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Kiwi team for Trans Tasman tests named
By Doug Laing
The selection of the New Zealand Shearing team for the 50th anniversary trans-Tasman shearing and woolhandling series has been completed with the naming of two South Islanders last weekend.
They were the big winners at the New Zealand Merino Shears in Alexandra - Open shearing final winner Chris Vickers, of Shag Point, near Palmerston, and Open woolhandling final winner Pagan Rimene, of Alexandra.
Vickers will make up a three-man shearing team with Golden Shears champion Leon Samuels, of Roxburgh, and PGG Wrightson Vetmed National Shearing Circuit third placegetter Jack Fagan of Te Kūiti, while Rimene will be joined by North Island Woolhandling Circuit runner-up Ngaio Hanson, of Eketahuna.
The blade shearers will be South Canterbury pair Tony Dobbs, of Fairlie, and Tim Hogg, of Timaru, and the management will be shearing judge and manager Russell Knight, of Apiti, and woolhandling judge Rose Puha, of Kimbolton.
It’ll be a quick start for Dobbs and Hogg who will shear against Australian blades shearers Johnathon Dalla and Andrew Murray in the first test of the summer at the Waimate Spring Shears on Saturday.
There will then be separate machine shearing, blades shearing and woolhandling tests on the last day of the October 25-27 Australian National Shearing and Woolhandling Championships at Katanning, West Australia, marking the 50th anniversary of the first test in the series at Euroa, Victoria, in 1974.
Home machine shearing and woolhandling tests will be held at the Golden Shears in Masterton from February 27-March 1.
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Chance to walk for a cause
By Chris Gardner
Six hundred hikers are being invited to walk for a cause across a Wharepūhunga sheep and beef farm.
Geoff and Johanna Fitzgerald, who have farmed the 450ha Duncan Road property for 24 years, have created the Maungahau: Walk for a Cause charity walk and hikers can choose from a 6.5 km or 10 km cross-country walk on their sheep and beef farm on Saturday (October 19).
Walkers will pay $80 to complete and, if registrations are full, the Fitzgeralds will raise $48,000 for two good causes. The walks will also include the neighbouring farm owned by the Kimton family.
Proceeds will be split between Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Waikato Hauraki Coromandel Rural Support Trust.
The Fitzgeralds have benefitted from both services over the years.
“We have capped it at 600 walkers because of our health and safety plan that we have got in place,” Geoff Fitzgerald, 74, said.
The short walk is expected to take two to two and half hours, the long walk three to three and half.
“We hope to do it annually, give people a really good experience, and be able to increase the numbers next time.”
Johanna and Geoff Fitzgerald want hikers to walk for a cause across their farm.
Jack Fagan will be part of the New Zealand team at the 50th anniversary trans-Tasman shearing and woolhandling series.
Tariffs – it’s a waiting game
By Chris Gardner
Donald Trump has promised to introduce tariffs of up to 20 per cent on most imported goods if he returns to the White House next month.
But Federated Farmers Waikato meat and wool chair Reon Verry isn’t losing any sleep over the prospect.
“Politicians tend to make a lot of promises before an election,” Verry said. “New Zealand is a longtime ally of the USA. I’m sure there’ll be a few adults in the room to supervise whoever wins the election.”
Verry said he had more immediate issues to worry about, “and I don’t get a vote in the USA anyway”.
However, a blanket 10 per cent tariff on New Zealand exports to the United States could kill quite a lot of trade, warns Stephen Jacobi, executive director of the New Zealand International Business Forum.
“It would also engender a huge international trade war, which would be negative for everybody, not the least for the United States.”
Jacobi said New Zealand’s trade with the United States had been going “very positively”, despite the lack of a free trade agreement.
He expected the Government would challenge any tariffs imposed on New Zealand products.
Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said if a universal tariff was to be applied, hopefully it would be truly universal and also applied to countries that have free
trade agreements with the US, such as Australia.
“Who knows what he’s going to do, right? ... If it starts, that universal tariff, as targeted at only those countries which do not have a free trade agreement with the United States, then it gets even more complicated.
“The point that many seems to be missing... is that yes, tariffs add cost, but ultimately, the consumer in the United States misses out because their products become more expensive.”
Karapeeva said tariffs faced by the meat industry in the United States were currently “a bit of a nuisance” instead of prohibitive. Beef is charged at 4.4 cents a kilogram, and sheep meat at 2.8c a kilogram.
It would be for each meat producer to decide whether to continue shipping to the United States if a tariff were imposed, she said.
But the US had a lack of beef production, and a lot of New Zealand meat went into hamburgers, so there remained a need to backfill the demand.
“Will the US consumer change its eating habits because of a 10 per cent tariff? I don’t know.
‘But from the industry’s perspective, as long as the US is a competitive market and we can gain good returns for our products, companies will most likely continue to supply,” she said.
“As far as I’m aware, no decisions have been made, we obviously don’t know where this is going to land… We just sit tight and wait to see the results, and hope that sense prevails.”
