum, to achieve field control. “Singlesites are still badly exposed to the fungi’s ability to mutate, and resistance, is simply the almost inescapable outcome of the interaction between single-site fungicides and disease. “Things have to change, and we have to adapt to the way multi-sites fit into that whole system.” Bailey has long been an advocate of ensuring that multi-site chemistry is first in the tank both to combat fungicide resistance and to increase the longevity of existing and emerging singlesite products. He has visited MidCanterbury twice in recent years, as a guest of ADAMA New Zealand, to meet with field officers and advisors, to share his advice and knowledge, and to learn from their experiences. On his first visit, in 2017, the northern hemisphere was battling the full force of resistance, while it had yet to take its toll here.

Bailey said the continuing unfolding issues with resistance and shifts in sensitivity both in this country and in the UK and Europe have supported his initial recommendations four years ago. “We have the hard science behind us. Multi-site protectants such as ADAMA New Zealand’s Phoenix® fungicide should be the first thing in the tank. Folpet, the active in Phoenix, is definitely extending the life of singlesite chemistry. We still have a lot of really good tools at our disposal, which we can and should use. It’s all about carefully planned chemistry programmes.” Bailey said there is currently no known resistance to folpet anywhere in the world and it has the additional benefit of not inhibiting DMI uptake, ensuring their speed of action and efficacy. “I tell people; folpet will do the same year after year after year. The new chemistry will do brilliantly well, but then we’ll start to see erosion, because it’s still single-site chemistry. You absolutely have to have folpet in the programme.” He said Ramularia, especially, is a continuing challenge in the UK and Ireland. “The threat of Ramularia is a worry, particularly for growers focused on quality – the malting growers. If you get a late attack in spring barley, then you get an increase in screenings. Of course, you can’t guarantee it’s going to come, but you have to protect yourself against it.” There had also been a sensitivity shift in the UK with Septoria in wheat. “Resistance is continuing to build.” The relatively long latent period of Septoria means growers have

AR 2 YE RRANTY

ADAMA UK technical specialist Andy Bailey advocates the use of multi-site Phoenix to protect new and existing cereal chemistry. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

to assume it is already present in a crop and action needs to be taken, to avoid suffering unexpected late season yield losses. ADAMA NZ has backed Bailey’s call to protect new chemistry here. ADAMA NZ commercial manager Daren Mabey said the new single-site chemistry on the market in this country, including Questar, Revystar, Vimoy Iblon, and Caley Iblon can be protected by Phoenix. “What’s important here is to think about the future, to learn from overseas’ experience, and to take action now before we suffer severe control issues.” Phoenix works against Septoria and Ramularia at a cellular level, inhibiting spore germination and cell division as well as reducing energy production in the mitochondria.

AR 2 YE RRANTY

To combat Septoria pressure in wheat, especially in high-risk varieties, ADAMA NZ said its advice is to apply Phoenix first at T1. This is because an infected leaf three can easily infect leaf two and the flag leaf. So, keeping leaf three clean is essential for maintaining full yield potential as the crop reaches maturity. In barley, if only one spray of Phoenix is being applied then T2 is the optimum timing. This ensures that leaves two and three are protected. For best results though, a programmed approach shows even higher levels of Ramularia control when using Phoenix at both T1 and at T2. These applications maximise the crop’s green leaf area index to maximise yields by promoting healthy spikelet and ear development. ADAMA recommends partnering Phoenix with

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AR 2 YE RRANTY

Bolide® or other triazole chemistry as an excellent solution for both Septoria and Ramularia control. Bolide is an all-rounder DMI fungicide, featuring an innovative combination of epoxiconazole and prochloraz. It is taken up via the stem and foliage and translocated upwards and outwards, providing some protection for new growth. Phoenix can now be used in greenfeed crops, and up to GS 39 in wheat and GS 59 in barley. Bolide can be used at all critical growth stages of both crops but treated crops should not be grazed or fed within 42 days after application. For more information on how to up-date your resistance management strategy for 2021/2022 with ADAMA products, contact your local technical advisor or visit www. adama.com.

