Country-Wide October - Sheep 2022

IS THIS

LAMB’S GOLDEN AGE? Prices will ease but demand and productivity gains remain strong

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OCTOBER 2022

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MANAGING CHAOS

Coping solutions for soaring input costs

October 2022

GENETICS

EBV maternal worth has hampered innovation

LOW METHANE SHEEP

The science behind breeding for low emissions

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October 2022

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October 2022

EDITOR’S NOTE Opinion

Doing your job

Q

UEEN ELIZABETH II DID HER DUTY as a monarch. It required remaining neutral and not expressing her opinions or personal views. No matter who the world leader or state visitor was, she welcomed them because it was her job. She even shook hands with Robert Mugabe, the ruthless Zimbabwean leader.

Doing one’s job and staying neutral is what public servants used to do, but how much of the legislation since 2017 has been influenced by agendas and personal views? I remember a veteran Ministry of Agriculture official saying how important it was to stay neutral and not be swayed by political parties or personal beliefs.

Will people who can’t stay impartial become unemployable?

A lot of Government legislation has also been poorly drafted due to policy makers’ ignorance of farming.

The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management legislation has been tweaked four times over its intensive grazing rules. Pugging, sowing dates, slope maps and rules to streamline regulatory compliance have all had to be changed after strong farmer resistance. The shoddy work was also a result of environment minister David Parker’s meddling.

Farmers now have to apply for resource consents because the Ministry for the Environment didn’t get its act together. Farmers can’t submit freshwater plans to regional councils by the November 1 deadline so will need a consent.

Farms are still being lost to carbon forestry because even though lamb returns are high, farmers still can’t compete for land against the Government’s artificial market.

Domestic problems aside, the future for lamb exports looks good. Lamb prices are likely to ease, but from historic highs. There is a solid back-up if the Chinese market falters.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss is a vital ally because she drove the free trade agreements with Australia and NZ. Truss will ensure it is ratified in the House of Commons.

Former trade minister Tim Groser says our FTA is an important deal, as eventually there will be open access just as NZ had before Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973.

If prices can be lifted for wool and/or a ewe developed that weans more than its bodyweight using minimal inputs, then the future looks even rosier for sheep farmers.

Terry Brosnahan Got any feedback?

Contact the editor: terry.brosnahan@nzfarmlife.co.nz or call 03 471 5272 @CountryWideEd

• • • • •

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

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Contents

130

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

A sheep and beef operation that began more than 70 years ago now incorporates seven farms.

82

CHERTSEY’S FAST FINISHERS A combination of new technologies and good stockmanship sees the lambs from a Canterbury operation early to the works.

8 BOUNDARIES 11 HOME BLOCK BUSINESS

108

THE GENETICS OF WORM RESISTANCE

Sara Sutherland sorts the jargon around the genetics of resistance to parasitic worms.

18 20 23 24 27 28

56 64 74 78 82

Priceless value of good dirt Team effort on hill country FE: Fungal toxins head south FE: Buy-in rams a quicker option Chertsey’s fast finishers

ANALYSIS 100 The cost of producing a lamb 102 The golden era? Not quite

MARKETS 34 Lamb’s golden run hits a speed bump 38 Lamb prospects mixed

MANAGEMENT 42 47 50 52 54

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Value Chain: Disruption and challenges ahead Public Debt: A double-edged sword Does Europe need NZ lamb?

Wool: Floored by jump in demand Opinion: HWEN - Time to scuttle the waka Managing cashflow through chaos

LIVESTOCK

Ewes need to pull weight Opportunity cost of ewe wastage Preparing for lambing Legumes up profit, lower GHG Flexibility is key for top lambs

154

GRASS GRUBS: DOUBLE TROUBLE

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October 2022

2022

ANIMAL HEALTH 108 110 115 120 122 124 126 128

The genetics of worm resistance Drench resistance: Resisting the parasite plague Facial Eczema: A new challenge moving south FE speed bumps Lessons learned for best practice Mating on kale riskier but promising Reducing metabolic disease Sheep of the future

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by NZ Farm Life Media PO Box 218, Feilding 4740

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General enquiries: Toll free 0800 2AG SUB (0800 224 782) www.nzfarmlife.co.nz

DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

Editor Terry Brosnahan 03 471 5272 | 027 249 0200 terry.brosnahan@nzfarmlife.co.nz

EXTENSIVE 130

Publisher Tony Leggett 06 280 3162 | 0274 746 093 tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz

Strength in numbers at Siberia Station

WOOL 138 145

Justifying the building of a woolshed Learning wool’s wonders

Sub editor Andy Maciver 06 280 3166 andy.maciver@nzfarmlife.co.nz

SCIENCE 146 150

Designer Emily Rees 06 280 3167 emily.rees@nzfarmlife.co.nz

Methane: Breeding low burpers Red meat trumps plant-based

Production Jo Hannam 06 280 3168

INNOVATION 152

Scanning for IMF in sheep

CROP AND FORAGE 154 156 158 162 163 165 166

Grass grubs: Double trouble Hill Country Futures: Programme hailed a success Balancing pasture production and resilience Contractors: Costs and weather change plans The right time to mow Know the true crop costs Sheep leachate in spotlight

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LAMB’S GOLDEN RUN HITS A SPEED BUMP

Mel Croad expects further pricing pressure at the farmgate from early 2023.

Sustainable farming: A triumph of adaptation

Tony Leggett | International 027 474 6093 tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz

GENETICS 172

Ram breeding needs incentives

Subscriptions nzfarmlife.co.nz/shop | 0800 224 782 subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz

YOUNG COUNTRY After drought, the deluges Ticking boxes with hemp

COVER DESIGN: EMILY REES

176 182

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183 SOLUTIONS 187 FARMING IN FOCUS

Partnership Managers Janine Aish | Auckland, Waikato, BOP 027 890 0015 janine.aish@nzfarmlife.co.nz Angus Kebbell South Island, Lower North Island, Livestock 022 052 3268 angus.kebbell@nzfarmlife.co.nz

ENVIRONMENT 171

Writers Anne Hardie 03 540 3635 Lynda Gray 027 465 3726 Robert Pattison 027 889 8444 Sandra Taylor 021 151 8685 James Hoban 027 251 1986 Russell Priest 06 328 9852 Jo Cuttance 03 976 5599 Joanna Grigg 027 275 4031

Printed by Blue Star, Petone

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ISSN 2423-060X (Print) ISSN 2423-0618 (Online) @CountryWideNZ

TEAM EFFORT ON HILL COUNTRY

Mount Florida Station has won the Gisborne-Wairoa Farmer of the Year award.

October 2022

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BOUNDARIES

LARGEST YARDING FOR YEARS

Sale chat more popular than Rheineck TWO STOCK AGENTS ARE MAKING A NAME for themselves delivering online Canterbury Park sale reports.

Rural Livestock’s Mick Withers and Bob Davidson deliver a wrap of their sale yard results, via Facebook, on Tuesday nights. This is chased up by their chosen beer and wine of the week recommendations.

Their first attempt, in January, was recorded sitting behind a desk. They have since come out in the open, with a more relaxed chatty style. The duo hit 18,000 views in September and Withers said he is expecting a call from scouting agents looking for influencers, any day soon.

Withers puts the video appeal down to people being a bit lazy to read the sale report.

“I guess a spoken wrap-up is more entertaining and you get more of a feel for the animals that we are talking about.”

He is constantly surprised by who watches it.

“The girl behind the counter in the bottle store said she even watched it.”

The September 20 report finished with a royal-themed beer match, from Bob Davidson. He said Prince Andrew would be matched to a Rheineck.

“It used to be a popular beer, but no-one seems to like it anymore.”

Prince Edward and Princess Anne were matched with Speights.

“A good dependable beer and when you go off and try a fancy craft beer, you know you can always come back to the reliable three star.”

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September dragged out large numbers of animals for sale at Canterbury Park, as expectations for top prices ran hot.

Rural Livestock’s Mick Withers said with more than 1000 cattle at the September 20 sale, it was the biggest yarding seen for many years.

“Every pen was full.”

Canterbury Park used to host separate store and prime sales, but they were amalgamated about three years ago, Withers said. Sale prices through September had been building. They were better than the works price in some cases.

“There was a modest sized crowd but we did clear out the account, as buyers had contracts to top up.”

Better condition steers made $3.60/kg to $3.70/ kg liveweight (LW), and the best heifers $3.50/kg LW. “Quality does count.”

Well-presented store Angus yearling steers made $3.70 to $3.80/kg LW. Cows of the best quality made $2.60/kg LW. Rural Livestock’s Bob Davidson said 2300 prime lambs were sold – a very big yarding. Medium types sold for between $210 to $235/head. Topend lambs sold at $285. It took seven hours to sell all stock.

JOK

man is leaning on a farm gate, E Awatching the farmer round up some

sheep when he realises that the farmer isn’t using a sheepdog, but rather a pig. What’s more, the pig, which is expertly manoeuvring the sheep into a pen, only has three legs.

“Excuse me,” says the man to the farmer, “but why has that pig only got three legs?”

“Let me tell you a bit about that pig”, says the farmer. “That pig not only herds my sheep, he also crows in the morning, milks the cows morning and night and collects the eggs from the hens.”

“And that’s not all!”, he continued, “that pig can count! He counts so well that he does all the farm accounts and fills in my tax forms.”

“What an amazing pig!” Says the man.

“I ain’t finished!”, says the farmer. “Two years ago, my farmhouse caught fire and the pig called the fire brigade and then fetched water from the river to douse the flames in the hall. He then fought his way through the smoke to where my wife and children lay unconscious and dragged them from the burning house.”

“Wow!”, says the man, “that really is an incredible pig. But I still don’t understand why he only has three legs.”

“Ah, well”, says the farmer, “when you have a pig that is that special, you don’t eat him all at once...”

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October 2022

THE VIEW FROM YOUNG FARMERS

Not many farmers are building woolsheds these days, especially strong wool growers. James and Maria Hoban did in 2021 for their Corriedales, but even with strong wool sheep, they still would have needed to build it. Their old shed was too costly to repair. The new building’s budget was $250,000. Read more, p138.

THE HERMIT KINGDOM

D I D YO U

KNOW? Cattle and sheep only sleep for four hours a day. While they are always keen to take a load off their feet, most of the time they spend lazing around isn’t spent sleeping, but ruminating. They spend 7-12 hours per day chewing their cud and a similar amount of time grazing.

Members of the Primary Summit’s youth panel discussion had plenty of advice on how to portray the opportunities agriculture offered to those who would hopefully be working on farms in the next decade.

“We’re the bridge to who is coming up behind,” said dairy farmer Quinn Morgan, who took out the Lincoln University emerging leader award. He said they had to emphasise the stability of careers in agriculture and show couples the opportunities they’d have to grow as a team. “Show the power they have to set themselves up,” he said.

Food and Fibre Youth Network chair Cheyenne Wilson said when it came to telling agriculture’s story participants sometimes ended up targeting each other. A pan-sector approach was needed so young people could see the roles they could aspire to in much shorter time frames than were previously thought about.

AgResearch senior scientist in animal genomics Kathryn McRae said it was important to upskill employers so they’re aware how interconnected young people are.

“If one person has a bad experience it puts their whole network off.”

She said it was also important to put a value on fresh ideas and a diversity of thought.

• Read more on the Primary Industries Summit p18.

CORRECTION In the article “Sitting on the Shelf” on page 43 of the September issue of Country-Wide, the name of the clover was spelt incorrectly as Puawaa. The correct spelling of this clover is Puawhaa. We apologise for the error.

That’s all 40 sheep!

What? We only have 37?!

I know... I rounded them up

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

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October 2022

HOME BLOCK Matata

Was that a flock or frock?

Matata farmer Paul Burt reflects on an early encounter with a staff crossdresser in a time when farming was simpler. “

W

HAT? HAVEN’T YOU SEEN A MAN in a dress before?” said the bloke in the doorway, resplendent in a blue floralprint pinafore and Norsewear socks. The boss and I stood there not knowing where to look.

I had just left school where, sadly, even girls in dresses were a mystery to me. The boss was a gentleman and I’d been brought up not to be judgemental, so we said our good mornings and went on our way.

John, the crossdresser, lived in the shearers’ quarters and did odd jobs on the farm. Until that day, when necessary, he got around on the back of the boss’s Honda 90. Before long, a salesman arrived with a second bike. The boss tactfully said he would feel more comfortable if John rode his own bike from now on.

Somehow, change has more significance when you have lived through it. This was the 1970s, a colourful interlude on a sheep farm that seems a world away from the business we call sheep farming today.

I don’t believe farms in those days were thought of as strictly businesses, there being an expectation to make a living rather than a fortune.

Farming was a vocation, a challenge, a place for hard graft and determination. A chance to bring up a family and hone many skills in an environment as natural and uncluttered as a workplace could be.

New Zealand liked farmers, and most important of all, it was realistic to aspire to farm ownership if you (and your partner) possessed that iconic Kiwi grit.

The best sheep and cattle farms in the best years of the 1970s had turnovers of half their capital worth.

The same farms today might gross 10% of their value, making the hurdle to farm ownership much greater.

There was less competition for land use, and after 10 to 20 years of hard work and saving, a determined couple could fund an economic unit, especially in more remote localities.

Farming back then was production-focused, which in hindsight produced some environmental issues, but knocking the country into shape was a supported theme. That generation, rural and urban, was more realistic about how the country's bills were paid – a

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October 2022

"I don’t believe farms in those days were thought of as strictly businesses, there being an expectation to make a living rather than a fortune.”

sentiment helped by the high number of farmers in Parliament.

In those days, people at the sharp end of primary industry largely made their own rules. It was a brave official who tried to tell a farmer what he couldn’t do on his own land, and many a conversation ended in a simple but profane two-word instruction.

As far as the boss was concerned, he paid the mortgage and was within his rights to make any improvements on his patch. His reluctant nod to compliance was an annual trip to the accountant.

Today, the paperwork for that “improvement” will likely cost tens of thousands of dollars, and it may or may not be allowed after a process lasting many months.

As well as specific activities with consent requirements attached, we are increasingly being asked to justify our existence. Metaphorically, we still provide the world with its daily bread, but increasingly, it wants to know the recipe.

That two-word directive is no longer an option.

What we require now are the answers to questions before the world has asked them. This is the way forward but it adds to the financial and emotional workload of what are in the main, cash-poor, small to medium family enterprises. Greater pressure arrives from bureaucracy that is not logical. Couple this with the consequences of poorly conceived Government policy and the idyll of farm life becomes severely dented.

The farm owners of my youth spent 99% of their working time hands-on farming. They employed more people and all were members of stronger communities. Read the old journals and there are the same gripes about the weather, rising costs and falling prices or the failings of the Government.

Above this however, you can detect an atmosphere of confidence.

Fifty years ago, sheep farming was a worthwhile bet and within the grasp of anyone with drive and passion. Today, especially with wool out of the equation and the price of land exaggerated way above its productive worth, I’m not so sure. Perhaps I’ve simply lost the optimism of youth.

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HOME BLOCK Aria

Keeping it simple King Country farmer Dani Darke has been preparing for summer.

K “It turns out he had grown and given away over 14,000 natives - all grown from his wee council flat in Hamilton.”

12

Planting out Maurice’s Corner on the farm.

IA ORA KAU TAU. I WRITE THIS during Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori, Maori language week. Our kiddies are coming home from school with a whole new range of te reo words and phrases. This week they are incentivised with golden tickets to say not just words, but to string sentences together as they go about their days.

When I brush my girls’ hair ready for school, I say ‘huri huri’ instead of turn around. I have been asking them how to say “hurry up” in Maori as this tends to be the most commonly used phrase in our household at that time of day.

To me, it’s fun and adds colour to our day to use words that are unique and special to us as New Zealanders. Just as when we drove around Ireland and Wales and saw the town names in Gaelic or Welsh as well as in English.

There was some local consternation when a nearby village was renamed from Benneydale to Maniaiti/Benneydale, and even calls of racism. I thought this reaction was rubbish – to me, using Maori language only adds to the understanding we have of our local stories and our history.

Back to what’s happening on the farm. Spring is here, my favourite time of the year. The spring weather has been typical: no idea what’s happening from one minute to the next.

We are constantly thinking about how we can be more drought prepared, more profitable, more sustainable and so on. In our business “simple” is our friend. A simple farming system, with as few variables as possible, some key things to focus on, and doing them as best as we can. In the past we’ve ditched a whole bunch of enterprises and cropping regimes that just filled our weeks up with noise.

Some farmers thrive under this and make it work really well, but that’s not our strength.

This spring we are going to have a go at getting

back into summer cropping, with the longer-term plan of creating a block, which will always be in either chicory or a young, high-performing grass, to carry winter lambs and give us additional quality summer feed.

The complexity of cropping hasn’t worked for us in the past, so our focus is on how to streamline this as much as possible and to work in with our “simple is best” mantra. This will mean one variety of chicory, one variety of grass to go in afterwards, one spray date, etc. Also, we will bring in expert advice, which we rely on to make sure we are doing the right things at the right time.

I am looking forward to trying something new.

Personally, I think change is great, even for change’s sake – so much is learned through the process of doing something different. Some ideas are fails and some are winners, and sometimes an idea needs to be tried, refined, tried again, refined again, until we find the winning formula for our farm, and our strengths.

A lovely fellow called Maurice Shappelle saw an article I wrote in the Waikato Times about blanket planting of pine trees and contacted me to offer some free native plants. It turns out he had grown and given away over 14,000 natives - all grown from his wee council flat in Hamilton. Maurice became a firm friend, and visited us several times a year to drop off plants, lollies for the kids, and check out the plantings we had done. He loved to hang out with our girls, who reminded him of his daughter who had died in an accident when she was young.

Maurice sadly died in January at 86-years-old of a heart attack while loading plants into his car. The photo above is an area that is now called Maurice’s Corner, planted with the last of his plants. We will put a bench seat there to look at the view and a sign to remember Maurice.

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October 2022

HOME BLOCK Carterton

Still got a lot to learn Mark Guscott extols the virtues of farm discussion groups, like the one he’s a member of in Wairarapa.

I

THINK I’VE GOT OLD. IT SNUCK UP without me noticing, but maybe that’s because I refuse to give in to wearing reading glasses, and I’m a bit hard of hearing in a noisy room.

Susannah and I started farming on our own account when I was 26 years young – that’s nearly 18 years ago. We hosted my farm business group on the farm last week for their once-in-five-year visit and it occurred to me that my oldest child is now 16. That’s only 10 years away from being 26, which is when I started.

It doesn’t feel that long ago and I still feel I’ve got a lot to learn. Maybe I should hurry up and pay off some debt to make succession a bit easier for my own kids.

We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about succession at this meeting; maybe that’ll be on the agenda for the next visit in five years. The business group is a good mix of 25 high-quality sheep and beef and dairy farmers with a few other sidelines such as forestry, ram breeding, sheep milking and tourism, and it’s a chance to have top-notch business owners run their eyes over what we’ve been doing.

We go over all the profitability and balance sheets and discuss things like farm systems, succession, labour, expansions, etc, and each session is facilitated by one of the group who also farms and isn’t shy about calling a spade a spade.

You know where you stand at the end of the group's visit. It’s a mentally draining day and I’m often awake at 2am the following morning, with some comment bouncing around in my head or a new idea.

One of my agenda items was a discussion on the greenhouse gas debate. I know I’m preaching to the converted here, but I’m trying to maintain a degree of reason as this madness coming from Wellington continues.

The group didn’t have anything new for me, but

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

"Maybe I should hurry up and pay off some debt to make that succession a bit easier for my own kids.”

Ben Guscott back in 2014 is now 11 years old.

two things that have been bouncing around in my head: What removes CO2 from the atmosphere? I’m no academic but I’m pretty sure plants are the only things that do this. What do we have on our farms?

Plants and lots of them.

Our rural co-operatives constantly tell us that overseas customers love New Zealand-produced food. It’s about time those co-operatives stepped up and figured out how to monetise this provenance story for us now, as Wellington is trying to remove any chance we have of being profitable. There are a few outliers that are having a go, but it needs to become a mainstream thing for the whole farming industry to get ahead.

When will this madness end? Has anyone in Wellington got any common sense? Don’t answer that – we’re trying to take the moral high ground here. Surely long-term thinking will prevail.

Between now and then we have to do what we can to keep going and remain positive.

We’re really lucky here in Wairarapa that there have been farm discussion groups running for maybe 40 years. There is a culture of openness in these groups and we’re all a part of them to learn and provide advice to our fellow farmers.

Farm discussion groups are not for everyone, but I think over the years all the farmers in our region have come out far better off than without them. Often it’s just to reinforce that what you’re doing is on the right track but sometimes you’re shown what not to do. Best of all is rubbing shoulders with others in the same boat and you can see that you’re not the only one having a bad run.

In the next few weeks all of our winter trade lambs will head off farm, we’ll start docking shortly, there’s a whole lot of cattle to process with weighing, copper and a drench to do. I’m hoping the rain will stay away for a few weeks so we can enjoy taking the gumboots off and leaving them off. Roll on springtime.

13

Innovation • Quality • Scale Innovation has been a hallmark of the Daniell family and the Wairere business throughout the generations. Wairere has led the sheep breeding sector for 57 years.

The Engine Room

From the days when John Daniell went against the thinking that “one good lamb is enough”, through to the recent importation of non shearing sheep genetics from the UK, there has always been innovation happening in the Wairere business. Thinking about the future and adapting the model to meet the requirements of the market is essential for any sector and sheep breeding is no different. In most aspects, Wairere has been the leader and a principal innovator in sheep genetics. Many have followed our lead and copied what we have done. We take that as a compliment.

Romney two tooths pre sale in Nov. Quality at all levels.

Quality is what our clients are focused on and we must be too. No

one will remember how many rams we sell or how glossy they may have looked on sale day but they will definitely remember how good they are in terms of their performance. Every step of the process by which rams get to the market has a quality aspect to it.

The quality of the thinking that defines the breeding objective (index), the quality of the performance data collected, the quality of the physical resource (the sheep), through to the quality of the communication and service, Wairere is dedicated to quality. As an example, every year each of the approx twenty thousand sheep in the breeding programs are individually inspected for type, structural soundness and have their performance record scrutinised. Above all else, the quality of the

FE plus Performance

sires used mainly determines the direction that the flocks move in and the amount of genetic change that can be made. Within SIL and other suppliers of resources and services, Wairere is respected for high levels of integrity and quality of operation at all levels.

Scale is a powerful tool in animal breeding. The amount of selection pressure that can be applied has a big bearing on the quality of the end product. Less than 25% of ram lambs weaned are sold as breeding rams. Some might say wasteful, but it’s very good for our clients.

Wairere has been the largest supplier of rams to the NZ market for the last 35 years. We provide top class sheep genetics to over 400 clients annually.

Scale works for our clients in other ways too. Wairere is a “full service” ram supplier.

There are two full time client service personnel. Rob and Andrew cover the country and are always available to discuss anything relating to sheep breeding or farming.

Wairere offers a full replacement policy for rams (Ts and Cs). We stand by our sheep and will back them to perform in any environment.

Above all other factors, the scale of the Wairere business allows us to look a long way forward and invest in the future to ensure sheep farming continues to be a profitable land use option.

From 950 ewes, 2021 weaning was 165% at 32.2 kg.

A great result in a poor spring.

Come and see Wairere for yourself. A field day is

being held on Nov 17th to celebrate our success in winning this years Keinzley AgVet Wairarapa Farm Business of the Year award.

Higher • Faster • Stronger Like their Commonwealth Games counterparts, Wairere rams are supreme athletes that produce: Higher conception rates Faster growth rates Stronger constitution

Making your sheep farming easier AND more profitable.

www.wairererams.co.nz | 0800 924 7373 14

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October 2022

HOME BLOCK Owaka

Sunday morning dreaming Despite the mud, Suzie Corboy really enjoys shifting cattle break fences in winter.

A

M I THE ONLY FARMER WHO GETS up on a Sunday morning in winter and wonders what the people in town are doing today? Drinking a latte while reading the Sunday paper, a walk along the beach, lunch out?

I know I could do all of these things, but it will be after I do the daily shift of five break fences for cattle on swedes. This is rain or shine, and there has been a bit of rain over the winter, 293mm in July.

After more than a quarter of a century spending my winters feeding animals, I do sometimes think how many more years I want to keep doing this?

But every year I am still here. Is this a case of keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result?

Regardless, another winter is over.

The days are busy now with all the fun of lambing and calving. Cast ewes, bearings, lambs who forget which ewe is their mother. Then there are the heifers who decide they want to give birth at sunset, but don’t look very confident that they can do it alone, or the heifers that have a stuck calf but like to act like stubborn two-year-olds and refuse to go easily to the yards to let you help them, despite the fact that you are in a hurry to go out to that birthday party of the friend who’s family obviously weren’t farmers, or if so weren’t good at family planning, or they wouldn’t have been born in September or October.

Despite last year’s dry autumn our ewes scanned exactly the same as last year, 187%. This is not the best nor the worst that we have scanned over the years, but our ewe hoggets looked good in autumn and this was confirmed with our bestever hogget scanning of 152%. We just have to get most of those foetuses to lambs at tailing, which is sometimes not very easy if the weather doesn’t behave.

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October 2022

"I have nearly a month’s leave from my job at St John for lambing and calving... townies have asked me what fun things I am doing during my leave...”

I have nearly a month’s leave from my job at St John for lambing and calving, and one or two of those previously mentioned townies have asked me what fun things I am doing during my leave, and am I going away anywhere?

My terse reply of I might pull a few calves out and perhaps take a trip to Balclutha to get more food meets with some strange looks.

I might sound like I have had enough of farming, but when I think about moving off the farm, which will happen eventually, I think of all the great things I will miss. The tuis and bellbirds in the kowhai trees as I walk down the driveway to collect the mail, the kereru that land on the washing line, my pet ducks that waddle along following me as if I was their mother, the new lambs and calves skipping around the paddocks, the majority of whom have caused me no bother at all.

I think I need to book some tickets to go visit my family in Wellington again, then I will have something good to look forward to during my checking of our 150 in-calf heifers. Or chasing a hogget that looked in so much trouble lambing, but can suddenly burst into life and run the length of the paddock in record time without even slowing for a contraction.

Despite the mud I enjoy shifting cattle break fences in winter, it gets me fitter and it is great to see the cattle getting so quiet after 80 days of walking beside them as you shift the standards.

In the last two years I have started listening to audiobooks while I walk, and regularly get through three a week, all of which I download free from our local library on to my phone.

Have a great spring and hopefully by the time you read this most of the lambs will be on the ground, without too many losses, and the grass will be waving in the breeze.

15

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HOME BLOCK Gore

Things that go bump in the night Mark Chamberlain and his family got a call from some night visitors who relieved his family of thousands of dollars worth of stuff. He’s not amused.

T

HE LAST THING I EXPECTED AT 5 o’clock on a Sunday, mid spring, just as I was about to start adding to this mismothered nation’s GDP, was to find my cowshed office and workshop “deconstructed”.

Well, that’s what a metrosexual hipster might call it. Normal folk might say we’d been ransacked.

The fuel tanks certainly didn’t miss out on the fun of being pillaged, with the diesel tank suffering the indignation of its spout lying exposed and flaccid on the ground, for everyone to see. Spent.

Every drop taken.

It sucks, really sucks. The only bonus being that my messy workshop was left perhaps tidier – because it was far emptier.

You name it, it was gone. Luckily only one motorbike was taken, but the rest were lined up on the tanker track awaiting their boarding call and mystery destination. A near-full freezer was also relieved of its contents and, in what could be best described as a burglar’s middle finger to us, all that was left were a couple of packets of casserole steak.

They obviously hadn’t managed to steal a slow cooker. Special thanks go to the community for the casserole recipes that came flooding in.

Tens of thousands of dollars worth of property taken, some valuable, some not, but ultimately all replaceable.

Strangely, or perhaps suspiciously, our once “valued” staff member also vanished into the night like a robber’s dog, not to work another hour in our employment. Make of that what you will.

So, there you are. Everything gone at what was peak calving. I expected, and got, a tough two weeks, mostly on my own before replacement staff could be found. Mrs Chamberlain helped as valiantly as she could, milking mornings before getting scrubbed up for a day’s teaching and rushing back after school, when she could, to milk and to cheer me with her sunny smile.

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October 2022

"A near-full freezer was also relieved of its contents and, in what could be best described as a burglar’s middle finger to us, all that was left were a couple of packets of casserole steak.”

Funnily enough, at his interview, our new recruit made the comment that he would treat our gear as if it were his own. Hmm . . . so did the last guy.

As farmers we are used to getting fleeced.

Usually, it comes in the form of a faceless bureaucrat from local or national government, not a group of ball-bags that go bump in the night.

Perhaps this is an indirect result of crazy monetary policy and lack of vision from the Wellington Kremlin. If so, it will only get worse as inflation, interest rates and the cost of living really start to bite.

Farmers largely operate on trust and unspoken rules, and we have huge financial investment in stock and plant. As the impending financial storm brews on the horizon, unfortunately we could increasingly become soft targets for emboldened scoundrels who have no boundaries or regard for our boundary fences.

We have obviously taken steps to protect not only our yard but also our home where our family should feel safe. I recall as a child Mum and Dad taking us on holiday and leaving the farm and house unlocked for about 10 days, an era that is long gone – one in which standards were more than just a fencing product.

Putting all jokes aside, what we didn’t expect was the outpouring of support from the community.

Offers of help from friends, neighbours, and reps – turning up to help as only country folk can. A big thanks to all: whether it was driving the tractor, sorting cows and calves, or turning up to help milk (for which Mrs Chamberlain was especially grateful). Even the phone calls to see how we were going may not have seemed like much, but were an immeasurable support at the time.

I am sure you understand what I mean when I say that I hope I don’t have to return the favour.

Thank you, thank you.

PS. Long live the King

17

BUSINESS Value chain

Disruption and challenges ahead Producers are being urged to switch from a supply chain back to producers to a value chain that comes from consumers’ willingness to pay. Glenys Christian reports.

T

he next year will throw up more challenges than ever in agriculture.

But lower carbon products is one area where New Zealand should be able to benefit over the next 10 years, along with the development of other emerging technologies.

At the recent Primary Industries Summit there was no dispute that freight disruption issues would linger for at least another year.

“You’ve got to drive 100 metres in fog to know where the fork in the road is,” said Alex Larsen, Air New Zealand’s global sales manager, cargo.

He said while there would be more stability in the next six months, there was still 12 to 18 months of reasonable disruption ahead, which would be tough,with China lagging behind other countries.

18

Affco group logistics manager Bevan Elphick said there’d been a lot of chopping and changing with shipping lines, but collaboration between meat companies had seen more product exported than otherwise would have happened.

Kotahi chief executive David Ross described logistics as “a big shipping traffic jam” at present, but behind that there was a good story of both competing exporters and shipping companies working together.

He said the planet might be a winner too as shipping companies invested in new ships less damaging to the climate, they were taking the opportunity to get to the future faster.

“We might look back in 10 years and say it was a good thing.”

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith said all the

pieces of agriculture that made up the jigsaw before Covid-19 had not yet gone back together. He predicted a hard year ahead, but said the pathway would get better.

Smith said biosecurity systems for imports of palm kernel from Indonesia had been checked in the wake of the foot and mouth disease outbreak there and were looking good. MPI would have an extra 100 people on the ground within the next year based out of Wellington – the same strategy had worked well in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis.

Agricultural export growth was expected to flatten over the next year but then come away again, reaching a predicted $67 billion by 2030.

When remarking on all the manmade fibres in the conference room such as

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October 2022

“We might look back in 10 years and say it was a good thing.” carpet, seat coverings and tablecloths, Smith made a market forecast.

“By 2030 sheep are going to be back big time,” he said, noting that an estimated 5% of landfill in the United States was manmade carpet that wouldn’t biodegrade.

EU trade deal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) deputy secretary, trade and economic, Vangelis Vitalis hoped the recently signed free trade agreement with the European Union would be ratified next year, saying it was the best that could be achieved. From the European perspective the NZ market of five million people, which was already open, was worth nothing.

“I deal with the world as it is,” he said,“and what we’ve secured does shift the dial for us.”

Professor Caroline Saunders from Lincoln University’s agribusiness and economics research unit (AERU) urged NZ producers to focus on win–win situations and to switch from a supply chain back to producers to a value chain that came from consumers’ willingness to pay. Surveys AERU carried out of lamb consumers in the United Kingdom in 2019 and again in 2020 showed a lift in preference for locally grown English lamb.

NZ lamb preference had lifted too, from 15.2 to 21%, and if it was produced on Maori farms the preference almost doubled from 20.2 to 39.7%.

Consumers favoured no added antibiotics or growth hormones, organic lamb, no animal welfare issues and improved water quality protection. While biodiversity protection and carbon-neutral lamb had a low ranking in the first survey, both increased markedly in the second, and carbon neutral had “come right up the radar screen” in another more recent survey.

“It’s really attracting a premium now,” Saunders said.“It’s one of the biggest variable changes we’ve seen.”

Silver Fern Farms (SFF) chief supply chain officer Dan Boulton said the company was close to introducing Net Carbon Zero by Nature lamb to be followed by venison. This

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October 2022

would match similarly branded NZ beef recently launched in the United States, which aims to differentiate it from grainfed beef through insetting rather than offsetting emissions, done by tracing the carbon lifecycle from on farm where 96% of emissions occur through to a consumer’s plate.

When it was launched by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in New York on her recent visit, SFF’s online profile in the US jumped 235% from the previous day. SFF was also mentioned 435 times in news articles, which had an estimated reach of 300 million people.

The company was now working to calibrate regenerative farming to NZ conditions and a farm assurance platform that had clear sustainability, ecological and biodiversity outcomes.

By 2030 SFF’s aspiration was to be a sustainable and nature-positive company.

Clarospec technology AgResearch strategy lead, next generation consumer products, Dr Cameron Craigie said research had shown that while there weren’t consumer complaints, 70% of lamb was sub-optimal and the 30% that was of optimum quality wasn’t differentiated.

AgResearch’s Clarospec technology used hyperspectral imaging to measure both intramuscular fat and pH levels. While consumers liked more of the fat, which is an inheritable trait, it was time-consuming to measure. High pH levels were linked both with animal welfare and shorter shelf life.

A prototype tunnel had been built and had been used successfully on both beef and salmon. Lamb loins had been scanned, which usually had about 2.5% intramuscular fat, while diners liked about 3%. Further work had shown a positive correlation between the loin measurements, which were lower in the fat, and other lamb cuts. The difficulty then became keeping track of the other cuts in a meat processing plant.

Craigie hoped the research work, which had resulted in one of the machines being

Preference for carbon neutral lamb had “come right up the radar screen” in a recent survey.

installed in an Australian meat plant, would give a deeper insight into what quality meant to consumers. Standards could then be developed and the information given back to breeders.

Lincoln Agritech group manager, new materials, Dr Rob Kelly said it was taking wool into new areas. Kelly is also chief scientific officer for Wool Source, set up last year as a subsidiary of the Wool Research Organisation (WRONZ) to look into how wool could be transformed into particles, powders and pigments. As part of a sevenyear research programme it had been able to convert 30 micron crossbred wool into a very fine powder that could be used in products such as moisturiser to protect against pollution. While the volumes of wool used were small, Kelly said this was just the beginning.