A real achiever
He was the regional winner of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty young farmer of the year competition in 2020.
Now in 2024 Te Kūiti farmer Mitchel Hoare (pictured) is celebrating after winning the AgResearch Emerging Achiever Award after being one of three finalists.
The 29-year-old, who is sheep and beef farming on about 240ha at Rangitoto, was among the winners and the 2024 Beef and Lamb awards night in Hamilton last weekend.
Around 300 people were at the awards event which recognises people, technologies and innovations that contribute to the red meat sector.
The judges said Hoare was actively working towards farm ownership, was motivated and innovative, demonstrated experience and achievements within the sheep and beef sector as well as strong community involvement.
Hoare is no stranger to success. In 2015 Hoare and Maihiihi cadet Alex Reekers represented New Zealand at the World Young Shepherds Final in France.
Federated Farmers Waikato meat and wool chair Reon Verry expects ‘adults’ to supervise.
Sirma Karapeeva call US tariffs “a bit of a nuisance”.
Donald Trump wants tariffs on imported goods.
A message about courage
By Paul Charman
Courage is a common requirement whether contesting high performance sports or farming in a challenging economic environment.
So says David Galbraith, a high-performance coach with 20 years’ experience working with top athletes within New Zealand and overseas.
Galbraith, who previously worked with fellow psychologist and author Nigel Latta, spoke at a field day held at Fernleaf Farms, Ohura, earlier this month.
Though still active as a consultant in his field, Galbraith moved from a farm at Marokopa several years ago and more recently to a sheep and beef property at Ohura.
He told about 40 people gathered at the field day that his current farming career fulfilled a dream held since teenage years; this was to both to own a farm where he could live and work with his elderly parents.
in one of the biggest companies in the word, are an Olympian or a parent.”
Galbraith was a “mind coach” for the All Blacks Sevens team over 14 years; he advised the Chiefs Super Rugby team for 11 years and was a performance coach to Japan’s Brave Blossoms rugby team for 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups.
He has worked with athletes ahead of four Olympic Games, his protégés achieving 12 gold, two silver and four bronze medals.
‘Whatever scares us about farming if we run away from it it’s not going to go away, it’s going to get bigger’ – David Galbraith.
There are parallels between high performance sport and farming, he told his audience.
“Courage is critical to you unleashing your mind and achieving your potential in either profession.” Galbraith said.
“It is courage you need to overcome a fear, to step outside your comfort zone, to keep moving, to be patient, to keep practising, trusting and investing. Courage is the most important emotion people need to learn to control their lives.
“It doesn’t matter if you are still at school, work
As a so-called “mind coach” he has assisted athletes including flat water canoeist Lisa Carrington; BMX rider Sarah Walker; Silver Fern Laura Langman; track and field athlete Sarah Cowley and slalom canoeist Mike Dawson.
“As a performance coach I support an individual to get the very best out of themselves,” he says.
“She may have worked 16 years but I may be working with her to focus it all on 35 seconds.
“Whether in elite sport or farming one must wake up in the morning and look at the world through the eyes of a five-year-old, because that is the kind of energy that will inform every interactions we have with others.
“We are like tuning forks; the way we resonate makes others resonate the same way.
“Every interaction you have when you meet people off farm is important, whether it’s getting tyres put on a truck or buying groceries at New World Taumarunui and talking to the checkout lady.
He likened every day to making a great chocolate cake – to be successful one needed to follow a recipe. To have a successful day one had to have a plan.
“I have spent 20 years helping people figure out how to get the best out of themselves.
“We all have potential but are we getting everything out of yourself you should be getting.
“Forget that you’ve done it for seven years; your job is just to do it today with the same energy. Our job is to wake up every day and make sure we’re in that space (to do that) once again.
to page 6
Rams also available for sale via
Ohura farmer David Galbraith has worked with athletes ahead of four Olympic Games.
Our stock and (fire) station agent
By Paul Charman
Te Kūiti stock agent and auctioneer
John Grainger was made a life member of the Te Kūiti Volunteer Fire Brigade at the brigade’s awards night this month.
He joined in 1989 as a fire fighter in his mid-twenties, immediately enjoying the camaraderie of working with the others and the excitement of being called to emergencies.
“At the back of it all you just felt the contribution you were making had some significance – that you were helping people in a time of need,” he said.
In 1991 his job took him out of town, but Grainger made sure to re-join the brigade when he moved back to Te Kūiti eight or nine years later.
More recently he spent three years in Taranaki, returning to Te Kūiti in June. What sticks in his mind after racking up a combined total of about 21 years as a volunteer fire fighter at Te Kūiti, 15 of which were spent as brigade secretary?
“I think it is how well Fire and Emergency looks after its people,” he said. Grainger was part of the brigade’s critical stress team, set up by the then NZ Fire Service to help fire fighters struggling to deal with disturbing aftereffects of fires, crashes and medical events.