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CUSTOMER CHRISTCHURCH VEIN CLINIC SALES REP BERNADETTE.CHRISTIE

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An old kanuka at the Harris Reserve.

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Kanuka back to Canterbury plains

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FOREST AND BIRD

he Harris Scientific Reserve on the outskirts of Tinwald continues to go from strength to strength, thanks to strong local community support. The reserve protects a 2.6-hectare patch of original kanuka. These small shrubby trees are now extremely rare on the plains but were one of the most common woody plants on the Canterbury plains before agricultural development.

The reserve is 11ha in total and every year more trees and shrubs are planted. The kanuka borders the reserve and the bare land in the middle is gradually being filled in with seedlings propagated from the originals, and other locally sourced dryland species, such as kowhai, porcupine shrub and coprosmas from along the Rakaia River. These have been planted to ensure there is an alternative site to protect these other native species, in case the plants from the original sites are lost. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Rugby World Cup Living Legends planting day. The event was a turning point at the reserve: planting and ground preparation expertise improved with a regime of spraying and

ripping before planting, which improved seedling survival rate. On that day, over 3000 plants were planted, watered and mulched by over 250 people. Funding that came with the reserve’s selection as a Living Legends site meant watering equipment could be purchased, which was a huge help to the volunteers from the Ashburton Community Conservation Trust who run the reserve’s planting days and do the year-round maintenance. Funds from an Overseas Investment Office purchase also made a big difference to the reserve, allowing a parttime caretaker to be employed, mostly to spray around newly planted areas. This reduces competition for water and makes a big difference to a

young plant’s survival rate. Our local Living Legend, Mid Canterbury rugby stalwart and All Black lock Jock Ross and his family are still involved, as are many groups, families and individuals who return to the reserve every year to help plant. Over the years the local community input has been invaluable: the Hinds and Mayfield Lions Clubs provided great manpower; local Scouts, school and polytechnic students, and members of the Motorhome Association have all got their hands dirty to help plant trees over the years. St Joseph’s School students returned recently to plant more kanuka. They were impressed with the growth of the trees they planted a few years ago. The Harris family, who

were the previous owners of the land, always come to the planting days to help. Farmers Arthur and Shirley Harris left the kanuka to protect their lambing paddock from the elements, and fortunately were keen to preserve and enhance it once they were alerted to its rarity. Kanuka deserves to be much more widely planted. It is quickgrowing, hardy and able to cope with harsh nor-westers and dry, shallow and stony soils. Bees love the flowers in summer and it makes an ideal plant for farm shelter belts. It’s easy to make into a hedge for irrrigators to pass over. Kanuka never gets very tall so is ideal for town gardens and for street trees. Let’s return kanuka to the Canterbury plains!

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Lameness not just from force Fred Hoekstra

VEEHOF DAIRY SERVICES

his spring I have come across several farmers who are having lameness issues, particularly with heifers. They are trying everything they can to solve the problem, but it doesn’t seem to work. They are not pushing cows and they handle cows nice and quietly in the cow shed. They have improved the tracks and yet they have more lame cows than normal. That is a very frustrating situation to be in so what needs to be done to get lameness under control? To get a better understanding of what the risk factors are on the farm we need to understand “lameness” better. If you know me and have listened to my talks or read my articles, you will know that I would argue that physical force is never enough by itself to cause lameness. If it was, we would not be able to use claw blocks on lame

cows, because when we do, we double the load (physical force) on the claw. This is not just once or twice in a day but every second when the cow stands or walks on that foot. This does not mean though that physical force has nothing to do with lameness. If that were the case, then trimming cow’s feet would be a waste of time. Ultimately when we trim cow’s feet, we change the load bearing on that claw. We aim to get a better spread of the weight on the individual claw and get a more even spread of the weight across the two claws. Have you noticed that most cows have lameness issues on the hind lateral claw? This claw is getting much more fluctuation in the load force than the hind medial claw when the cow is walking. The lateral claw often responds to the extra weight on it by growing more hoof. This means that the lateral claw will now carry more of the load even when the cow is standing still in the holding yard, waiting to be milked. This seems very counterintuitive, but it is very much the same response that we have toward physical hand work we grow more callus in our hands. So physical force is important but is never the only cause of lameness. The question now is,