Another development where there was much wider scope was using wool powder to replace pigments, which are traditionally metal-based, in printing. Wool could also be deconstructed into its cellular components to give a greater surface area and absorption capacity for use in filtration. Fine extruded wool filaments could also be used in wool composite fibres, which hadn’t happened before, Kelly said.

19

BUSINESS Economics

Public debt: A doubleedged sword Government borrowing (debt) is essential for economies to grow, and while New Zealand’s debt-toGDP level is nothing to worry about, care is still needed, writes economist Dennis Wesselbaum.

F

iscal policy – how much and what the Government spends money on and how it finances its expenditures – is the most directly related part of macroeconomics with politics. The reason for this is that redistribution (over time, over generations, and across individuals) is at the core of our political debate. Even providing public goods (roads, schools, parks, etc) is progressive, as the usage of these likely varies by income. NZ had two recent episodes where the Government substantially increased public debt via increased spending: the Canterbury Earthquakes and the Covid-19 pandemic. According to OECD data for 2019, general NZ government debt as a fraction of GDP stands at 55% (OECD average is 95%).

Why do we need debt?

Debt (private and public) is essential for economies to grow, and it reduces macroeconomic volatility.

Further, it provides liquidity to households and firms, which can reduce credit constraint and increase investment. It is therefore important for the short- and the long-run wellbeing of the economy. Public debt is important as it allows smooth consumption over time and generations, and to finance lumpy investment. Because future generations will be better off (due to more human capital and higher productivity), transferring from future generations to the current one can increase welfare. Some of the required tax increase to fund this debt is postponed and, hence, government debt increases. This does not necessarily imply that economic growth will slow or that inflation

20

will occur. However, accumulating debt is not free of risks and can have adverse macroeconomic consequences. Excessive borrowing by governments can limit the ability to provide services to citizens and could result in a financial crisis and, ultimately, default with associated negative macroeconomic consequences.

Reasons for excessive debt accumulation Looking into historical data, we see many countries have what we call “excessive” debt-to-GDP ratios.

French economist Charles Wyplosz showed that in a sample of 20 OECD countries, only four had a deficit for less than 50% of the time since 1960.

Italy and Portugal always had a deficit over this period. If macroeconomic research informs the “optimal” level of government debt, why do we see debt beyond this optimal level in many countries and in a persistent way? Various reasons have been discussed in the literature, but I only want to highlight two. First, voters could suffer from “fiscal illusion”. That is, they do not understand the budget constraints faced by governments and overestimate the benefits of spending relative to the costs due to future taxation. Further, while governments pursue “Keynesian” policies, that is spending in a recession and generating deficits, they fail to cut spending and realise surpluses during an expansion. This leads to excessive debt accumulation. A related reason that does not rely on the assumption of voters being irrational or inattentive is the theory of political budget cycles.

These models often assume imperfect information.

Governments can invest either into “visible” policies, e.g. fixing holes in streets, or “invisible” policies, e.g. increasing the quality of teachers.

Governments have an incentive to overspend on visible but less-useful policies before an election.

Why does debt hurt economic growth?

Negative effects of debt for growth emerge for various theoretical reasons: higher long-term interest rates, higher future distortionary taxation, higher inflation, and higher uncertainty. If debt does reduce economic growth, this will also exacerbate the effects, as lower GDP will automatically increase the debt-to-GDP ratio.

Research has shown debt surges come before banking crises. Banking crises precede or accompany sovereign debt crises. Higher debt levels also imply a larger degree of vulnerability to unforeseen events. Even for small shocks, leveraged borrowers might no longer be considered creditworthy by the market, which might reduce

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October 2022

lending to these countries (or at least increase spreads). This will lead to lower consumption and investment. If the recession is sufficiently large, this could also lead to defaults further reducing economic activity. The more debt is held, the larger this effect would be, implying larger volatility of the economy. Debt could therefore lead to disruptive financial cycles, in which expansions are fuelled by credit and recessions are driven by defaults.

An important aspect here is market confidence.

Research refers to “debt intolerance”. Market interest rates (on government bonds) respond in a non-linear way as countries get close to the debt tolerance limits. These spikes in interest rates either cause fiscal adjustments (e.g. Greece) or default (e.g. Argentina). This non-linear effect could explain why debt has a non-linear effect on economic growth.

Overall, excessive debt levels can, therefore, reduce capital accumulation, productivity and, ultimately, economic growth. These theoretical reasons suggest there is an “optimal” debt level

21

beyond which debt has negative effects. The question is: what is the optimal level? Does it exist in the real world?

Does debt hurt economic growth?

In an influential paper by Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, “Growth in a Time of Debt”, the authors show that beyond a debt-to-GDP ratio of 90%, economic growth will be negatively affected, but that inflation is not affected by additional debt.

The literature has since then found different optimal levels of debt (e.g. 66%, 77%, 85%) and studies even found no significant effect at all. To me, the studies finding no relationship are most plausible (for technical reasons, which I do not want to discuss here).

When is debt stable?

A related issue when we discuss government debt is whether the debt level is sustainable. An unsustainable debt path would be where debt (or the debt-to-GDP ratio) “explodes” over time, i.e. it becomes larger and larger rather than reaching a limit. Intuitively, sustainability depends on whether the Government will be able to repay its debt. Here, one can show that if the economy grows faster than interest rates, debt is on a sustainable path.

financial crises. Long-term debt is beneficial, because it allows the country to insure against fluctuations in interest rate spreads, while shortterm debt creates stronger incentives to repay debt and to be fiscally responsible.

I have also assumed that debt is held entirely domestically. If debt is held denominated in a foreign currency, it reduces the chance that the Government inflates away debt, but it makes the country vulnerable to exchange rate fluctuations.

Some final thoughts Should we be concerned about NZ’s debt-to-GDP ratio? No. There is no robust evidence that says there is a point beyond which debt would hurt the economy.

Even if the values found in the literature were robust, we would be far away from them. This does not mean, however, that we should keep spending.

We should spend on anything that makes us more productive in the future (e.g. education, infrastructure, and health) but reduce unnecessary or wasteful spending. Further, the Government needs to always keep fiscal space in case another major disaster hits the country.

Maturity and foreign debt A crucial issue I have not discussed is the maturity of debt. Research has shown that countries relying excessively on short-term borrowing are vulnerable to crises in confidence. These can result in sudden

Dr Dennis Wesselbaum is a senior lecturer at the University of Otago, Department of Economics.

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BUSINESS Free trade

important market for lamb as it is eaten at many religious celebrations at that time, including Easter, and sells at a much cheaper rate than domestic lamb.

The UK situation

Does Europe need NZ lamb?

New Zealand’s free trade deals with the European Union and United Kingdom are raising hackles of farmers in France and Britain. By Chris McCullough.

F

ree trade agreements (FTA) between nations are sometimes hard to fathom and involve a lot of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” mentality.

In other words, they can be a huge PR exercise for countries promoting themselves to the rest of the world as keen business entities, but with no real financial benefit to those producing the goods.

Politicians on either side of the debating table, heavily weighted with prime meats and expensive wine, form these agreements promising “I’ll buy your cheese, if you buy our lamb” scenarios.

Take the New Zealand free trade deal agreed with Europe, signed by top brass in each region who promise big things will happen, but who actually benefits?

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the deal is expected to increase the value of New Zealand’s exports to the European Union by up to NZ$1.8 billion a year from 2035. She also stated it was “more lucrative than the benefits derived from our recent FTA with the United Kingdom.”

The vociferous French However, several thousand miles away from NZ, farmers in both the UK and EU are seething at the thought of NZ meat,

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October 2022

especially lamb, skipping ahead of the home-produced meat and busting local prices.

In particular, French farmers, who are the world’s most active protesters, have been very vociferous on how lamb coming in from NZ will destroy their industry.

French farming leaders have warned that 38,000 tonnes of NZ lamb would arrive in Europe at half the price of its competitors.

French National Sheep Federation president, Michele Boudoin warned the EU Commission the agreement foresees sending 38,000 extra tonnes of sheep meat to Europe every year over the next seven years, on top of the current 114,000 tonnes.

"We know how this is going to happen.

Our sector was globalised very early on in the 1990s. The sheep is a very political animal. A bargaining chip.”

Boudoin says since the 1990s, 228,000 tonnes of tax-free sheep meat has been imported into Europe every year, with the UK at the time. Since then, the European industry has been in decline. And this new agreement will make the situation even worse.

The French are also complaining about the timing of the NZ shipments to Europe, arriving at Easter, which is the most

Lobby groups in the UK have suggested NZ lamb exports to the UK will increase by about 5800 tonnes (14%).

However, these figures all depend on China and its trading relationship with NZ. If trade relationships were to break down and China imposed tariffs on NZ lamb imports, or banned them altogether, there would be much more lamb on the global market looking for a new home.

Predictions by British experts suggest NZ lamb exports to the UK would rise by about 13,000t (31%) if China imposed a 25% tariff on Kiwi lamb imports, and by 29,000t (69%) if there was an outright ban.

The EU is a significant exporter and importer of sheep meat and is the main market for UK exports. China and the United States are both major importers of sheep meat. Neither export any lamb of significant value.

The UK’s National Sheep Association chief executive Phil Stocker says they're concerned the UK-NZ FTA will create an unnecessary risk for Britain’s sheep farmers in years to come.

“Despite the current global supply and demand dynamics suggesting the UK won’t see a sudden increase of NZ lamb imported, this deal is opening ourselves up to a level of risk that could come and bite us in years to come.”

The NZ FTA gives the opportunity for tariff-free volumes to rise incrementally from 114,000t now to 165,000t by year 15. This, combined with the Australian agreement of 125,000t is almost the total volume of lamb consumed in Britain.

At the end of this 15-year period, trade is expected to be liberalised completely, Stocker says. The only impact this can have is a move to more exports and imports which cannot be good for their carbon footprint or food security, or a winding back of domestic production.

Stocker says NZ farming bodies claim the countries’ seasons complement each other, ensuring lamb can be found on supermarket shelves all year round. It ignores the fact that this is largely a one-way trade with little benefit to be gained by British sheep farmers.

23

BUSINESS Wool

Floored by jump in demand BY: LYNDA GRAY

A

25% jump in demand for wool carpet in New Zealand over the past year following 25 years of continuous decline was a big buzz for Wools of NZ (WNZ) chief executive John McWhirter.

“I’d like to think we’ve contributed to that turnaround,” he told farmers at a Central Otago Farming for Profit seminar.

Admittedly it’s a small win, given the relative share that wool has of the carpet market. But the extra 7500 bales of strong wool turned into carpet was a sign that the world is changing.

According to McWhirter’s calculations, about 600,000 bales of strong wool is clipped annually in NZ but demand sits

at around 555,000. WNZ’s goal is to soak up that excess 45,000 bales in branded products to move large quantities of wool quickly.

Carpet is the obvious first focus and started in earnest last year with the release of WNZ-branded product into 120 retail stores. There were $5 million worth of orders over the first year, capturing about 25% of the wool carpet market.

A multi-media campaign, "Carpet that doesn’t cost the Earth’, running from the end of August this year until June 2023 will extol the relative affordability of carpet as well as its eco-friendly attributes.

McWhirter says tentative steps have been made into Australia and the United Kingdom.

“Our strategy was to launch in NZ and

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learn, then take it to overseas markets.”

The second WNZ product is wool tiles, developed with the help of a $250,000 Sustainable Food and Fibre Fund grant.

Carpet tiles are nothing new, but this is the first wool product.

Again, it’s early days but there are forward orders for new and refurbishment commercial projects, including Lincoln University, the Hilton Hotel in Queenstown, Gore Library, Balclutha Community Centre and a Te Kuiti rest home.

The growth in demand for strong wool carpet is great but McWhirter says that demand has to grow substantially to increase the strong wool farmgate price.

He acknowledges that the integrated farmgate-to-retail branded chain requires a lot of capital to maintain, but that brand ownership means they are in control of their destiny.

“We’re single-minded in creating branded consumer goods to drive demand for strong wool.”

WNZ has changed business direction since its inception in 2012. It was initially a procurement and exporter of strong wool supplied by 700 grower shareholders. The vision then was to increase farmer returns through WNZ branding, but that never happened.

A review of the business led to the appointment of McWhirter whose previous role was chief executive of branded meat

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October 2022

and smallgoods company Hellers. He’s a firm believer in the power of the brand.

“To control your future you have to brand and value-add. Hellers showed me that,” he says WNZ now has “Version 2.0” – a branded consumer goods business with 2100 shareholders. The jump in shareholders reflects the merger of WNZ and CP Wool in December 2021. WNZ procures about onethird of the NZ clip, mostly mid-micron and stronger, and the wool is shipped to Turkey for manufacture into carpet.

“We simply haven’t got the capacity or machinery to grow the carpet industry

on shore – that’s all gone to Turkey,” McWhirter says. “We can send wool there and ship it back in finished product cheaper than we could do it here.”

Meanwhile Wool Impact kicked off in July this year. The three-year $11.4 million Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures programme has government funding of $4.5m and $6.9m from sector partners.

The aim is to “facilitate innovation and investment, support demand growth, boost sector services, and enable a unified voice for strong wool in NZ”. Its formation follows the 2021 recommendations of the Strong Wool Action Group.

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October 2022

BUSINESS Opinion

Time to scuttle the waka Southland farmer Dean Rabbidge has serious concerns about climate change partnership He Waka Eke Noa and its recommendations.

Dean Rabbidge is a Southland food producer and farms 8500su, a mix of sheep, beef and dairy at Wyndham.

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October 2022

HE WAKA EKE NOA HAS LONG BEEN a contentious issue for the agriculture sector of New Zealand.

We have reached a point where the levy bodies and member-based organisations have agreed in principle to a mechanism that will see agriculture pay for a percentage of their emissions, mainly methane emitted from ruminant animals.

The producers who contribute to these levies and pay the memberships have been let down.

We have been signed up to a virtue-signalling system that will see us all pay a tax of varying levels, which will be used for “research and development” to help reduce emissions while maintaining our already high production, worldleading low-footprint system.

We are told we need to do this to maintain our social licence. We are told we will receive premiums for our products offshore. We are told the rest of the food-producing world will follow.

We are told we need to do our part. We are told to simply plant the less-desirable areas of our properties in monoculture exotic trees to offset the emissions. And we are told that, for most, the tax will be minimal starting at about $1 to $1.50 per stock unit.

All of this I find to be completely mythical, unfathomable and insulting.

We all agree the sector needs to maintain a social licence, but what about the social licence of He Waka? I don’t think it has one – when it will see the existence of rural communities, families, and businesses threatened.

It will reduce the amount of high-quality protein the world already sources from us. It will reduce the financial viability for many, especially in the high country. Sadly it will, and is already, creating division among what has historically been a united and staunch agricultural team.

The personal factor has been ignored and we are becoming collateral damage for what is a growing political power play. It is forgotten that the properties we are all so proud of are not only our businesses, but our homes, our children’s playgrounds and for many, part of our legacy.

Food security is becoming a more topical issue

by the day and we see European countries wind back environmental regulation to ensure they can continue to both feed people and energy.

Time and time again we are told that “once the Europeans do their calculations they will soon learn they will be in a much worse position than NZ”. This may be the case, but I think it is more likely that they will value their food security to the point where they will not implement restrictions such as those He Waka will generate for us.

I would like to know how paying a tax to the government (which has a somewhat questionable track record of re-allocating it) is going to generate measurable, tangible and timely outcomes?

“Sadly it will, and is already, creating division among what has historically been a united and staunch agricultural team.”

I know I could make a larger and faster impact by retaining my calculated tax and reinvesting it into my property in the form of fencing, riparian planting with natives, or water schemes, all while maintaining our level of production.

All of this is discretionary spending that creates better outcomes, but it will be lost in the name of climate change to a tokenistic and virtuesignalling tax.

He Waka has far too many inconsistencies, unfairness, complications, grey areas, uncertainties, developments and unknowns to be agreed to. When combined with the carbonlaundering scheme that is the Emissions Trading Scheme, I am gravely concerned for the future of NZ agriculture. Our food producers are both angry and disappointed in the representation we have received and should no longer accept the position we have been served.

He Waka is completely unacceptable in its current form. It is He Waka Eke NO from me.

27

BUSINESS Expenses

MANAGING CASHFLOW THROUGH

CHAOS

Fertiliser and other farm inputs have seen sharp cost increases this season. Farm financial adviser Campbell Wood offers some coping solutions.

S

heep and beef farmers have seen farm working-cost inflation of 17% for the season, based on our Agrifocus database of some preliminary 2022 financial accounts. These are the sharpest cost increases in a single season that we have on record since we began capturing data for our clients in 2004.

This comes as no surprise and has been well highlighted, with the obvious dramatic increases in fuel, fertiliser, feed and, for some, labour. Although nobody likes any of this, we have been able to absorb this largely through strong commodity prices.

Although we encountered 17% inflation last year, we were able to get halfway through the season before this started to

28

bite. This season, we are facing it from the outset, so some real consideration needs to be made before committing to expenditure.

The fertiliser bill, which was 20–25% higher last season, is now about 50% higher again depending on the mix used, and in some instances close to twice the spend of 2021.

Shearing costs look to have risen 25% due to a sharp spike in labour charges, and interest rates have also increased 2.4%, a rise of 50% for most on floating lending.

At a time when all of these fixed costs have increased, here in Southland, anecdotally the scanning is down 11%, and at the time of writing it is snowing outside, just as the main lambing has started for most.

We need to ensure we are looking at our spending and comparing it with what we always do every year, at least until the income side of the ledger is understood a bit better. Nobody wants to get to late autumn to find the overdraft sitting far higher than they would like it to be and hoping for a better year next year.

Decisions we make now will dictate how things may look come season end. From what we see, the better operators are able to finish their animals earlier, giving them better decision-making opportunities, knowing how much they can allocate to the larger costs such as fertiliser.

Now we can’t just spend nothing, as that comes with its own set of consequences, but we do need to prioritise spending into categories. We need to hold some spending until later in the season and, if things are tracking well, bring some of these expenses into play, but if things aren’t tracking well, they need to go on the back-burner.

From what we are seeing, farmers are understanding their finances better, and we don’t want to see this undone by a lack of proactive decision making. We need to ensure profitability remains on the forefront, as I for one do not like the prospect of eating pine cones as a staple of my diet. Overall, the performance needs to lift to compete with these alternative land uses that are coming at us thick and fast.

We are having lots of conversations regarding conversion to forestry. We do not believe it to be a long-term sustainable option, though there could be merit in planting some lesser productive land or gullies. Although cashflow and returns look to be good once the carbon credits start rolling in, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the longevity of forestry and the ETS. Watch this space.

As always there is a big focus on cashflow and knowing your position. Sit down with your accountant and/or adviser and review your cash flow. Engage your banker early if you foresee issues.

Campbell Wood is a senior client adviser at Agrifocus, chartered accountants and farm financial advisers based in Southland and Otago.

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October 2022

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October 2022

BUSINESS Research

Wool perception changing

A

three-year research study into the perceptions of wool has found efforts to build the industry’s sustainability credentials is transforming how millennial consumers perceive the fibre.

Industry experts say the perceptual change is removing significant barriers to the growth of the domestic and export wool markets.

The nationwide Bremworth study, which has tracked changes in attitudes over the past three years, also shows the perception that wool carpet costs more than synthetic alternatives is becoming less of a barrier for most consumers.

The new study found wool is increasingly recognised as environmentally friendly by more than three quarters (77%) of those surveyed and sustainable by more than two-thirds (69%) of respondents.

The research also found health and safety of home flooring is now a key driver of consumer buying, with almost a third (31%) of those Kiwi households surveyed living with someone with allergies. Wool is seen as healthier (66%), more fire resistant (60%), and more allergy friendly (45%) than synthetic alternatives.

While latest Government data shows the value of New Zealand’s wool product exports, of which most is carpet, has fallen by 44% over the past six years, there are positive signs for the industry with forecasts projecting a 10% increase in export revenue for 2023.

Bremworth chief executive Greg Smith says while wool was once ubiquitous on the floors of Kiwi homes, over the last two decades synthetic flooring has become dominant in the market.

He says for the first time the local industry is now faced with building awareness of wool carpet across a segment of millennial homeowners who did not grow up with it in their houses.

Smith says the company now focuses on positioning wool as a premium residential offering in offshore markets rather than securing large-scale commercial contracts that were heavily price driven.

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MARKETS

Lamb’s golden run hits a speed bump Prices are expected to remain at historical highs for the remainder of this year, but Mel Croad expects further pricing pressure at the farmgate from early 2023.

34

LAMB PRICES HAVE BEEN EXCEPTIONAL this season, from the store market to the finished market, allowing everyone to enjoy the stronger returns. As this season wraps up and lambing remains in full swing, the focus switches to what the new season could entail and where prices are likely to track.

High returns this season stemmed from the global recovery in the food service sector, which started in April 2021. Markets concerned about food security set about absorbing as much product as they could.

This led to strong export values and a subsequent lift in lamb prices.

Average export values for lamb tend to peak in early spring, but last year that rally continued into the shoulders of the season. After bottoming at $9.61/kg in March 2021, average export values for New Zealand lamb climbed by a whopping $3.43/kg

by December.

A cold wet spring in areas renowned for early drafts of lambs last year started a chain reaction of tighter supplies and this continued into early 2022 where it switched to the inability to get lambs into processing plants as Covid-19 infection rates soared

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

North Island lamb slaughter price ($/kgCW)

Source: AgriHQ

10.0 9.0 8.0 7.0 6.0 Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

South Island lamb slaughter price ($/kgCW)

Oct

Source: AgriHQ

10.0

Lamb markets weaker than 2021

9.0 8.0 7.0 6.0 Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

NZ lamb slaughter (‘000 head)

Aug

Oct

Source: NZ Meat Board

700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

Oct

NZ average lamb export value (NZ$/kg) Source: StatsNZ

14 13 12 11 10 9 Oct

Dec

5-year ave.

Country-Wide Sheep

and staff were forced to isolate.

Not to be outdone, average export values lifted further through the opening stages of 2022. It is very unusual to see values lifting at that point of the season. Much of this was a result of massive disruption at a NZ processing level and a subsequent lack of production.

Slaughter graphs show a gaping hole in production through the early stages of 2022. It has only been since June that processors have been in a position to claw back some of the deficit. These swings in supply have resulted in tighter exports leaving NZ. Season to date, covering the first 10 months of the season, NZ has exported 259,000 tonnes of lamb. This compares with 280,000t over the same period last season.

October 2022

Feb

Apr

2020-21

Jun

Aug

2021-22

While this worked in our favour earlier in the season, the global economic environment has swung more negative in recent months. With lamb a premium protein and already highly priced, it has come up against some pricing resistance within key markets, in stark contrast to 12 months earlier. This started in China as they swung in and out of Covid-19 lockdowns. It has since swept through Europe, the UK and North America. Asking prices for NZ lamb cuts are in many cases lower than exporters were receiving this time last year.

However, that’s not immediately clear when simply relying on average export value data.

Recently released figures for July show values still in excess of this time last year, which on face value contradict the softer market conditions at play.

This is because the weaker NZ dollar is doing a fine job masking true market conditions. The NZD has been yo-yoing between US60–64c in recent months.

This compares with US70–71c a year ago. So while returns in NZ$ terms remain at near record highs, when omitting the exchange rate benefits, and viewed in US$ terms, July’s result dropped below US$8/kg for the first time in more than a year.

Driving much of the market weakness in recent months has been the softer values out of China.

These basically started unravelling towards the end of last year but have gathered more momentum in recent months. The drop off in export volumes hasn’t encouraged any upside in asking prices either, indicating their demand for lamb is much softer than through 2021.

Fortunately, partially offsetting some of the weakness visible in the Chinese market has been a return of our more traditional markets, through Europe, United Kingdom and the United States.

These key markets combined have stepped up to the plate, not only demanding more NZ lamb but also paying higher prices to secure it.

Some of this comes down to the higher value of the cuts exported to these markets. In many cases they are boneless cuts, and with staffing shortages

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October 2022

NZ lamb export (thousand tonnes)

Source: B+LNZ

50 40 30 20 10 0 Oct

Dec

Feb

5-year ave.

Above: Chain reaction: After bottoming at $9.61/ kg in March 2021, average export values for New Zealand lamb climbed by a whopping $3.43/kg

by December.

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

Apr

Jun

2020-21

Aug 2021-22

at a processing level, these more labour-intensive cuts have attracted premiums due to their tighter availability. However, even these prices are now getting the speed wobbles.

Where to from here?

A few pricing contracts scattered across the country give some indication how this season will wash up in terms of pricing. AgriHQ data shows average lamb returns in the North Island for the season will be close to $8.90/kg or a bit above. This compares with $7.52/kg for the entire 2020/21 season. In the South Island, prices look set to average $8.80/kg for the season, compared to $7.33/kg for last season.

The 2022/23 season will kick off October 1 with a nine in front of prices, much like last year. The odd contract out to Christmas suggests pricing should hold up well over the balance of 2022. But that will be dependent on all meat processors holding a similar outlook in terms of pricing intentions and overseas demand continuing to support these expectations. To compare, by Christmas last year,

AgriHQ lamb slaughter prices were averaging $8.95/ kg in the North Island and $8.60/kg in the South Island.

Usually as the new export season gets under way, exporters are busy securing supplies to meet commitments for both the Christmas chilled lamb trade and Chinese New Year buying. There are indications that demand from Christmas chilled lamb may not be as strong this year.

Exporters have shied away from focusing too hard on the chilled market this season. The risks involved in ensuring product gets to market before the shelf life is compromised has been too great for many.

Fortunately, frozen prices have been strong enough to help bridge the gap between the two market sectors, but it’s unknown if this will remain the case.

Also, traditional Christmas chilled markets appear full up within inventories which will also slow sales.

Chinese New Year buying will also get under way earlier this year, due to their earlier celebration timeframe starting in January 2023. This means ships need to be loaded with NZ lamb and on the water by early December. If lamb slaughter rates return to normal trends through this period, this earlier buying period should support the increased production. However, as mentioned earlier, lamb exports to China have been far from breaking records recently. Between October 2021 and July 2022, China imported just over 100,000t of lamb from NZ. This is a reduction of more than 40,000t on the previous season and 13,000t short of fiveyear average volumes.

The flow of new season lambs into processing plants is also expected to be different to last season.

Most of the early drafting regions were hammered by a cold and wet spring last year, which impacted growth rates and yields. This led to significant numbers of lambs being held over into the new year.

While winter this year has been very wet, plenty of farmers are banking on good spring grass growth, which should enable a return to decent numbers of lambs for processing this side of Christmas. No one wants to be caught with extra lambs on farm going into January. However, while seasonal conditions may allow for faster finishing rates, throughput at processors remains at the mercy of staffing numbers.

It will be key to lock in space through this part of the season. Backlogs could eventuate even if numbers aren’t as big as normal.

Expect the usual seasonal downside in pricing to eventuate, but it will remain at historical highs over the remainder of the year. This is purely because it will begin reducing from a much higher starting point. But AgriHQ expects further pricing pressure at the farm gate from early 2023, particularly if global economic conditions put further strain on the lamb demand and pricing as our supplies ramp up.

• Mel Croad is a senior analyst with AgriHQ.

37

MARKETS Consumers

Lamb prospects mixed

NZ lamb exports to China/HK (thousand tonnes) 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Oct

Dec

Feb

5-year ave.

Apr

Jun

2020-21

Aug

2021-22

Exporters say consumers in the major Chinese market for New Zealand sheepmeat are changing buying habits, Glenys Christian reports.

NZ lamb exports to EU (thousand tonnes)

T

10 8 6 4 2 0 Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

NZ lamb exports to the UK (thousand tonnes) 8 6 4 2 0 Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

NZ lamb exports to the US (thousand tonnes) 5 4 3 2 1 0 Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug Source: B+LNZ

38

he Chinese market will continue to play an important role in New Zealand sheepmeat exports in the short term.

But there are concerns about slowing economic growth and continued lockdowns in response to Covid-19, both affecting consumer demand.

In the 2021 year, sheepmeat exports totalled $4.3 billion, up 12% on the previous year, despite volumes being down 10% at 365,223 tonnes. China accounted for more than half of the volume at almost 190,500t, worth $1.6b.

In the most recent figures for July sheepmeat exports reached $384 million, an increase of 40%.

Volumes were 32% higher exported to China compared with the same month in the previous year, showing recovery in that market.

ANZ bank has recently revised down its economic forecast for China to a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 3%, lifting to 4.2% next year. It hit a low of 2.2% in 2020 before bouncing back to 8.1% last year, coming off average rates of 10% between 1998 and 2007.

ANZ expects the Chinese currency to further weaken against the US dollar until at least the end of the year which also erodes buying power.

Alliance’s marketing manager Shane Kingston believes the Chinese market is likely to hold up well until new year celebrations next January. But after that he says reducing consumer spending ability there could subdue demand, meaning the company may look at changing product formulations or promotion in the market.

“Consumers are behaving differently,” he says.

Many Chinese homes aren’t set up for cooking which has compounded the effect of lockdown restrictions which are estimated to have had an impact on 264 million people over the last nine months.

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

The Chinese are also quickly building domestic sheepmeat supplies with a national flock of 331m, up 2.4% from last year. While Australia is busy rebuilding its sheep flock there aren’t indications it’s tilting back towards China after having a reduced presence due to political tensions.

Silver Fern Farms (SFF), general manager, sales, Peter Robinson says that as with beef, China plays an important role in rebalancing challenges in its other markets.

“Lamb sales are positive and demand looks solid. We expect this to remain the case at least until after shipments of product for 2023 Chinese new year are completed in late November.”

The market had picked up some extra volumes of lamb legs to partly compensate for reduced sales in the United Kingdom.

“But we cannot expect them to fully cover volumes particularly when the seasonal kill ramps up.”

China is a really important market for the

company. “But they can’t carry the whole load and so we need the other markets to improve.”

Mutton market stable On the mutton front, very stable, positive demand sees prices well ahead of other markets, underpinning schedules into next year.

While China’s importance will continue, Meat Industry Association (MIA) chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says value rather than volume will drive future sales. That’s likely to mean more choice about the markets that are supplied.

“We’ll probably start to see a drop in volume as farmers grapple with climate change policies,” she says.

“But it’s not all dire straits because if value holds up we will be in a better position.”

That means Middle Eastern and South Asian markets, where it’s good to have access, may miss out if the prices they’re

prepared to pay don’t match those in other countries.

While NZ meat companies know the Chinese market well and have good connections there when it comes to sheepmeat sales, she says alternative markets are starting to pop up. She points to the United States which, while volume grew 18% in 2021/22 to almost 32,500t, there was a 62% value increase to $601m.

July figures show that while exports were down by 29%, value was up again, reaching a record $23.31/kilogram. Lamb is increasingly viewed as a high-end product that’s leaner and healthier due to animals being grass-fed, which resonates with consumers. The Taste Pure Nature (TPN) promotion was first launched there and is now starting to have an impact, meaning smaller volumes can be sold while value is maximised.

“That’s where we need to transition to.”

Kingston says that in the US high single

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Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

figure inflation and greater competition from Australia and Ireland is having an effect.

“We’ve maintained our edge but it’s coming off a little bit,” he says.

“There are more players playing on that pitch.”

The TPN promotion, launched mainly in California, was creating better awareness of lamb’s qualities which Alliance could build on with in-store product availability. The challenge now is how to repeat that success across the whole country.

Exporters fear UK FTA delays The death of Queen Elizabeth II, following the change of Prime Minister in the United Kingdom has raised fears of delays in ratifying its free trade deal with New Zealand.

This comes on top of continuing shipping disruption, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the likelihood of consumer demand for lamb dropping as high inflation bites.

In the 2021/22 year the UK took 34,907 tonnes of sheepmeat worth $446 million, but chilled exports were 52% down at 7196t, the lowest volume for 20 years.

This saw its value drop below those to the United States at $185m compared with $103m. However in July there was a lift of 98% in all sheepmeat exports to 2703t as the UK market started to be rebuilt.

Alliance had been excited about continuing to grow its presence in the UK, marketing manager Shane Kingston says.

But recent events had introduced a lot of conflicting and competing factors around the timing of ratification of the FTA which had been expected to occur next year.

However, there were hopes that despite the disappointing beef access allowed under the European Union FTA, sales of high-end cuts of lamb might be able to be grown sustainably in wealthier northern member countries through long-term partners.

Silver Fern Farms, general manager, sales, Peter Robinson says European markets are still performing okay, but there would likely be an impact due to economic concerns, including the Ukraine war on its doorstep.

While the UK has always been a major lamb market, volumes have been dropping.

It still takes about 35% of the company’s lamb legs but is one of the hardest-hit economies as inflation takes hold, with some forecasts showing this could reach 13%.

“With the costs of living including

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

Lambs begin their journey to markets around the world.

heating and petrol prices increasing, there is less money in UK consumers’ pockets and therefore we can expect some impact on lamb as it is a relatively high-priced protein,” Robinson says.

Challenging times ANZ bank’s agricultural economist Susan Kilsby says it’s predicting lamb prices to be $1/kg lower during the main export season from February to May compared with that period earlier this year. With more of a hangover of product still in the market she doesn’t expect these decreases to be seen before the end of the year.

“But then they could drop away sharply after Christmas,” she says.

“Everywhere is experiencing tougher economic conditions and that will make selling higher end products more challenging.”

MIA chief executive Sirma Karpeeva says the UK will continue to be an important market especially in chilled sales for the Christmas and Easter markets. But over the last year shipments have been disrupted by logistical problems, which were likely to continue a little longer.

Kingston believes while there’s a steady move towards a level of normality, vessels running on time were still about the mid30% level.

“It needs to be double that.”

Many factors had had an effect including

Chinese lockdowns, the Russia-Ukrainian war and the recent Felixstowe port workers strike.

“We’re not out of it by any stretch of the imagination. There’s a level of nervousness.”

Kilsby says there is some good news with shipping prices starting to ease a little, sailings being cancelled or disrupted less frequently and capacity beginning to grow.

“But if there are still lockdowns and workers away from their jobs there are still going to be disruptions.”

There are hopes some of the collaboration between NZ meat companies in getting around shipping problems would continue, and that this might be extended into more back-to-back contracts capturing more value through products being better suited to market requirements.

An area where meat companies are eeking out more value is in co-products such as offals. During July, exports increased 28% compared with last July, to $230m. Casings and tripe exports were up 76% to $50m.

The major markets were China at $72m, the United States at $50m and Indonesia at $18m.

Along with petfood their strong growth has only been slowed by labour shortages at meat plants, meaning the emphasis had to go on premium cuts. But with recent visa agreements for overseas workers Karapeeva says “there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

41

MANAGEMENT Summer

Ewes need to pull weight Mating starts at weaning, and the target body condition score is 3.0 - and that’s the goal, not the average, Dwayne Cowin writes.

42

curve, and can be applied to a typical ewe flock.

As the graph shows, even at an average of 3.0, 50% of the flock is below the ideal body condition score. While the eternal optimist may say that means 50% are above, the reality is there is still a large opportunity to shift a reasonable percentage of the flock towards or over the goal line of 3.0.

Onfarm this could be done in two ways: 1. Increase the feed intake of the ewe flock and therefore liveweight gains in the ewes – i.e. shift the whole curve to the right 2. Target different feeding regimes for different groups of ewes along the curve – i.e. narrow up the curve and remove the outliers.