This on-call group sent him out to visit colleagues following traumatic events they had experienced.
“You must remember volunteer fire fighters are just ordinary people who get thrown into situations which are far from normal.”
He completed a series of intensive psychological courses, training him how to assist those who’d been in grim situations. This involved travelling to see colleagues in centres as far away as Rotorua and the Coromandel. In 2018 Grainger received a Region 2 Safety, Health and Wellbeing award in recognition of his service.
“Following a bad incident, colleagues are referred by their chief, or sometimes by a partner or spouse. In most cases a chat with a colleague who understands what they’ve been through is all that’s required. When there are more issues we can bring in specialised counsellors or psychologists.”
Traumatic incidents could be compounded when parents, witnessed children being hurt; or when brigade staff came in contact with those they knew personally, which was always possible in a small town.
Counselling on offer could go wider that just work trauma, if need be touching on work and relationship issues.
“I was impressed at how deep and thorough the Fire Service was when looking after the mental health of their people,” Grainger said.
Was being a fire fighter a difficult life when it came to lost sleep?
“Yes, but it was just part of the job as a volunteer. I can remember getting home at five or six in the morning and then the alarm would sound to go to work.
‘But somehow you always seemed to get through. You couldn’t always go out on a call, of course, because for every-
CONTRACTING
one there are days when you just have to stay at work.
“Don’t ever underestimate the contribution employers make to maintaining our volunteer fire brigades. Employers are very good in this town – they are really the unsung heroes keeping our brigade going.”
What Grainger values most are the friendships he has made over the years.
“I have made some very good friends
in fire and emergency all over the country and my brigade has been a very caring one. I have had some very good chiefs who created a unit it was a pleasure to be part of.”
That said, the work remained a challenge.
“I think when I first joined we were doing 50-70 calls a year. Now it’s up to about 200 and for a little place like Te Kūiti that’s a lot of calls.”
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Long serving volunteer firefighter John Grainger receives his life membership from Brigade Chief Hayden Sheedy at the recent Te Kūiti brigades awards night.
A message about courage
from page 4
He said this called for some realistic self-analysis to determine what one had to give.
He had seen rugby players with modest skills get to the top through focus and hard work, while others who very gifted were also lazy and never realised their potential.
“Most of us are on a continuum somewhere in between.”
On the importance of dealing with fear correctly, Galbraith related an experiment among people with a dread of snakes.
This measured activity in the fear-centre of the people’s brains, they were monitored as they were made to look at an image of a cobra.
They had a button to make it come closer or go further away, but had been asked to make it come closer.
“All had a fear reaction but those who faced their fears by making the cobra come nearer registered less fear than those who drove it away.
“Your cobra could be something like high inflation, rising interest rates or land prices.
“We’re confronted with snakes every day so we have to make a decision
whether we are going to step up and dance with that baby or push it away because it’s scaring the shit out of us.”
“Everyone naturally wants to escape from a crisis.
“But the strange thing was that fear levels were higher among people who made the cobra go further away than among those who invited it to come nearer,” Galbraith said.
“Whatever scares us about farming if we run away from it it’s not going to go away, it’s going to get bigger.
And in the end what brings you down will be the result of you running away instead of confronting your fears.
“If you run away the fear will still ooze out somehow, maybe through a broken marriage or a drinking problem.
“Instead, we must decide to be brave intentionally and confront our problems every day, because our brains are already pre-wired to be fearful and nervous.”
Galbraith said the key to overcoming fear was to make a plan and then regularly review how well one was sticking to it.
“This is courage in action; if you wake up to a plan and stick to it you are already exhibiting courage.”
Helping with restoration
By Stu Kneebone, Waipā-King Country Councillor
As we come out of winter and into spring, a reminder to landowners that that both the Waikato Regional Council (WRC) and the Waikato River Authority have contestable funding available to landowners to assist with restoration of wetlands, rivers and streams and steep and eroding land.
The WRC portion of this funding is sourced primarily from a targeted catchment rate that is applied depending on which catchment zone you are based in, plus a general rate contribution of approximately 15- 20 per cent. These rates are based on property value.
WRC funding is generally prioritised to the parts of the region’s catchments that have been identified as a priority for funding assistance. This is primarily about ensuring that our limited public funding is utilised effectively in a way that we can be confident will deliver results for the catchment as a whole.
The Waikato River Authority makes contestable funding available via its Waikato River Clean up Trust for restoration projects in the Waikato and Waipa river catchments. This funding was made available via a treaty settlement that was negotiated by Waikato River Iwi with the Crown in 2010, following recognition that the river was degraded, and should not have to accept further degradation as a result of human activities.
The Authority allocates approximately $6 million a year to restoration projects in the Waikato and Waipā river catchments. Its funding decisions are guided by the Waikato and Waipa river restoration strategy.
In the Waipā Catchment, Waikato Regional Council and the Waikato River Authority with the support of the MPI Hill
Country Erosion Fund can jointly support landowners via the Waipā Catchment Plan programme.