Physical force is never enough by itself to cause lameness. If it was, we would not be able to use claw blocks on lame cows. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

“what is the other factor that is needed for hooves to go lame?’ The answer is simple but the outworking not so straight forward. The hoof needs to be unhealthy before physical force causes lameness issues for the cow. Diet and stress both have significant impacts on the health of the hoof. Basically, when cows are not being fed well and are under high levels of stress, their bodies can’t function properly. There is not an immediate response

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when cows experience stress or dietary issues and it will also not have such a negative impact if the cow experienced an occasional episode of stress or/and dietary restrictions. It is more problematic when stress and diet issues are chronic. Coming back to the farmers that I was talking about in the start of this article, they are much better off to look at ways to minimise lameness by focusing on the diet and stress levels. Make sure the cows are fully fed and keep controllable stress levels low.

Some of the current problem is a result of winter weather stress. Think about the flooding issues we’ve had. Obviously, we can’t do anything about that now, but we could put the heifers in a separate herd. This will lower stress levels and help them recover better and quicker. I am passionate about helping farmers “think outside the box” when it comes to understanding and resolving lameness issues. If you have any questions, I am happy for you to send me an email fhoekstra@dhi.ac.nz

Farming

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An important focus of the Campaign for Wool is education and fostering a greater understanding of wool’s many qualities.

Campaign for Wool chairman Tom O’Sullivan.

PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

Wool industry ‘at turning point’ C

hange is on the horizon and the future is bright. That’s the message from The Campaign for Wool which has unveiled a dynamic short-term strategy that aims to help turn the tide on the struggles faced by New Zealand wool growers. Campaign for Wool chairman Tom O’Sullivan – a fourthgeneration sheep farmer – said the strategy heralds a turning point for the wool industry, and growers should take heart. “I believe we’re at an important crossroads for strong wool. “Globally, consumers are starting to actively seek out natural and renewable products. We’re acting as quickly as we can, putting a short-term strategy in place that effectively triples our investment into the projects and resources required to leverage this sea change.” The Campaign for Wool NZ Strategy 2021-22 aims to deliver greater consumer

awareness of wool fibre options through an integrated public campaign. “We know that when people are more aware of how wool benefits their lives, they’re more likely to purchase it,” O’Sullivan said. “That’s one way demand will grow, so an important focus for us is education and fostering a greater understanding of wool’s many qualities.” While wool apparel remains the big success story of fine wool, it’s the built environment that harnesses strong wool’s attributes best. The Campaign for Wool will work directly with architects, interior designers and government buyers to ensure wool is top of mind when making positive, sustainable decisions during building and renovation projects. “With wool’s thermal properties, flame resistance, humidity control and even acoustic comfort, we’re talking

about more than just carpet. Developing a suite of strong wool applications across built environments is an important avenue for growth. Wins in these areas will ultimately lead to higher wool prices at the farm gate, as the demand for wool products increases.” The Campaign for Wool will also invest in digital tools including a revamped website, a greater presence on social media and an online hub where brand partners can access marketing resources to better promote what they offer. There will be further investment earmarked for the Wool in Schools programme, developing industry partnerships and analysing wool category trends globally to help determine where opportunities lie in more diverse markets. “New Zealand wool is perfectly positioned to take the mantle as the world’s

most premium super fibre,” O’Sullivan said. ”With the spotlight trained on carbon neutral targets for businesses and governments across the globe, there are many opportunities to gain traction with wool, and we’re jumping in, boots and all.” Growers will begin seeing the impacts of the strategy in as little as six months, O’Sullivan said. “We know farmers have been grappling with the cost of shearing sheep for years, and that many are considering a shift to shedding breeds such as wiltshire or moving away from sheep farming altogether and selling to forestry. Our message is to hold on, because we can see the light at the end of this tunnel.” However, he’s quick to acknowledge that there is no “silver bullet”. “It won’t be one single thing that makes the difference