For most farmers, weaning coincides with the busiest time of year – either just before or after Christmas – and most farmers take the easiest option of finishing weaning and sending all the ewes out the back in one mob for the summer. This allows only one level of feed intake over our entire ewe flock, and if ewe body condition score increases are targeted, the whole ewe flock needs to be fed at an increased level in order to achieve these targets.

This may be achievable at minimal cost if feed is readily available and there’s surplus, but with hotter, drier summers seemingly

Graph 1: Potential ewe BCS range within a flock

Percentage of flock

W

ith the potential for another year of promising lamb-schedule pricing, most farmers will be eagerly anticipating the annual weaning event, in which the present season’s lamb crop is harvested.

By the time lambs have been drafted, weighed, drenched, dipped or shorn, most farmers are glad to see the back of the last sheep leave the yards. It is therefore easy to forget the tool that provided this lucrative crop – the ewe – and easy to ignore the next phase in the annual sheep production cycle – “mating starts at weaning”.

Most farmers these days would have heard, and had forced on them to varying degrees, that “ewes need to have an ideal body condition score (BCS) of 3.0 at mating”.

While there is a raft of scientific research and evidence to confirm the benefits of achieving this ideal BCS, such as increased conception rates and lamb survivability, the trap can be thinking that this is a target for an average condition score of our ewes.

Using this as a target for an average leads us down a dangerous track – as with any data there are likely to be numbers (or in this case ewes) both above and below the average.

A typical range within an average is represented below in a typical bell-shaped

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

4.5

4

4.5

5

Ewe body condition score

the norm, quality feed is now more valuable and scarce over summer. Therefore the outcome for most farmers with this option is only maintaining ewe body condition (and sometimes even only minimising the level of ewe condition loss).

Setting up for a targeted ewe feeding programme over summer can achieve significant benefits for a much smaller level of extra feed inputs, rather than having to lift the average BCS of the whole ewe flock.

Table 1 shows the likely number of ewes in each BCS range (based on a 2000-head ewe flock, the bell shaped curve, and the flock being an average of 3.0 at weaning) and what a specific targeted plan would be

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

for each ewe group leading up to mating.

As Table 1 shows, with a bit of frontend work at or straight after weaning to draft and body condition score the ewes, a targeted feeding programme can be set up for each group of ewes to achieve a different outcome. While the thought of multiple mobs may have some farmers reading this article no further, practically, onfarm four mobs can be run in the following groups: 1. The < 2.0 BCS ewes in with the finishing or ewe lambs being ad lib fed (which will also help with worm refugia, but these ewes need to be well weaned for two or three weeks before to prevent lambs mothering back up on the ewes) 2. The 2.0 to 3.0 BCS ewes in front of the 3.0–4.0 BCS ewes in a rotation 3. The > 4.0 BCS ewes on the lane/in one paddock and stay there until they are condition scored again.

Table 2 compares the total required feed inputs for a 2000-ewe flock under three scenarios: 1. Maintaining the whole flock at BCS 3.0 2. Increasing the whole flock to BCS 3.5 3. Implementing a targeted feeding regime for each group.

Table 1: Targeted feeding regimes for different ewe BCS from weaning.

BCS at weaning

Number in group at weaning

Target plan from weaning until mating

>4

200

Reduce BCS to below 4.0

3 to 4

800

Maintain BCS

2 to 3

800

Increase BCS to 3.0

<2

200

Increase BCS to as close to 3.0 as possible.

Identify and remove non-responders/ performers.

As Table 2 shows, increasing the whole flock average BCS from 3.0 to 3.5 requires a 25% lift in total feed inputs compared to maintaining a ewe flock at 3.0. It also still leaves 17% of the flock (350 out of 2000) below BCS 3.0 at mating.

Successful implementation of a targeted ewe feeding regime requires only an 11% increase in total feed inputs over maintaining a ewe flock, yet leaves only 5% of the flock below BCS 3.0 at mating (despite the average flock BCS being 3.3).

If 100 “non-performing” light ewes are removed before mating, this reduces the extra feed inputs to only 5% above maintaining a flock, but with the significant

benefit of shifting 950 ewes into the ideal category of BCS 3.0 –4.0.

This a substantial return potential for some extra work of condition scoring in a timely manner, and implementing a few changes with our summer ewe grazing management.

With the above results in mind, the following checklist is designed to help implement a targeted ewe summer management programme: 1. Start thinking about this as early as possible. The ewe programme is a constantly revolving cycle from lambing, weaning, mating, scanning.

2. At set stocking, set stock lighter ewes

Table 2: Inputs and outcomes from a targeted ewe feeding regime.

>4

200

3 to 4

800

2 to 3

800

<2

200

TOTAL FLOCK

3.0

2000

Increase whole flock BCS from 3.0 to 3.5

>4

200

600

400

3 to 4

800

1050

250

2 to 3

800

300

-500

<2

200

3.0

2000

>4

200

3 to 4

TOTAL FLOCK Targeted ewe group feeding programme

Number in % lift in feed group at requirements mating

Maintain BCS

Average BCS at mating

% >BCS3

200

0

800

0

800

0

200 1.2

2400

2000

Increase BCS by 0.5

0 3

50%

50 3000

Reduce BCS to below 4.0

0.8

160

50

-150

800

Maintain BCS

1.2

960

1750

950

800

Increase BCS to 3.0

1.5

1200

100

-700

<2

200

Increase BCS to as close to 3.0 as possible.

Identify and remove non responders/ performers.

1.7

340

0

-200

3.0

2000

1.33

2660

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October 2022

25%

11%

2,000

-150

1.5

2 to 3

TOTAL FLOCK

Total flock intake (kg DM/day)

Change in group number from weaning

Number in group at weaning

Maintain the whole flock at BCS 3.0

Target plan from weaning until mating

Required feed intake (kg DM/ head/day)

BCS at weaning

1900

3.5

3.3

83%

95%

43

44

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

(ewes BCS 2.5 and below) separately, either on a higher pasture cover or at a lower stocking rate. This gives us the ability to preferentially feed this target group through spring if feed conditions allow. Also, set stock older and potential cull ewes separately.

Book your cull ewes in with your processor early (September onwards) for the day you wean, so you are not stuck with culls later in the summer.

Identify and mark your cull ewes ideally before weaning – most farmers handle their sheep at least once between set stocking and weaning. Go through the older ewes then and cull on teeth, feet, udders, constitution, and then age.

Removing cull ewes from your farm as soon as they are weaned frees up feed for the most productive asset – the ewes you are going to mate the following year.

Don’t get caught telling yourself you need to put a bit more weight on the culls before they go.

Remember you generally only have 100 days between weaning and mating, and the feed supply is becoming increasingly limited in this period, so every day of under or over-feeding counts!

Body condition score at weaning, or the day after weaning, and draft into groups based on BCS. If the plan is to shear the ewes at weaning, have the weaning and shearing dates booked well in advance so these jobs can be completed at the same time.

O U R

F O C U S

Keep your hand in with body condition scoring.

8. Be aggressive in your management of your heavy condition scored ewes – surprisingly it takes quite a restricted intake to pull weight off a heavy ewe.

9. The biggest opportunity lies in the BCS 2.0–3.0 group, lifting as many of these ewes to the next group prior to mating will yield the biggest returns next year.

10. A ewe needs to gain 70/g day from weaning to mating to gain 1.0 BCS – it may not sound a lot, but many farmers struggle to achieve 100/g on lambs over summer when they are trying to finish them.

11. Condition score the ewe groups again monthly or six-weekly, depending on feed levels and rate of BCS change within the flocks. Individual ewes can go up and down between the groups.

Recheck udders at the first condition

scoring post weaning, and remove any further culls.

12. A percentage in the light ewes (BCS < 2.0 group) will never increase in BCS despite preferential feeding. Cull these animals before mating – you will thank yourself later.

13. Enjoy the fruits of a productive and successful mating by listening to the sheep scanner’s comment about the lift in scanning percentage from last year!

As tempting as it may be to relax and enjoy the satisfaction of ticking off the weaning task for another year once the last lamb leaves the yards, don’t forget about those ewes, and that “mating starts at weaning!”

• Dwayne Cowin is a senior consultant for PerrinAg.

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MANAGEMENT Ewes

Opportunity cost of ewe wastage In any flock some ewe wastage is inevitable, however there are ways to reduce wastage and gain some of the potential financial rewards. Rachel Joblin reports.

Two-tooth ewes in the yards - how many will make it to six years old?

W

hat’s an acceptable level of wastage in ewe flocks and how do some farm farmers have lower rates than others?

Deaths, missing and culling early for either not being in-lamb or failing to rear a lamb has an opportunity cost. The cost is borne in several ways with the requirement to have a higher number of replacement ewes entering the flock. A bigger replacement rate means fewer lambs available for sale.

Ewes that are carried but do not rear lambs result in fewer lambs for sale and the lost opportunity to sell a ewe if she dies before sale.

Recent studies by the International Sheep Research Centre at Massey University followed 13,142 ewes from three farms for their lifetime. Of the ewe hoggets that started the study 50% were culled prematurely, 40% died onfarm and only 10% made it to six years old.

The annual rate of onfarm deaths ranged from 3.5-40.2% (the last was an outlier in a small group of older ewes). The average annual death rate was about 8%.

Pre-mating body condition score was important – ewes in better BCS were less likely to be culled prematurely or to die

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October 2022

47

onfarm. It is highly recommended to BCS all ewes at least twice a year (post-weaning/pre-mating, and at pregnancy scanning) and have a management plan for poor BCS ewes.

Half the ewes in the study were culled prematurely for various reasons - ewe culling decisions, particularly for younger ewes, have the potential to have a large impact on wastage.

Findings from this study showed hogget mortality ranged between 4% and 10% and for every 1kg gained between scanning and set-stocking there was a 10% reduction in the likelihood of the hogget being a wet dry.

Hogget culling decisions on reproductive performance such as removing scanned dry or wet dry hoggets

Level of performance

Wastage Dry %

Wet Dry %

Death %

Total %

Below Average

3.8%

4.8%

7.6%

16.2%

Above Average

2.0%

3.0%

4.8%

9.8%

from the flock can have a big impact on wastage. Some farms intentionally retain more hoggets than required as replacements to allow for this culling pressure Four out of 10 ewes in the study died onfarm and the majority of deaths occurred between set-stocking and weaning (over the lambing period). While causes and timing of death were not determined, some form of monitoring during this period (such as a pre-lamb cast beat) may reduce death rates.

By looking at two 3000-ewe flock profiles that compare below average and above average wastage we can begin to see the cost to a business.

For the below-average flock to be self-replacing it requires 972 (32%) two-tooths on hand at mating. This compares to the above average flock that only requires 856 (28%). Taking the difference of the 116 two-tooths and a rearing cost of $98/head, it equates to $11,368.

Lowering the death rate from 7.6% down to 4.8%, sees 90 fewer MA ewe deaths. At a cull ewe value of $140/hd that equates to $12,600.

When analysing flocks, we see that when wastage (dry dries, wet dries, and deaths) is consistently below 10%, the likelihood that flock lambing more than 140% is significantly higher and physical and financial performance is stronger. In this scenario when wastage is low it equates to 350 additional lambs born. Valuing store lambs at $110/hd, this comes to $38,500.

Combining the above, we get a variance in net returns of $62,468.

The opportunity for greater use of terminal sires exists when wastage is low and lambing rates are lifting as a lower percentage of maternal ewe lambs from the total number of lambs born are required as replacements. The benefit of this is greater use of hybrid vigour from terminal sires resulting in heavier lambs at weaning.

Two of the key policies we see having a significant impact on ewe wastage are the age structure of the flock and feeding of the ewes at key times.

Body condition scoring a minimum of twice per year and developing an effective management plan for light ewes, alongside a plan to feed them to meet their

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48

Pictured: Ridgedale ram lambs

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October 2022

Below average Age profile

Age (yrs) at mating

No. mated

Dry %

Dry culls

No. to lamb

Lamb % (to SIL)

Lambs bred

Wet dry %

Wet dry culls

Deaths %

No. deaths

Other culls %

No. culls

Closing

32%

2

972

4.0%

39

934

125%

1167

5.0%

0

6.0%

56

4%

35

842

28%

3

842

3.5%

29

813

135%

1097

5.0%

41

7.0%

57

6%

43

672

22%

4

672

3.5%

24

649

135%

876

4.5%

29

8.0%

52

8%

45

522

17%

5

522

3.5%

18

504

135%

681

4.5%

23

12.0%

60

75%

316

105

4%

6

105

3.5%

4

102

130%

132

4.5%

5

12.0%

12

100%

85

0

2th & MA results

3.3

3115

3.8%

114

3001

127%

3953

4.8%

97

7.6%

238

524

2,143

Age (yrs) at mating

No. mated

Dry %

Dry culls

No. to lamb

Lamb % (to SIL)

Lambs bred

Wet dry %

Wet dry culls

Deaths %

No. deaths

Other culls %

No. culls

Closing

28%

2

856

2.5%

21

834

135%

1126

3.5%

0

2.0%

17

3%

25

793

26%

3

793

2.0%

16

777

145%

1127

3.0%

23

4.0%

31

4%

29

694

23%

4

694

1.5%

10

683

145%

991

3.0%

21

6.0%

41

5%

31

591

20%

5

591

1.5%

9

582

150%

873

2.5%

15

8.0%

47

75%

391

130

4%

6

130

1.5%

2

128

145%

186

2.0%

3

10.0%

13

100%

113

0

2th & MA results

3.5

3063

2.0%

58

3005

140%

4303

3.0%

61

4.8%

148

588

2,208

Above average Age profile

nutritional requirements throughout the year, is one of the easiest ways to improve performance and reduce wastage.

The older the ewe, the more likely she is to die – worn teeth can limit feed intakes especially grazing low covers, and metabolically she becomes more fragile.

The counter argument is that if a ewe has successfully reared a lamb each year, has not been culled due to poor teeth, feet or udder and has not died then she has earned her place in the flock for another year.

We do know through information we collect that the mortality rate of older ewes is between 9% and 12% typically versus an average across mixed age ewes on those farms of 6%.

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

Collecting information on your own ewe flock such as total wastage (scanned dries, wet dries and deaths), timing of these deaths and likely reasons is the first step to understanding ways of reducing wastage and gaining some of the potential financial rewards. Some ewe wastage is inevitable but there are ways to influence it in your favour.

• Acknowledgement to the Ewe Longevity Trial funded by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Massey University and The C. Alma Baker Trust.

Rachel Joblin is a farm consultant with BakerAg.

49

MANAGEMENT Lambs

Preparing for lambing For a successful lamb harvest, it’s necessary to get the system right by understanding the farm’s strengths and weaknesses, Tom Ward writes.

S

pring is the most profitable time of the year on sheep breeding farms – it’s the harvest if you like, and the culmination of all the annual actions and environmental effects upon the ewes.

It is also the time of greatest animal risk (weather) and low pasture efficiency (set stocking). It is one of the reasons seasonal dairy farming is so much more profitable than sheep breeding on easy country with sufficient moisture.

Despite all mankind’s collective and clever efforts at manipulating agricultural systems, farming remains determined by weather and topography.

In short, get the system right by understanding the farm’s strengths and weaknesses. Is the farm summer dry or summer moist, and is it reliable? Is the winter cold and long, or relatively warm?

What livestock mix is ideal, are the genetics appropriate, and what is the optimum stocking rate?

I listened to a talk by the Christchurch accountant Pita Alexander last month: Pita is in his seventies, has been advising farmers for three generations and was right on point – we grow on capital and survive on cash.

50

Winter management The hill country environment is inherently volatile so farmers need to identify key winter targets and the means to achieve these, regardless of pasture conditions. By definition, winter management is a part of the annual plan.

These key winter targets could be: • Maintain post-grazing winter pasture covers above 1100kg drymatter (DM)/ ha to optimise pasture growth rate, pasture utilisation and liveweight gain in ewes and lambs during lambing.

• Set the farm up in autumn for the winter grazing plan. Monitor feed distribution. Although stocking rate dependent, at May 1 this could be ewes/ewe hoggets on 1400 to 1650kg DM/ha, R1 bulls on 2000kg DM/ha and R2 bulls on 1500kg DM/ha.

• Body condition score (BCS): Ewes minimum 3.0 at May 1. Maintain BCS and increase late winter feeding in line with scanning. Ewe hoggets 41kg liveweight (LW) May 1. A further goal to increase lamb survival could be to target 4kg and 5kg birthweights for triplet and twin lambs respectively.

Preparing for lambing (achieving the targets) 1. The first task is to prepare a feed budget, a document that can be constantly reviewed.

2. Achieving BCS 3.0 to 3.5. Draft into lighter and heavier lines and feed to requirements. Those ewes above 3.0 can be held back until foetus requirements increase.

3. Build flexibility into winter management, i.e: • Allow 15% feed wastage in feed budget • Have a forward store, or otherwise a very saleable class of trading cattle • Consider grazing the ewe hoggets off, or lamb the hoggets – either way more feed is going into lambing/ lactating sheep. Grazing off should also protect the ewe hoggets’ future.

4. Leave scrubby gullies, steep sidlings and high tops ungrazed. This “inefficient” grazing management provides useful standing hay when the feed budget gets tight. (It “fans the fire” in the debate over whether the most unproductive hill country should be planted in radiata.)

5. Reduce feed to some livestock classes having analysed the effect of temporary

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October 2022

An example of the research showed that on Wakanui soil at Lincoln University, a lucerne stand grew 40kg DM/mm moisture compared to 17kg DM/mm moisture in a cocksfoot-dominated pasture on the same soil. Applying nitrogen to the cocksfoot increased the water use efficiency to 38kg DM/mm moisture.

8.

Use supplements where possible – balage, silage, barley grain, maize grain or palm kernel. Palm kernel may be not so attractive now as, due to more oil being extracted, metabolisable energy is a low 9. The best return to supplements is in the autumn when conditions are still growthy, and slowing the round results in maximum grass growth. That is also a time when poorer quality supplements can be used. Running a relatively conservative stocking rate allows the build-up of supplements to be used in difficult seasons.

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October 2022

Graphs 1 and 2 show the effect on average pasture cover of grazing ewe hoggets off-farm. (b)

Graph 1: Pasture cover for 100ha.

Hoggets grazed on

2500

2500

2000

2000

kg DM/ha

kg DM/ha

underfeeding on a livestock class, i.e: • Ewe hoggets if well grown – effect will be low • Ewe hoggets if not well grown – effect will be high • 5yr ewes – low effect due to imminent culling • Single bearing ewes – low (maybe) • Utilise excess condition on both cows and ewes.

6. Assuming there is enough subdivision, from scanning data (or ram harnesses) run separate ewe mobs based on expected lambing date and number of lambs carried. Assess stock weekly in late pregnancy, and delay set stocking until one week from the planned start of lambing. On easy country, rotational grazing can start immediately with singles and from tailing with multiples.

7. Apply nitrogen fertiliser. Despite high prices, this is still a profitable option, providing conditions are conducive to a response, especially where maintaining or gaining BCS through winter is concerned. Spring nitrogen application may seem expensive, but as a short-term fix it can be very effective. If the farm is regularly slow to grow in spring, the nitrogen cycle may be ineffective. Get some legumes growing.

1500

1500

1000

1000

500

500

J (b)

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

Hoggets grazed off cover Actual

Min (feasible)

Hoggets grazed off

Graph 2: Pasture cover for 100ha.

Hoggets grazed off

J

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

Actual cover Minimum

Min (not feasible)

9.

Judicious use of a winter crop. Planting more fodder beet than normally needed allows some ewes to be grazed on crop until the pasture starts to grow. Kale can also be used for sheep. However, too great an area under fodder beet on small farms can put pressure on spring/ early summer pasture.

10. Manage the pastures as much as the animals – avoid both under and over grazing, both of which will damage legumes.

11. Consider set stocking ewes based on the number of lambs expected. Sprinkle the triplet-bearing ewes among the twinbearing ewes to reduce mis-mothering.

12. If lambing the ewe hoggets, draft into heavy and light one month pre-mating.

The hoggets should be a minimum 38kg LW and average 41kg. For every 1kg above 36kg, the hogget lambing will increase 2%.

13. As a policy, consider running larger ewes. Bigger lambs at weaning will reduce feed requirements in summer and autumn, and in combination with cattle buying and selling decisions, directly affect the autumn average pasture cover. However, this may require a stocking rate reduction.

There will be different approaches, driven by farm layout, weather, topography and personal preference. For example, some farms have less than desirable lambing country.

Tom Ward is a Mid-South Canterbury farm consultant.

51

MANAGEMENT Emissions

Legumes up profit, lower GHG gas BY: SANDRA TAYLOR

W

hen it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions onfarm there is no silver bullet, but better feeding and legume-based systems tick a lot of boxes.

Lincoln University’s Professor Derrick Moot, who completed his post-doctoral study on climate change in the United KIngdom, says all the work he and the Dryland Pastoral Research Group have done over the past 30 years has been about reducing the environmental footprint of sheep and beef farms.

“If the work around legumes and better feeding hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have

seen a 30% reduction in emissions intensity over the last 30 years, that is the kg CO2/kg meat produced.”

In a paper charting the changes in New Zealand’s red meat production in the past 30 years (1990-2020), Moot and co-author Rob Davison, executive director of Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Economic Service, describe how the expansion of the dairy industry, thanks to the advent of centrepivot irrigation on traditionally summer-dry areas, meant a sharp increase in the area of pastoral land that was converted to dairy production (1.4 to 2.2 million hectares).

Correspondingly, there was a sharp decrease in the number of sheep and beef farms from 19,600 in 1990-1991 to 9165 in 2021.

As part of this transition to dairy farming and dairy support, the red meat sector lost much of its traditional flat and rolling finishing country.

Ewe numbers plummeted from 40.4 million in 1990/91 to 16 million in 2020/2021 and the grazing land area occupied by sheep and cattle decreased from 12.4 to 7.7m ha. Conversely, the area of nongrazed tussock and woody vegetation and forestry increased from 1.3 to 1.7m ha.

Against this backdrop and despite being pushed back to more marginal country, the productivity of the sheep industry increased, with the national average lambing percentage jumping from 100% in 1990 to

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52

TERMINALS Lambing Ease Growth Early Maturity Colour Marking SIL & Lambplan data recorded

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Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

132% in 2021, while carcase weights lifted from an average of 14.4kg to 19kg.

While there have been several reasons for increased productivity, Moot says the main one has been the focus on the quantity and quality of feed being grown on hill country farms, particularly the use of legumes such as lucerne and clovers.

Legume-based systems tick many boxes in helping reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They overcome the need for nitrogen with minimal urea, so reduce nitrous oxide emissions and they drive animal growth rates which mean reduced GHG emissions per unit of product.

Greater productivity per ewe, with increased scanning and lambing percentages, has meant a reduction in ewe numbers therefore decreasing total GHG emissions.

This has enabled farmers to retire poorer land to sequester carbon.

More importantly, these systems have given farmers hope that they were able

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October 2022

to reduce their GHG emissions while increasing productivity, Moot says.

He believes across the sector, there is a general reluctance to promote productivity, but without productivity gains, GHG emissions from the red meat sector would be significantly higher.

While there has been an industry focus on trying to find a way to cut GHG emissions through the development of vaccines or additives, Moot believes more thought should be given to the whole farm system and the impact feeding, particularly legumes, has on that system.

In 2019, Professor Moot reported on one study carried out on a Mackenzie Country property which showed how pre-weaning growth rates in Merino lambs had increased from 190 to 290g/head/day over a 10-year period. This was due to the expansion of the area of lucerne grazed. Higher lamb growth rates shortened the lactation phase by 35 days and contributed to reduced methane emissions.

Similarly, an industry wide analysis, carried out by scientists at AgResearch, showed how increasing lamb growth rates from 100g/day to 300g a day on highquality feed, reduces the days to finishing from 100 to 33 and the amount of methane produced per kilogram of product from 303 to 165.

It also reduced the energy consumed per lamb from 1300 megajoules of metabolisable energy to 726 MJ ME, a 79% reduction.

Central to the challenge of reducing GHG emissions in the red meat sector, while maintaining or increasing productivity, is the efficient use of nitrogen.

Nitrogen is the limiting nutrient on many of the pastures used for animal production and legumes can be instrumental in correcting that deficiency, Moot says.

While not a silver bullet, legumes will be an increasingly important tool as red meat producers grapple with ways to reduce their total farm emissions.

53

MANAGEMENT Lambs

FLEXIBILITY KEY FOR

T P LAMBS G

Growing lambs as fast as you can is key to gaining high profitability, Ken Geenty writes.

rowing top lambs for the best profits has no easy recipe. The key is flexibility during different seasons and being in tune with what the market wants, or your needs for replacement breeders. It’s probable your goal will be to grow your lambs as fast as you can.

This means converting the feed in front of you to liveweight gain as efficiently as possible. Ideally on the back of good genetic growth potential of your sheep and by starting with healthy and viable lambs from

Expt A

Fig. 1: Lamb growth with different feeding regimes and weaning ages

12

40

12wk (creep grazed)

20

= Weaning point

12wk 4wk (creep grazed)

4 0 5

Liveweight (kg)

40

10

15

20

30

15 Expt C

9

15wk

5

9wk

20

5wk 5wk (restricted milk)

5

0 5

60

25

10

15

20

25

30

Expt D

18 40

6 18wk

20 Source: International Sheep and Wool Handbook, 2010, Chapter 11

0

6wk 4wk

4 5

10

15

20

Weeks from birth

54

25

30

good ewe pregnancy feeding. The icing on the cake comes from astute management for the all-important milk and pasture, or crop grazing of lambs pre- and post-weaning.

The flexible, and sometimes considered extreme, management and feeding options suggested here are based on earlier research by this author, still as relevant today as originally. The recommendations are well proven on farms.

Lambing to weaning There’s lots of options for managing lambs to weaning, including at different ages as in Figure 1. Variables such as the season and feed supply will determine the best times to wean. For example, as shown in Figure 2, if seasonal feed is short due to dry conditions, it will be better to wean lambs earlier to save feed and tighten the ewes up. Remember the moment you wean lambs and ewes stop lactating, their feed requirement pretty much halves to less than one kg of drymatter (DM) a day.

Furthermore, when lambs are weaned they can be given the best-quality feed on offer as they are not competing with their mums.

A key thing determining lamb weaning management is lambing date in relation to your average seasonal pasture growth.

Ideally, peak lambing should coincide with spring pasture kicking away. Research and general observations across NZ sheep farms show lambing dates are often too early, meaning lambs get away to a slow start. The recommendation is to err on being slightly later rather than slightly earlier. Naturally, in drought-prone areas management strategies need to be in place to cope with the possibility of looming feed shortages.

The extreme of weaning when lambs are four to five weeks old causes a marked but temporary growth check for one to two weeks. Despite this, it’s key to note, as the lamb weaning ages graph shows, the subsequent growth trajectory of lambs

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October 2022

is similar whether on milk from their mothers or good-quality pasture alone. This is because the nutritional value of highquality spring pasture is similar to that of ewe’s milk.

Economically, pasture is vastly more efficient than milk, valued on variable costs, at less than 20 cents per kg DM compared to about $12/kg milk solids, based on sheep dairy prices. In addition, for ewes the feed cost of producing milk is very expensive.

Total pasture required by ewes and lambs between five and 10 weeks of age is 40% greater compared with only lambs when weaned at five weeks. So it’s much more efficient to channel feed directly through lambs from as early an age as possible.

A key requirement for very early weaning of lambs at four to five weeks old under conditions of extreme feed shortage is a minimum lamb liveweight of 12kg. Use of creep grazing can assist greatly with early weaning, simply by raising a gateway high enough for the lambs to creep ahead of the ewes onto fresh pastures.

Lambs need high-quality pasture with good nitrogen levels for early rumen development. Leafy lucerne does this job well, though good clover-dominant pasture can be equally effective.

Lambs need high-quality pasture with good nitrogen levels for early rumen development.

If quality pasture is plentiful lambs can stay on their mothers until 12 weeks old so long as they’re growing at about 200g/ day to reach at least 24kg LW at the later weaning age.

In the experiments shown in the graphs, ryegrass clover-dominant pastures were used pre-weaning with lucerne post-weaning.

Lamb growth and development studies by this author carried out at the same time clearly showed on such high-quality pasture

or lucerne, lamb rumen development was usually surprisingly advanced from three weeks of age, meaning very early weaning was not a major set-back to lambs.

If pasture isn’t in good supply, supplements such as lucerne chaff, offered in feed troughs, are ideal to promote lamb rumen function in preparation for early weaning. Another useful tool is the alreadymentioned creep-grazing of lambs to help kick-start rumen function.

Post-weaning Fig. 2: Flexibility in lamb weaning age according to seasonal pasture supply

20

Feed supply (Ewes milk) and lamb feed demand (MJME/day)

Lamb feed demand

Pasture for lambs (Good season)

15

Pasture for lambs (Bad season)

Ewe milk Good season (pasture surplus)

10

Wean (Bad season)

5

Ewe milk Bad season (pasture shortage) Wean (Good season)

The key for lambs after weaning is a good supply of quality pasture, or specialist crops such as brassicas, lucerne or herbs, all with a protein content above 15%. To achieve growth rates of 200g+/day lambs will need to consume 13+ megajoules of metabolisable energy a day or 1kg DM/ day requiring liberal amounts of the highquality feed on offer.

In the lamb weaning-age experiments referred to above, young leafy lucerne did the job well.

A key factor for lambs post-weaning is good animal health management, including effective parasite control and supply of mineral supplements where there are known deficiencies such as selenium, cobalt or copper. Lambs will also need to have had earlier immunisation against clostridial diseases.

Delay weaning if surplus feed continues

3

6 Weeks after lambing

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October 2022

9

12

Ken Geenty is a primary industries consultant.

55

LIVESTOCK Onfarm

good dirt PRICELESS VALUE OF

i FARM FACTS 1050ha (885ha effective) of developed flats to steep oversown tussock hill country at Otapiri Gorge.

Sheep breeding and lamb finishing with summer and spring trading of cattle.

KEY CHANGES SINCE 2017

Reduce sheep flock for pine trees but stocking rate increased.

Ewe scanning up to 205%, lambing 159%.

Hogget lambing increased 5%.

Average lamb price moved from $85 to $113.

GFI increased 10% ($137/ha) to $1473.40/ha.

Soil loss due to weather leads to minimum tillage.

56

When a series of flash floods hit a Southland farm its owners took the event as a warning of things to come. Lynda Gray reports.

Photos by Chris Sullivan.

A CHANGE TO MINIMAL TILLAGE AND multi-grazed crops is the next chapter of development at the Frew family’s Southland sheep and beef farm.

Washout weather in October 2018 was the catalyst for change. Flash flooding and thunderstorms – three times over five days, each affecting different areas of the farm - annihilated 50 hectares of crops and young grass as well as farm tracks and infrastructure.

Some said it was unlucky and unusual to be struck down by the extreme weather, but Dan and Brett questioned if the ‘unusual’ would become ‘usual’ with climate change. They treated the weather bomb as a timely warning.

“Mother Nature made it obvious to us how exposed our crop and pasture renewal system was to extreme weather,” Dan says.

The soil was literally stripped off slopes and on the flatter areas washed overland into creeks.

Although able to buy and resow seed, which more or less doubled farm expenses the following year, the soil was gone for good. It brought home the priceless value of good dirt.

What’s unfolded since is a minimal-cultivation

policy, along with mixed and multi-grazing crops to maintain soil structure, health and porosity. The approach is aligned with regenerative principles but adapted to their large scale and reasonably intensive system.

“We’re trying to take the best parts of regenerative farming principles and incorporate them into our traditionally based system to find a happy middle ground.”

In doing so it’s created opportunities to reduce workload and costs and improve ecological health which goes hand-in-hand with better animal health and welfare.

Over the last two years single variety crops have been replaced with 50ha of multi-species winter crop which also get a light grazing in summer, and another 20ha of summer crops that get three to four grazings spread over summer, autumn, winter and spring.

“We see these crops as the new opportunity because we can graze them through summer, lock them up for regrowth during autumn which can provide about six tonnes of drymatter for winter feeding.”

Undersowing swedes First year crops are swede-based with underplanting of Italian ryegrass, ryecorn, plantain, and Balansa clover. Over the next few years the mix will broaden to include up to 10 species. In November 2021, 33ha were sown. The seed mix (6kg ryegrass, 2kg ryecorn, 750g plantain and 500g clover) was broadcast with lime and 800g of swede direct drilled overtop.

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October 2022

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October 2022

57

Previous page: Dan Frew inspects crop regrowth with dog Kip on the family farm near Winton. Above: Sheep numbers have been reduced to make way for forestry and retired land.

In the sunnier facing paddocks where there was good early season growth a light grazing by lambs took the bigger leaves off the swedes, letting light in to kickstart growth of the underplanted varieties.

On the damper south-west paddocks that have traditionally produced average to poor single crops of swedes the companion plant species have grown faster to provide good bulk and soil cover. Where the swedes have grown but at a slower rate, the crop was block grazed by 1000 ewes from June 1 until August 20. They were generally shifted every second day, but daily if conditions were overly wet. The short term block grazing, with no second rotation, is crucial for soil recovery in an intensively winter grazed system, Dan says.

“You can see the benefit of worm activity in reconditioning the soil.”

After winter the crop was left to let the grass, ryecorn and plantain regrow acting as a catch crop and also providing grazing for single lambing or lambed ewes until the establishment of a second crop or perennial pasture mix.

58

Second year crops are kale or raphanobrassica-based with kale, leafy turnip, ryecorn, Balansa clover and Italian ryegrass.

Ultimately, all-grass wintering might be what they’re after, Dan says, but the question is how to get there, or how to get there by modifying the farm system.

“We believe we are working towards a better system financially, environmentally...”

“I think we’ll keep developing the multi-grazing option because we hate mud. There’s nothing to gain from having exposed mud so we are trying to minimise this through careful grazing and having a living plant in the soil at all times. We need to reprioritise taking into account both soil biology and soil chemistry.”

It’s early days to assess the economic

costs and benefits of the minimal tillage and multi-species and grazing system, although Dan’s convinced that there’s been an improvement in crop and pasture consistency along with soil condition and porosity. Also, dropping out cultivation, apart from aerating and direct drilling, has meant a massive reduction in costs and inputs such as insecticides, weed sprays and glyphosate use.

“Once we get the system fine tuned we think we’ll be able to reduce synthetic inputs further without the wheels falling off.”

In the meantime the Frews are working with AgResearch scientist David Stevens to help quantify some of the gains, and factor in the dollar-equivalent benefits of a system that is more weather-resilient and produces lamb and beef that aligns with environmental goals and consumer expectations.

“We believe we are working towards a better system financially, environmentally and for the health and welfare of livestock.”

Participation in the Makarewa Headwaters

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October 2022

Catchment Group has given the Frews some good environmental tips. The group, with funding from Thriving Southland which coordinates and supports 18 catchment groups in Southland, got behind a Land Utilisation Capability Indicator (LUCI-Ag) project to identify N, P and sediment loss hotspots and pathways in the catchment.

Dan says its helped them identify the different land classes on the farm and the fragility level of each area.

“It gave us a better idea of where we could make the most cost effective gains with environmental mitigations such as riparian fencing and plantings. It’s also given us a better idea of how to match stock class and soil type for winter grazing.”

Next on the cards is a catchment-wide pest reduction programme to reduce the number of feral deer, pigs and goats to reduce the damage of soil and waterways.

Red light for red clover In 2017 the Frews were undecided about whether to stick with red clover or replace it with raphanobrassica.