Up to 70 per cent funding assistance is available for undertaking works.
Landowners in the Kaniwhaniwha, Moakurarua, Mangarama, Mangatea, Mangarapa, Upper Waitomo and Upper Puniū catchments may be eligible for funding assistance.
The MPI Hill Country Erosion Fund is also available to landowners undertaking these works within the West Coast Harbour and southern catchments.
Type of works eligible for funding include:
• Fencing to retire steep/erosion prone land.
• Re-vegetation of retired steep/erosion prone land with a mix of native plants using small plant sizes to keep costs down.
• Planting of poplar poles to help stabilise land slips. Poplar poles come with a protective sleeve which allows grazing to continue.
• Fencing of wetlands and eroding streams.
• Planting of eroding streambanks WRC is keen to engage with landowners early to plan and prepare for next winter’s planting programme so plants, work programmes and associated budgets can be organised.
If you have areas on your farm that you are thinking about fencing off and planting, please contact us early to avoid missing out.
No future in ‘endless drenching’
By Paul Charman
Parasite specialist Trevor Cook (pictured right) is a tireless ad vocate for drenching, man agement and genetics as the three-pronged means of fighting the New Zealand sheep industry’s pasture parasite problem.
The experienced vet and farm advisor has long warned of an over de pendence on chemicals due to growing drench resistance.
He gave the main talk at the Fernleaf Romneys field day on the Forlong family farm at Ōhura last week.
At this property Romney rams and sheep are bred with genetics offering inbuilt resistance to worms and facial eczema, needing little or no drenching, something Cook acknowledged as a vital component in the fight against parasites.
In the era of growing drench resistance, he saw little future for farmers dependant on drenching every 28 days.
In sharing basic guidelines for improved management, he recommended keeping in mind the number of lambs on any given property. The priority had to be how to mitigate the parasite problem in lambs because these are the most susceptible and the biggest contaminators. Male lambs are more susceptible whereas more mature sheep are much less. In fact, mature ewes can be used as one of the tools to break the contamination and exposure cycle.
“On our hill country there is an ongoing cycle of lambs contaminating and then being exposed to that contamination.”
Cook noted that though some species of dung beetles had been reported to be control agents for gastrointestinal parasites of livestock, they are not the panacea promoted and, in some cases, may improve the survival of the parasitic worms.
“In my view, if anything dung beetles can just open up to provide more oxygen to accelerate the growth of
When lambs are ingesting L3 larvae there is a decrease in their appetite which decreases their growth. Reducing the number of L3 larvae that lambs are ingesting allows them to grow
“Controlling worms will very simply result in them eating more and gaining more weight.”
On farms where drenches were failing Cook works out the opportunity to graze lambs on less contaminated pastures which then sets the number of lambs that the system can handle. This then requires a discussion about the sheep and lamb selling policy. The worm larvae mostly live in the lower couple few centimetres of the pasture where they are more protected from UV light which they do not like. Longer pastures favour the survival of the worm larvae. And in another interesting aside Cook noted that sheep seemed to be able to somehow detect the presence of L3 larvae in pasture, and – given a choice - preferred not to feed on it.
Pasture grazed by cattle can result in a lower worm challenge for sheep if for long enough.
“But unfortunately, running cattle concurrently alongside sheep does very little to reduce the worm count.”
Meanwhile, summer crops are hugely valuable in
managing worms because the free-living stage of the worm cycle struggles to survive in them. What is more, contamination from lambs is concentrated onto the crop area and does not add to the overall farm contamination, Cook said. Parasites pose the problem, See Page 13
Fernleaf Romneys stud produces rams and sheep which have never been drenched and are resistant to worms and facial eczema.
Contracting Ltd
Dealing with arthritis
By Rosemary Longuet-Higgins, Veterinarian , King Country Vets
Finding the best and most helpful joint supplement for our active, aging, and arthritic dogs can be a challenge.
With our aging working dog and pet population, there are now many new options and much more reliable research available on treating and preventing arthritis at any stage.
Broadly, managing arthritis consists of a combination of the following: weight management, activity modification, nutritional supplements and medical interventions.
Pet joint supplements are growing, lucrative and poorly regulated industry. To ensure you are purchasing products which are most likely to be effective, it pays to know the principles of joint supplementation and to know the most helpful ingredients.
The goal of oral joint supplementation is to increase the omega 3:omega 6 ratio of fatty acids in the body.
Fatty acids (FAs) form the membranes of cells all around the body and are required in many body processes, including the pathways of inflammation involved in arthritis.
While omega 6 fatty acids are essential for the body, by increasing the amount of omega 3 fatty acids in relation to omega 6’s, the body produces less inflammatory compounds and thus less inflammatory discomfort is produced in the joints.
Omega 3 FAs are found in many different formulations, in both commercial pet and human supplements.