– it will be everything coming together to create a groundswell of demand.” The strategy, which will be rolled out over the next 12 to 18 months, was prepared by strategic marketing consultant Kara Biggs, with input from the Campaign for Wool board. “We’re pleased to have Kara staying on during the implementation stage to keep us on task, and we’ll look to recruit a new campaign manager to manage our day-to-day activity as well,” O’Sullivan said. The Campaign for Wool is a global initiative that aims to highlight wool as an eco-friendly, comfortable, fashionable and durable fibre, and a preferred alternative to cheaper and more disposable options. With the ongoing support of patron, the Prince of Wales, it aims to educate consumers worldwide of wool’s many benefits.

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To export or not . . . Chris Murdoch

PROPERTY BROKERS

rom 2023, New Zealand will stop the live export of livestock such as sheep and cattle to other countries. On our small lifestyle property, we have dairy beef heifers that we can sell into this trade. The government says that the trade is worth about $250 million in export earnings to the country, however Greg Collins of Progressive Livestock believes the figure to be between $350m and $500m this year and growing. Export orders for dairy heifers are around the 110,000 mark and beef heifers around 50,000. These animals are not going to slaughter in China, but for breeding purposes to fill the gap the pork industry has left after African swine fever raced through many parts of China. This represents a large number of cattle that if not exported would be slaughtered for a lot less return or killed

Government will ban live animal exports from 2023 after a two-year phase-out period.

as bobby calves because if this trade stops, the dairy industry will have to rethink its breeding policies. From what I have read the cattle that are exported are treated extremely well on the feedlots prior to shipping and on the ships themselves during their passage to China. Most stock actually put on weight during the trip (a bit like us humans on a cruise, I suspect). Since 2015, about 180,000 cattle have been shipped, with only 168 deaths, which is 0.09 per cent, less than an average farmer would expect on farm.

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By the time these animals get to China it has cost the Chinese between $3000 and $4000 each, so they are going to look after their asset with care. The heifers leaving my property to go to China will have a longer and hopefully fuller life than if they had stayed here. If they stayed, they would have had a good life, but it would have ended within 18 months of being born. Now they have at least a five-year life and at least four calves. The live animal export trade generates money domestically for the farmer, the agents,

transport system, and silage and grain growers. Our save the world friends have got some good points and some of these are, better conditions on board shipping, better facilities when the stock get to their destination, better feeding and preparation for shipping. One of the catalysts for the stopping of the trade was the tragic sinking of the animal transport ship, Gulf Livestock 1, in September 2020 after leaving Napier, with the loss of 41 crew (only two survived) and 6000 cattle, during a typhoon off the coast of Japan.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

However, if we stopped all shipping because a ship sinks our ancestors would never have moved to New Zealand. If all flights stopped because a plane crashes no one would ever fly again. Just because a ship sinks, this should not be a reason to stop these exports. I hope our Government stands up for common sense and allows this export earning business to continue and allows us to export more and do it better with each year. This is a great business and allows many New Zealanders to make a living.

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Levin asparagus growers (from left), Geoff Lewis and his son Cam welcome the project. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Robotic harvesting of asparagus will assist the industry to export some of its produce during the peak season in late October and November.