An 18ha area of red clover was established in 2013 for grazing by multiple lamb bearing ewes in the spring, and weaned lambs in summer destined for heavyweight contracts. The upside of red clover was that more could be fed on a relatively small area; the downside was the no go grazing from May until October.

The Frews are running more than 250 R2 trading cattle.

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October 2022

The Frew family - Brett and Leticia (left), Steph and Dan, and daughter Harriet (4).

The Frews felt that the area grown needed to increase to 10 to 15% of the total grazing area to provide greater scope for lamb finishing. Another two paddocks were established in 2018, but they were severely damaged by the storms.

“We didn’t replace it which in hindsight was a mistake, because it didn’t perform well,” Dan says.

They decided to call it quits with the clover.

“Although it’s the best for animal performance, it’s hard to manage unless you have a significant amount in your system.”

Raphanobrassica (Pallaton Raphno) was tried as an alternative summer finishing crop. It grew well but as a single species didn’t provide a complete diet for lambs and was reflected in disappointing lamb growth rates.

“It performs brilliantly but it needs to be grown as part of a multi-mix to maximise lamb performance.”

59

Looking back and forward The Frew family and their sheep and beef developments were profiled in 2010 and 2017. In each story the family has pushed performance by questioning what they’re doing and following through with change where necessary.

In 2010 Mervyn and Marie (Dan and Brett’s parents) explained their move from lamb trading to lamb finishing in the early 2000s when very few others were brave enough to take the plunge. The next story in 2017 looked at how the family had increased lamb survivability by 15% over nine years through a mix of improved genetics, development of a triple shift lambing system, and strategic feeding of winter and summer crops. The had also recently bought an adjoining 165ha dairy run-off/cut and carry cropping block for conversion to sheep grazing.

Since then Mervyn and Marie have gradually eased out of the day-to-day involvement and last year sold the farm to the brothers. Most of the land is owned

by Frew Farming Ltd comprising Dan and Brett’s families. The remaining land is retained by the family trust and leased to the brothers.

The washout weather of four years ago has been a life changing experience.

“It’s been financially, physically and

Dan with his father Merv Frew.

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Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

Key farm stats and changes: 2010 to 2021 2010

2017

2021

Key changes (2017-2021)

Area

884ha (730ha effective)

1050ha (885ha effective)

1050ha (835ha effective)

40ha production pine forestry. 10ha retired ground for regeneration

Stock

4260 Kelso ewes (incl stud 229 ewes), 1600 hoggets, 30 rams, 124 cows, 112 yearlings

5900 ewes (incl 280 elite ewes), 2160 hoggets, 100 rams, 250 R1 & R2 cattle (spring – summer trading)

5500 ewes (incl 150 Elite ewes), 1920 hoggets, 100 rams, 250+ R2 trading cattle

Reduced sheep flock following forestry and land retirement

Soil fert

Grass pH 6.1. Tussock 5.4

Grass 6.0. Tussock 5.6-5.8

Grass 6-6.2 Tussock 5.6-5.9

Stocking Rate

9.8 su/ha

10.1

10.6

Increased by 0.5

Lambing date

Sep 22

Aug 20 (annual draft ewes) Sep 20 (mixed-age ewes) Oct 20 (hoggets)

Aug 20 Sep 20 Oct 20

Unchanged

Scanning

205%

198%

205%

Increased by 7%

Lambing (survival to sale)

152%

160%

159%

Slight reduction of 1%

Hogget lambing

70%

92%

97%

Increased by 5%

Average kill date

Feb 28

March 10

March

Lamb prod average

18.34kg @ $82.72 (2009/2010)

18.5 @ $102.90 (2016/17)

16.8kg @ $135.40

Lamb price average

$90.72 (2009)

$85.35 (2016)

$113 (2020)

Sheep gross profit/hectare

$983.05

$1336.62 (2016)

$1473.40

mentally draining and we’ve been in recovery and consolidation mode ever since developing a new crop and pasture system,” Dan says.

But they’re looking forward to some bold moves over the next five years that will leave them with a more resilient system for the wetter and warmer weather that appears to be taking hold in Otapiri Gorge.

A priority is to remediate soil quality issues on the ex-dairy block bought in 2017 by introducing organic matter which could involve deferred grazing, bale grazing and perhaps composting.

“We think composting has great potential but it’s a matter of how to make this work at scale without having to cart and carry too much on to the farm.”

At a broad system level they want to reduce inputs, especially chemicals but are aware of the need to monitor carefully to maintain output.

At the same time they want a balanced and enjoyable lifestyle with their families.

“The thunderstorms and what it caused taught us how life can literally change in front of you, so you need to make the time to enjoy it.”

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October 2022

Drought-affected

$137 (10%) increase

Jam for dirt bikes ‘Farm Jam’ an annual dirt bike event held on the farm since 2007 has been put on hold since Covid.

Dan, a former pro motocross freestyle competitor, and Brett, a pro BMX/MTB competitor, masterminded and grew the event which in 2018 attracted 80

competitors and 3000 spectators.

“We might revisit it, but not in the same form,” Dan says.

Meanwhile, the Frews host occasional film crews seeking locations for adrenaline and extreme-type pursuits.

61

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October 2022

63

Mt Florida manager Liam Hunter.

64

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October 2022

LIVESTOCK Hill country

TEAM EFFORT ON HILL COUNTRY Tiniroto’s Mount Florida Station has won the Gisborne-Wairoa Farmer of the Year award. Peter Andrew reports on the field day at the hill country farm. Photos by Louise Savage.

M

ore than 170 farmers braved August’s winter conditions to attend the Gisborne-Wairoa Farmer of the Year field day held on Svarn and Sharelle Creswell’s Mount Florida Station at Tiniroto.

It was cold, wet and often muddy – every reason to stay home. But weather is irrelevant when you have a great story to tell about a successful couple who make things happen.

The very best part was the huge turnout of young people at this prestigious competition.

It really does highlight the continued mana of this biennial award, where we celebrate the district’s best.

It was a good time to hold the field day as it gave farmers a real feel as to what it was like to be a sheep or bull on a property that has a cold winter feel to it. The day was the ultimate learning environment where all the senses were employed.

The day was an opportunity to see and hear what the Creswells have achieved since buying Mount Florida nine years ago, and learn about the growth of their business way beyond the farm.

It was quite clear from the start of the day that this managed farm was a team effort.

Managers are Liam and Harriet Hunter who took over from Trent and Yohana McDonald in December 2020.

In theory, these managed properties should not be

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

winning this type of competition – they don’t have the motivation of an owner-operator who is building equity, doing it for the family.

The reality is that right now there are lots of very capable farm managers who are on the rise and quickly entering this space. So, what is their motivation and what are their drivers? Getting the most out of people must sit as one of the world’s most sought-after skills and opportunities.

Owners Svarn and Sharelle Creswell highlighted that full transparency and giving staff responsibility for decisions were key components to get the most out of their team.

The field day was an example of sustainable hill country farming, building resilient stock policies that work in with the strengths and opportunities of the farm, the people, and their goals. These are then implemented and fine-tuned by a passionate and driven team of farm managers.

Trent, Liam and their wives have managed the station as if it were their own.

Sheep which make up 60% of the stock are the powerhouse of the farm's production and profits.

Sheep income in 2021 was $146/su and the threeyear average, $147.57. Sheep and wool income over the past three years was $154.

They farm a Romdale ewe flock based on St Leger genetics.

65

The dry hoggets on Mt Florida, looking towards the mountains of Te Urewera.

Economic Farm Surplus $/ha 1200

KEY POINTS

1000

$1000

800

466ha (430ha eff), sheep are the powerhouse.

Typically winter 4300-4400 su, 2800 sheep and 330 cattle.

Cattle averaged $128/csu, $39/csu above district average.

2200 Romdale ewes 500 hoggets in-lamb.

Strong and healthy business model.

49 cents goes into surplus, rest to the farm’s operation.

Success is down to good managers and team work.

66

600

$732 $611

$585

400 200 '

0

2021

Mt Florida

2020 Top 10

2019

3-year average

District average

Gross Income

2021

2020

2019

Average

Top 10

1309

1687

1438

1478

District Average

1018

1146

1075

1080

Mount Florida

1420

1692

1278

1463

Expenditure

2021

2020

2019

Average

Top 10

646

794

697

712

District Average

708

706

670

695

Mount Florida

809

692

693

731

Up to 25% of lambs are killed at weaning depending on the season, with an average weight of typically 17kg CW. The remainder are finished from February through to June, with a small amount sold store or carried over.

Mount Florida has about 1200 Romdale ewe’s each year going to a maternal sire.

About 500, five and six year ewes go to terminal sires (Charolais SufTex). Rams go out on April 16 for 2.5 cycles.

Replacements hoggets are selected and over mated to have 500 in lamb. Rams go out on May 1 for 2 cycles. They aim to have every replacement hogget and ewe in lamb.

Once through the winter, Mount Florida can be a healthy place for sheep as demonstrated by the lambing percentage that’s regularly more than 155%.

The ATV trip around the farm showed the successful grazing of the ewes on a crop of swedes. Gisborne/Wairoa had a wet winter this year with lots of pugging on the hills and flats. Having a strategically placed swede crop in a pumice or ash took the stock pressure off the other 95% of the farm.

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October 2022

Mount Florida stock performance 3-year district average

2021

2020

2019

3-year average

Lambing % (ewes only)

151%

157%

151%

153%

139%

Hogget lambing %

90%

80%

60%

77%

85%

Hogget contr. to lambing

27%

37%

21%

28%

10%

Total lambs/ewes wintered

178%

194%

172%

181%

149%

No. of Lambs

2974

3169

2426

2856

Death, missing & killers %

-1.3%

4.5%

6.4%

3.2%

3.7%

2-tooth replacement %

26%

24%

28%

26%

26%

Ewes to ram

60

55

54

56

68

Lamb price $/hd

$115.07

$130.54

$131.73

$125.78

$128.22

Ewe price $/hd

$132.47

$128.66

$132.76

$131.30

$138.24

Hogget price $/Hd

$143.71

$188.98

$173.20

Average sheep price $/hd

$122.87

$140.06

$139.13

$134.02

$133.40

Ram purchase $/hd

$600

$1,250

$1,021

$957

$874

Sheep income $/su

$146.28

$161.46

$137.32

$148.35

$128.23

Wool weight total kg

10,969

6688

9825

9161

Wool weight kg/ssu

4.3

2.6

4.5

3.8

4.9

Wool weight kg/sheep ha

42

27

45

38

45

Wool price $/kg

$1.00

$1.60

$2.14

$1.58

$1.57

Wool income $/ssu

$4.26

$4.23

$9.61

$6.03

$7.64

Sheep & wool income $/su

$150.54

$165.70

$146.93

$154.39

$135.88

Sheep & wool inc/sheep capital

82%

94%

81%

86%

73%

Sheep & wool inc/gross income

63%

58%

58%

60%

57%

Calving percentage %

0%

0%

0%

0%

88%

No. of calves

0

0

0

Death & missing %

1.3%

1.5%

2.1%

1.7%

1.8%

Steer price $/hd

$0

$0

$1391

Bull price $/hd

$1642

$1819

$1555

Cow price $/hd

$0

$0

$0

$0

$1044

Heifer price $/hd

$0

$0

$0

Average cattle price $/hd

$1642

$1819

$1555

$1672

$1356

No. of cattle sold

277

252

252

260

Cattle inc over cattle cap %

60%

73%

50%

61%

40%

Cattle inc over gross inc %

34%

40%

40%

38%

38%

Cattle income $/csu

$128.08

$154.14

$103.13

$128.45

$89.81

Grazing income $/gsu

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$102.16

Other farm income $

$15,691

$14,135

$10,027

$13,284

$33,135

$152.40

Breed bull purchase price

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October 2022

$4468

I was a sceptic, but feed crops are pretty handy to get you through the dark days of winter, especially if a nitrogen-induced pathway remains unaffordable.

Winter crops remain a strong tool, especially for those running a good stocking rate.

The cattle policy is all bull beef with Friesian bulls the main stock being farmed.

The system is mainly older bulls targeting a $1000 buy/sell margin.

Yearling bulls are bought and taken through one winter in cells to be killed in the spring/summer season targeting a 320kg average carcaseweight.

The big bull trading policy provides plenty of excitement, but is also a tremendous earner and a significant contributor to the farm’s financial success. Over the three years that were judged, the cattle income averaged $128/cattle su $39/csu above the district average over the same period.

As long as a farmer can handle the hassle, the big bulls are where money is these days.

Over the three years of judging, the Creswells averaged a gross income of $1463/ ha. The expenditure made up just 51% of this gross income, resulting in an impressive economic farm surplus of $732/hectare.

In the same three years, for every dollar traded, 49 cents went into surplus, and

67

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51 cents to the farm’s operation. This is a strong and healthy business model.

The average return on capital is 4.7%, which is huge as the capital includes the land at its current elevated levels.

Life beyond Mount Florida Svarn and Sharell’s business growth beyond the farm has been equally impressive and they now have considerable investment in the accommodation and tourism sector.

These competitions are really the stadium of the allrounder: you have to be the complete package, then you have to hold that momentum for three years. The judges’ criteria leaves no stone unturned and is an honest review of the business health.

Farming through the weather and international markets is a continuum of change. Making the right calls brings the cream to the top. The Creswells’ judgment call is right more times than others, and that is why they were the winners.

The Gisborne Farmer of the Year competition is very much alive and kicking.

It is the forum where the cream invites other motivated farmers along to learn how to be successful. It is a weird process, but it works and is why these field days pull big crowds of the right people.

Why do it?

To be judged by one’s peers and to be

Above: The three-year lambing average for the ewes is 153%. Below: The system is mainly older bulls targeting a $1000 buy/sell margin.

recognised in an audience that you respect is the highest accolade. The trophy or the money is quickly forgotten – true success is to be recognised by an audience you respect.

They would never admit it, but the younger ones are very much inspired at these field days.

“One day that will be me standing up there!”

Some key points that stood out for me as facilitator for the day were: • Be gracious with people, ruthless with money • There is no substitute for hard work.

Svarn was shearing for 10 years to buy their first farm which taught them the value of hard work • Preparation has made the Crewells lucky, the top two inches have been kept busy • They will invest in fertiliser and water but won’t repair the woolshed.

• Teams beat individuals. Strong couples are powerful.

Catch up with mates The farmer company is a great antidote for the challenging world we all seem to live in today.

The Farmer of the Year field days are so inspiring. They build confidence and provide some big goals. The great thing about facilitating these days is learning there is still so much to learn. The enthusiasm is infectious.

The last sense that was tested on the day was taste, with a beautifully cooked steak by one of the region’s local chefs.

Peter Andrew is an agribusiness consultant and director of AgFirst, Gisborne.

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October 2022

69

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Paparata Meeting the FE Challenge Meeting the new challenge “The Paparata liver damage associated with in production lossesChallenge that are much greater than 'Breeding can be usedFE to results lower methane emissions on farm, because Meeting the FE Paparata Meeting the FE Challenge may firstdifferences appear. Even when no symptoms visible individual FE can reduce lifetime productivity in methane emissionsare between sheep are passed onto by up

to“The 25liver percent.

Breeding for generation increased tolerance to FE should be your first line of defence.”

“The damage associated with FEFE results production losses that are much greater than liver damage associated with results in production losses that are much greater than the next with ain moderate level of heritability.' may first appear. when nono symptoms are visible FEFE can reduce lifetime productivity byby upup may first appear.Even Even when symptoms are visible can reduce lifetime productivity Sourced from Beef and Lamb resource book 'Facing Up to Facial Eczema' Sourced from Beef + Lamb NZ Genetics toto 2525 percent. forfor increased tolerance toto FEFE should bebe your first line ofof defence.” percent.Breeding Breeding increased tolerance should your first line defence.”

AtSourced Paparata weBeef are now identifying sheep with lower methane emissions. from and Lamb resource book 'Facing UpUp toto Facial Eczema' Sourced from Beef and Lamb resource book 'Facing Facial Eczema' Building FE Tolerance Dose (mg/kg) Building FEFE Tolerance Building Tolerance

Paparata focus – Sheep performance on hills

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73

LIVESTOCK Facial eczema

Fungal toxins head south South Island farmers are having to get used to coping with the scourge of facial eczema. By Joanna Grigg.

Credit Dennis Kunkel Microscopy / Science Photo Library

G

74

et ready – it’s here. High spore counts and facial eczema (FE) in sheep show the pasture-related disease was in Marlborough in summer and autumn. Comments from farmers suggest it may have been affecting stock even south of the Awatere River.

Scanning results show top-of-the-south flocks had unexplained dry rates, despite good feed quantity and high ewe condition.

Fungal toxins were likely at work, following 200mm of rain in February, warm nights and a build-up of dry material in pasture.

Cases of FE were confirmed in lambs in March. Flocks tupped on crops such as kale, fared better, with normal dry rates. This points to a pasture-related problem.

Other signs hinted at an issue – ryegrass staggers in cattle and horses arrived earlier and was more intense.

Hill country pastures that couldn’t be controlled late summer had visible red rust which left a coating on boots. Vineyards were fighting serious botrytis infections on grape bunches. These all indicate classic conditions for fungi.

Other grass toxins, such as zearalenone, might have been at play and interfered with ovulation. Farmers were left scratching their heads as high dry rates were, in general, matched by higher than usual multiple rates. A post-mortem liver test can confirm subclinical FE and many farmers may have missed the opportunity when culling dry ewes.

A spore count result from Marlborough (see Graph A) showed a high level of

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October 2022

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

Graph A: Pasture spore counts Maximum pasture spore count for Marlborough, Tasman, Westland/West Coast.

Counts submitted to Gribbles Veterinary (March 20 to April 14, 2022), via the online portal.

Week 10

Week 11

Week 13

Week 14

200,000 n=2

180,000 160,000 140,000

Max. count

185,000 spores/gram (g) in early April.

Gribbles Veterinary recommends that farmers kick-off facial eczema prevention strategies when local pasture spore counts are trending upwards of 30,000 spores/g and weather conditions look favourable for sporulation.

Gribbles Veterinary marketing administrator Karen Cooper says Gribbles provides the FE reports as a public service.

Vet clinics load pasture spore counts, done through their practices, to the Gribbles portal. Farmers can get access by subscribing to the emailed reports.

“Farmers can use it as an indicator, to see when they need to start testing their own farms.”

Gribbles says no spore counts are being loaded by Canterbury clinics. A couple of clinics are loading results from West Coast and Tasman.

North Canterbury Veterinary Clinic’s vet Ian Page believes sheep and beef farmers in his area are not at all prepared for facial eczema.

“We have no experience.”

Page says one North Island dairy farmer who moved south to Cheviot did raise the issue once as a possibility.

“But sheep farmers are starting to talk about it now – we discussed mycotoxins in a farm discussion group in autumn...”

He says North Canterbury farmers are great at managing a dry summer, but this autumn was a classic North Island one, with moisture and warmth bringing parasites. Like Marlborough, the area had an unusual scanning. Page says most overall percentages were normal to good, but characterised by high dry rates of 10%, yet high multiple rates. Two-tooths were worst affected with up to 10% dry, when usually 5% would be considered high.

Page puts this down to parasite issues but doesn’t rule out fungal toxins either.

“This season no-one could contain the pasture growth and quality.”

Page says zearalanone, which has a daily effect on oestrogen levels when consumed, is difficult to test for, so a farmer needs to assume it's just there in the pastures.

It requires a urine sample “pee in a jar” from a ewe. “...you can't take a meaningful blood test,” Page says.

120,000 100,000 n=6

80,000 n=2

60,000

n=6

40,000 n=2

20,000

n=6

0 Marlborough

He suggests farmers plan to mitigate effects by offering grain to ewes and crops for 10 days either side of mating. If conditions are right for ryegrass staggers then fungal toxins are likely.

If farmers were wanting to test for past FE damage, he suggests liver biopsy at slaughter. Even checking the liver of a dogtucker sheep will be insightful.

“Look for a darker, hard liver, compared to a healthy bronze-coloured one.”

Eczema or scald on stock can also be caused by green feed crops, so get advice.

Page predicts that it won’t be a rampant sudden arrival of facial eczema into Canterbury, but rather a slow change.

Farmer vet spots facial eczema With a farm in the Marlborough Sounds and a veterinary job in Marlborough, Mary Bowron is well placed to confirm facial eczema is affecting stock in the South Island.

“It’s been seen in a few sheltered places in north Marlborough for several years, but this year it was more widespread.”

Mary and her partner Craig Robinson’s 120-hectare farm is in Waitaria Bay in Kenepuru Sound, a 50-minute boat ride

Tasman

Westland/West Coast

from Havelock. They bought a flock of in-lamb Romney ewes, with unknown FE genetics. They were expecting a possible problem, as the stock had no resilience to FE-causing toxins, but they were not expecting such a challenging season.

Craig started spore counting in January and tested right through to June, noticing two big peaks in spore counts. One of the highest spore counts they had was 80,000, which is moderately high. The ongoing lower levels of spore counts causing chronic exposure can also cause clinical signs of FE. They were managing the risk by not grazing too low and using “safe paddocks”, such as hilltop and exposed paddocks.

“The second peak of 80,000 spore counts on the pasture got us – combined with ongoing loading of spores for a long time,” Mary says.

This was caused by a second warm period with high humidity and resulted in about 2% of the flock with clinical signs of FE, and some deaths.

“It wasn’t a total disaster, but more ewes will have sub-clinical effects, which will carry on affecting them.”

Dry rates were still a respectable 3%, but Mary is suspicious that some abortion

75

BASIC FACIAL ECZEMA PLAN FOR NEWBIES Get a spore counting kit together.

Get ready to monitor early January.

Plant crops for autumn, as safe feed.

Plant trees for shade.

Match stock to pasture growth over January, to keep on top of pasture quality and reduce dead material in Feb/March.

Get prepared to move stock every day or second day, over the risk period. Urine patches will bloom with toxins after three days.

Identify risk blocks: sheltered, sunny.

Price and train up on administering zinc boluses, and trough zinc, with help from your vet.

Up skill by reading Facing Up to Facial Eczema Booklet, 2019 from B+LNZ. In the heat of the season, talk to your vet about doing a GGT test to identify subclinical FE.

in ewes post-scanning may be related to stress effects from FE. Over tupping, ewes were on higher pasture covers, away from sheltered areas that favour production of more toxins.

Ewes were moved every few days, to avoid grazing too low. Zinc capsules were considered but they opted not to. Two treatments of zinc capsules would have been needed as one treatment only lasts six weeks, Mary says. There was also a high demand across the country for zinc capsules. The couple will consider capsules next year, as the farm is an all-grass system with no crops grown to provide a safe area.

This season’s rams were selected for FEtolerance from a North Island stud. They’ll start spore counts early and do them every week across a range of paddocks.

“We do the spore count ourselves – it’s not very technical but you do need to find a microscope,” Mary says.

Project finds fungi A Beef + Lamb NZ- (B+LNZ) funded facial eczema (FE) research project, testing North and South island pastures, has found multiple strains of the fungi that cause FE – pseudopithomyces species.

These fungi require 100% humidity and 10–30C days, to start producing the potent mycotoxin sporidesmin. The work was carried out by AgResearch and Landcare Research.

Warwick Lissaman, farming south of the Awatere River, Marlborough, had five paddocks tested as part of the project.

Interim results show one pasture sample positive for the presence of a fungus that

100 75 50 25 0

0

25

50

75

100

% Ryegrass

Find alternatives to ryegrass or add other species to mix, to reduce FE risk.

76

can cause FE. He is now looking at using kale crops more extensively in autumn to protect ewes in time of fungal toxins on ryegrass and clover pastures.

“I think the short-term option is to limit the ingestion, which means alternative crops.

“But can we get crops in a big enough area for over the danger time, or should we hard feed?”

B+LNZ senior adviser research programmes Dr Cara Brosnahan (not a family member – Ed) confirmed preliminary results show the fungi were widespread in

Table B: Pattern of spore intakes during grazing of grass-dominant pastures.

Millions of spores per g of pasture eaten

Relative spore load

Table A: Increase in spore load as % ryegrass in pasture increases.

Veterinarian and farmer Mary Bowron had first-hand experience of pasture fungal conditions bringing facial eczema to Marlborough this season.

1

0.5

0 1 day

2 days

3+days

Days

Flick those sheep on to a new block during high loadings. Urine patches grow lots of spores.

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October 2022

PAKI-ITI ROMNEY & ROMTEX • • • • •

170 clients last year purchased or leased Paki-iti rams Bred on a 870ha hard hill country property rising up to 637m asl (2090f asl) Breeding for constitution, longevity, structural soundness and then performance Constitution = moderate frame, deep bodied type of sheep Performance = Growth, fertility, survival, meat yield, incorporating FE tolerance and parasite resistance PAKI-ITI SUFFOLK • 12 years of breeding Romtex rams, utilizing a stabilised SIL recorded Romtex flock • Paki-iti maternal Romtex offer faster growth rates and higher meat yields • Romtex rams sold as 22th rams

NUMBERS TELL A STORY

The Facing Up to Facial Eczema Booklet, 2019, is a free resource from B+LNZ. • 147 clients purchased or leased Paki-iti rams last year

• 97% terminal sale rams fully SIL performance recorded sold and leased last PAKI-ITI SUFFOLK the pasture samples. The full report• is400+ due Suffolk and Suftex rams year September, but preliminary results suggest • 5 years of C/T scanning two different species have been found 10 years of wintering ram hoggets on steep hill country across the North Island and upper •half • 97 years of breeding rams of the South Island, after testing 34 farm

PAKI-ITI SUFTEX

BUT BREEDING IS MORE THAN NUMBERS sites.

The bottom line is the fungi is here It is about longevity, structural soundness, constitution and, as warm moist conditions occurand then the performance numbers. further south, the risk to stock from FE Visit Understanding •will 147grow. clients purchased or more leasedabout Paki-iti rams last year all the factors that contribute (pastures, to view our breeding programs •soils, 97%environmental terminal sale rams fully SIL is performance conditions) on recorded the research wish list for Brosnahan.

PAKI-ITI SUFTEX •B+LNZ 400+ Suffolk and Suftex rams sold and leased lastMorton 06 328 5772 PAKI-ITI SUFFOLK Stewart • Andrew Morton & 06SUFTEX 328 2856 has applied for funding through year the Sustainable Farming Fund (40% R D 54 Kimbolton, Manawatu • pakiroms@farmside.co.nz • 5 years of C/T scanning • Over 500 Suffolk, Suftex rams and ram hoggets sold and leased last season contribution) to help answer these • 10 years of wintering ram hoggets on steep hill country • Breeding for constitution, longevity, structural soundness and then performance •questions.

97 years of breeding rams • Constitution = moderate frame, deep bodied type of sheep New technologies, such as DNA testing • Performance = Fast growth, high meat yield, high survival and incorporating BUT BREEDING IS MORE THAN NUMBERS of fungi, have changed the way researchers meat quality traits (IMF, tenderness and PH) It is about longevity, structural soundness, constitution can investigate the actual process of fungal • 14 years of wintering ram hoggets on hard hill country = constitution and then the performance numbers. toxins being produced.

• Suftex rams bred for darkness Another B+LNZ-funded project Visit underway is to find better ways to support to view our breeding programs farmers faced with FE pressure on stock.

Brosnahan says nothing has been done onStewart the social impacts of the so a • Andrew Morton 06 328 2856 Morton 06disease 328 5772 pilot study by AgResearch with 14 study R D 54 Kimbolton, Manawatu • pakiroms@farmside.co.nz farmers and rural professionals is under Visit to view our breeding programs way.

They are looking at the effect on farmers Stewart Morton 06 328 5772 / 0274 453 110 in endemic areas, as well as areas new to • Andrew Morton 06 328 2856 facial eczema, with the purpose of finding out what information and support they R D 54, Kimbolton, Manawatu • pakiroms@farmside.co.nz need.

NUMBERS TELL A STORY

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October 2022

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LIVESTOCK Facial eczema

Buy-in rams B quicker option Mid- and fine-wool breeds miss out on facial eczema tolerance as the core genetics is limited to strong-wool studs from the North Island, Joanna Grigg reports.

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uying in FE Gold genetics is one way to introduce the best facial eczema (FE) tolerance to previously untested South Island flocks.

Buying genetics is easier for strong wool flocks than fine. No surprise, all member studs of the high-level facial eczema ram testing group, FE Gold, are based in the North Island. Romney, Coopworth and Perendale are the core genetics among the 17 stud members. No mid- or fine-wool studs are listed. To be an FE Gold member, rams must be dosed with sporidesmin at 0.60mg/kg. The stud must have at least 10 years of testing history. About 10% of sale rams need to be tested for tolerance and all rams used are Ramguard tested. The FE Silver brand recognises a committed testing programme, but a slightly lower dosage to sheep.

For Merino and mid-micron breeders, including FE Gold, genetics is more difficult, given wool type is so different. Starting a Ramguard testing regime in a naive flock is an option, although it’s the slow way. A

blood or saliva test being developed with Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) funding could speed up the process.

AgResearch technical officer for Ramguard Neville Amyes says ram-dosing is the only commercial test for tolerance.

He says genetic selection based on this does work. The proportion of animals able to withstand the standard toxin dose of sporidesmin increases 3.5% each year through genetic selection.

“This figure comes from older work but is still true.”

FE tolerance is heritable at 0.45.

In his job as administrator, Amyes helps design testing regimes for breeders and collates the data.

“I check the test dose given from previous years and decide whether to increase the dose rate, based on the number of reactors.”

Testing at the introductory rate of only 0.2mg/kg and selecting the tolerant genetics, will take a long time to build good tolerance among the flock.

“You are half-way up the ladder if you

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buy a ram tested at the higher level of 0.6, then test his progeny at 0.4mg/kg,” he says.

“You make better progress buying-in the genetics.”

The 1991 work by Smith and Towers showed that 40% of the difference in tolerance to FE seen between individuals was due to the sire difference.

Amyes says some South Island breeders have tested some of their rams using RamGuard services, but he says dosing is not really happening extensively in the South Island. He describes it as intermittent.

The cost is in the hundreds of dollars for a ram, so there needs to be a strong commercial drive.

Three Canterbury breeders have started using the test in the past two to four years, Aymes says, including one Merino breeder.

Two southern South Island breeders are using it which has 80 clients in total.

One option for studs under natural FE pressure is to test rams using the GGT blood test from a pathology laboratory and remove the worst performers before doing Ramguard dosing.

Amyes says it weeds out the most vulnerable.

The blood-sample-based test, if successful, will be cheaper and may supersede FE dose testing.

“But in the meantime, Ramguard facial eczema testing is the main way.

“South Island breeders need to start thinking about how they are going to do this.”

Lines of sheep at Stonyhurst. The Canterbury ram breeding property tested their SX rams for tolerance to facial eczema, and will continue to do so.

Southern breeders on board Peter Moore produces Romney and Poll Dorset-cross rams on Moutere Downs, Tasman. He remembers facial eczema outbreaks in the top of the south, starting in the 1980s.

“We saw heavy sheep losses and lambs were flicking their ears when standing in the sun.”

In the 1990s, he moved to buying rams selected for both parasite and FE tolerance.

These were sourced north of Taupo.

“In a way I bought an insurance policy in, without specifically going after it. The

The Southern Cross (known as SX) nucleus flock at Stonyhurst, Canterbury, have had their facial eczema tolerance tested, using RamGuard. This was to get a feel for where fine wool genetics were at, said Charles Douglas-Clifford. Pictured is Harry Finch, a summer student at Stonyhurst.

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October 2022

facial eczema selection tied in with worm resistance selection.”

The most recent ram he bought was FE Gold standard – a deliberate step to up the game. Despite feeling more relaxed about FE tolerance in his home flock now, some clients are requesting he start testing his own rams with Ramguard.

“I was waiting for a commercial blood test, but in the meantime will start using the Ramguard dose test.”

Since Moore has some tested-genetics in the flock, it is likely he will start dosing above the base rate, at 0.3mg/kilograms liveweight (kg LW). The base rate is 0.2mg/ kg. The obvious candidates to test first are those sons of sires or dams from eczematested flocks.

This dual approach of selecting among his own genetics, plus buying in tolerant genetics, should bring faster results, he says.

The FE Gold website says a new breeder testing a large number of rams, and only using the most resistant rams, will quickly overtake a breeder who tests only a few rams and/or uses rams from low on the resistance ranking. In other words, how well a breeder is selecting for FE resistance is more important than how long they have been testing.

Andrew Tripp of Nithdale stud, Southland, says worm resistance is the most sought-after animal health trait that his clients are seeking in his Romneys.

But some North Island and Nelson clients are also asking for FE tolerance. Climate monitoring has shown average temperatures

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The future of the sheep industry is dependent on robust efficient ewes future proof your flock.

Seeking FE-tolerant rams: ‘It takes time to breed tolerance, so we might as well start now.’

Nikau Coopworth bloodlines are consistent high performers at scanning time; notably in the more challenging seasons.

Results in the top 10 % Andrew Noble-Campbell, Pregnancy Scanner It is comforting to not have to worry if ewes are losing weight at tupping in a drought or if spore counts are high.

Nikau ewes show resilience to the conditions , whether feed is short or it’s a bad FE season, they perform.

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at Nithdale have lifted 1.5C over 20 years.

He says modelling has shown some Southland areas may be at risk in the next 20 years – those areas over 14C with a high incidence of rain, can bring facial eczema.

“It takes time to breed tolerance, so we might as well start now.”

Nithdale stud first tested a selection of ram hoggets using Ramguard in 2015.

Several sires had good tolerance, including one sire line dosed at 0.5mg/kg showing nil liver damage in five of the nine progeny.

One became a stud ram and was ranked 15th on the June 2019 New Zealand Genetic Evaluation ‘Maternal worth with FE’ list. Tripp puts this down to buying-in top FE-tolerant sires.

“It shows you can breed for it in Southland, although North Island breeders might not believe it.”

He says the stud uses Ramguard on some rams, every few years. In tandem, genomic tests are done looking at a range of genes associated with FE tolerance.

Genomic breeding values from progeny are generated weekly. While the FE-related genetic results are not incorporated into

Nithdale’s main selection index, the data sits alongside and can be used to help select rams for clients.

Tripp says they are well-ahead with their worm resistance breeding, started over 30 years ago, and is incorporated in their index. “The next to be bought in will probably be methane breeding values and eczema breeding values.”

Tripp says their flock hasn’t moved ahead a lot in terms of overall tolerance, but has some sire lines that would have some tolerance to the disease in an FE environment.

Testing fine wool flocks Southern Cross (SX) is a joint venture of six sheep breeders, based on Merino or three-quarter Merino ewes. The nucleus flock is held at Stonyhurst, Canterbury.

Initially 40 rams across a range of fine wool genetics were tested using Ramguard.

Charlie Douglas-Clifford hosted the work at Stonyhurst and says the fine wool industry was trying to get a feel for where the genetics were at for tolerance. In recent years, 50 to 60 rams have been tested to get

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information on a wide range of various sires used in the breeding programme.

Ben Todhunter from Cleardale Stud in the Rakaia Gorge, is part of the SX sheep breeding programme, He says the Ramguard test results on rams showed they were sitting midway in tolerance with some outliers. He would like to bring FE tolerance testing into his Cleardale SX flock but the cost, welfare aspects and finding genetic linkages are barriers at the moment.

“It’s something we might continue in the future.”