I would always recommend having a discussion with your vet before starting your dog on joint supplementation, to ensure you are giving an effective, but safe dose, and it will not interfere with any other medications.
General principles for canine joint supplementation that will help you select a joint supplement are:
• Fish oils are a much more potent source of omega 3’s than krill oil.
• The main omega 3 FAs are EPA and DHA. Dogs cannot process ALA, which is found in flaxseed, linseed and canola oils.
• Look for supplements with antioxidants in them – these preserve the fatty acids for use in the body, rather than degrading in the packaging before use.
• Check the concentration and dose of DHA and EPA in the supplements you are buying – for example a 20kg dog needs a dose of about 2000 milligrams of EPA + DHA daily for it to be effective. Don’t forget – arthritis management is about multimodal care - talk to your vet about activity modification, physiotherapy, weight management and medical interventions to keep your dog comfortable and active in the face of arthritis.
FENCING
Feds move to delegate
By Chris Gardner
It is no longer practical for members to bring every issue to Federated Farmers Waikato.
“We have so many things we have to deal with,”
Holmes told the September meeting of the provincial executive.
“The act of bringing it all through the chair is really not practical anymore. We have to think differently.”
In this monthly report he said because the workload was so large, he had expanded portfolios.
“Within the sectors we also have to give more autonomy for the actions and outcomes from the working groups.”
By way of example, Hamilton branch chair John Bluett had sent a submission to the Government on the future of agricultural education post Te Pukenga.
“The consultation was with those of us who have an interest in the subject,” he said. “I was very impressed with the submission, especially given the short time we had.”
Holmes asked members to become nimbler and more responsive, attaching members to interest groups.
“Democratic decision making comes in many forms – but it should never revert to the ‘sludge’ of local body consultation, with no decisions ever being made,” he said.
Holmes described the advocacy Waikato Federated Farmers was involved in as selfless, demanding and relentless, in terms of workload.
“The wins are there to be seen and coming fast,” he said, listing a pause on the fresh water farm plans, re-opening the doors for livestock exports, reviewing the carbon and ethane solutions, opening to the opportunity of the use of gene editing technology and de-clogging the barriers to opportunity, innovation and consent procedures.
“Significantly the rebuilding of the Resource Management Act version 3, is also giving back to farmers their lost ‘property rights’, taking back the invasive overreach of the concept of Significant Natural Areas and posing the question of who should pay for ‘the Society Wish List’ as we know as farmers we simply can’t and shouldn’t be seen as society’s Golden Goose or cash cow.”
Holmes empowered section and branch chairs to engage in member advocacy.
“I have had a discussion with Dairy vice chair Louise Gibson about what sharemilkers are doing,” he said.
The Sharefarming Consultants founder Gibson, a former Federated Farmers policy advisor, is focussed on ensuring contracts between farm owners and sharefarmers don’t have any fishhooks
“We trust Waitomo branch chair Chris Irons,” Holmes said. “It’s the same with, and Arable chair Donald Stobiet.”
“We have to be careful we don’t rely too much on individuals,” Irons said. “We have to be nimble and pull people in.”
Farmers ‘must have profit’
Federated Farmers Waikato president Keith Holmes has painted bleak picture of the agriculture sector.
“Farmers aren’t making money, and the Rural Support Trust is busier than ever,” he said.
He said Waikato Federated Farmers was deeply worried and was focussed on getting profitability back into farming and for farmers.
“Returns and product prices will always be in the media headlines, however, it is the insidious, rampants increase in costs that has destroyed the viability of our farming enterprises.
Farming has been the backbone of the New Zealand economy, still is and will be for our lifetimes.”
Holmes, a former Karapiro dairy farmer turned sheep, beef and cropping farmer, said a $2 per kilogram of milk solids increase in dairy farm operational costs over seven years had sucked the innards out of dairy farming. Arable, beef and sheep farming operations had fared no better.
“Farming must have profit to reinvest, to pay staff and keep the banks off our backs. The stupid narrative of ‘breaking-even’ must stop.
“Breaking-even is merely sliding into inevitable foreclosure.
“The narrative needs to be that ‘profit is healthy and necessary’ to drive both our own businesses and the greater Waikato economy.”
Holmes said Waikato Federated Farmers was committed to rolling back the “colossus of stultifying costs, such as unnecessary compliance, unnecessary data collection”, and driving bureaucratic efficiencies.
“We have and will continue to interface with Waikato Regional Council, in an effort so far successfully to work with them to reduce costs and create mutual understanding.”
Federated Farmers Waikato president Keith Holmes.
Banks in firing line over debt
Farmers are pay for capital projects and manage debt repayments using overdraft facilities, a Federated Farmers survey of farmers has found.
Twelve percent of farmers who responded to the Fed’s survey said their bank had asked them to fund capital work using an overdraft.
Federated Farmers banking spokesperson Richard McIntyre says that’s unacceptable and overdrafts should be a tool, not a trap
“Overdrafts are designed for managing seasonal cash flow, not to burden farmers with higher-interest debt, which only serves to boost bank profits.”