Picking the way to a better future with robotic harvesting A

robotic asparagus harvester project led by growers and supported by the Government is set to reinvigorate the New Zealand asparagus industry, by alleviating ongoing labour challenges. The New Zealand Asparagus Council and Tauranga-based Robotics Plus will work alongside New Zealand asparagus growers to develop a world-first commercial-scale autonomous robotic asparagus harvester to help address ongoing labour shortages in the industry and support growers to tap into high-value export markets. The Government’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) fund is contributing $2.6 million to the $5.83m project. “We’re really excited to get this project underway as we simply don’t have enough people to do the work,” Mangaweka asparagus grower and council chairman Sam Rainey said. “Robotic harvesting will be a game-changer for the asparagus industry that currently relies heavily on picking asparagus by hand, which is hard toil. An average picker will walk 10 kilometres per day, so it’s extremely difficult to attract people to do the work. “Having the ability to access a commercial robotic harvester

will also go a long way to helping manage costs, ensuring we can continue to put locally grown fresh asparagus on our plates.” Robotics Plus chief executive Steve Saunders said an autonomous asparagus harvester will alleviate labour constraints, reduce and stabilise costs, and allow New Zealand asparagus to have a more competitive offering in highvalue export markets. “We’re excited to be working with growers and the New Zealand Asparagus Council to ensure we develop a solution that tackles challenges headon and creates a better future for the asparagus industry. It’s an ideal robotics project as green asparagus is conducive to automation as it grows above ground. In addition, it replaces a physically arduous job that only has a brief employment window that growers struggle to attract harvesting labour for,” Saunders said. The project builds on a prototype harvester robot developed by University of Waikato researchers with Robotics Plus. Over the last two seasons, Robotics Plus has supported the University of Waikato’s prototype asparagus harvester project led by Dr Shen Hin Lim, senior lecturer in mechatronics and mechanical

engineering and mainly assisted by PhD student Matthew Peebles and robotics engineer Josh Barnett and mentored by Professor Mike Duke. The first prototype robotic asparagus harvester was demonstrated in California in 2019, and the second iteration was trialled in Waikato last year. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) supported the University of Waikato research programme, and Callaghan Innovation supported the PhD fellowship, prototypes and trials. “These early prototypes have given Robotics Plus great insights into creating a nextgeneration commercial-scale asparagus harvester and has helped generate strong interest from the asparagus industry. With support from the Ministry for Primary Industries, who run the SFF Futures fund, New Zealand Asparagus Council, and ongoing support from the University of Waikato and other partners, we will deliver automation to the asparagus industry at a time when it desperately needs to remain sustainable and keep up with consumer demand for fresh produce,” Saunders said. Advancing the project to a commercially available asparagus harvester will

Robotics Plus chief executive and co-founder Steve Saunders is developing a world-first commercialscale autonomous robotic asparagus harvester.

help increase grower returns and exports, Levin grower Geoff Lewis of Tendertips said. “However, it’s not just the picking that is important; it’s all the other aspects this technology can bring to the industry, such as yield data and potential add-ons such as packing and even weeding!” New Zealand Asparagus Council will develop a strong marketing proposition for exporting. Council business manager Karen Orr said the New Zealand asparagus industry needs to be able to export some of its produce during

peak season in late October and November. “Being able to export excess produce is crucial for grower returns, and the future of domestic asparagus growing. As part of this project, we’ll be creating a unique selling proposition for New Zealand grown asparagus overseas to generate export revenue for the country. “Half of the cost of producing asparagus is labour. We had thriving asparagus exports in the 1980s and 90s, but that has reduced to almost no exports due to increasing costs, particularly for labour. There hasn’t been any investment in the industry’s future because grower returns have been decreasing. “That’s why we’ve named this project ‘Asparagus Future’ – because this project is our future. We’ll help growers work together with Robotics Plus and MPI to create a future path with this autonomous crop management project,’’ Orr said. Fresh asparagus accounts for more than 74 per cent of the global market share and has a compound annual growth rate of 3.1 per cent. It is the fastestgrowing fresh market vegetable per capita consumption throughout North America, with forecasts predicting the fresh market valuation close to US$30 billion by 2027.

Farming

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CLASSIFIEDS

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Contract Manager

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• Ideal opportunity for someone with a civil background • Varied work and role – Great work environment • Join Greg Donaldson Contracting in Ashburton Greg Donaldson Contracting Ashburton are currently looking for a civil works operator. We are looking for a motivated and reliable individual who is committed to completing jobs to the highest standards. Duties will include (but are not limited to) prepping entranceways, timber battening, small concrete work and site work – both residential and commercial. If you have experience working in a similar role or have a civil background, you may fit seamlessly into our team, but we’re also interested in speaking with other applicants with a solid work history who are ready to get stuck into a job like this.