Cleardale SX rams are selected for ability to tolerate wetter conditions and rams have been sold to Hawke’s Bay, King Country, Wairarapa and Gisborne. They are going over crossbred flocks to fine them up.

Douglas-Clifford says when the FE alert was raised in Canterbury this season he made a big effort to control pasture covers this summer to reduce risk from fungal toxins.

“I sacrificed a few paddocks and controlled the rest.”

The Southern Cross breeding programme is the ideal testing pot, he says.

“The concept is a superior genetic pool to draw rams from and try new things.”

He says six studs contribute rams to find the best, and sometimes they’ll use external AI semen. Then all partners get a crack at the best genetics.

Ramguard is still being used to test tolerance on both the Stonyhurst SX line and nucleus SX line. Dosage will be about 0.33mg/kg.

“We are going to do 50 this year, which is a considerable number.”

This wide, ram testing regime is needed, Douglas-Clifford says, as the fine wool breeds don’t have the level of genetic connections yet, for tolerance.

“The quicker we can progress for our breeding group the better, although it might take 10 to 15 years to get to Gold standard dosing rates.”

SX breed objectives are producing quality wool between 21 and 23 microns, a 4kg fleece, and 130–140% lambing, yielding 20kg carcaseweight lambs. Good FE tolerance would be another string to the bow.

“It would be a point of difference, to be a leading fine wool breeder in this space,” Douglas Clifford says.

ASK YOUR BREEDER FE Gold’s questions a farmer should ask the ram breeder: • How long have you been testing for FE? • What dose rate are you testing at?

• Number/proportion of rams tested • Can I please see your Ramguard certificate?

Gene link project All of Pamu’s (Landcorp Farming) South Island flocks are run south of the Waitaki.

Despite the southern climes, Pamu head of ventures Jim Inglis says southern flocks are preparing for facial eczema pressure by integrating proven North Island genetics.

“We are quietly lifting tolerance, off the back of our North Island breeding, to make genetic progress.”

The blood test in development would be a good step-up from dosing rams, although he acknowledges the millions of sheep across New Zealand that have benefitted from the dose test regime.

Inglis says Pamu and Focus Genetics have started a project looking into traits and extending genetic linkages from existing maternal programmes into hair, shedding and fine wool sheep. This is with assistance from a large team of industry partners. The idea is to benchmark animals and develop genetic linkages, including those for FE tolerance.

They will feed into the existing breeding programmes, to make gains. This will be done using Beef + Lamb NZ’s nProve tool.

He says they are working with 25 fine and no-wool breeders, including several of the Southern Cross fine wool studs.

LOOKING TO BUY IN TOLERANCE Bringing improved facial eczema tolerance into the Headwaters ram genetic pool will be done through partnering and buying genetics.

Headwaters general manager Tim Saunders says this approach is preferred over ram dosing. Good options among existing stud genetics also meet Headwaters meat quality requirements for the Lumina brand.

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The collective of elite and multiplier properties that work together as Headwaters breeders are focusing on breeding rams both for North and South Island farms.

Focus is shifting to becoming a preferred supplier of terminal rams, with the option for progeny to supply the Lumina meat brand.

“The bonus of a terminal lamb is that it finishes early, and is off the property before the facial eczema peak.”

While the need for tolerance is less in this case, Headwaters understands FE is going to become more of an issue.

Saunders says the long-term plan is to have FE a key part of their genetics breeding programme, through partnering with high FE tolerant studs in the North Island, Saunders says.

“Facial eczema is just one challenge coming at us, like methane reduction.”

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LIVESTOCK Finishing

CHERTSEY’S FAST FINISHERS A combination of new technologies and good stockmanship sees the lambs from the Copland family’s Canterbury operation early to the works. Story by Sandra Taylor. Photos by Emmily Harmer.

GENETICS, GOOD QUALITY PASTURE and old-fashioned stockmanship underpin the Copland family’s fast-finishing lamb system.

In just 12 weeks, the family that farms Westmere near Chertsey in Central Canterbury are weaning lambs that kill out at 18–19kg carcaseweight (CW), and typically have all of their lamb crop gone by the end of February. This allows room for trading lambs that are finished for winter contracts.

Mark Copland and his wife Robyn look

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The Coplands’ lamb crop is finished by the end February allowing the family to buy Halfbred trading lambs. These are wintered on crops, shorn in spring and sold prime.

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after the sheep side of the family’s business that also includes cattle finishing and a range of arable crops. These include seed and process peas, grass-seed, cereals and process potatoes. The couple’s son Hugh looks after the cattle and crops and also runs a sheep milking operation, along with his wife Kylie, on a separate block.

Mark is the third generation of the Copland family to farm the 670-hectare property where new technologies sit comfortably alongside tried-and-true stockmanship and animal husbandry.

Until 10 years ago, Mark (64) was still using a horse and cart to do the lambing beat. While the horse has since been retired, the cart has been modified so it can be towed behind the farm’s side-by-side at lambing.

In 2003 the family began an irrigation development programme that now covers 500ha. Drawing water from four bores that feed four centre-pivots and a lateral irrigator, this development proved a gamechanger, giving the family the certainty to grow a range of cash and forage crops.

Mark says the arable crops are probably the most profitable part of the business on a per-hectare basis, but there is integration between the two enterprises. While the crops benefit the livestock, the opposite is also true, with the pasture breaks and fertility provided by the livestock benefiting

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Above: Mark and Robyn Copland with Mark’s favourite dog Don. Mark is a keen dog triallist.

Below: Robyn with the automatic lamb feeder she uses to rear up around 110 lambs a year.

“We’ve gone from a dryland sheep operation to having a finger in many different pies.”

the arable side of their business.

“We’ve gone from a dryland sheep operation to having a finger in many different pies,” Mark says.

Ewe numbers on Westmere have gradually decreased over the years (once peaking at more than 6000), making way for the arable crops and cattle trading. Today Mark and Robyn run 1300 commercial Border Romney ewes alongside 200 Border Leicester stud ewes.

The McCombie Border Leicester stud was started by Mark’s grandfather in 1932 and registered in 1933. Similarly, the farm has run commercial Border Romneys since Mark’s grandfather’s day, but Mark describes the breed as a good stable sheep that perform well in the middle of the Canterbury plains whether it is wet or dry.

He says the irrigation has enabled them to feed stock well throughout the year on a mix of pasture and winter forage crops such as Kestrel kale and swedes. These crops are grown for replacement ewe lambs and winter trade lambs, while fodder beet is grown for trading cattle.

Before going to the ram, the ewes are rotated around cereal stubble and postharvest potato paddocks and this, combined with their inherent fertility, means the ewes are reliably scanning 190–200%.

Most of the ewes are put to a Poll Dorset

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Poll Dorset terminal sires give the Coplands the fast-growing lambs with meaty carcases they want for their fast-finishing system.

ram, a breed Mark credits for giving them the high pre-weaning growth rates that allow them to get 40% of their lambs away prime at the weaning draft in midNovember.

“They’re good lambs. They’re really placid lambs and they really thrive.”

The Poll Dorsets have been a mainstay of their prime lamb operation since Mark and Robyn’s late son Todd (who sadly died of cancer) eyed up the breed at the Christchurch show.

He encouraged his father to go to Neville and Diane Greenwood’s ram sale where they bought a small number of rams.

Within days, Todd had single-handedly decided their black-face terminal rams no longer had a role in their sheep breeding programme and had turned them into dog tucker.

Mark had to quickly top up his ram numbers with more Poll Dorsets for the upcoming breeding season and he hasn’t looked back.

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“They’re a placid, gentle-giant type of sheep,” he says.

When selecting terminal sire rams, he always looks at their balance, depth of loin and hindquarters before looking at the numbers for early maturity and weight gain.

He also focuses on weaning weight and 200day weights.

He particularly likes the breed’s carcase depth and says they have a good engine, which gives them the meaty carcases they are looking for in their prime lambs.

The commercial ewes are strip-grazed on grass over winter and will only receive supplement if it’s particularly wet and cold.

Going into lambing, Mark and Robyn divide their paddocks up with hotwires (although they’re not turned on) and the ewes lamb within these cells. Mark sheds the yet-to-lamb ewes off every day and gradually builds up bigger mobs of ewes and lambs. They stay in these mobs until tailing.

Last year the ewes tailed 162% which reflects previous years’ percentages.

Lamb rearing system One of the downsides of having highly fertile ewes is the number of triplets. The triplet-bearing ewes are separated out before lambing, but Mark and Robyn still end up with a number of orphan lambs.

To deal with these, the couple have set up a lamb rearing system in a north-facing purpose-built shed. Using a De Laval automatic lamb feeder, last year Robyn reared 110 lambs and looks to do a similar number this year. Three years ago, she reared nearly 200 lambs.

The lambs are taught to bottle feed manually before they progress to the pens where they have ad-lib access to milk, emulating what they would do in the paddock.

Mark says studies have shown that a lamb will feed off a ewe up to 40 times a day, Mark says, hence the Copland’s desire to give the lambs ad-lib access to the milk.

They also have access to meal and straw.

They use Sprayfo milk powder as this

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Glenrobin Stud – Beltex Sheep

50% Beltex X Lambs Carcases

Beltex for the unique double muscling and higher meat yields

Now that the Beltex sheep have been in the country for 5 years we can now confirm with confidence the significant benefits of the Beltex breed.

• Ease of lambing due to the muscling not developing until after birth.

• Vigorous and hardy in our cold southern spring weather, meaning good survival rates.

• Sires with at least half Beltex, will give you lambs with good growth and an obvious advantage in carcase weight and meat yield.

• An example of our killing sheet on 11 Feb 2022 - 374 mixed sex lambs (sired from a half Beltex Ram) avg wgt 20.2 kg, 45% Y, 50% P, 4% T, 1% F. • The higher Beltex % you use will give you less fat and better meat yield.

Inspection Welcome Michael Robinson 027 210 5977 133 Robinson Road, Glenham, 1 R D, Wyndham 9891 or Brent Robinson 027 206 4958

Photos of sale rams lambs in February.

50% Beltex X Lamb Carcases.

50% Beltex X Lambs Carcases

Ram Lambs available early March Two Tooth Rams available each November Sired by top pure Beltex Rams

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RAM SALE 17 NOVEMBER 2022 Rangiatea, Mt Somers

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PUREBREDS AND CROSSBREDS FOR SALE

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October 2022

doesn’t cause the bloating or gastric issues associated with traditional lamb milk powders.

While the hand-reared lambs won’t ever make the weaning drafts, both Mark and Robyn say they catch up with their peers quickly and are indistinguishable in subsequent drafts, apart from being overfriendly in the yards.

After the weaning in mid-November, the remaining lambs are rotated around pasture and another draft is taken before Christmas.

Remaining lambs are shorn, which Mark says prevents flystrike and helps drive growth rates.

“It’s an expensive way to do it, but we’re getting a good animal out the gate.”

All lambs are sold to AFFCO.

The Halfbred lambs were particularly profitable a couple of years ago but an easing in mid-micron prices has cut returns.

“It’s an expensive way to do it, but we’re getting a good animal out the gate.”

Another trick the Coplands use is to give their lambs a dose of Lambex along with selenium at tailing and in any subsequent drenches. It’s a nutritional feed supplement, containing trace elements, that purports to aid rumen performance. Mark and Robyn say the product seems to make the lambs a lot more settled, particularly after weaning.

Ewe lambs are not mated. Mark says they would rather focus on the mixed-age ewes and believes by not mating them as hoggets, they get another year out of them in the mixed-age flock.

September grass growth Mark says grass growth on Westmere doesn’t really kick into gear until late September, but good fertility, thanks to generations of livestock farming combined with their fertiliser programme, means they are getting excellent grass growth in October and November.

Their crop rotations mean they are turning paddocks over every five or six years and Mark uses a perennial ryegrass combined with red and white clover that’s performing very well in their environment.

This year the Coplands wintered 2700 Halfbred lambs on winter forage crops and these will be shorn in spring and the lambs sold prime.

They have been buying in Halfbred lambs

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for several years now and while they were particularly profitable a couple of years ago, an easing in mid-micron wool prices has cut returns.

The family does all the tractor work themselves and alongside Mark, Robyn and Hugh, they employ one full-time staff member and bring in casual labour when required. Two people are employed at lambing in the sheep milking unit and they will lend a hand on Westmere when needed.

Mark believes that commercial ewe numbers on Westmere will continue to

decline and while he jokes that they are just a hobby flock now, they are highperforming ewes that produce good quality fast-finishing lambs.

While he hopes the Border Leicester stud will make it to its 100-year anniversary, the way stud rams are sold is changing rapidly and last year they sold their genetics online.

The breed is sought after for crossbreeding programmes.

Mark enjoys showing his sheep and is a well-known dog trialer whose dogs earn their keep on the farm as well as on the trial course.

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Snowdon Perendales and Suffolks Pure Production and Performance in all environments

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ADVERTISING

Romani Coopworths

Romani looks to reduce inputs further WHILE PROVING A TOUGH, WET WINTER for many farmers throughout the country, Romani Coopworths’ owners Ross and Ruth Richards have welcomed a season that has been warmer than past winters and helped set the King Country farm up well for springtime.

Ross says he has welcomed a catch up in rainfall, recharging dams and water tables that have been seriously depleted over past summers in country that was once considered to be summer safe in Ruapehu’s shadow.

The couple are continuing to push genetic boundaries at Romani, both within their core Coopworth breeding flock and beyond by stepping into new breeds and tapping into their cross-breeding potential, and the gains they can bring in efficiencies and low-cost farming.

The Romani RICHWILT flock was initiated in 2019 with the aim of developing a highproducing, low-input sheep with good mothering ability and a calm nature. SIL recorded Wiltshires with FE tolerance, Meatmasters, and selected Coopworths from the Romani flock were used as the base ewes.

Ross has found selective crossing over the Coopworths has helped moderate some of the flightier characteristics of the Wiltshires, incorporating the Coopworths’ calmer, more attentive mothering abilities into the resulting cross bred.

He has found tagging lambs at birth has helped identify early what ewes are worth keeping, and which aren’t.

“I prefer to make it harder for them by going through them at lambing time. It soon identifies which are the flightier, poorer mothers, the ones that we really don’t want around.”

To help move things along they have also bought in Exlana genetics from the U.K, with the first offspring hitting the ground this season.

Exlana sheep are a composite maternal breed developed specifically as a low input, low labour breed, one that does not require shearing or dagging and has a higher proportion of its energy input committed to meat rather than wool production.

“We bought in semen from four UK rams, and they have all delivered good strong lambs. The lambs are very vocal at birth and quick to their feet which helps establish a good ewe-lamb bond, something that is very lacking in the Wiltshire breed. The Exlanas look and perform similar to our Coopworths, scanning around 180-210%, well up on the 130-170% for NZ Wiltshires.”

As a breed they are easy to handle and have good worm tolerance, and Ross is looking forward to seeing how the lambs grow and develop.

The Richards have also added to the mix the Damara influenced Meatmaster breed, “hair sheep”, as opposed to wool. These contain some Dorper and Texel genetics to produce a very meaty animal with half the progeny from this year’s sire across all ewe breeds being born with a hair coat rather than wool. Some of the Meatmaster cross will be available for sale this year.

Ross and Ruth are working with other breeders to get some sire referencing in place for shedding and haired sheep to give breeders greater accuracy with breeding decisions in this increasingly popular area.

Ultimately, Ruth and Ross want to work towards offering clients a sheep that is as productive and easy to handle as their Coopworths, without the hassle of shearing, something Ross does not believe the current offerings do.

The couple are also awaiting the latest performance results from the Beef + Lamb Genetics Low Input Central Progeny Test from

Orari Gorge station near Geraldine.

The project has been designed to benchmark sheep genetics best suited to delivering low input traits and to strengthen comparisons across flocks and breeding groups. The ram comparison trials leave ram lambs undocked and all lambs are drenched only once, at weaning.

Orari records a wide range of traits in the progeny of rams from about 17 flocks.

Romani rams have been consistently in the top few rams each year, with last year’s entry proving to be the most productive in the 2020 cohort.

Ross regrets BLG’s decision to stop the LICPT which has proven that top sheep performance can be achieved with much lower inputs than is the industry norm.

“As sheep farmers we have achieved huge productivity gains in the past 30 years, and are now going to have to achieve the same again to meet emissions targets without destocking.

The trial ewe flock is a fantastic resource and it’s a pity to see it go.”

He is heartened to find Romani’s genetics continue to go from strength to strength. A recent search through nProve shows a huge number of Romani’s Coopworth rams are in the top 10% of sires for key traits including fertility, survival, lamb growth, facial eczema tolerance, worm resistance and meat yield. A search for top production and disease tolerance among 26 non-wool flocks from 13 breeds shows the RICHWILT flock at the top.

Meantime the Richards are pushing on with their breeding projects which are aiming to achieve the low-cost, easy-care characteristics of their Coopworth flock into a breed without wool, while also incorporating easy care, low labour wool traits into the Coopworths.

• Supplied

Romani RICHWILT Romani Shedding and Hair Sheep: • No shearing

• Excellent feet and teeth

• Fully SIL recorded

• Worm tolerance

• Top production

• Ramguard testing at .4

• Easy handling

Ross Richards, Taumarunui • Phone 07 895 7144 • romani@farmside.co.nz 90

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DAM Breed • UNMATCHED MATERNAL GENETICS >>FERTILITY, MOTHERING ABILITY & MILK

• BREEDERS AT THE FOREFRONT OF GENETIC SELECTION & TRAITS FOR THE FUTURE >>FE TOLERANCE, PARASITE RESISTANCE, REDUCING DAGS & METHANE

• EFFICIENCY IS THE KEY TO PROFIT >>MODERATE SIZED EWES WITH HIGH PERFORMANCE & DISEASE TOLERANCE

WWW.COOPWORTHGENETICS.CO.NZ OR FACEBOOK @COOPWORTHGENETICS

Breeding for profitable sheep production since 1968 Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

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Smart Investing What sets the high performing farmers apart from the average?

One thing which has been noted is that farmers achieving returns in the top 10 % have a solid policy for expenditure in a tough year. No matter how bad the year, they never skimp on two things. They always put on fertilizer, and they always invest in top genetics.

Two things that add long term value to the farming business.

These farmers view every ram they have ever bought as an investment.

A maternal sire who passes on top performance traits to his daughters has a positive impact for generations. Retaining 10 daughters pays for the ram.

Do the maths.

SO WHAT IS A RAM WORTH? A $5000 ram was considered top dollar a few years ago but in recent times price tags of more than $10,000 have been seen.

WHAT IS DRIVING THIS RISE? Of course, lamb schedule is a big player. Returns from lamb sales drive demand and price of sires.

When lamb prices are strong, which they have been in recent years, more, heavier, faster growing lambs are sought. Top maternal genetics to produce those high performing daughters to fill the paddocks with lambs are in demand.

Also increasing in demand is a focus on health traits, primarily facial eczema (FE) and parasites.

Climate change has resulted in an increasing incidence of FE and this terrible disease is occurring in parts of the country where it was never a problem before. The only permanent sustainable solution to this disease is genetics. Incorporating FE genetics to future-proof a flock is a true long term investment.

Likewise, the prevalence of drench failure ( drench resistance) is rampant. There are tools in the box to deal with this problem with management, stock policy and product choice all useful options. Selecting for genetic ability to resist parasite load and reduce paddock contamination is also possible and a strong tool as genetic gain is cumulative.

Breeders that have been dedicated to selecting for these traits are in high demand as the market recognizes the value of these genetics. Hence the record prices for rams with high MW figures, FE tolerance and parasite resistance.

FEGold logo

HINENUI GENETICS www.hinenuigenetics.co.nz GISBORNE

Glendhu Coopworth/Dorset Downs; Ashaig Farm Coopworth 3rd Ram Sale

FESilver logo

COOPWORTH – ROMNEY – ROMWORTH SIL Recorded Flocks – NZMW + Meat DNA Parentage + Genomic Evaluation FE Gold status – Testing for FE Tolerance for over 30 years Nil drenching of ewes Proven performance genetics with leading facial eczema tolerance Ryan & Claire Teutenberg - 021 610 664 Phil & Deana Cook - 027 952 6048 Brett & Lucy Teutenberg - 027 446 3684

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Monday 28th November, 2022 On farm – 147 Kempthorne Road, Heriot Rams penned 12pm. Sale starts at 2pm The South Island’s largest Coopworth Ram Sale Glendhu Genetics

Approximately 75 Coopworth & 40 Dorset Down Rams For Sale

Fraser Fletcher 0274 978 104 • George Fletcher 0276 947 772

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October 2022

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The breeder makes a significant investment in time, labour and financial cost to produce such rams.

Establishing breeding values requires recording.

Weaning weights, eight-month weights and tupping weights all contribute to Growth and Adult Size values.

Muscle scanning and full CT scanning add information for Meat. Scanning % and recording lambs born dead or alive as well as lambs weaned provides Survival values. Wool weights are taken with confidence that this will again be an economic trait.

Health traits are difficult and expensive to record.

Feacal Egg Count (FEC) breeding values are created by putting lambs under parasite pressure and then individually sampling to assess FEC. There are breeders who do hundreds of samples at a cost of $9 each. A lot of poo.

Ramguard testing for FE tolerance at the top level is very pricey, at $350/ram tested.

Performance recording is the cornerstone of the Coopworth breed. Recording began in the 1960’s and the Coopworth breed led the industry with gains. The days of the biggest ram at the local show making the top price are long gone, today’s farmers look at production index values to make their choices.

Commercial farmers are looking hard at inputs and workload. The marketplace is seeking product with low impact. The government is pushing for reduction in greenhouse gases and impact on the environment.

Coopworth ewes tick all the boxes. Moderately

n

n

n n n n

Over 50 years of performance recording with full SIL figures available for all sale rams and over 2500 MW+M. Marlow qualifies as a FE Gold stud with all sale rams sired by rams who passed nil at .6 Marlow (712) sheep rank very high on the SIL lists All sale rams carcase scanned for eye muscle area Guaranteed sound Breeding for worm resistance with WormFec

Marlow C O O P W O RT H S

Steve Wyn-Harris • 06 855 8265 or 027 222 3284 swyn@xtra.co.nz • www.marlowcoopworths.co.nz Find us on Facebook - Marlow Genetics

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October 2022

Coopworth Genetics - more of these on the truck.

sized, high fertility ewes with top mothering ability which wean their weight in lamb, resist disease, require minimal drench and are robust in the face of challenging seasons are the answer.

In short - the ability of a ram to transform a flock and make positive gains in all economic and health traits is one of the smartest investments you can make.

OUR BREEDING MANDATE: • A strong structured animal with good confirmation • Performance checked on - High fertility, survival, growth & meat • NIL ewe drenching policy • Growing robust lambs through a selective drenching programme

Coopworth Stud in South Otago.

Rams for sale from early December.

Inspection welcome

43 Blaikie Road, RD2, Clinton 9584 Byron 0273 925 199 | Ross 0274 338 613 SHEEP GENETICS, GRAIN & BEEF | www.agfarms.co.nz

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The work behind the scenes There are so many things to consider in sheep breeding - all the building blocks to producing the best rams. A highly ranked ram put over an average flock of ewes will lift the progeny and the base overall; without a doubt. A great bunch of girls put to a less than average ram can produce a lot of rubbish in a breeder’s opinion. The ram has a huge influence on the progeny. Rams provide more than 80% of the genetic gain in a flock and their impact is long-lasting.

Consequently, the decisions you make when buying rams are very important.

Ram breeders and Beef + Lamb Genetics have done the work in sorting these guys and girls out and have all the right tools to help your choice of ram.

We know that the figures are a bit daunting, think of them like an exam result on the animal. In a nutshell, the higher the figures the more genetic gain you will get in return. Identify the traits which you want to improve and target rams with top figures in these areas. You will find that the Coopworth will rise to the top in your search.

• Fully SIL recorded under true commercial conditions

Romani Coopworths

• Selected for top growth and muscling, less dags, parasite tolerance, minimal drench. Not dipped since 2013.

• Romani commercial hoggets winner of 2017 NZ Ewe Hogget Competition Large Flock Award.

2018 winner Coopworth section • Romani flock finalist for 2017 NZ Sheep Industry Awards Maternal Trait Leader Parasite Resistance

SALE DATE Fri 4 Nov 2022, Frankton Saleyards OPEN DAY Tues 1 Nov 2022, Waikaretu Ph: 09 2333 230 www.nikaucoopworth.co.nz

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• Romani rams are top performers in B+LNZ Genetics Low Input Progeny Test.

Ross Richards, Taumarunui 07 895 7144 • romani@farmside.co.nz

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October 2022

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No need for the heartbreak, let your breeder do the culling year in year out. Pick your ram on figures first and when you lay your eyes on him and he doesn’t smile back at you then go look at your second choice and see if he is what you are looking for.

Coopworth sheep breeding, call it an obsession, a passion, or an out-of-control addiction - you will find that the breeders love the competition within their own fences, raising the bar and doing better and better every year, ironing out the issues and improving on the strengths of the breed. The strength of Coopworth Genetics NZ is that the group is like a family, they love to meet regularly, always on the end of the phone, extremely passionate about science and have the benefit of standardised breeding rules and the longest recording system in NZ, since 1969. Spread all over NZ, covering so many different climates and terrains – there is a Coopworth for everywhere. No need to say it won’t do well in your patch, there is a breeder nearby topping the list.

Go and find them.

Breeders spend a lot of time picking out the perfect women (ewes that is!) Cull, cull, cull. Those poor girls; every time they head up the race, they wonder who is going to be pinged this time. That’s continually raising the bar.

There’s a lot of concentration on the ewes and a strong breeding programme has the best rams over

Coopw

Lawson Lea Genetics

rths

the cream of the ewe crop every year. In turn that produces the best rams for the clients.

The time spent behind the scenes of the ram sale is huge. In the realm of the ewe selection there are the requirements of Maternal Worth selections – their fertility, survival, weights/adult size, the weights of the lambs they wean and how well those lambs grow, eye muscle area and the wool weights (we live in hope). Then there’s their structure to consider - feet, mouths, body condition scores, dag scores, and health traits, FEC counts, facial eczema. And now our sheep are going to be breathalysed to measure CO2 and methane outputs to identify lower-emitting animals to reduce the green house gas emissions.

At this stage the sheep are dizzy, so is the breeder and they’ve filled 83 notebooks with numbers and notes. They leave the yards with their 83 notebooks and a load of techno equipment – all this info then turns magically into Excel datasheets – a job for someone in the office on cold days or very late nights to sort out and send to their breeding bureau. And it all turns into the exam result mentioned earlier. It’s easier than it sounds and they do use all the best technology and equipment but there are a lot of hours involved and the work has to be done or there is no progress.

So, when the stud ewes come up the race next time, alarms go off if she hasn’t reared lambs of a

waione.co.nz

Flock 32 Est 1970

Breeding sheep with the Modern Farmer in mind.

At Lawson Lea we understand that the modern farmer wants a better work/life balance, that’s why we put in the hard work, so that you don’t have to.

• Less Handling Stress

• Reduced Dagging • Faster Growth Returns

Contact: Graeme Black P: 0274957912 E: gl.rrblack@gmail.com www.lawsonlea.co.nz

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October 2022

Buy with confidence, for less time in the yards and more time Relaxing.

John Wilkie 021 267 4425 jdw@waione.co.nz Whangaehu RD11 Wanganui

mothering longevity FE/GGT screened eye-muscle scan quality wool dag free FEC

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good enough weight; failed to regain weight or for structural let-downs to be rechecked etc. Any failures mean she’s culled. There’s no “oh, she’s a good animal, she can stay.”

Coopworth ewes have proven to be great crosses for other breeds, such as has been seen with Texel and Perendale, and these have taken hold with the maternal Coopworth as the strong base. High fertility, great mothering and milking ability are the cornerstone of the breed and as recording has progressed the Coopworth is also leading the pack with disease and parasite tolerance. The Low Input Progeny Test run in Geraldine for the past three years has seen Coopworths top the page each year.

Breeding sheep with high performance, low dag score and parasite tolerance is achievable. In the North Island the FE Gold group has been well populated by Coopworth breeders since it began.

It is interesting and rewarding being in a position as a breeder. Every ewe recorded has a wealth of information and you have the pleasure of seeing her family tree mapped out and watching the strong lines emerge, which are pursued and bred from. Some Coopworth ewes have produced rams taken to sale every year, then her daughters do the same.

Breeding for efficiency You don’t have to look far to see that the challenges facing the sheep and beef sector are significant.

Increased costs at every turn and a government set on carbon farming being the future of much of our landscape.

Not to mention droughts and dust followed by mud and floods.

Agriculture is truly the backbone of this country and we have weathered storms before and will again.

The key to weathering the current storm - GHG, environment, SNA, biodiversity, water quality, drench resistance, facial eczema - is not simple nor a single answer.

It will require us to be adaptable, imaginative and look to the future with optimism. To look on the bright side.

The world loves our product and demand for protein has never been higher.

Part of the solution will be reducing stock numbers while maintaining productivity and profit. This is a sound response which ticks all the boxes.

Efficiency - producing more with less. Less work, less

Join the sale online

NO. 1 COOPWORTH FLOCK •

Coopworth Rams breed under natural conditions.

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Fully performance recorded on SIL

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Only top 20% of rams born offered for sale.

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Member of NZ Ovine Sire Reference Group

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Genetic trends analysis of Lincoln flock available.

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Traits intensively selected for include: Reproduction, Survival, Growth & Meat Yield Enquiries and Inspection Welcome

Personal Service Guaranteed For further information contact: James Meyer AGLS, P.O Box 84, Lincoln University.

Ph (027) 538 7272 • E-mail James.Meyer@lincoln.ac.nz

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1PM, FRIDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2022 Join the Hard Hill Country Genetics team for the 2022 Ashgrove Ram Auction.

■ Hard Hill Country FEGold Coopworth Rams

15th year testing at 0.6mg

Steep, hard hill country Coopworth rams

■ Sheep are tough, they will shift and perform ■ Breeding for flystrike resistance, longevity

and worm resistance

■ Highly fertile and great mothers ■ All rams fully recorded on SIL & eye

muscle scanned

■ Coopworths in top 20% on NZMW

PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

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Tackle the future head on - increase your flock’s performance.

input, less impact on the land, less GHG produced – less cost.

We have the expertise, knowledge, and management practices to help us change systems on our farms to achieve this. And we have the genetics.

From a sheep breeding perspective this becomes an opportunity.

Moderately sized ewes weaning more lambs which can be picked earlier. Lambing hoggets as an income NOT ‘ bonus lambs”. High growth rates, good fertility plus disease and parasite tolerance.

Coopworth Genetics NZ - part of the solution.

Tackle the future head on, increase your flock’s performance.

TAMLET SHEEP GENETICS Tamlet Coopworth - Cooptex – Flock No. 145, established 1974. SIL No. 1138, 420 ewes Tamlet Romtex – Flock established 1963. SIL No. 233, 520 recorded ewes Tamlet Texel/Suftex – Flock No. 280, established 1991. SIL No. 2776, 300 recorded ewes • All dual purpose rams are Worm-Fec tested • Breeding the Myo-max meat gene into our flocks • Sale rams have Maternal Worth + meat indexes above 3300 = top 10% in NZ. DNA tested

SALE DAY

• Texel sale rams have Terminal indexes above 1640 = top 20% in NZ • Sires used in 2021 – maternal sires all rank in the top 6% in NZ. Terminal sires rank in the top 16% in NZ

George Smith 2 RD Wyndham 03 206 4925 tamlet@ruralinzone.net www.alphasheepgenetics.co.nz – www.coopworth.org.nz •

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October 2022

Breeding Coopworths since 1974 on steep Taumarunui hill country. Easy care, low-input, high-output sheep to improve your flock’s performance without compromising physical structure.

• FE GOLD for 9 years; Ramguard testing for 16 years • Routinely scanning at 180% • No dipping for past 5 years • Conservative drenching regime • Worm FEC & Dag recording since 2017 Wednesday November 16th • All stud hoggets muscle scanned Te Kuiti Sale Yards • Methane tested since 2021

•

Travis Carter & Julie Matthews 07-895-3348 Robert & Suzanne Carter 07-896-7020 151 Kirikau Valley Road, RD3, Taumarunui, 3993 thepoplarsfarm@gmail.com www.kirikaucoopworths.com

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DO YOU KNOW YOUR LOCAL COOPWORTH BREEDER? ROMANI COOPWORTHS

NIKAU COOPWORTHS Kate Broadbent Tuakau (09)-233-3230 broadbent.ka@gmail.com

Ross & Ruth Richards Taumarunui (07)-895-7144 romani@farmside.co.nz

ASHGROVE GENETICS

James & Janine Parsons Travis & Kirra Pymm Dargaville (09)-439-7749 (Travis) or 021-206-3208 (James) manager@ashgrovegenetics.co.nz

Brett & Lucy Teutenberg, Deana & Phil Cook, Ryan & Claire Teutenberg Gisborne (06)-862-8768 or 021-610-664 admin@hinenuigenetics.co.nz

Travis Carter & Julie Matthews Robert & Suzanne Carter Taumarunui (07)-895-3348 or (07)-896-7020 thepoplarsfarm@gmail.com

WAIONE COOPWORTH John Wilkie Whanganui (06)-342-6883 or 021-267-4425 coopworths@waione.co.nz

MARLOW COOPWORTHS

Steve Wyn-Harris Waipukurau (06)-855-8265 or 027-222-3284 swyn@xtra.co.nz

PINE PARK PARTNERSHIP Edward Sherriff Marton (06)-327-6591 or 021-704-778 pinepark@farmside.co.nz

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY

DITTON FARM

Chris Logan Christchurch (03)-423-0670 or 027-604-8450 Chris.Logan@lincoln.ac.nz

ASHAIG FARM

James Falloon Masterton (06)-372-4882 or 0274-999-765 James.Falloon@xtra.co.nz

George & Elaine Fletcher Cromwell (03)-445-4059 fletcher@ispnz.co.nz

DB&BW MCCULLOCH

G B & M D MITCHELL

Waimate (03)-689-3869 brucekathymcculloch@gmail.com

Lumsden (027)-681-4444 gmitchellfarming@gmail.com

WAIKOURA COOPWORTH J R & A G Lee Oamaru (03)-431-7819 allycatz@xtra.co.nz

TE RAE GENETICS Chris Wilson Winton 027-444-7072 chris.terae@gmail.com

LAWSON LEA GENETICS

GLENDHU GENETICS

Fraser Fletcher & Susie Burrows Heriot 027-497-8104 fraserfletcher@gmail.com

Graeme & Raewyn Black Riverton (03)-224-6369 or 027-495-7912 gl.rrblack@gmail.com

TAMLET SHEEP ASHTON GLEN GENETICS GENETICS

George Smith Invercargill Wyndham (03)-221-7269 davidcolhoun@farmside.co.nz (03)-206-4925 tamlet@ruralinzone.net

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Graeme Gleeson Pukeatua (07)-872 4856 or 027-727-3720 gbg.redley@xtra.co.nz

HINENUI GENETICS

KIRIKAU COOPWORTHS

DW COLHOUN

REDLEY PARK

Ross, Ruth & Byron Mitchell Clinton 0274-338-613 or 0273-925-199 rossruth@ashtonglen.co.nz

MOERAKI DOWNS GENETICS

Neville Caldwell Oamaru (03)-439-4751 or 027-480-7656 moerakidowns@gmail.com

WHARETOA GENETICS

Garth & Chris Shaw Balclutha (03)-415-9074 wharetoa@farmside.co.nz

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

LIVESTOCK Genetics

Trial highlights benefits of genetic tools A RECENT TRIAL COMPARING THE performance of two lines of rams over commercial two-tooths highlights the perils of judging rams on looks alone.