He said farmers were stuck in overdraft facilities that never returned to positive balances and banks were reluctant to offer more sustainable solutions.
A key finding presented by Federated Farmers in a submission to Parliament’s banking inquiry was that more than one in five farmers said their bank did not allow them to structure their debt in the most interest-efficient way.
“New Zealand farmers are clearly under huge pressure from the banks because we had more than 1000 farmers come forward to share their frustrations with us,” McIntyre said.
“We’ve used that feedback in our submission, leaving the select committee in no doubt about what farmers are dealing with and how banking issues are affecting them.”
It was highly concerning to hear 22 per
cent of farmers had not been allowed to structure their debt to minimise interest payments as much as possible.
“We also had another 18 per cent of farmers tell us they’re unsure of their options.
“In total, 40 per cent of farmers either find their debt structure inefficient or aren’t receiving the information they need to improve it.
“That’s something we need this inquiry to sort out - and fast.”
Another recurring theme in farmer feedback was a lack of transparency and a one-size-fits-all approach banks take to lending.
This created a cycle of high-interest debt, leaving farmers financially strained over the long term.
“This isn’t just bad practice - it’s bad faith,” McIntyre said.
“Banks are prioritising profits over the long-term financial health of New Zealand’s farmers.”
Farmers reported that even when it made good business sense, they were unable to convert overdraft debt into term debt.
“The advantage for the bank is that overdrafts generate higher interest, and banks can call in the debt at any time,” McIntyre said.
“This practice leaves farmers vulnerable, with overdraft rates often 3-4 per cent higher than term debt.”
Federated Farmers is calling for banks to provide fair access to more efficient
debt structures, particularly term debt, which would allow farmers to plan for the long term.
“Farmers aren’t asking for special treatment,” McIntyre said. “We just want a fair go.”
Federated Farmers has been instrumental in securing an initial briefing on rural banking, led by the Primary Production Committee.
This has now developed into a full inquiry into banking competition, led by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure
Committee.
Federated Farmers will ensure farmers’ perspectives are taken seriously, pushing for real changes in New Zealand’s banking system, McIntyre said.
“Farmers want change, and they’ve added significant weight to our submission.
“We’re not just here to highlight the problems,” McIntyre said.
“We’re here to advocate for real solutions that will make a difference for every farmer in New Zealand.”
Richard McIntyre says overdrafts should be a tool, not a trap.
Record fine, and ‘no tolerance’
Waikato Regional Compliance Manager Patrick Lynch has declared that can be “no tolerance” for a failure to manage farm effluent.
He was commenting after a Waikato farming company, a company director and a farm manager were fined almost $306,000 for discharging effluent into the environment.
Flint Farms Limited, farm owner Barry Flint and farm manager Gavin Flint were sentenced by Hamilton District Court Judge Melinda Dickey last month on 14 charges under the Resource Management Act as a result of a prosecution taken by Waikato Regional Council.
It was the biggest fine for discharging contaminants into the environment in the Waikato region since the Resource Management Act was introduced over 30 years ago. “It’s 2024. There simply can be no tolerance for not having adequate infrastructure on farm to manage animal effluent,” Lynch said.
He said the size of the fine was a warning “to those farming operations who still have shoddy systems, or are not managing effluent systems properly.”
In addition to the fines, Judge Dickey issued an Enforcement Order against Flint Farms Limited requiring them to upgrade the farm effluent system and implement an effluent management plan to avoid further adverse effects on the environment.
In August 2022, council officers inspected the dairy farm owned by the defendant at Ngātea, south of Thames.
They found numerous breaches of environmental regulation, related to the discharge of dairy effluent from two effluent ponds, a sump and a stock underpass.
Two abatement notices were issued to prevent further discharges into the environment but during follow up inspections over the next 10 months, additional breaches were identified.
“This region has had clear rules in place for the last 30 years prohibiting this kind of activity,” Lynch said.
“It is very concerning that we still find contamination like this, even after putting a farm formally on notice.
“To need a court order to ensure appropriate infrastruc-
A regional council officer inspects a stock underpass. ture is installed, that should have been in place decades ago, is incredibly disappointing. “But those are the lengths we are having to go to in situations such as this to get some farming operations to do the right thing.”
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Striptill Maize Planting
Maize… to plant, or not to plant
By Chris Gardner
Growers are thinking twice about planting maize with wholesalers withholding contracts ahead of a looming natural gas supply shortage.
New Zealand’s natural gas production is declining with reserves dropping by 20 percent in the year to January 2024.
The shortage means the likes of wholesalers PGG Wrightson Grain and Viterra are not offering contracts to growers.
“PGG Wrightson Grain and Viterra both use gas to dry grain with,” said Federated Farmers Waikato Arable chair Donald Stobie in his September report.
“At the moment they both say that they currently cannot get a gas supply contract for next year. They also both say that the lead time is too short to change to a different fuel source to use at drying time.