Greg Donaldson Contracting are looking for a Contract Manager to join our team. The purpose of this position is to manage our client base. To be out on site discussing the needs of our community, rural, commercial and residential. Provide written quotes, cost effective solutions and manage a variety of projects from conception to completion. To be successful in the role you will need: • Proven experience in a similar Project Management role • The ability to lead and work well within the team • The ability to read and interpret plans • To be self-motivated • Good computer skills and ability to pick up new systems. (Knowledge of Xero quotes and Mango Health & Safety systems would be helpful)

Key skills and attributes include: • A Class 2 drivers licence • Experience on small diggers • The ability to work well within a team • A strong emphasis on Health & Safety • The ability to complete jobs in a timely and efficient manner • Keen to be in charge and take pride in your truck and digger

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Monday to Friday role – Immediate start available Ashburton, Full Time, Trades & Services

Monday to Friday role Ashburton, Full Time, Trades & Services

• Competitive remuneration on offer + specialised vehicle supplied • Assistance with relocation costs would be considered • Join Greg Donaldson Contracting in Ashburton Are you looking for a work life balance? To work in a positive environment with interesting projects? If you answered YES then we need to talk! Greg Donaldson Contracting Ashburton are currently looking for a Qualified Drainlayer who can help ensure safe, timely completion on a variety of projects. We’re looking for a reliable team player with a positive attitude and drive to get the job done right, first time. You must be a NZ Qualified and practicing Registered Drainlayer.

• Background in Civil work and supervisory roles? • Great team environment, competitive remuneration PLUS MORE! • Join Greg Donaldson Contracting in Ashburton Greg Donaldson Contracting are currently looking for a Site Foreman / Team Supervisor to join our team based in Tinwald Ashburton. In this role, you will be responsible for supervising and running the underground electrical conversion team on-site. To be successful in this role, you will need: • Experience in Civil Work • A Class 2 drivers licence • Supervisory experience • The ability to read and interpret plans • To have a good understanding of power / fibre requirements and specifications • A positive, team player attitude and the ability to effectively communicate to a wide variety of staff and clients • To have strong emphasis on health and safety and compliance • The ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines • The ability to operate an ipad / tablet • The ability to enhance systems where necessary

You’ll also need: • 5+ years experience in residential and commercial drainage • The ability to lead a team and work well within the team • To have a strong emphasis on health and safety • The ability to complete jobs in a timely and efficient manner • The ability to read, interpret plans and complete all paperwork and compliance required

Please apply with CV to office@gdcgroup.nz

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Applications to these positions close Sunday, October 03, 2021

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KIA Dealership coming to Ashburton and we need you! Gluyas Motor Group is a Multi Franchise Dealership with Ford and Nissan. We are excited to announce that we have KIA joining the group in November and are looking for 3 people to join our team: a Sales Person, a qualified Technician & an experienced Parts Consultant. The Sales Person must be sales focused with experience in the motor industry preferred but happy to train the right person, have outstanding customer service, written and verbal communication skills with the ability to build strong relationships. The Technician must be focused on exceptional customer service, a high work standard, have a good common-sense approach and ability to diagnose faults and be able to follow workshop manuals and bulletins, be familiar with modern vehicle electronics and it would be an advantage to have a WOF Inspector Certificate. The Parts Consultant would ideally have experience working in a similar position or a good working knowledge of Automotive Parts, have good communication & computer skills, able to work under pressure and work well in a close knit team. ALL APPLICANTS MUST HAVE A FULL NZ DRIVER LICENSE AND CURRENT NZ RESIDENCY If you would like to find out more or apply to become part of our team, please forward applications and CV to: peter.gluyas@gluyasgroup.co.nz or call Peter directly on 027 443 0457

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