The trial, carried out over the last couple of years on Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Future Farm Lanercost north of Cheviot, compared two lines of rams (line A and line B) that were similar in most breeding value traits, including growth rates.

Phenotypically, the line A rams were a better-looking bunch with a higher standard in terms of body condition and general presentation.

But line B had a higher maternal worth index, primarily made up by differences in reproduction (which was higher) and adult body size (which was lower).

The rams were mated to two-tooth ewes

and the resulting twin-born lambs were EID tagged and DNA sampled to determine sire parentage (line A or line B). These daughters were run together as one mob and mated at eight months old.

At pregnancy scanning, there was a 30 percentage point difference between the two sire lines with the hoggets sired by line B rams scanning 125% while the hoggets sired by line A rams scanned 95%.

If all the 950 ewe hoggets were bred by line B rams, there would potentially be 284 more lambs born.

B+LNZ’s general manager farming excellence Dan Brier says this highlights the power of using the genetic analysis tools available to farmers, such as maternal worth indices, and making use of estimated breeding values when selecting rams.

The Combi Clamp increases the natural flow of animals because the lack of noise and abrupt movement is more inviting. This is especially important when handling lambs, as they tend to be more flighty than Ewes.

The rubber side panel on the Combi Clamp is also “backless”, made of flexible rubber which gently moulds around the animal, preventing bruising damage.

“I would suggest that anyone who wasn’t aware of the genetic information behind these rams and judged them on looks alone, would have predicted that the progeny of the line A rams would perform at a higher level.”

An extra 284 lambs would contribute significantly to the bottom line of a farming business and this is without any changes in management.

“It’s simply about making use of the genetic tools available to help maximise the productivity and profitability of a farm’s ewe flock.”

Go to nProve.co.nz to find breeders and rams with the best genetics for your environment.

• Supplied by Beef + Lamb NZ

The Ultimate in Stock Handling

Call us today!

0800 227 228

™

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99

ANALYSIS

The cost of producing a lamb Farm consultant Kerry Dwyer works the numbers to find the cost of producing a lamb and that farmers are running a high input cost system.

S

heep farming in 2022 is all about meat production, to the extent that SIL have dropped wool out of their maternal breeding index. This might be less true if you have Merinos, but meat is becoming a larger income item for them also.

So what is the cost of producing lambs?

We could do a set of figures for an example farm, working out input costs relative to production. Instead, I used the extensive database of figures available from Beef + Lamb Economic Service, which surveys a wide range of businesses around the whole of NZ. They categorise farms into different regions and classes of land type and provide regular updates to figures. Income is broken into types of stock produced and sold, along with wool and any other income

100

streams. Costs are surveyed into three groups.

Farm working expenses is made up of cost of wages, animal health, weed and pest control, shearing, fertiliser and lime, seeds, vehicle and fuel costs, electricity, feed and grazing, irrigation, cultivation and crop costs, repairs and maintenance, freight, and administration.

Standing charges are insurance, ACC levies, rates, managerial salaries, interest and rent. The third is depreciation. So a good analysis of the full cost of production.

The table shows the relevant data for lamb production costs, for 13 different classes of sheep and beef farms, provisional for the year to June 2022. The Economic Service provides average prices received for both prime and store lambs, which are produced in varying proportions by the various classes of farms. I have listed the prime lamb average price only, as an indicative figure relative to the average income per stock unit.

The lambing percentage achieved by the average farms means the number of lambs sold is fairly close to the number of ewes wintered on most farms e.g. a lambing of 133% allows for three quarters of the lambs to be sold while retaining a quarter as replacements. A higher lambing percentage allows for proportionately

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

“...NZ sheep farmers are not running low input systems…the average ratio of total expenses per stock unit to income per stock unit ranges from 68% to 78% of income, averaging 75%.”

more lambs sold which will increase income per stock unit.

Wool income for crossbred flocks has been close to shearing and wool selling costs for the year, so has had minimal influence on per stock unit income. The sale of surplus breeding ewes adds to the per stock unit income, but for simplicity I would allow that it covers the cost of rearing the replacements to breeding age.

There is variation between the farm classes for all the figures listed: A $27/head range in prime lamb price; $71/su range for income/su; $64/ su range in expenses/su; and a $29/su range in surplus/su. Those can largely be explained by the variation in land class which affects production (lambing percentage and lamb growth rates), the

Table 1: Lamb prices and farm economic statistics, provisional for 2021/22, from Beef + Lamb NZ Economic Farm Survey data.

Average Prime Lamb Price

Income $/su

Total Expenses $/su

Surplus $/su

3. NI Hard Hill Northland – Waikato – Bay of Plenty

$140.70

$123.20

$87.17

$36.03

4. NI Hill Northland – Waikato – Bay of Plenty

$141.00

$128.58

$93.90

$34.68

5. NI Finishing Northland - Waikato – Bay of Plenty

$150.20

$170.49

$116.99

$53.50

3. NI Hard Hill East Coast

$128.20

$107.02

$75.76

$31.26

4. NI Hill East Coast

$131.50

$118.07

$88.73

$29.34

5. NI Finishing East Coast

$155.00

$174.56

$118.66

$55.90

3. NI Hard Hill Taranaki – Manawatu

$139.70

$120.83

$92.63

$28.20

4. NI Hill Taranaki – Manawatu

$142.80

$136.66

$93.95

$42.71

5. NI Finishing Taranaki – Manawatu

$155.10

$172.50

$114.32

$58.18

1. SI – High Country

$132.70

$125.50

$98.38

$27.12

2. SI Hill Marlborough – Canterbury

$137.10

$130.75

$100.27

$30.48

6. SI Finishing & Breeding

$145.00

$178.62

$139.67

$38.95

7. SI Intensive Finishing Otago-Southland

$134.00

$164.51

$117.01

$47.51

9. All NZ classes

$139.20

$148.95

$111.70

$37.25

NZ All Classes 2012/13 (nominal value in 2013 $)

$81.17

$106.15

$86.38

$19.77

Beef + Lamb Farm Class

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October 2022

costs of farming the various land class, and the difference in scale seen.

The average prime lamb carcaseweight (CW) sold last year was about 19kg. That means the NZ average prime lamb sold returned about $7.35/ kg CW to the producer. Using the expenses/su as the cost of production, we have $111.70/lamb, equalling $5.90/kg CW. We can relate that to liveweight by assuming a dressing percentage of 42%, to reach a cost of production of $2.50/kg liveweight.

Assuming all lambs are sold at similar weights (which is not true) the cheapest cost of production might be achieved on the NI East Coast Hard Hill country farms at $4/kg CW and $1.70/kg liveweight. The fact is that the great majority of lambs sold off that class of farm are stores, at a lighter weight, so that figure is likely an underestimation.

I suspect the cost of production will have a greater range within farm classes than between the different classes i.e. there are some businesses within each class that are far better or not as good as the average, than the range shown between farm classes in the table.

As a comparison I have also shown the NZ average statistics from 10 years ago. It would appear that in 2012/13 the average lamb sold for the less than the cost of production. It had a production cost of $4.80/kg CW or $2/kg LW. It was a tough year for sheep farmers, but wool prices were better than today.

The most recent statistics put the NZ sheep flock at 25.78m total sheep, of which 16.1m are breeding ewes. That is a drop from about 32m total sheep in 2012. We also have 3.93m beef cattle of which 1.06m are breeding cows.

As sheep farmers we strive to be profitable, by controlling inputs and maximising production.

Business modelling generally shows that output is proportional to inputs i.e. there are very few places where you get high output from low input. The figures in the table show that NZ sheep farmers are not running low input systems, even on the NI East Coast, when judged by a global standard. The average ratio of total expenses per stock unit to income per stock unit ranges from 68% to 78% of income, averaging 75%.

The El Dorado is to have low cost sheep producing well above the national average.

Technology may help us get there.

Kerry Dwyer is a North Otago farm consultant and farmer.

101

ANALYSIS Review

The golden era?

Not quite Compared to the mid-1980s, sheep farming has reached its golden era. But new and constant changes present challenges, Graham Butcher writes.

I

was posed the question “is this the sheep farming golden era?” It caused me to flick through old newspaper cuttings, from when I was new in the business of consulting, to get a perspective on farming sheep today.

Let’s go back to the mid 1980s. There will be folk still farming today who endured those years when farming was in turmoil.

Wool, 37 micron good fleece, was worth just under $4.94/kg in March 1986. CPI adjusted for today that’s $13.98. CPI adjusted dags were 45c/kg ($1.27/kg CPI) which prompted a Southland journalist to write that dags/kg were worth more than lamb/kg. To be fair, the Wool Board was bidding at auctions and buying some bales on offer. But prices rose by about 80c/kg going into 1988.

This prompted a move to suggest all wool farming was the way to go and meat production had no future. I wrote at the time suggesting there were no circumstances where all wool farming was more profitable, but it was a close thing.

Lambs, published schedules went to “over 16.5kg WX” and values were about $1.60/kg before killing charges and freight or $4.40 CPI adjusted. Heavier than 16.5kg carcaseweight (CW) was a bit unusual.

Ewes were not that good either, to put it mildly. I had a copy of a kill sheet where the farmer received a bill from the processor for the privilege of using their facilities, but it has been lost. The sheet I did find was for 148 ewes at 21.4kg and the net paid to the farmer was $17.97, and that was the total for the sheet. If we CPI adjust

102

for today, that’s 34c/ewe.

Unbelievable, but true.

This of course prompted Sid Slee and his mates If wool had kept pace with inflation since its peak, farmgate to run old ewes up prices would be about $60/a fleece.

Invercargill’s main street to meet their end.

An example of good affirmative action of the sort we need today. and no capital/development expenditure.

Not that we would dispose of valuable ewes Interest rates were 25% for the working these days. account and 12% for term at the bank. If Back then, sheep farm budgets were you want to know about tough – just reflect under enormous pressure and I remember on these figures. attending Rural Bank discounting meetings But, sheep farmers survived. that created some equity for farmers having Management of sheep and sheep farms to exit farming. In effect, debt was written has made phenomenal gains in this off to create some equity for those getting generation. Right now, we have about 26 out. million sheep in NZ. That’s less than we In February 1986, Federated Farmers had in 1936 and about 44m less than the (Southland) worried that the meat industry early 1980s peak. But, over the time from was on the ‘brink of extinction’. peak numbers to now, export volumes of Interest rates during these times were also lamb and mutton have been more or less unbelievable. I had one client who peaked maintained. If you want a golden era of at 33% for bank term loans and 20% was sheep farming, then this is it. What an not uncommon. amazing achievement.

These were the conditions the parents So, here we are in 2022, a generation later, of today’s younger farmers endured and and change is constant. survived and were the result of a major reset We have some new issues to deal with, of economic policy in New Zealand which notably continual attrition of property exposed the flaws in farming policies at the rights, environmental rules designed by time. folk remote from farming and with a poor understanding of what works and what Spending on inputs miserly doesn’t. Increasingly intrusive reporting and I have a copy of the MAF Class 7 consenting requirements that can become (190ha/2650su finishing farm near Gore) public information as soon as they are actual performance for 1985/86. We had a lodged. And, make no mistake, proposed $1735 surplus with only 89c/su spent on National Policy Standards have the potential fertiliser, drawings restricted to $10,000 to put some farmers out of business.

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

“The average All Class Sheep and Beef farm average before tax profit for the 1990s was $44,800, For the period 2000 to 2010 it rose to $65,100 and for the 2010 to 2020 it was $96,900 – all this is inflation-adjusted.”

Economic settings appear hostile to farming as well. For example, Reserve Bank rules make farming an unattractive lending option for banks and Government policy allows full offset of carbon emissions against forestry, gobbling up prime grazing land.

Inflation could be added here.

We all know about increasing costs, and it’s probably worse than reported. Onfarm inflation is measured by the increasing costs of a basket of inputs, the number and type of which is fixed. There is no account taken of additional costs that arise from new animal health threats, consenting costs and the like. Unless they are in the basket, they are not measured. Hence, onfarm inflation is most likely higher than reported.

Hostile agendas threatening What has also changed is that farming is not only fully exposed to the reality of the world marketplace, but also the realities of the agendas of mega companies and small, but vocal, lifestyle/ethical groups. Their agendas are hostile to livestock farming.

It’s not that sheep farming has never had to deal with bureaucracy.

The very earliest grazing licenses issued had rules and inspections were made to ensure those rules were followed. Today, though, it is more intense and threatening.

Fortunately, farmers are finding their voice and increasingly saying no to rules and policy that can’t work and provide no advantage to marketing our products.

From the first imports of sheep, there have always been challenges. Nothing has changed, so we can’t judge it to be a golden era by the absence of challenges. They will always be there.

Let’s have a look at a broad measure of sheep farming success. The average All Class Sheep and Beef farm average before tax profit for the 1990s was $44,800, For the period 2000 to 2010 it rose to $65,100 and for the 2010 to 2020 it was $96,900 – all this is inflation-adjusted. Things have improved but this surplus needs to cover drawings, principle and tax. Sheep farm budgets are still under pressure The one big factor missing is, of course, wool. Just imagine if wool kept pace with inflation since its peak, we now would receive $13.98/kg for fleece wool. When

Thursday 17th November 2022, 10am-3pm

you consider how little the cost of raw wool is to the retail value of carpet, it’s almost believable to think we could regain what we had. That’s about $60 to the value of the fleece wool clipped off each ewe and that mostly will go straight to the bottom line less a bit taken off for shearers because they work that hard. Now there is something to strive for.

So, not a golden era.

My two requirements to judge now as the golden era would be the return of wool and central government, in particular, listening to farmers and forming policy in collaboration so they will actually work and achieve the desired outcomes. Two big requests,but if we can get there, sheep farming would be well placed to adapt to almost anything that comes along.

The challenge is deciding what are the long-term significant threats. Today’s correct decision may turn out to be tomorrow's wrong move. Today’s farmers need to understand the world to a far greater degree than ever. But there are so many competing forces at work that gut feeling and personal preference will probably rule the day when it comes to designing farm policy. Accuracy is only available in hindsight.

Graham Butcher is a Gorebased farm consultant

Nithdale Station, 338 Nithdale Road, Gore (meet at the woolshed)

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“Promoting genetic selection for parasite resistance as the most sustainable, long-term solution to worm challenges and drench resistance”

WormFEC Gold flocks must meet strict criteria to be awarded Gold status. For this reason, WormFEC Gold flocks are making twice as much progress in the selection for resistant animals as other WormFEC flocks and are not relying on a continual need for drench to maintain performance.

2400 2200 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 −200

2400 2200 NZMW – WormFEC GOLD flocks 585c above national average 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 −200

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NZMW (Cents)

The genetic trend graphs show that it is possible to breed for worm resistance with no compromise on production traits.

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2000

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Average Dual Purpose flocks

Year

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Average WormFEC Gold flocks

2015

Average WormFEC connected flocks

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2020 1995

2000 Average Dual Purpose flocks

2005

Year

2010

Average WormFEC Gold flocks

2015

2020

Average WormFEC connected flocks

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October 2022

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107

re sist a nce

ANIMAL HEALTH Parasites

m

r o w

f o The g s c i t ene Vet Sara Sutherland tries to sort the jargon around the genetics of resistance to parasitic worms.

108

S

ome breeds of sheep, and some individual sheep within a breed, will be more or less able to handle worms. Even though they are eating the same number of worm larvae in the grass, some will suffer from worms and some will be just fine.

By careful selection you can choose to breed sheep that aren’t affected by worms, reducing the need to drench. Genetics and immunology are the two areas with the most impenetrable jargon of all the scientific things farmers need to get their heads around. I’ll try to explain the jargon as simply as possible, without “dumbing it down”.

You can breed sheep to have lower worm egg count (WEC or faecal egg count FEC) and you can breed sheep to grow well despite a worm challenge.

intestine (depending on the worm species), adult worms are there but aren’t laying eggs, or immature worms are affecting the animal but not able to lay eggs yet.

Animals with diarrhoea will seem to have a lower FEC because of dilution. Animals that do more poos will seem to have a lower FEC. Also, different worm species lay different numbers of eggs. Barber’s Pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) lays thousands of eggs a day, where Teladorsagia (brown stomach worm) lays hundreds. So a FEC of 700 epg is more significant if it is mainly Teladorsagia than if it is mainly Haemonchus. We rely on FEC to reflect how many worms are affecting the animal but it’s not simple!

What does low FEC mean?

What other ways can we tell if an animal has worms?

A FEC measures the worm eggs present in the poos.

Some poor sod looks at poos through a microscope and counts the eggs. You can have low FEC if you have fewer adult worms in the stomach or small

Weight gain or BCS is the easiest to measure, FEC is the next easiest. Dag score is easy to measure but other things affect dag score, and some worms do not cause diarrhoea or dags.

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

“...lambs that are never exposed to larvae will take longer to develop immunity to larvae.”

Country-Wide Sheep

It is possible to measure how many adult worms are in the stomach or intestines but you have to kill the animal and wash the worms out of the stomach or intestine and count them under a microscope. Which genes are being turned on or off in response to worm challenge is really hard to measure.

We call “resistance” the trait of having a lower FEC for a given worm challenge. Don’t confuse this with worms being resistant to drenches! The heritability of resistance is around 0.25 – in very simple terms that means a quarter of the difference in FEC in the next crop of lambs is because of genetics.

You can also select for resilience which is the ability of a sheep to grow well despite a high FEC. Resilience is the trait of not being affected by worms – in other words the sheep is eating the larvae, these develop into adults and lay eggs, but the lamb’s growth rate is not affected and they don’t develop ill thrift. When we look at genes, different areas of the genome are associated with resistance rather than resilience. This is good as it means a lamb can inherit both. And you can select for dag score independently of FEC and resilience!

Adult worms in resistant animals lay fewer eggs, and there are fewer adult worms (larvae don’t develop into adults and adults are expelled from the digestive tract). What happens in the sheep that makes this happen?

Antibodies are released from the body to respond to infection. Different types of antibodies have different names and do slightly different things. There are also cytokines which are the messengers that coordinate the immune system.

Sheep with resistance to worms produce more cytokines to release more antibodies. In the gut they “flush” larvae out by increasing gut movement and mucus production like a wormy slip ‘n slide.

Some of them can also kill adult worms. Others limit the establishment of adult worms in the gut. A lamb first limits how many eggs the worm lays, and later stops the larvae from developing into adults.

Resistant sheep release more cytokines and release more antibodies to fight off worms. Goats are less resistant to worms than sheep because they don’t produce as many of these antibodies.

Different genes are involved in these different aspects of immunity. A lot of genes are involved with resistance to worms. It wouldn’t make evolutionary sense for something so complicated and multidimensional to be controlled by only one or two genes. Also different factors turn genes on and off. A large number of genes each have a small effect rather than a few genes each having a large effect. More genes are involved with some causes of resistance (management factors that lead to resistance) than others.

October 2022

Fewer antibodies around lambing During the periparturient period (four weeks before to four weeks after lambing) sheep release fewer antibodies, so the adult worms that are there release more eggs. This is called the peri-parturient rise in egg counts or PPR. The hormones oestrogen and prolactin are responsible for this decrease in antibodies. Leptin is a hormone that is higher in fat sheep, and a drop in leptin around lambing decreases the antibody response and cytokines. This explains why fat sheep have less increase in worm egg count around lambing than thin sheep (another reason to do your body condition scoring). Cortisol released during stress inhibits the release of cytokines and antibodies. Lots of different factors are involved in how antibodies are released, and lots we don’t yet know about.

Full immune response depends on exposure to larvae. In other words, lambs that are never exposed to larvae will take longer to develop immunity to larvae. That doesn’t mean you should avoid drenching lambs in summer to give this development a helping hand! The immune system of drenched lambs will do fine. Drenching doesn’t stop lambs from being exposed to larvae as they are still eating larvae after being drenched – the drench just kills the adult worms in the gut.

Change takes time It took 20,000 years for sheep to become how we know them today. Genetic solutions are important in the fight against worms, but don’t expect miracles overnight. Instead, incorporate the genetics of worms into your ram selection each year along with other traits that are important to you. Talk to your ram breeder about what they are including in their selection, and how much they are focusing on this.

Apart from buying rams with a low worm FEC genotype, how can you influence immunity in your animals? High protein diets increase eosinophil release and the cells in the abomasum that directly protect the lining from worms.

Antibodies are made out of protein. Well-fed animals are also likely to show more resilience. All the changes I have talked about (antibody release etc…) don’t start the moment a lamb is born but develop slowly over the first 12-16 months of life.

Target worm control measures at young animals.

Do a Wormwise course or talk to your vet about your parasite management plan – there are lots of tools you can use to reduce the impact of worms on your flock.

Sara Sutherland is a veterinarian with Veterinary Services Wairarapa.

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ANIMAL HEALTH Drench resistance

Resisting the parasite plague Despite regular warnings over recent decades, farmers appear unwilling to tackle the issue of drench resistance in sheep. By Lynda Gray.

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W

hat does it take to get the drench resistance message through?

Vets and scientists have been banging on for 20 years about the growing tide of internal parasite (worm) resistance to anthelmintic drench among New Zealand’s sheep flock and the dire production consequences that comes with it.

The alarm bells started back in the early 2000s on release of a national survey on drench resistance. Ever since there’s been lots of research around the reasons for and possible answers to the problem but limited success at getting the message across to farmers.

The most recent call out was from Techion (formerly Fecpak) which runs a laboratory processing 30,000 faecal egg count samples annually. It reported in August that unusually wet weather had contributed to record parasite numbers in sheep across the country this winter.

The July average was 784 eggs per gram (epg) compared with 607epg in 2021. Some counts in South Island flocks were more

than 3000epg, and in the North Island 1200epg.

Techion managing director Greg Mirams, said that in general, sheep with FEC counts of more than 500epg would be under stress from parasites and likely suffering a drop in condition.

“Worm burdens are as high as they’ve ever been and that’s partly reflective of climate change and is something the industry needs to address,” he said.

Vet and regular Country-Wide columnist Trevor Cook said farmer failure to pick up and act on the warnings was a train wreck waiting to happen.

“Farmers can’t see it coming and by the time they realise their drench is becoming less and less effective it’s too late.”

He likened the attitude to the 5+ A Day campaign aimed at upping the daily human consumption of fruit and vegetables.

“We all know what we should be doing but we don’t and the consequences of not doing so only become apparent when it’s too late.”

Reaching for the drench gun was almost

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

embedded in farmer DNA. He saw examples time and time again such as the client who put the effort into building an integrated livestock system to alleviate the worm risk but decided to blanket drench all the lambs anyway.

A faecal egg count had shown there was virtually no worm challenge; drenching them was a waste of time and money and more than likely feeding was the cause of the poor weight gains.

Another example was the farmer who bought a farm on which a faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) had revealed a very low level of drench resistance. However, the farmer called Cook in the lead up to the first lambing asking for advice on the best long-acting drench to use.

Brick wall moments like these frustrated him but there were some signs of positive change with a few of his clients taking on board management and genetics to reduce reliance on drench.

There were three tools for control he said: • Drench • Management • Genetics Drench had been the go-to tool for the last 50 years, but it should be the last resort. Management, such as integration of stock classes, long grazing rotations, the use of crops and grazing plans, was the big opportunity.

“It’s the cornerstone of tools, and genetics sit on top of that. The opportunity from genetics becomes more powerful once the worm challenge is reduced.”

Another step in the right direction was the first-time appointment of a manager

Sheep parasite burden across New Zealand Supplied by Techion.

Regional average (EPG) 0-500

2020

Jan-Jul

2500-5000 Insufficient data

"Worm burdens are as high as they’ve ever been and that’s partly reflective of climate change and is something the industry needs to address.”

“Soul destroying” was how AgResearch scientist Dave Leathwick described his 30-year career dedicated largely to the research of internal parasites in ruminant livestock.

The winner of the 2016 B+LNZ Sheep Industry Science Award said it was demoralising to have produced the work and data showing how drench resistance could be prevented and have it ignored by most vets and farmers.

“From that perspective I’ve been a miserable failure… there have been a few notable exceptions of farmers who have played the game and they’ve done spectacularly well in both farming and preventing resistance.”

The best hope for worm management was the ‘reversion’ approach or ways to reverse or minimise the harm of drench resistance.

He said it was about changing farming systems so that there’s less reliance on drench. It was still a new line of study so there’s still a lot of unknowns.

“We may be able to make the problem go away but the unknown is whether it will be gone forever.”

October 2022

2022

1000-2500

Research ignored

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2021

500-1000

to Wormwise, a programme he helped instigate in 2005. The goal of the collective backed by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, MPI, Agcarm and the NZVA was to slow the increase in parasites resistant to drenches.

Central North Island vet Ginny Dudonski was appointed the part-time Wormwise manager in May. She’s very familiar with worm and drench resistance and believed there were two main reasons why farmers didn’t understand the problem.

“Humans are wired to respond to pain… with drench resistance a lot of farmers won’t do anything until they feel the pain of lambs not growing or in the worst situation dying.”

Also, there were now successive generations who didn’t know how to farm without drenching.

“Before the first anthelmintic drenches in the late 1960s farmers learnt how to manage the problem. There were fewer intensive systems and lower stocking rates, but they adapted their farm management to cope.”

One of her first priorities was to get practical advice in bite sized chunks to farmers.

“There’s a lot of good and useful generic type research and I see one of my roles as taking those basic messages and showing how they can be practically applied in onfarm examples.”

As well as talking with several farmer groups she was using social media platforms

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There's more money in a Poll There’s more Dorset

money in a Poll purse Dorset purse When you weigh up your options, Poll Dorset is a way better choice.

When you weigh up your options, Poll Dorset is a way better choice.

You see, the genetic make-up in Poll Dorset enables lambs to put on

You see, the genetic make-up in Poll Dorset enables lambs to put on more weight faster. And the faster you get your lambs off to the works, the the better for for your bottom line.line. works, better your bottom

more weight faster. And the faster you get your lambs off to the

After all that the weather has thrown at you this year, things will be looking up when you get Poll Dorset on the job.

To find a registered ram breeder near you, find us on Facebook - Poll Dorset New Zealand or www.nzsheep.co.nz/ www.nzsheep.co.nz/polldorset poll-dorset-breeders

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Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

No new drenches When will animal health companies come up with a new drench was often asked by farmers, Trevor Cook said, and the answer was simple: Never.

There wasn’t the financial return from development of a new drench for ruminant livestock. Instead, it was the companion animal market that was attracting the research spend.

“People are happy to spend $50 on a treatment for their cat but not $5 on a beef steer that will return them hundreds of dollars,” Dave Leathwick said.

In line with this thinking was global animal health company Boehringer Ingelheim’s announcement late last year that they would stop the NZ manufacture of livestock ruminant products by December 2022.

He said NZ was a small and insignificant market in the global scheme of things, and revenue from anti-parasite treatments for sheep even less.

Facebook and Instagram to post videos on specific on-farm management.

Benchmarking the extent of the drench resistance problem was another priority but a repeat of the early 2000s survey would not happen. Instead, diagnostic testing laboratory Gribbles was developing a standardised system for onfarm FECRT tests and database to report trends. This would provide an initial snapshot from which trends in resistance would become apparent over time. Dudonski was also looking at the best way to include sheep and beef test results from other testing laboratories.

Another priority was to revisit a lot of past relevant research which had practical applications but was not effectively passed on to farmers.

There was a lot of work to tick off and in the meantime, there would be more pain before inroads were made into the problem of worm and drench resistance. Dudonski hoped that over the next year farmers would become familiar with the role and goal of Wormwise. Her seven-year goal was that industry and farmer mindset would be around a farm system approach rather than one-track drench gun cure.

Cost and loss There’s no shortage of research substantiating the loss and cost of drench resistance.

Back in 1982, a 14-week trial by Professor Coop (Lincoln University) showed that the lambs on high challenge worm pastures

drenched every 21 days took 44 days longer to reach prime weights than those undrenched on low challenge pastures.

In 2011, ‘The production cost of anthelmintic resistance in lambs’ calculated that ineffective drenching reduced lamb average liveweight gain by 9kg and carcaseweight by 4.7kg equating to a 10.4% drop in carcase value. The effect of reduced parasite control was also seen in a range of other performance variables such as body condition, and dags.

A 2014-2017 study by Techion and United Kingdom supermarket chain Sainsbury, looked at the production hit from ineffective drenching on 59 UK and 40 NZ supplier farms. It calculated an average weight loss per lamb of 3.13kg/ carcase and lost income of $15.18 using the B+LNZ average lamb meat 2016-17 farmgate price of $4.85. In today’s market, using the B+LNZ 2021-22 weighted average farm-gate lamb price of 7.24c/kg, the comparable figure was $22.66.

Mirams said the environmental cost of drench resistance was another cost factor.

The 2018 research, ‘Ubiquitous parasites drive a 33% increase in methane yield from livestock’ evaluated methane emissions per unit of feed intake in parasitised and non-parasitised finishing lambs in Scotland.

It could be argued that a Scottish feeding system was different to that in NZ but regardless there was a significant difference of GHG emissions from lambs with an undetected parasite burden.

A little Ultravac goes a long way. ®

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Find out more at sheepsolutions.co.nz Only available from your vet.

1. Usach, I. Martinez, R. Festini, T. Peris, J. E. (2019) Subcutaneous Injection of Drugs: Literature Review of Factors Influencing Pain Sensation at the Injection Site. Adv Ther 36:2986–2996.

2. Bingham, C. M. & Hodge, A. (2022) Lamb mortality and clostridial disease. New Zealand veterinary Journal 70 (1) 49-54. Zoetis New Zealand Limited Tel: 0800 963 847, www.zoetis.co.nz. ULTRAVAC is a registered trade mark of Zoetis. ACVM No.A3585, A6926, A10191, A11606 and A11607.

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October 2022

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ANIMAL HEALTH FE tolerance

A new challenge moving south BY: RACHAEL FOUHY

M

any farmers have dealt with facial eczema (FE) for years, however for those of us in the lower North Island this has become more of a challenge in recent years. FE is a disease that used to affect the Tararua district once every 10 years, however, three of the last four years have provided eczema challenges for us.

With that in mind, this article is written for farmers in the lower North Island and all the South Island for whom FE is not a regular occurrence.

FE is a fungal toxin that grows in pasture from late summer onwards. The fungus Pithomyces chartarum lives in the pasture all year round and when the conditions are right it rapidly proliferates. The two things

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

needed for FE growth are warm weather and moisture. In our area we often see these conditions in March when there are still warm night temperatures (12°C plus) and recent rain. When these conditions occur, the fungal growth produces spores that sit deep in the litter base. It is these spores that the animals ingest and which cause the damage. Areas that tend to have higher fungal growth include sheltered areas and warmer north-facing areas.

When the fungal spores are ingested they release a toxin – sporidesmin which causes damage to the liver and bile ducts. This can lead to blockage of bile ducts and build up of bile in the liver, and in the bloodstream the bile and waste products build up resulting in the photosensitivity that we commonly associate with FE. These toxins

also cause damage and scarring to the liver.

The liver does have the ability to regenerate, however, FE can cause significant damage and scarring to the liver and this isn’t reparable. This impacts an animal’s lifetime performance.

People most commonly recognise FE as an issue when they see sheep with peeling skin or floppy ears. However, subclinical or unseen eczema is a much bigger issue. In these cases the liver still suffers a significant amount of damage, just not enough to cause skin lesions. This damage can result in decreased growth rates, poor condition and decreased reproductive performance.

This will often be evident as a decreased scanning percentage (fewer multiples).

The impact of eczema can show up in the spring, as often animals can pack up after

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Options for preventing eczema include: • Making use of spore counts in your area to understand the risk.

Counts can vary greatly between properties so the best advice is to test paddocks on the farm. Test this weekly.

• Using zinc capsules as a preventative tool. These need to be given prior to the risk period.

There are two products available: Time Capsules and Faceguard.

They can only be given for a set period, so it is important to give them at the right time.

• Spraying fungal sprays on pasture to provide up to six weeks protection.

• Genetics – this is the way to progress as we look to increase tolerance to eczema. Many breeders have been selecting

for this for a long time and have built up some excellent tolerance. Rams are tested by AgResearch and given estimated breeding values based on their results. Ram breeders will test their rams at different levels based on the flock’s level of tolerance. When talking to breeders about FE tolerance and testing it’s important to ask how long they have been testing for, what levels they are being tested at and how many rams they are testing? FE tolerance has a high heritability compared with some other genetic traits and is worthwhile investing in. For more information check out www. fegold.co.nz

a period of stress, e.g. lambing. These animals may be found dead or might waste away. If an animal gets eczema year on year, the damage can be cumulative.

How do you know if you might have challenges with eczema? Kill sheets are able to provide information about the liver and may give an indication that eczema is an issue. Other approaches include doing some post mortems on ill-thrifty sheep or taking blood samples pre- or postscanning.

GGT, the liver enzyme that becomes elevated with FE damage can remain high for a long time. So if your scanning was back, blood testing the dries is a cheap and simple approach. Most vet clinics run a spore counting service: check what’s happening in your area.

Rachael Fouhy is head vet at Tararua Veterinary Services, Pahiatua.

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ROMDALE 2TH RAMS TESTED 0.6

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Perendales & Romdales are

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ANIMAL HEALTH FE tolerance

Labbased FE test closer

W

ork to develop a high throughput, low-cost facial eczema (FE) tolerance test for sheep is well underway with a commercial test expected to be made available to laboratories by the end of 2023.

AgResearch principal scientist Dr Axel Heiser is leading the Beef + Lamb New Zealand-initiated and funded work of which phase one and two of the programme are now complete. Phase one was to ensure it was possible to test for sporidesmin toxicity (the fungus associated with facial eczema) in the laboratory rather than exposing an animal to the toxin.

Heiser says phase two was the identification of biomarkers for FE tolerance or susceptibility, and this meant comparing biomarkers in three groups of animals: susceptible, tolerant (as determined by the traditional Ramguard test), and naive sheep that had never knowingly been exposed to sporidesmin or selected for FE tolerance.

A total of 231 blood and saliva samples were taken and although there is potential for saliva to be used as a sample type, the focus at this stage is on blood. From these samples, 924 assays and 1800 samples underwent further analysis to try to find markers that differentiated the three groups of animals.

Heiser says a total of 17,663 genes were identified and a number were different between the groups, suggesting the presence of biomarkers for FE tolerance and susceptibility.

The work now is progressing to phases three and four, focusing on reducing the

number of biomarkers to a maximum of four to make the development of a diagnostic test more feasible. This will require blood analysis from a further 176 susceptible and tolerant animals and then validation of the test for commercialisation.

“This is the number we expect to need to get statistically sound results.”

A lot of validation is then required before a test can be commercialised and ready for farmers to start testing their animals.

Ultimately, the scientists would like to produce a commercial FE tolerance test that uses either of the commonly used diagnostic tests, PCR or ELISA. If they do, as expected, complete this work on sheep, the project won’t stop there, Heiser says.

They will continue to work on developing a test for cattle, deer and alpaca and llamas, along with working on using saliva as a sample type rather than blood.

Dr Cara Brosnahan, senior adviser, research for B+LNZ, says if this project is successful, it will be a game-changer for the industry in terms of improving FE tolerance in our sheep flocks.