“It is proving very hard to get a maize silage or grain contract, with end users holding off to see how the season ahead plays out. It will be interesting to see how much maize silage and grain gets planted.
“That question will come down to the financial situation of each grower.
How much finance do they require to grow these crops? Will a lender provide that money without a contract at planting time?”
The News sought comment from PGG Wrightson Grain and Viterra.
It’s been a roller coaster year for growers. Prices were good a year ago, with Niwa predicting a drought. But prices dropped when the drought did not eventuate.
“By the time harvest had finished if you had a crop sale you may have thought you were lucky - although some of those sale prices were at levels that growers are probably losing $1000 to $1500 per hectare.”
Crop yields were up about 8 to 10 per cent, maize silage sales had pricing as low as 15 to 17 cents per kg dry matter standing and maize grain pricing down to
$300 per dry ton delivered to the silo.
“A number of growers did decide that these prices were too low so they either stacked maize silage or harvested the grain and are storing it at their own expense,” Stobie said.
“For all growers this overhang is a problem as it has kept a lid on demand and pricing for the new season.
“From a feed sale view the summer, autumn and winter has been far too kind with too much grass growing and there is very little demand for this extra feed that is around at the moment”.
Fonterra and its customers focusing on emission
intensity per unit of production, maize grain could become a more attractive option compared to palm kernel, which has a higher emission rating. A shift of just 10 per cent from palm kernel to maize grain could boost demand by approximately 20,000 tons.
Waipā District based agricultural contractor John Austin, who grows about 6000 tonnes of grain on 500ha every year, said the industry had been discussing the gas shortage for months.
“It does not make sense to me,” he said. “As a contractor it really concerns me because we really need the work.”
Parasites – the No 1 problem for farmers
By Paul Charman
Pasture worms represent the lion’s share of the animal health spend per farm, which is slightly under $24,000 a year.
The figure includes not only drenches but also facial eczema treatments and vaccinations, lice treatments and so forth, but Beef+Lamb’s Dan Bier says pasture worms clearly head the list.
“When we talk to farmers about their on-farm challenges they confirm that parasite management and parasite resistance are always number one production challenges,” he says.
“When you put aside the carbon farming and other issues these are always right up there. Parasites slow down the growth rate of stock and reduced their condition, representing a significant cost you have to buy a tool to deal with.”
be they’ll clean out a big chunk of those parasites so this will reduce the pressure on drenching.”
Crops were another important tool; farmers can use things like lucerne as a way of reducing the parasite loadings
“There’s an old saying the worst thing on your farm for one lamb is another lamb.
“The golden age of cheap and effective drenching is over...”
Bier, who is the chair of NZ Wormwise, says throughout the country wet summers favour trichostrongylus build-up; bad outbreaks of this worm occur the following autumn and early winter as high numbers of larvae on pasture are consumed by lambs.
And trichostrongylus larvae can survive freeze and thaw cycles, so a couple of frosts will not kill them.
“I suppose you could say wherever you have grazing ruminants you’ll have parasites. Farmers have known for generations that there are parasites affecting their animals and we have to manage them.
Over the years we have had different ways to do that such as drenching with copper sulphate and nicotine in the old days.
“Chemicals have worked very well since the 1980s but now we’ve managed to wear them out, just like antibiotics. It’s clear that when you expose a population to something that will kill most of them only the ones which are resistant survive. We have done that with our sheep and cattle drenches.
“The problem now is that we have taken those very few (parasites) that were resistant to the drenches and made them a bigger chunk of the population, so the golden age of cheap and effective drenching is over.”
Bier says the challenge now is to take what is known about parasite life cycles and how they live on the pasture and then give farmers as many tools as we can to deal with those.
“The problem is on all farms to varying degrees, albeit with more parasites on farms with younger animals because they have less natural immunity. So we don’t really see parasite problems on dairy farms where mostly they have adult cows.
“But we do see really high parasite counts building up on land finishing blocks where they just have lots of young lambs or heifer growing blocks for dairy or beef farms, where they have young cattle in a big lot without very many adults. We can see those shoot up really quickly and get very high numbers.”
He said he agreed with Melvin Forlong, of Ohura, that breeding was a good way to manage the parasite problem.
“We are moving from farm systems that relied on drenches to farmers thinking in a much more integrated way on how they manage parasites on their properties. As well as breeding there’s matters like how you integrate adult with younger stock on your sheep and beef on other property.
“Farmers are thinking a lot more clearly about this. So rather than just having a place where the calves always go, that may be a couple of times a year they work their beef cows through there as well just to clean up the parasites. And it’s the same with these lamb finishing blocks.
“Rather than just dumping lambs in the same paddock year after year, they’ll be thinking about how they can manage animals that don’t need drenching through those to clean up the larvae on the pasture.
“Sheep and cattle generally have different parasites. So, if you have a lamb finishing block and you graze cattle through it then they’ll eat up all or a big chunk of the sheep parasites and not be affected by them.