To be able to expand this test to other host species is the next logical step and will be included in the larger body of FE research if B+LNZ is successful in securing co-funding through MPI’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund.

It is also hoped the technology the test is based on will be able to be used to identify an animal’s susceptibility to other mycotoxins.

• Supplied by Beef + Lamb NZ.

ARVIDSON WILTSHIRES – NO MORE SHEARING NZ’s No.1 Facial Eczema Tolerant Meat Breed Flock (Test at .53, Testing since 2006) Performance Recorded since 1995, Carla Parasite testing, DNA, Hoof Scoring.

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ANIMAL HEALTH FE tolerance

Fac i a l e c z e ma

BUMPS

D

SPEE

Peter Andrew sets the scene for facial eczema tolerance in sheep.

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ur ram breeders are world class, delivering a variety of genetic packages for their farmer clients across New Zealand. They use the latest selection technology blended with stockmanship to produce capable sires with exciting potential.

In the Gisborne-Wairoa region, their biggest genetic success has been in selecting sheep that have facial eczema tolerance. The 30-years of hard graft by dedicated breeders ended with the creation of the FE Gold rams, a bullet-proof survivor to sire our ewe flocks into the future.

They bred ewes that can be successfully mated under a major fungal storm and not only survive but also pump out a 200%-plus scanning.

Then, they will lamb a 160% docking off hill country and wean killable lambs. Perfection.

But many farmers are having speed bumps.

Flocks considered bomb-proof to FE are now having problems. The classic indicator is a drop in the twotooth scanning rate relative to the mixed age ewe of 20-30% when normally we expect them to be 10-12% behind. The drop off is usually an increase in dries. So, what is going on?

We need to remember that the two-tooth has a smaller liver relative to her bodyweight. She is way more vulnerable, and we need to respect this more with

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her grazing when with the ram among the autumn toxins.

They need to be grazed separately, have higher feed covers, colder paddocks and potentially even a zinc bolus. Monitoring of either the GGT levels in bloods or spore counting pastures is also a sensible idea.

There is no profit from producing a dry two-tooth as a farmer is missing out on her lifetime production and potentially $160 of extra lamb value at weaning. Well worth the price of a zinc bolus or monitoring.

Like the development of drench resistance, maybe the Pithomyces chartarum is fighting back and evolving into something more aggressive. Pithomyces chartarum is a fungus which grows on grass and produces spores with the toxin sporidesmin which causes facial eczema.

Like kikuyu, the fungus appears to be heading south and further into the hills. Maybe it is the planet warming, or maybe it is just nature and genetic adaptation. It certainly shows every sign of becoming more tolerant to cooler conditions.

So, what’s happening now with our onfarm genetic status? Having built some FE tolerance, many farmers have now headed off in a more naive direction using more vulnerable breeds such as the terminal sire or Wiltshire. There is no real test to say what level of FE tolerance you have in your ewe flock and therefore we

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Facial eczema is moving south and deeper into cooler hill country.

“There is no profit from producing a dry two-tooth as you are missing out on her lifetime production and potentially $160 of extra lamb value at weaning.”

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need to keep a close look at that two-tooth dry rate as being the canary in the FE minefield.

Our poor stud breeders must be in a quandary, we have heaps of great selection opportunities lined up with exciting potential such as low-input sheep, fleeceless sheep, no drench, no tailing and many more but which path do you take?

Change and the future It is a changing world and some big crosswinds and headwinds are coming at us.

So, what is the future of sheep farming in this district?

Will we even have hill country farming with the carbon landfills rapidly spreading across some of the best lambing country.

I loved a seminar from an Australian consultant, Phil Holmes a few years back, who said never do something unless it passes the first principles test. To fail the test is when there is no common sense to an item's value and I feel it is critical in these changing times.

The breeding ewe is an efficient and productive animal, being able to hunker down over winter then burst into spring with two or more killable lambs by Christmas.

Simple economics: less land, more people mean more demand and higher sheep prices.

The ewe is fundamentally a good tool for a sustainable future. She is an environmental angel in comparison to some of her more aggressive lowland

October 2022

land users such as dairy cows and bulls.

Unlike her bovine cousin she hates standing in water, sprinkles her pellets peacefully all over the hill and therefore is an environmental solution. She naturally does what other land users only dream about. She passes many first principles’ tests.

Carbon farming fails the first principles test because it destroys use of that land for future generations.

It is starting to look and smell like the Angora goat fibre market, just before it all crashed, and I lost some money. The investment was risky and failed the first principle test.

There are not too many certainties in life, but increased shearing costs, taxes and low wool prices are sadly a few of them. So, we need to head out of wool production and its associated shearing as fast as we can without eroding the great work done in the past.

Even though we are FE gold standard we still need to keep pushing hard for even better FE tolerance to protect our ewes.

It is all going to be quite exciting to one day have a fleeceless ewe, that docks 160% and doesn’t need to be drenched or treated for fly. I have every confidence this will be a reality.

Yes, there is lots of change out there, but it is a time to keep a steady hand and not be distracted.

• Peter Andrew is an AgFirst farm consultant based in Gisborne.

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ANIMAL HEALTH Opinion

Lessons learned for best practice Setting up an independent business, vets Ben Allott and his wife Samantha applied many of the lessons they had learned along the way.

I

t has been a while since I last wrote for Country-Wide and life is very different now to where I was several years ago.

Since we both graduated from vet school, Samantha and I have largely worked for large or corporate businesses. While these roles offered stability, good pay, and reduced after-hours commitments, we both shared an independent streak and had often talked about building something of our own together.

After a full year of developing business plans, lending applications, lease negotiations, resource consents, architects, building consents, tradesmen and buying an eye-watering amount of equipment, medications, and other supplies, we have opened the doors of Pegasus Bay Vets in North Canterbury.

Throughout this process I have been so grateful for the many, many pearls I have gleaned over the years, from the experiences of working with farmers, at field days and with Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) groups. I thought I would share a few of the stand-out points that should be the focus of anyone considering a new venture or opportunity.

Become financially literate Until six years ago I had never set my eyes on a set of annual accounts for a business. My introduction was when I arranged an RMPP workshop for a group of North Canterbury farmers with a farming accountant.

The ability to work through a set of accounts,

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understand the key drivers of profitability, understand how assets depreciate, understanding tax obligations and the timing of when these obligations will impact on plans was critical in our ability to apply for financing, to plan the size of our business and to predict the initial starting staffing, stock levels and equipment requirements.

I have a solid understanding of exactly how much income I require before I can hire another nurse, buy my next piece of surgical equipment, and stop my second job. The farmers and I who attended these workshops, learned so much – if you want to start your own venture I urge you to attend a course that will equip you with the same skills.

Set a conservative budget and strive to blow it out of the water If a financial plan or budget breaks even with a conservative estimate of costs and returns then relatively small reductions in cost or increases in performance yield large returns, all with the certainty that if things don’t go exactly to plan that the bottom line is sound.

Too often I have observed a client budgeting on achieving 200+ grams a day in summer lambs, or budgeting a dryland fodder-beet crop to yield 25 tonnes drymatter (DM)/hectare to make a scenario work financially. I recall watching and listening with a lot of interest as North Canterbury farmers grappled with this very problem as they worked through the feasibility of the Hurunui Water Project. Some would argue too conservative an approach has led to missed opportunity and exposure to future risk.

In my recent venture I have found a lot of stress has been taken from my shoulders knowing my family will stay afloat with relatively modest projections of business income in the first couple of years.

Diversify your income streams to reduce exposure to risk and stress When farmers bet everything on summer lamb finishing, their business becomes very exposed to the cost of trade lambs or a declining schedule.

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Ben Allott (35) and his wife Samantha (34).

Look for opportunities to spread risk and steady the ship. I took this on board myself and followed the example of many young farming couples who seek off-farm income while establishing. I have taken on a second role as an emergency hospital vet working overnight-shifts through the weekend. Yes, this takes away from the hours I could be working (potentially for a far higher return) in my own business, but the steady cheque week-in, week-out has given us so much more confidence and stress relief, particularly in the weeks where clients have been slow to walk through the doors. I can’t put a dollar value on being able to sleep soundly (most of the time).

Develop a business plan that plays to your strengths and minimises the impact of your weaknesses Over the years I have had several very impactful examples of this imprinted in my memory. I often reflect on a field day in Hawarden celebrating the winner of the national hogget competition.

As I prepared for and facilitated the day I was so impressed by a farming team that so clearly understood the strengths and weaknesses of their property and had developed a solid and relatively simple strategy to work to their strengths.

Performing a core business well on a consistent basis gives a business owner such a solid platform to react quickly when opportunities present themselves.

Don’t confuse profitability with higher income, complexity and busyness I have watched with interest some farmers spending the whole winter shifting break fences in kneehigh mud, running tractors all winter feeding out,

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“I certainly have a greater appreciation of all the other work that goes into keeping a business ticking over, and in the future will be a lot more understanding of why a drench is overdue or why the BVD vaccination got missed this year.”

hiring staff to cope with intensive systems, and then sowing crops, and harvesting silage and hay all spring and summer to prepare for it all again. All while another farmer down the road runs a slow winter rotation on grass with only breeding stock left on farm.

We have all been in farming long enough to know any broad-brush statement about which approach is better would be complete nonsense, but I recommend taking the time to investigate the Beef + Lamb NZ Economic Survey data available.

It shows no clear strong trend for higher cost and more intensive systems to deliver a higher return on capital.

Some of the most profitable clients I have worked with have had remarkably simple, low-cost and lowstress farm systems. Samantha and I investigated the purchase of three different vet clinics before we committed to starting from scratch.

The same lesson was reinforced to me while reviewing the books of these businesses. I could extend myself, buy a business that had money pouring in the door, but also tie myself into a massively busy workload with large numbers of staff to support, all for the same return on investment as a small, family business that allows me to take time off to take my girls to gym or dance on a Friday afternoon.

You need a support network A really strong one. For all the talk of efficiency and simplicity, our lives have been turned upside down and we have hit the wall several times. No new venture will be easy and I’m sure in a year I will have a whole new series of lessons to share.

For us, my parents have been the rock of support.

They shifted from Dunedin to live five minutes from us. Mum regularly cooks a dinner, takes the kids for a day, for a night or a weekend, and I can’t count the number of times we have got back from work and the house is vacuumed.

Dad and I spent hours at the clinic putting cabinets in, painting, assembling equipment and helping tradesmen to keep the job moving. I can’t imagine making it through without them but at the same time we knew we needed the support and we would never have started without it.

Wish us luck, we still need it. The first three months of business have been reassuring but we have a long way to go. I certainly have a greater appreciation of all the other work that goes into keeping a business ticking over and in the future will be a lot more understanding of why a drench is overdue or why the BVD vaccination got missed this year.

Take care of yourselves, develop a support network, get down to the core strategy of your business and work on doing this well, every time.

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ANIMAL HEALTH Brassicas

Mating on kale riskier but promising Grazing kale at mating shows promise on Southland farms, vet Andrew Cochrane writes.

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T

he importance of nutrition at mating is well known and along with ewe liveweight/condition is arguably the most important factor affecting reproductive performance.

Nothing much has changed here - studies in the 1980s at Ruakura showed good ovulation rates required adequate mating weights and a rising plane of nutrition. This is further defined as the static and dynamic effects of liveweight.

The static effect dictates that heavy ewes have higher ovulation rates and more lambs than light ewes. The dynamic effect relates to flushing, such that ewes gaining weight have higher ovulation rates than those with low or no weight gain. This is especially true for light ewes where the dynamic effect is greatest. Conversely, weight loss over mating will result in a reduction in ovulation rate.

The dry autumn we experienced down south this year is a great example of the impact lower ewe weights and poorer nutrition at mating can have. Scanning rates are back in many instances 10%, with some greater than 20% down on better

years. This can be attributed primarily to the lack of quality feed available at mating for flushing and poorer ewe condition overall.

Northern Southland has suffered two dry autumns in a row, with the most recent being more severe and more wide spread. These conditions have also been compounded by difficulty in securing processing space for lambs and the result has been a lack of quality feed to flush ewes on. This has resulted in southern farmers searching for options to flush, or even just maintain, ewes over the critical mating period.

Typical options include buying supplements such as sheep nuts, barley or balage, each of which come with their own set of pros and cons. Reducing demand is another way to improve feed availability and this often includes selling store lambs, but to have any real impact this is a decision best made earlier in the season.

Planting crops specifically for the autumn is becoming more widespread in Southland and local seed reps report increased interest this spring from sheep farmers following our recent dry autumns. While various options are available, of recent significance is the use of brassicas, specifically kale, for mating ewes.

Kale is a common winter crop in Southland but is typically not grazed until late May or beyond. However, with recent dry autumns some clients have grazed it successfully during ewe mating. As I understand it this is not a new practice, having also been used successfully in places such as North Canterbury and the Wairarapa. But it's new for Southland.

Three of our clients mated ewes on kale this season and all had very good results despite a challenging season (see sidebar).

These results have been in the face of significant feed shortages this autumn, as already mentioned most farms in our patch had scanning back 5-15% of normal.

Putting my veterinary hat on, I have some concerns with some of the management, but regardless these results show great promise as an option to help ensure reproductive success in the face of autumn feed shortages.

Using kale as a feed source for flushing over mating is more than just a bank of quality feed. It is also essentially parasite and fungus-free, both of which can have significant impacts during this critical period in the farming calendar. However, it does have some management and health considerations that need to be respected.

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FARM 1: Grazed kale with mixed-age light ewes and two-tooths, no supplement, ad-lib (no electric fences). Both mobs went on at the start of mating, or just before, with little in the way of transition (other than some uncultivated areas of grass).

• Two-tooth scanning – 161% (5 year average 147%) • Light MA ewes – 174% (good MA ewes on grass scanned 163%) Also mated some ewes on turnips which scanned 166%, this compared to another mob of ewes grazed on drought-stricken pasture, supplemented with silage and grain, which scanned 147%.

FARM 2: Grazed kale with two-tooths behind a wire on five-day breaks. No supplement and minimal transition (some grass in first break). Went on crop two weeks before ram, taken off at end of first cycle.

• Two-tooth scanning – 172% (scanned 157% last year, typically early to mid 160s) • MA ewes on pasture – 167% (typically mid to late 170s)

FARM 3: Grazed kale with two-tooths and hoggets, no supplement, ad-lib (no electric fences). Put on crop without transition at start of mating.

• Two-tooth scanning – 171% (last year scanned 153%) • Hoggets scanning – 102% (last year scanned 87%)

Your approach to these will depend on your attitude to risk, but the following should be considered:

Transition The rumen needs time to adapt to a new diet, if stock are not transitioned well they can go backwards which will have a negative impact on the reproductive performance. Ideally stock should be transitioned on to the kale over 10 days and be fully transitioned on to the crop at least 10 days prior to the start of mating.

Transitioning of the rams should also be a consideration.

Iodine Brassicas are well known for their goitrogenic effects on iodine uptake and on top of this they are also particularly low in iodine content. Iodine has been shown to have an impact on ovulation rates (twinning) and therefore supplementation of iodine should be considered whenever brassicas are fed during mating.

Health issues associated with brassica feeding Polioencephalomalacia (also known as thiamine/vitamin B1 deficiency) can occur on brassicas due to high sulphur content.

Photosensitivity (scald) can occur when brassicas (particularly rape) are fed before they are mature. Nitrate toxicity can occur from grazing brassicas, especially in overcast conditions and if plants have been under stress. SMCO toxicity (‘redwater’) can be a problem but is more

of an issue in mature crops, particularly those that have started flowering.

Cost Whilst a gross margin analysis is beyond the scope of this article, there are obvious costs associated with growing a brassica crop. However, the farmers I talked to in Southland were not growing any extra crop than they typically would for winter feed. They have simply chosen to graze the crop earlier, at a time when pasture is still growing and there are fewer environmental impacts from winter grazing, a win-win.

Lambing covers Assuming you end up with fewer dries and more twins, have you got the extra feed required to meet this extra demand? If you aren’t growing extra crop, do you have a contingency if winter is particularly long/ harsh and what impact will this have on your lambing covers?

Is this a silver bullet to better scanning?

Maybe… the experience of these farmers, despite riskier management, was certainly positive. I'm sure there are others amongst you that have used brassicas during mating and I’m interested in hearing your results. If you are keen to share, send me a message on my EweFirst Facebook page.

Happy farming everyone.

Andrew Cochrane is a vet with NS Vets, Riversdale, Southland.

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ANIMAL HEALTH Nutritional conditions

Reducing metabolic disease Sleepy sickness, milk fever and grass staggers are metabolic diseases that often strike during a ewe’s late pregnancy, vet Andrew Roe writes.

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ambing is in full swing in my patch and, while the weather so far has been pretty good – apart from a brief snowstorm at the beginning of September – we are fielding plenty of calls relating to ewes with metabolic disease.

No doubt some of the problems farmers are facing are directly related to the late summer/autumn drought that hit the South Otago and Southland regions this year. Many flocks did not see much grass while the rams were out, relying instead on supplements, including sheep nuts, grain and silage to get them through the autumn.

In fact, “supplements” doesn’t really seem appropriate terminology, as these feeds made up the bulk of the diet for many ewes for several months.

Despite everyone’s best efforts, ewe condition and pasture covers are not ideal on many farms, so it’s not surprising metabolic disease is rearing its head. So, what is it? Metabolic disease is a collective term for three conditions: sleepy sickness, milk fever and grass staggers. These disorders typically strike in late pregnancy or early lactation, although they can occasionally occur at other times and in dry ewes as well.

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Each disorder does not often occur in isolation. Ewes with sleepy sickness, for example, will often have a degree of milk fever. So, when it comes to treating affected animals, it often pays to cover all three disorders. And, because all three conditions are directly or indirectly caused by inadequate nutrition of some form, the same broad preventative measures are relevant to them all.

Sleepy sickness Sleepy sickness (pregnancy toxaemia) occurs when the energy requirements of heavily pregnant (or lactating) ewes are not being met by their energy intake.

This can be caused by a range of things

OTHER WAYS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF METABOLIC DISEASE IN YOUR EWES

including simple underfeeding for the stage of pregnancy and number of lambs on board, reduced appetite (e.g. from internal parasites), disorders such as lameness and poor teeth, or maybe poor quality feed.

Many “normal” ewes will experience a mild (subclinical) form of the condition because, in the latter stages of pregnancy, with a belly full of lambs, they physically can’t eat enough to meet their needs.

But it becomes a problem when they are relying on their own body fat reserves so heavily that by-products of fat metabolism (ketones) accumulate in their bloodstream, making them feel lethargic and not interested in eating.

Treatment consists of concentrated

• Taking care of underlying conditions such as internal parasites and lameness • When yarding ewes in late pregnancy, get the job done quickly and get them back on to feed as soon as you can. This may mean bringing in part mobs and, if bringing them long distances, shifting them in a couple of stages, with a day on pasture in between

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energy drenches, but is often unrewarding unless you can entice them to regain their appetite.

Milk fever The symptoms of milk fever (hypocalcaemia), i.e. ewes that are wobbly or unable to stand, are due to low blood calcium levels. The developing foetal skeleton, along with the production of milk, draw a lot of calcium out of a ewe’s bloodstream. Ewes compensate for this by mobilising calcium from their own bones, but this process can be hampered by chronic underfeeding, sudden changes in feed, low calcium diets (e.g. grain, rapid growing green feed) or low phosphorus

“Because all three conditions are directly or indirectly caused by inadequate nutrition of some form, the same broad preventative measures are relevant to them all.”

• Dusting breaks or balage/silage with causmag (magnesium oxide) in the latter stages of pregnancy, and also daily for a few days before yarding, especially if going to be off food for a while (e.g. for pre-lamb shearing) • Avoid sudden changes of feed in the latter stages of pregnancy, especially sudden introduction of very lush feed

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feeds such as rank pastures. Droving sheep or prolonged yarding can also precipitate a sudden drop in their blood calcium levels.

Treatment is usually more successful than with sleepy sickness, with most ewes responding to subcutaneous calcium injections. It pays to use a product that also contains magnesium, as this element is involved in calcium metabolism.

Grass staggers Grass staggers (hypomagnesaemia) also causes ewes to go down, but is a lot more dramatic than milk fever.

Initially, affected ewes are hyper-excitable with jerky movements, but this progresses rapidly to recumbency, with animals lying on their sides paddling and death following soon after. The same calcium/magnesium injectable solutions used to treat milk fever can also help with grass staggers if the ewes are found early enough, but 20% solutions of straight magnesium sulphates are better, though are not commonly on hand on sheep farms. Given that most clinically affected animals are just found dead, emphasis is usually placed on treating the rest of the mob to prevent further losses.

Dusting pasture with magnesium oxide may be feasible if ewes are not yet spread out for lambing. Feeding hay, if practical, can also help.

With animals having minimal storage capacity of magnesium, dietary intake of it is required on a daily basis. A number of factors can lead to a deficiency. Low soil magnesium may play a role, but is not commonly the issue, with most problems caused by low dietary availability of magnesium. This can be the result of rapidgrowing lush pasture, cold and wet weather or recent applications of nitrogenous and/ or potassic fertilisers. As with milk fever,

• If soil tests indicate marginal magnesium levels, these can be raised over time using magnesium-containing fertilisers such as serpentine super • Avoid feeding fodder beet or pastures with a lot of plantain in the last four weeks before the start of lambing

excessive droving or prolonged yarding can also precipitate some cases.

Prevention of metabolic disease Ewes exhibiting clinical signs of metabolic disease are just the tip of the iceberg. The greatest impact on farm productivity will come from what you don’t notice so readily amongst the rest of the flock.

Reduced new-born lamb viability, poor mothering ability, reduced quantity and quality of colostrum and reduced milk production are all consequences of subclinical metabolic disease, which ultimately all lead to higher lamb losses and lower lamb growth rates.

Although a lot easier said than done, especially during and after challenging drought conditions, the best way to minimise metabolic disease is to feed the ewes adequately. And not just in the last few weeks before lambing. For example, it takes four or five months for a ewe to replace the calcium mobilised from her skeleton during late pregnancy, so if dietary calcium and phosphorus intakes are inadequate over this time she may be at greater risk of milk fever the following season.

Similarly, ensuring ewes are in good condition before mating can reduce the risk of sleepy sickness later on. And when it comes to feeding during pregnancy, scanning helps immensely, enabling farmers to target the feed appropriately, prioritising the twins and triplets. Energydense supplements, such as nuts or grain, are a great way to lift those ewes in light condition as well as helping triplet-bearing ewes.

Andrew Roe is a veterinarian with Clutha Vets.

• If using nitrogenous fertiliser to address spring feed shortages, apply several small applications rather than one larger one if possible, and avoid putting older, multiplebearing ewes on recently treated pastures before lambing.

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Sheep of the future Whether a sheep has wool or no wool, the one that requires very few inputs is the sheep of the future, vet Trevor Cook writes.

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ll animals, including humans, have been around in some form or other for millions of years. There are no new animals. The threat we have is that some animals are disappearing from existence.

Sheep are not at risk of disappearing despite their rapid decline in numbers in New Zealand. A mere 20 million have gone to the ram this year. There are heaps of valid reasons for that decline and it is unlikely numbers will lift again, unless coarse wool fetches $20/kg or lamb $15/kg. Despite this poor outlook, huge effort continues in improving what we have.

In NZ we have 27 registered breeds while in the United Kingdom they have more than 90. The value of registered breeds is decreasing fast as stud sheep are compared to each other regardless of breed.

China has the most sheep, these being largely hair varieties. A lasting memory I have is artificially inseminating hundreds of local sheep way inland in China with semen from NZ composite rams. If I had not been told they were sheep I would have thought that they were goats.

The transition of the NZ sheep flock in my working life from a wool producer to a meat producer, except for fine-wool sheep, has been immense. The statistic

that drove a lot of farm purchases was the return on wool. In today’s money coarse wool was worth $60/ kg in 1960. The massive change since then has been in reproductive performance and meat production in coarse-wool sheep.

I have contact with and input into about 10 registered sheep breeders’ businesses scattered throughout the country. I need to be careful in these interactions because I cannot be seen to give biased advice from that association. Nevertheless, I am presumably adding value. This is usually not so much into the management of the stud operation but for some the integration of that into the whole farm system.

A common opinion sought is my perspective of what farmers want. While this is still largely just high production, more and more it is also other traits.

Facial eczema tolerance is a big one, but worm resistance or resilience is becoming more wanted.

Conformational soundness is very often the reason for farmers looking to change. The trait some breeders are claiming is low-cost sheep. The challenge is that as with worm resistance, it is hard to see or test in the commercial world.

All these breeders think they are, and are, breeding sheep of high genetic merit. Not all in the top 10 but

SUPERIOR GENETICS = SUPERIOR RESULTS SUPERIOR GENETICS AVA I L A B L E I N

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October 2022

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Wool-shedding breeds are becoming popular.

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compared to all rams sold they are well up there.

Of those in the very top rankings their genetics are hardly dominating what is used each autumn.

Even among the top commercial performers there is a massive range in studs represented. Which just highlights production is driven mostly by management. Genetics set the potential, how much of that potential is captured is up to management.

The vigour put into sheep breeding is as intense as it has ever been despite the lowering numbers. There is reason for the good ram breeders to be positive because as new demands are put on livestock production there is the need to produce more from less.

The ewe that consistently weans more than 100% of its body weight, consumes only 550kg of drymatter in a year, has minimal requirement for inputs such as dagging, crutching, dipping or drenching and has a productive life of six years plus is a sustainable sheep. Only performancedriven selection will get such sheep. Many of those elements are already available.

The almost revolution-like change with so many farmers moving to have sheep that do not need to be shorn shows the power of economic drivers. The extra benefits these sheep bring are cementing that change.

Lambings underway now of imported genetics delivering such sheep could unleash a tidal wave of change. But there are many obstacles before they deliver as much as the top woolly sheep. I hear a lot of the potential of a supply/demand imbalance with less wool being harvested driving up the wool price.

Regardless of no wool or wool, that efficient sheep that requires very few inputs is the sheep of the future.

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EXTENSIVE

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

A sheep and beef operation that began more than 70 years ago with Siberia Station in the Turakina Valley now incorporates seven farms.

Story and photos by Sarah Horrocks.

JAMES HURLEY IS A HUMBLE, UNASSUMING GUY, and the third generation to farm Siberia in the Turakina Valley, 35km northwest of Hunterville. His grandfather bought the 2950 hectare (effective) steep, hill country station in 1949 and it’s since grown into a large-scale, multi-property operation.

James came home to the business in 2000 to work alongside his father Mike, who dedicated his entire working life to Siberia and the farming community. Mike retired from farming in 2019 but likes to keep an interest in the farming calendar.

The business is largely protected from the fluctuating store market and now has a good balance of breeding and finishing farms that feed off one another.

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Starting with the Siberia Station, the operation now includes a 1100ha leasehold farm in Wairoa and five finishing blocks in the Rangitikei and Manawatu.

“The finishing blocks are critical to ensuring all stock, sheep and cattle, can be finished by us and nothing is sold store,” James says.

James and wife Sarah live on Waipa, a 46ha block near Hunterville, with their three daughters Rosie (13), Sabia (11) and Grace (4). The other four blocks total 774ha and are a combination of owned and leasehold land in Feilding, Rewa and Hunterville.

The July figures had the company, Siberia Station, running 34,865 sheep and 2393 cattle – enough to keep James on the road from dawn till dusk.

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“I’m the glue that holds everything together, but I have some bloody good staff around me.”

All the breeding happens at Siberia and Wairoa, with Romney-Kelso cross ewes run on both farms. The rams are a mix of Kelso from Hawke’s Bay and Romney from Ngaputahi Station in Ashhurst.

James has found that the combination of the Kelso and Forbes Cameron’s Ngaputahi Romneys perform well under stress and even in a dry year the ewes will always get back in lamb.

“Forbes’s rams are bloody hardy and they’re really good in our steep country,” he says.

Siberia runs 15,000 ewes and 4800 hoggets, which are put to the ram on April 1 (4500) and mid-April (main mob) for a

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lambing date of mid to late September.

Only the two-tooths and hoggets are scanned as they don’t tend to get many dries, and James doesn’t have enough paddocks for the twins so finds it simpler to keep them mixed together.

Scanning percentages from the twotooths at Siberia are 165–170%, scanning 172% in 2022. Docking percentages across the entire flock are 135–140%.

Any dry two-tooths are culled and the hoggets are only scanned as wet/dry – being given a second chance if they’re dry.

“I get a wet-dry tally from the younger sheep to give me something to put in my notebook and keep track of progress,” James says.

He believes mating his hoggets helps his whole programme, exposing them to

breeding at a younger age, and bettering his two-tooth lambing results.

“Our main priority is getting our hoggets and two-tooths up to weight for mating.”

Lamb finishing is a huge part of the overall operation and for this reason 11,000 of the Siberia flock are put to a terminal Kelso ram. Some of these head to the works straight off mum in early December at weaning time. The rest are weighed, drafted into mobs, and then trucked down to the finishing farms in waves – every four to six weeks starting December 1. All lambs are finished and an additional 2600 trade lambs were brought in last year.

About 2000 one-year ewes go to the terminal ram, but these are grazed on the hills of the Rowe finishing block that straddles the Rangitikei River. Its 200ha

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

“I’m the glue that holds everything together, but I have some bloody good staff around me.”

Above: The main woolshed at Siberia Station.

Above, right: Siberia manager Alex Matthews, left, and James Hurley in the yards.

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of easier hills provides kinder country for them. With an earlier lambing date at the end of July, these lambs and ewes are all killed during November.

Steep, hard country Siberia is steep, hard country with the majority of paddocks 70–100ha.

Chicory and swedes have been grown in the past on the 20–30 hectares a tractor can get over, and they’ve also done some hill country cropping, but James found it to be too expensive.

“I couldn’t get value for money out of the new grasses with such big paddocks and the steeper contour, so we stick to a low input, low cost system.”

The finishing blocks on the other hand, are a finely tuned, high input system. It’s

October 2022

all new grasses on a five-year rotation. All the lambs on the finishing blocks are fed chicory until the winter, when they’re pushed on to new grass. About 80ha of chicory is planted annually through a contracting business owned by James and his extended family. It stays in for two summers before they direct drill ryegrass through it in the autumn, so they always have 160ha of chicory over the summer months. James says doing the work themselves means they can be picky with their timing and make sure everything goes in at exactly the right time. The lambs are set stocked on the chicory and then rotated once the growth starts.

“Chicory goes through growth spurts like grass, but the fluctuations are bigger, so at times you’ve really got to stay on top of it.”

KEY POINTS Seven farms totalling 4750ha effective.

34,865 sheep and 2393 cattle at July 2022.

All stock are finished, nothing sold store.

Breeding blocks in Wairoa and Hunterville.

Strong wool sold to Elco and NZ Merino.

Ten permanent staff.

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A tally of 22,000 home-bred Siberia lambs are finished through Silver Fern Farms annually and some are on contract premiums. The home-bred lambs are able to be processed through the SFF 100% programme but any trade lambs need to be sold in separate lines.

Wairoa provides a good top up for the lamb tally, with another 5000 RomneyKelso cross ewes and 1200 hoggets.

“This is where everything kicks off for us each season,” James says.

The lambs are weaned on 1 November, which is complementary to the rest of the system.

About 2000 lambs are trucked from Wairoa to the finishing blocks in early November, about a month earlier than Siberia’s lambs start coming in. The remainder are able to be finished straight off the station in Wairoa as 25–30% of the land there is easier country.

The scanning and docking percentages are similar to Siberia, however the hoggets are only mated if the season allows.“Having the Wairoa lambs come down in early November gives us the ability to provide SFF with year-round supply.”

James targets 20kg carcaseweight (CW) over summer and in winter, usually 20kg CW for females and 21kg CW for males.

Last season was their best ever for lambs, docking just over 33,000 lambs across the entire operation and killing 28,500.

“This winter has been a real struggle as it’s

R2 Angus trade cattle on a kale crop at the Rowe finishing block.

been really wet and we’ve not been able to fully utilise the feed.”

And James says there was also a lot of worm burden in the autumn so consequently lambs have been killed down on usual, some as low as 18.5kg CW. Ewes are all given a Bionic capsule prelamb, and the lambs are all drenched every month from November. However, James found drench to be less effective earlier this year after a challenging wet autumn. He

uses Zolvix strategically once a year, and only as a last resort.

Monitoring faecal egg counts James and his staff monitor the faecal egg counts, especially at Siberia and Wairoa, and make the call on whether or not to administer the exit drench a couple of weeks before the ram goes out.

Facial eczema isn’t really an issue at Siberia, since James is buying FE-tolerant

CATTLE FOR THE WIN James runs 150 cows on Siberia and 250 on the Wairoa farm. These are all straightblack Angus and a small part of the overall cattle operation.

“We need the cows to clean up behind the ewes on the two stations but we also truck in hundreds of trade cattle to bolster the numbers.”

These (primarily Angus) trade cattle come in by the truckload all year round at 400–500kg, and are mostly bought from farms in Gisborne that have been supplying the Hurley family for more than 50 years.

“We try to buy from those same people because we know the cattle will shift well off hill country and they’ll finish well to

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heavy weights.”

Their first port of call is Siberia, where they’re used as a cow for one winter and then shifted down to the finishing country for their final push to prime. There are usually 80–100 that go straight off Siberia prime. However, James says there’s also the odd few that come in at 350–400kg and may stay for two winters.

“There is so much scope at Siberia that they make virtually no mess at all.”

On the finishing flats it’s a straight grass programme for the cattle in summer, which complements the lambs on the chicory well.

“We’re really lucky to have a diverse range of soil types on the finishing blocks.”

James goes on to say that the stony soils within the Rewa and Hunterville blocks are well suited to wintering cattle and while the heavy soil in Feilding means cattle are ruled out for the winter, it holds on really well in the summer months.

In April, the weaner heifers and steers (250) are all brought down to the Rowe block in Hunterville and fed 15ha jivet (annual ryegrass) over the winter months, before returning to Siberia in early October.

“Siberia isn’t weaner country and we just don’t have the quality feed they need,” James says.

Alongside stock on the Rowe block is 13ha of kale for wintering 300–400 older trade cattle. From the kale, the top ends

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

SUFTEX SUFTEX - – A NEW E RAM AIN NEWTERMINAL ERA IN TERMINAL RAMS

GRUNT

Fast growth, high meat yields, excellent survival and hardy rams

GRUNT

PERFORMANCE

Fast growth, high meat yields, meat quality, excellent survival and tough hardy rams

Shepherd Ollie Ritchie pushing up mixed-age Romney-Kelso cross ewes in the yards.

are released on to saved grass pasture prior to processing into the Silver Fern Farms Angus and Reserve programmes.

Last year James killed 2200 cattle with steers targeting 350 CW and, as with the lambs, everything is sold prime. Over two winters, the Wairoa farm finishes all their own cattle on farm to weights of 600kg LW or more.

James tends to buy one Angus bull a year from Atahua stud in Feilding. He looks for a good fleshy animal with a strong frame and a good 600-day weight EBV. “We run four Atahua bulls at Siberia as they’re our elite cow mob.”

Eight to ten of the top weaner bull

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

GRUNT

NZ Standard Terminal Worth (NZTW) Fast growth, high meat yields, excellent survival and tough

1600 1600 Olsen P levels are about 25–30 on the TS Flks Avg hardy rams 1400 1400 better country, but on the steeper hills Rpt Flks Avg 1200 1200 it swings from 7–20 within a matterPERFORMANCE of 1000 1000 metres.