“Also the older animals are key. Adult ewes generally won’t need drenching. And so, if you’ve got a lamb block and you can work your ewes through it once or twice a year then may
“More and more farms are looking at how they can get those lambs off their farms as soon as possible.
“Grow them quickly and get them off to the works. From weaning to slaughtering lambs is three months during which you might traditionally have given them three drenches.
“But if you can reduce that to six-weeks you’re reducing a lot of drenching.
“In the King Country we see a lot of farmers breeding and finishing their own lambs.
But maybe we’re seeing more people make a clear decision at weaning time like – I am going to keep the top 60 per cent of my lambs. And all the bottom ones that would have been around for three, or five or six months, I’ll get rid of them now.
“So, they won’t need drenching – they can go to some finishing block somewhere else where somebody has a more specialist setup.
“So they won’t have those lambs hanging around in the summer and autumn which is when those parasite problems build up.
“At Wormwise we aim to use drenching as little as possible. It’s a tool you will have to use but if you can put all these other measures together you’ll really reduce the necessity to lean on those drenches.”
Wait! Three key steps before you sign that pre-nup
There are many reasons for couples to contract out of the equal sharing provisions of the Relationship Property Act (RPA). You might think you need a quick document drawn up and signed, but the law says, “Woah there, cowboy! You should get legal advice to check it’s what you want first.”
The RPA states that your contracting out agreement (COA) is void unless you receive advice from an independent lawyer on the effects and implications the agreement has on your property rights under the RPA before you sign.
There are three key steps you must take before signing the COA for it to be valid:
1. You must each have your own independent lawyer. Generally, this means the lawyer advising you on contracting out should not have previously acted for your partner.
2. T hrough lawyers, each party exchanges statements showing balances and values of all assets and liabilities. If significant property is not disclosed, there is a risk that a court could overturn the agreement.
3. Once your lawyer has the details of all property owned by each of you, they can assess what your rights would be if that property were divided under the RPA and provide you with advice on how the agreement affects your property rights and the implications if property were divided under the agreement.
Beef+Lamb NZ’s Dan Bier says parasites and parasite resistance head the list of animal health problems.
‘Streamlining’ plan backed
Federated Farmers says it agrees with the government that it is timely and worthwhile to review New Zealand’s overseas investment settings.
“It’s alarming and regrettable the OECD has rated us 35th out of 35 countries in terms of openness to investment,” Federated Farmers meat and wool chair and forestry spokesperson Toby Williams said.
“As a small nation, capital and investment from overseas can help New Zealand to fix infrastructure and drive industry development.”
Federated Farmers agrees the Government should
retain the legal option of screening those investment types currently screened, including the sale of farmland, to ensure they are in the national interest.
“However, fast-tracking the overseas investment assessment process when no risk factors have been identified, and consolidating the investor, benefit and national interest tests, also makes sense,” Williams says.
“We understand the farmland test can take as long as two years from application. It’s such a long-winded process that investors can lose interest and pull out.”
The delay and costs were a real deterrent to potential offshore investors who wanted to invest in farmland, and keep farming it, rather than converting it to forestry - applications for which are currently processed faster, he said.
Williams doesn’t see any risk the proposed changes to the Overseas Investment Act will accelerate conversion of farmland to forestry.
“The land use changes we are seeing are due to settings with the ETS distorting the profitability of one land use over another.”
Sassy red pips opposition at national food awards
Next Generation Apples won the Primary Sector Award category at the 2024 New Zealand Food Awards in Auckland last week.
The company launched a new apple variety last year.
Sassy was by Plant and Food Research and grown and marketed by New Zealand-based growers Next Generation Apples, comprising Golden Bay Fruit and Taylor Corp.
“Sassy Apples were developed through plant-breeding techniques to create an apple with a crisp texture, high flavour, long storage and shelf life, novel skin and flesh colour, optimal harvest maturity, and pest and disease resistance,” Vincent Arbuckle, deputy director-general of New Zealand Food Safety, said.
“It is exciting to see how investment in research can lead to practical advances without sacrificing on bite or flavour.
“Sassy Apples are an example of excellence across the supply chain – from research to the orchards, to our
supermarkets. Our judging panel for the Primary Sector Award noted the impressive research and innovation behind this product.”
The other finalists were Waitoa Free Range Chicken, Good Guise Paneer and Akaroa Salmon.
“Finalists demonstrated a commitment to the kind of quality and ability to overcome challenges which has always formed the foundation of New Zealand’s food production,” Arbuckle said.
The New Zealand Food Awards are held annually by Massey University to celebrate food and beverage excellence and innovation.
Ends New Zealand Food Safety/Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has been involved with the awards for more than 20 years, and has been a sponsor since 2008
Vutter Avo Spreadable – a dairy-free butter, produced by Feliz Wholefoods – took out the 2024 Supreme Award.
The Sassy apple is described as sweet wit zing.