800 800 “You’re throwing a huge amount of …..AND THE BREEDERS NORTH TO600SOUTH 600 money at guesswork and it’s never going 400 Raupuha King Country 400 to get right up there but I’d be happy with 200 200 Kelso Hawkes Bay 0 0 levels of around 15.”

2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 Year 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011Hawkes Pahiwi Bay In saying that, if fertility is good, James Paki-iti Manawatu won’t put 250kg/ha of super on just to tick Hemingford North Canterbury Continues that box if it’s not needed.

Punchbowl North Otago

Cents

rams, but he does need to keep an eye on it at the finishing blocks.

“Last year we spent $315,000 on animal health over 53,000su.”

Fertiliser is another large, seemingly never-ending cost, which varies year to year depending on the season. Siberia gets it flown on in a yearly rotation – a third gets DAP at 100kg/ha, a third gets 250kg/ ha sulphur super and the other third gets rested.

SUFTEX – A NEW ERA IN TERMINAL PERFORMANCE RAMS

››

0

AND THE BREEDERS Castledent Otago NORTH TO SOUTH

Nithdale Gore Twin Farm Gore King Country 07 877 8977 Raupuha Greeline …..AND THE BREEDERS NORTH TOWyndham SOUTH Hawkes Bay 0800 453 576 calves at Siberia are sent to Wairoa. From Kelso Mount Linton Otautau Raupuha King Country Hawkes Bay 06 855 494307 877 8977 there, manager Kent Birrell grows them Pahiwi Crossieberg Invercargill 0 Kelso Hawkes Bay 0800 453 576 Manawatu 06 328 5772 out to yearlings and selects the top two Paki-iti NthBay Canterbury 03 3158 68906 855 4943 Pahiwi HemingfordHawkes or three to use over his cows there. The Sth Canterbury 027 685 5702 Dalzell surplus bulls are then killed.

Paki-iti Manawatu 06 328 5772 027 976 0928 James says in both operations heifers Hemingford LongdownsNorthOtago Canterbury 03 3158 689 PremierSuftexNZ 027 256 6647 Nithdale NorthGore are kept as replacements and the surplus Punchbowl Otago 03 439 5693 Gore 03 208 5904 Twin Farm Otago are finished, but heifers are never mated.

Castledent 03 485 9535 027 201 7312 Strathallan Run Wyndham Everything calves as a three-year-old. Nithdale Gore 03 205 3566 Ohai 021 799 986 Mount Linton “We need to concentrate on the Twin Farm Gore 03 208 5902 Invercargill 027 230 4052 Crossiebeg finishing stock and keep feed for them.”

Greeline Wyndham 03 246 9697 He says mating yearling heifers would Mount Linton Otautau 03 225 4689 create another class of stock at Siberia.

Crossieberg Invercargill 027 230 4052 Not only would this hinder the already

PREMIER SUFTE

complex logistics, but also bring in the need for low birth weight bulls.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

PREMIERSUFTEX SUFTEX PREMIER PremierSuftexNZ

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With an elevation of 250–680 metres above sea level, Siberia’s grass curve doesn’t really get going until November. So the 4500 earlier lambing ewes are still cheating the grass curve. That same fertiliser policy is run on the Wairoa farm, however, on the finishing blocks soil testing is done on a paddock by paddock basis.

Bec Simpson from Ravendown has an inside knowledge of the overall business and has been handling all the soil fertility for more than a decade. James says Bec ensures the fertility levels are all there on a paddock by paddock, crop by crop basis, depending on the soil type.

“Our pH is around 6 and within reason, we just put on whatever is needed to ensure we get maximum results out of our crops and grasses.”

James has pulled back on nitrogen in the past six months due to the price increase.

The wool clip With wool, James has fostered long-term relationships and entered new ones, to ensure he reaps as much reward as possible for the 220,000kg produced by the company each year.

Siberia shears six monthly, in January and June, with the lambs also being shorn at weaning. The ewe wool clip averages 35–36 micron and all goes to Elco in Wanganui, with the majority destined for Bremworth contracts.

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Above: Leon Robinson manages the Feilding, Rewa and Rowe finishing blocks and has been working with the Hurley family for years. Below: Shepherd Ollie Ritchie pushing up mixed-age Romney-Kelso cross ewes.

“Ultimately we’re striving to supply consumers with premium products that meet their demands, while farming in a sustainable environment.”

“Our family has a long-standing relationship with Shane Eades at Elco and I really value that,” James says. The Wairoa clip is all going to The New Zealand Merino Company (NZM) through a relationship that James forged 12 months ago.

“NZ Merino are miles ahead of everyone else in terms of developing new markets for crossbred wool.” James was keen to be part of their cutting-edge philosophy and take advantage of the new markets they are opening up with their ZQ and ZQRX strong wool programmes.

“There are so many options given in regards to different markets and the relevant specifications that your wool may be able to fit into.”

Wool must meet the set specifications for vegetable matter, colour, micron and staple length in order to be eligible. Over the past 12 months, the wool clip in Wairoa has been sold into a wide range of different markets – the AA lines have gone to Bremworth, who have recently made the bold move to manufacture their carpet with 100% NZ wool. The various bellies/ pieces lines have gone into the IKEA rug programme, which sells bespoke hand knotted rugs around the world, and some of the lambs’ wool lines have gone to Scandinavian outdoors brand Fjallraven.

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

(Left to right) Rosie (13), wife Sarah, Grace (4), Sabia (11) and James Hurley, pictured on one of the finishing blocks near Hunterville. The Rangitikei River is behind them.

Overall, results showed that the wool was sold at more than 35% above standard auction pricing at the time.

The relationship with NZM suits Wairoa as the only North Island store happens to be in Napier, so cartage is low at $15/bale. James says in comparison, if it were shipped from Siberia it would be $35/ bale.

“The price I receive per kilo is comparable between the contracts on the two stations.”

Shearing still runs at a loss on both farms and although realistic about a potentially “big future” in the strong-wool industry, James does believe it’s improving year on year.

“Ultimately we’re striving to supply consumers with premium products that meet their demands, while farming in a sustainable environment.”

James has carried out extensive work fencing waterways on all properties and

planting the banks with natives wherever possible.

Steep gullies have been permanently retired on both Wairoa and Siberia, and more than 500 poplar poles are placed in strategic plantings annually. They recently fenced and planted a large waterway on the Feilding farm with the assistance from Horizons.

Pine trees are not popular, with just 1015ha of Siberia planted.

“They’re not in the ETS so I plan to get rid of them and plant natives for future generations.”

James jokes that he believes planting pine trees would simply line his pockets for retirement, while infuriating the next generation. That overall sense of positivity and community runs right through the operation, and James is determined to ensure it generates enjoyment, while providing a culture with character.

Many of his 10 permanent staff have been working with him for more than 10 years. Siberia has the highest weighting of staff, with Alex Matthews managing it plus two shepherds and two generals. Alex and his wife Emma moved to Siberia in 2019 after James and Sarah moved into James’s parents’ house at Waipa, bringing their young family closer to Hunterville. Leon Robinson manages the Feilding farm and the Wairoa manager is Kent Birrell, who was at Siberia as a young shepherd and who has one shepherd working alongside him.

“Siberia is an incredible place to live, the community is fantastic and it really is a completely different way of life,” James says.

On Farm Auction Friday December 16, 2022

Open Day; Friday November 25, 2022 For Sale: 300 fully recorded two-tooth rams

Proven by Performance Proven Breeder of Fast Growth Rate and High Meat Yielding Maternal and Terminal Sires

Garth Shaw 027 273 7037 • wharetoa@farmside.co.nz

www.wharetoagenetics.co.nz Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

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WOOL Infrastructure

From bare site to woolshed frame.

Justifying the building of a woolshed James Hoban has built a new woolshed on his Marlborough farm. He outlines how they went about this once-in-a-generation project, why they did it and what worked well.

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A

fter a lot of cursing and dreaming, 2021 saw us shearing in a brand-new woolshed. After three years of planning and two main shears in a new woolshed we are happy with what we created.

Our old woolshed was not purpose-built but was rather a set of century-old stables converted for the job. A concrete block wool room had been added but the chaff chute remained in the loft, over the gratings.

Despite a sticker proclaiming borer treatment in the 1960s, holes in the timber were abundant. A shaft drive plant was still in operation and shearers were too close together. There was storage for 300 sheep maximum for the three-stand shed and catching pens only held seven woolly ewes. Getting them into the catching pens involved pushing them up a 400mm-wide ramp, directly towards the shearing noise. Penning during crutching was a full-time job.

The state of the old woolshed made a newbuild or a major overhaul a necessity. Even if we were dealing with crossbred wool we would have needed to take drastic action. After much circling it became obvious that a major overhaul of the existing shed would still rack up massive costs. The limitations of the sloping site and existing building were daunting.

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

Doing our homework

“The state of the old woolshed made a newbuild or a major overhaul a necessity. Even if we were dealing with crossbred wool we would have needed to take drastic action.”

Hard work from the younger generation – William Hoban helping Les Webb.

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October 2022

Once we decided we were definitely in for a new shed rather than trying to polish an old eyesore, we researched our options.

Cost was always going to be a major consideration.

Quotes from four different shed companies showed a $100,000 variation on a budget of $250,000. The expensive options were from well-known, widely used companies. There was also a difference in the expertise companies could offer.

We opted for Greenwood and even in hindsight it was the right decision. They were experienced with woolsheds and took time to understand any intricacies to suit our needs. The quality of materials and timeliness of deliveries were excellent.

They were not the cheapest of the four quotes but were competitive and could offer a better service and deeper understanding of our project than the company that beat them on price. Taking the cheapest quote would have created subsequent headaches.

We spoke to shearers, wool handlers and other farmers before deciding on our final design. We asked our local contractor, who had worked in a lot of different sheds and had done his fair share of penning up, which sheds flowed the best. He recommended a local shed which, while older, was a breeze for penning up and worked well.

We visited this shed when it was in use and modelled our pens off it and another newer version we knew well.

Seeing sheep running was important but a follow-up visit with a notebook, tape measure and plenty of time, when the shed was not in use, was also key.

The pen design is reasonably common and the keys for it working are that pens are side loading, each catching pen has a filling pen the same size and sheep are never

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being pushed directly towards the noise of the machines or music. A horseshoe board was required to make the pen setup possible.

We also had two shearing contractors inspect the shed once we thought it was finished to see if we had missed any details. This resulted in some minor additions, such as chains on the ceiling to attach back-support cradles, which went a long way. Shearer feedback has all been positive.

Flat board vs raised board One of the most common questions people ask when we talk about our new shed is why on earth would we opt for a flat board over a raised board.

After 70 plus years working with wool, my father initially asked the same question. He began working in an ancient shed where sheep were penned overnight, then let out in the morning before condensation began dripping off the ceiling, then gradually fed back inside for shearing. He graduated to a two-story shed which he built with his father in 1963 and which was a major breakthrough for them.

Raised boards were an innovation about the time that shed was built and only starting to make an entrance so to keep things simple they stuck with a flat board. Fifty years and more than 100,000 fleeces later Dad was fairly certain if he ever built a new shed it would have a backsaving raised board.

Then we started talking to shedhands and other farmers who had built new sheds. Shearers we asked were ambivalent as long as there was enough space to shear. Shedhands were split but most favoured a flat board and commented that only the lazy ones would want it raised. Interestingly the shed hands who we considered to be the best at their job wanted a flat board.

In addition we spoke to several fine wool growers and reached the conclusion that a flat board would mean better quality wool preparation – something reinforced

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Above: Inside the completed shed. The shearing board is American Oak. The entire floor was coated with a non-slip treatment used in school gyms.

by the better shedhands. The comment was made many times that a raised board would be fine for crossbred wool but with finer wool a flat board was a better option.

A flat board has created a better space in the wool room, allowed us to have a lower shed and simplified the building process. We put 300 rams through the shed annually and do not sedate them for shearing. Longerterm, we think there might be a safety issue working with big rams, without sedation, on raised boards.

Grating options occupied a lot of time, discussion, woolshed visits and deep thought over several years.

We opted for three different types. The grey fibreglass catwalk type sheets are Graycol composite grating which is imported to Christchurch from China. There can be a significant wait time so it had to be ordered early. Graycol, steel mesh and timber grating were all reasonably close in price. Graycol grating had the benefits of being quick to install and reasonably light to handle. It also seems to be quieter than steel mesh.

Greenwood’s timber grating was excellent quality and was used for the catching pens. Grating in catching pens has to be laid longways so that sheep are dragged along it rather than across it. This stops sheep getting traction with their feet in the gaps and pushing back

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

when being dragged out on to the board.

Our shearers have told us it is surprising how often new grating is installed the wrong way around. The Graycol grating would not be ideal for sitting sheep down on and dragging them over but works well in the other pens.

Under the wool room we have dry storage for sheep on green plastic grating that came from decommissioned sheep milking barns near Invercargill.

This was by far the cheapest grating we found and has worked well but it was not for sale when we ordered the other grating. It clicks together like a jigsaw, in sheets about 0.3 square metres.

Keeping costs manageable We were extremely fortunate to have a recently retired builder in the family. Ross McEwan came up from Te Anau and did all of the internal aspects of the shed.

Local builder Les Webb built the shed shell, loading area, ramps and stairs.

We built our own yards and all the gates for the woolshed pens. Having a father who would have been a builder if he had not gone farming was also a major benefit. Our children were used at every opportunity

Country-Wide Sheep

October 2022

and their pay remains a grey area.

A quality family weekend saw more than 100 sheets of ply painted white, twice, to line the ceiling and improve lighting. Jack Russell footprints are still visible on some of those sheets. All of these things meant we kept costs manageable. We were also fortunate with timing in that the materials were ordered and paid for before the massive hikes in building costs.

The bank was supportive of the new shed for three main reasons. First, everyone understood when we came to this property five years ago that it needed to be in the budget. Secondly, we did not get carried away on an over-the-top shed and minimised costs where we could. Realistically the shed we have built would cater for a much bigger ewe flock so has future-proofed the business if it grows. Thirdly, we made it a multipurpose shed, including covered yards. The final cost was $254,000.

As well as being a wet weather basketball venue to send the kids to, it is our annual ram sale venue and we use it for stud sheep work at various times. We know of other farmers who have carried out major tractor engine overhauls in their woolsheds but we did not go that far.

Above: Lift and swing gate assemblies can be expensive.

Making these meant a major saving.

Weights are old Cambridge roller shafts cut to size and handing inside the tall pipe. Many of the gates were made from recycled, modified Cylone woolshed panels.

The others were made with new steel and ply.

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9th SUFFOLK, SOUTHSUFFOLK, SUFFOLK, CHAROLLAIS % CHAROLLAIS SOUTH SUFFOLK,and CHAROLLAIS and % CHAROLLAIS

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For more information or to request a catalogue, contact: Hampton For more information or to request aChris catalogue, contact: 03 614 3330 027 202 5679

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October 2022

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NORTH ISLAND Brandon, Philip & Audrey – Otorohanga. P: 07 873 6313 Bryant, Maree – Urenui. P: 06 752 3701 Frank, Wayne – Waitara. P: 06 754 4311 Jury, Chris – Waitara. P: 06 754 6672 Langlands, Neil & Linda – Taumarunui. P: 07 896 8660 MacFarlane, James – Stratford. P: 06 762 5880 Proffit, Russell & Mavis – Mahoneui. P: 027 355 2927 Brosnahan, Sean – Ohope. P: 06 864 4468 Robyn Harding – Woodville – P: 021 133 7533 Otoi Farming Co – Wairoa. P: 06 838 7398 Longview – Maxwell, Graeme & Sue – Tutira. P: 06 839 7412 Gaskin, Rob & Heather – Levin. P: 06 368 0623 Henricksen, John & Carey – Pongaroa. P: 06 374 3888 D’Ath, Warren – Palmerston North. P: 06 354 8951 Robbie, Donald & Marlene – Eketahuna. P: 06 376 7250 Spellman, John – Te Awamutu. P: 07 870 1433 Te Awaiti Station – Martinborough. P: 022 607 5968 Timms, Gilbert – Shannon. P: 06 362 7829

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14 November 2022

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SOUTH ISLAND

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17 January 2023

Gore South Island Ram Sale 10:30 AM, Gore Showgrounds

Anderson, Tim, Sue & Edward – Cheviot. P:03 319 2730 de Vos, Cor & Belia – Wakefield. P: 03 522 4280 Elliott, Ken – Akaroa. P: 021 221 4185 Evans, Ivan & Julie – Oxford. P: 03 312 1585 Jebson, John & Melissa – Darfield. P: 03 318 3796 Gallagher, Blair – Ashburton. P: 03 303 9819 James, Warrick – Coalgate. P: 03 318 2352 Oldfield, Philip – Geraldine. P: 03 693 9877 Tripp/Veronese, Annabel & Roy – Darfield. P: 03 318 6939 France, Richard & Kerry – Tapanui. P:03 204 8339 Gardyne, Robert – Oturehua. P: 021 144 9721 McElrea, Mike – Tapanui. P: 027 242 9376 Newhaven Farms – Oamaru. P: 03 432 4154 Mitchell Hillcrest – Clinton. P: 03 415 7187 Walker, Scott – Tapanui. P: 027 630 5301 Ayers, Warren – Wyndham. P: 027 226 4290 Christie Wilson P/s – Gore. P: 03 208 1789 Diamond Peak – Gore. P: 03 208 1030 McKelvie Ltd – Wyndham. P: 027 249 6905 Mackie, Andrew & Karen – Otautau. P: 021 210 3381 Mitchell, Philip & Christine – Tokanui. P:03 246 8881 Slee, Hayden & Kate – Te Anau. P: 03 249 9097 Wilson, Pip – Gore. P: 027 207 2882

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WOOL Education

Learning wool’s wonders WOOL IN SCHOOLS, A PROJECT THAT educates Kiwi school children about the wonders of wool, will see its 25,000th student pass through its ‘wool sheds’ in August.

The two wool sheds are converted 20-foot shipping containers that travel the country visiting schools and sharing knowledge about wool – inspiring students to use the sustainable, natural fibre in the future.

Wool in Schools was set up by Campaign for Wool, a global initiative spearheaded

by Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales now King Charles III - to raise awareness of the uses and benefits of wool. The prince opened the first wool shed at Tawa Intermediate in 2015 and interest from schools snowballed from there.

The visits are free of charge for the schools – the project is funded by Campaign for Wool with sponsorship from PGG Wrightson Wool. Schools apply via the Wool in Schools website and when there is enough demand in an area, a shed is dispatched, spending between one and two weeks at each site. The demand became so high that in 2018 a second container was created to better support South Island schools.

Campaign for Wool NZ chairman Tom O’Sullivan says they are pleased with the

response to the Wool Shed project.

“It’s a fantastic milestone to have reached 25,000 pupils – my own two daughters have been through the wool shed themselves, and still talk about it at home.

“But we still have a long way to go and would like every school student in New Zealand to have the opportunity to experience the wool shed and learn about wool in this way.”

The experience takes about 30 minutes.

Children pass through a series of interactive stations where they learn in fun and engaging ways about wool processes, uses and benefits of wool. There is even a mini loom in the container so they can have a go at weaving.

Wool in Schools’ project manager Vicki Linstrom says there’s one exhibit that seems to really stand out.

“The station that gets the most reaction from the students – and the adults for that matter – is the tennis ball exhibit. Many people don’t realise that wool is used to cover tennis balls, and are delighted to learn that NZ wool is chosen for the tennis balls at Wimbledon, due to its ‘crimp’ factor which gives the balls the best bounce.

“It’s fantastic to see young minds starting to think more broadly about wool as a truly versatile fibre, with far greater uses and

Students at Havelock North Primary School in one of the wool sheds.

benefits than just making their clothes.”

Students’ wool education doesn’t end in the wool shed. Campaign for Wool recently partnered with Geraldine farmer and author Christine Taylor whose children’s book Jock Visits The Neighbours is sent to schools for their libraries. It follows the adventures of a highland terrier who visits a nearby sheep farm.

“We are always looking for creative and inspiring ways to share the message about the super fibre that is wool,” O’Sullivan says.

He says the younger generations are tuned into the need for more sustainable ways of living, including moving away from cheap products made from plastic fibres.

• Supplied

P PE ER RE EN ND DA AL LE ES S for TING ZEMA S E T L EC t .50 IA FAC rance a Tole

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Flock 489 SIL Recorded

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SCIENCE Methane

Breeding low

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Breeding for low methane sheep research aims to show it can be done.

Nicola Dennis explains the science.

burpers T

he frustrating thing about mitigating climate change is that most of the information lobbed our way is focused on the “why” of it all. As if we are just one more media explainer article on global weather patterns away from redeeming humanity. Or perhaps if one more tells us that XYZ is a certain percentage of total emissions then, then…then? Yeah exactly. Snore.

We’ve heard it all before. Message received, we need to reduce waste and pollution. Got it.

You may think the climate change predictions are overcooked. You may have switched off after being labelled an eco-villain by the kind of people who would need an internet connection to work out how to keep a houseplant alive. But, you probably aren’t offended by the idea of using resources efficiently and improving air quality. We aren’t stuck on why humans need to clean their room. It’s working out “how” we go about it that is the real problem.

So let’s not get bogged down in why NZ farmers are obligated to reduce their methane emissions, or what would be a fairer system, or who is calling us names, or where in Wellington they work. Instead, let’s look at a promising way to reduce methane emissions from ruminant livestock: using our tried-and-true breeding methods to produce low-methane livestock.

Methane, the lost energy Cows, sheep, deer and other ruminants are basically walking fermenting chambers for grass. It’s a complicated system that involves four stomachs and regurgitating food for a second chew. But, the crux of it is that ruminants rely on a community of microbes

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to break pasture down into fatty acids for the host animal to use as its energy source. In return, the microbes get a nice place to live with free groceries.

Like any community, each member of the rumen microbiome has some tasks to do to keep it from falling apart. There are bacteria, archaea, protozoa and fungi all working on small parts of the long list of chemical reactions needed to turn pasture into useful chemicals. Some of these chemical reactions release hydrogen, which if left unchecked, would make the rumen too acidic for the microbes (and their cow or sheep host) to survive.

Luckily clean up crew are on hand to turn this hydrogen into propionate (a fatty acid the animal can use for energy) or methane (which the animal can dispose of by belching). The propionate pathway means extra energy for the animal and the methane pathway means that some energy is being dumped out in the interest of safety.

If you’ve ever seen methane catch fire (i.e. the Pike River footage) then you can appreciate how much energy is tied up in this little molecule. Globally, the experts estimate that ruminants are leaking out about 6% of their total energy intake in methane burps. But, that number ranges from 2% up to 12% in the tiny amount of studies undertaken. And this is where this article takes an uplifting turn away from depressing climate change stuff and into breeding more efficient livestock. Because where there is variation there is room for selection. Let’s breed for the animals that burp less of their hard earned feed into the atmosphere!

How to measure methane emissions You can measure a ruminant’s methane emissions via fairly simple means. You lock the animal in an airtight box and measure how much methane accumulates inside said box. The gold standard of boxes is the respiratory chamber, which is essentially a couple of days in an airtight hotel for Mr or Mrs Ruminant. The cost of having scientists waiting on your animal hand and foot adds up though. Your cow or sheep could enjoy a trip to Disneyland for a similar budget.

In recent years, AgResearch has optimised the time spent locked up to a single hour in a much simpler box (a portable accumulation chamber or PAC) with a methane reader. This gives a decent estimate of total methane emissions without being as taxing on the animal or the wallet. There is a well-established PAC system for sheep involving chest freezer sized

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“The animal’s genetics is influencing the work of the community of microbes in its rumen and it is possible to harness this to breed for low methane sheep.”

boxes. A cattle system involving a horse float sized box is in early development.

I should note that there are also devices that use a small number of pellets to lure animals into sticking their faces into fume hoods for spot methane readings. These are used in the new LIC and CRV dairy bull facilities to assess the next generation of dairy sires while they spend 35 days getting their feed intake measured at the same time. However, there is nothing an animal can’t do if it is given enough time and the promise of free treats. So these machines are generally only used in specific scenarios where high-tech babysitting is on hand to repair everything the tongue touches.

Is the animal in control of its methane emissions?

As we’ve already discussed, methane is produced by the microbes in the rumen, not the animal itself. But does the animal have some control over the microbes? And if so, can we breed for animals that have lower methane? That was the question that AgResearch set about asking a few years ago.

More than 1000 sheep were temporarily locked in boxes in order to identify the lowest and highest methane emitting animals. I’m going to refer to low methane and high methane animals, but the trait was actually methane per kg of drymatter (DM) eaten. If you don’t take into account the amount of food eaten in a research setting, then you are inadvertently selecting sheep that don’t eat much.

That’s the “Lowline” Angus route where you end up breeding miniature livestock for the amusement of lifestyle block owners.

Anyway, the average sheep was emitting 24 grams of methane a day, or 16g/methane/kg of DM intake (or to throw some abbreviations in there, 16g CH4/kg DMI). The sheep with the most extreme

methane profiles in either direction (plus or minus 0.5g CH4/kg DMI) were then used to create divergent breeding lines. That is, 100 of the lowest methane ewes were bred to the five lowest methane rams to create an eco-friendly line of low methane sheep. And the same top of the pops method was used to breed a gaseous line of high methane sheep. After three generations of this, there is now a 30% difference in methane emissions between the progeny of the lowest methane ram and the progeny of the biggest burper. The average between the two flocks is 12% or about 2gCH4/kg DMI. While that number might seem small (and the units are a frightening acronym salad), it adds up to a difference of more than one tonne/methane/sheep/ year.

So yes, the animal’s genetics is influencing the work of the community of microbes in its rumen and it is possible to harness this to breed for low methane sheep. In fact, many NZ ram breeders are already doing it. The AgResearch trailers are zooming around the country packed with sheep PACs ready to box-up sheep near you. The data feeds into the SIL methane module for bonafide methane breeding values. AgResearch reports that there is always a good amount of variation on farm with each stud finding its own line of low methane superstars.

How are the low methane animals doing it?

The low and high methane flocks at AgResearch give us some clues about how a sheep might go about taking some control of the bugs in its guts.

Outside of mating time, these sheep are run as one flock and it is impossible to tell who is a big or little burper based on looks alone.

But there are some important differences on the

Genetics that drive commercial profitability • • • •

Strong focus on structure and constitution Productive quality wools that suit the New Zealand environment Selection for maternal traits and rearing ability Large amount of objective measurements collected to generate Merino Select ASBVs Visit our website for more information.

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future is low methane sheep with high production, but messy bums. Or perhaps this is a side effect of the small number of animals used in the research flock and there are plenty of manscaped low methane heroes available in the wider population.

More research needed, always

Respiratory chambers are like a 5-star hotel for sheep. Photo: AgResearch.

inside. The low methane sheep have a smaller rumen, but that rumen has a denser arrangement of papillae (little bumps) in the rumen lining. This is likely to improve the transport of goodies out of the rumen and into the animal. As expected, they also have key changes in the composition of their rumen contents.

Plus, the low methane sheep eat smaller, but more frequent meals. They have a more favourable fatty acid profile in their meat. They have more wool and they have more lean muscle. That last one suggests that a better energy supply (i.e. losing less energy as methane) leads to more energy for production.

Whereas, a greater supply of wool suggests that there is a better supply of micronutrients in low methane sheep. But, let’s not rule out a genetic link between, say, wool production and smaller rumens. We don’t know enough about the physiology involved to make any definitive statements in that area.

What is becoming clear though, is that there aren’t any alarming tradeoffs to be made between reducing methane and increasing production. Statistically speaking, the low methane sheep have better survival, higher weaning weights, heavier carcaseweights, lower adult-ewe weights, and lower faecal egg counts.

There is no statistical difference between the lines in the number of lambs born, although if you squint, maybe the low methane sheep are running a hair behind the high methane sheep in the raw numbers.

Trawling for something nit-picky to focus on, I can see that the low methane line tends to have higher dag scores. Maybe, and this is pure speculation, a higher rumen throughput and some extra wool around, leads to slightly more dags. Perhaps the

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GETTING YOUR SHEEP MEASURED If you are a ram breeder, the AgResearch PAC trailer can swing by your place to measure your sheep for the SIL methane module. The trailer measures 12 lambs at a time and up to 84 lambs in a day.

To get good data there needs to be at least 10 lambs (of the same sex) tested per sire. It costs around $35 per animal. If you are genotyping your sheep then the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium may chip in for the measurement costs in a bid to find a genetic marker for methane emissions.

If you ask a scientist anything, they will always serve up a shopping list of extra research they would like to do. That’s because if you lay one question to rest, then 10 more come to its funeral. So here is a small selection of questions to answer.

What happens if low methane animals are treated with methane vaccines or inhibitors? What if we treated the low methane animals to a methane vaccine, or a methane inhibitor, or some seaweed, or something? Would there be extra methane reductions, or are these mitigation strategies all keys to the same lock?

Can we get methane breeding values for beef cattle? The sheep are leading the way and the dairy industry is off to a promising start, but how do we get something up and running in NZ beef cattle? Beef + Lamb’s Informing NZ Beef programme is doing some work in this area. I don’t know what kind of transparency is required for vague statements, but given I am about to end this article with a pot shot at research funding, maybe I should mention that I am tangentially involved in this effort.

Are there easier methods for estimating methane breeding values than locking animals in a box? There is a lot of groundwork being done behind the scenes to see if samples of rumen liquid (obtained relatively quickly through a stomach tube in the yards) could be used to identify low methane animals. This may even be extended to analysing the fatty acid profiles in meat or milk samples at the processors.

Funders enquire within The hold up here is getting enough good methane measurements to validate potential new measurements. Someone (most likely the government) needs to pay for all that though, and it ain’t cheap. But, then again, aren’t we in a climate emergency?

The high speed development of mRNA vaccines in the face of Covid-19 is testament to how quickly science can move if governments are prepared to open their wallets. The $1 billion M Bovis eradication programme is proof that the NZ government can splash money around when it feels suitably motivated (although their particular motivation for that one remains a mystery to me). But perhaps this is a very special type of emergency? One where it is very important to ratchet up regulations and commitments but it’s not that important to make sure we are paying for the research needed to meet them? How should I know?

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SCIENCE Study

Red meat trumps plant-based RESULTS FROM GROUND-BREAKING New Zealand research have shown red meat is a better source of protein than a processed plant-based alternative.

Findings from a human clinical trial undertaken for the Pasture Raised Advantage research programme found meat delivers more of the essential protein building blocks compared to a plant-based alternative.

The four-stage multidisciplinary project is exploring the health and wellbeing benefits of eating pasture-raised beef and lamb as part of a balanced diet, compared to grainfinished beef or a plant-based alternative. The research is a collaboration between researchers at AgResearch, the University of Auckland, Massey University and the Riddet Institute.

“Amino acids from red meat were of greater biological value and better absorbed by the body.”

In this first of two clinical trials, 30 participants aged 20-34 years were fed breakfast on four different days and their blood, digestive symptoms and mood were monitored for four hours immediately following the meal.

Breakfast was a burrito that contained a single serving of a different protein each day; pasture-raised beef, grain-finished beef, lamb and a plant-based alternative - served in random order to each participant across the four days.

Dr Andrea Braakhuis from the University of Auckland heads up the team of nutrition scientists responsible for the study. They measured the nutrients in the blood of the

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participants and saw a significant difference in the type and amounts of amino acids that come from the digestion of the protein of red meat compared and the processed alternative.

“Amino acids from red meat were of greater biological value and better absorbed by the body.”

Braakhuis says these clinical outcomes reflect the results of laboratory experiments carried out on the same foods by Massey University (led by Dr Lovedeep Kaur). Red meat was better digested in the laboratory simulator conditions than the plant-based alternative.

“Our project is showing that red meat is probably a better source of protein for the body than highly processed plant-based products promoted as meat alternatives.”

Plant-based requires scrutiny AgResearch senior scientist Dr Scott Knowles says the new generation of plant- based meat analogues are formulated to mimic the taste and basic nutrient composition of meat. But very little is known yet about their nutritional quality and health benefits.

He says plant-based alternatives are produced very differently from pasture-raised livestock and they’re marketed as having advantages in environmental footprint and sustainability.

Those credentials are still being scrutinised.

A second clinical trial, nearing completion, is looking at the longer-term impacts of eating a diet that includes moderate amounts of red meat.

Over 10 weeks, 80 participants are following either a flexitarian diet containing pastureraised beef and lamb or a vegetarian diet that includes various plant-based alternatives.

“This is the first clinical trial of its kind to compare the effects of flexitarian and

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The benefits of genetic tools vegetarian lifestyles on a range of outcomes of people’s health and wellbeing,” Braakhuis says.

“We’re hoping it will fill some gaps in our understanding about the nutritional value of pasture-raised red meat in a balanced diet.”

In addition to chemical and blood measurements, researchers are using a dietary app to collect food diaries and are monitoring the impact of the diets on physical responses in the body, such as weight, sleep and exercise.

They are also monitoring psychological and well-being factors such as mood and satisfaction to understand the full impact of the diet on individuals’ health.

Much of the global research on the environmental aspects of producing and eating red meat has been based on intensive grain-finished farming systems and often the nutritional and health studies have used meat that is processed or consumed in excess of recommended dietary guidelines. In contrast, the research programme is looking at modest amount of fresh red meat included as part of a balanced diet, particularly red meat raised in NZ where the animals are free-range, predominantly pasture- based and have zero treatment with antibiotics and hormones.

• Supplied.

Results from the first clinical trial can be viewed at: pubmed. ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/35669048/ The results of the present trial will be published next year.

More about the research programme can be found at: mia. co.nz/nutrition/ research/thepasture-raisedadvantagenutrition-study/

Below: Dr Scott Knowles says very little is known yet about the nutritional quality and health benefits of plant-based meat alternatives.

Looks can be deceiving and a recent trial comparing the performance of two lines of rams over commercial two-tooths highlights the perils of judging rams on looks alone.

The trial, carried out over the last couple of years on Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s future farm Lanercost, compared two lines of rams (Line A and Line B) that were similar in most breeding value traits, including growth rates.

Phenotypically, the line A rams were a better-looking bunch with a higher standard in terms of body condition and general presentation.

Line B however, had a higher maternal worth index, primarily made up by differences in reproduction (which was higher) and adult body size (which was lower).

The rams were mated together to two-tooth ewes and the resulting twin-born lambs were EID-tagged and DNA-sampled to determine sire parentage (Line A or Line B). These daughters were run together as one mob and mated at eight months old.

At pregnancy scanning, there was a 30 percentage point difference between the two sire lines with the hoggets sired by line B rams scanning 125%, while the hoggets sired by line A rams scanned 95%.

If all the 950 ewe hoggets were bred by line B rams there would potentially be 284 more lambs born.

B+LNZ’s general manager farming excellence Dan Brier, says this highlights the power of using the genetic analysis tools available to farmers, such as maternal worth indices and making use of estimated breeding values when selecting rams.

“I would suggest that anyone who wasn’t aware of the genetic information behind these rams and judged them on looks alone, would have predicted that the progeny of the line A rams would perform at a higher level.”

Brier says an extra 284 lambs would contribute significantly to the bottom line of a farming business and this is without any changes in management.

“It’s simply about making use of the genetic tools available to help maximise the productivity and profitability of your ewe flock.”

Go to nProve.co.nz to find breeders and rams with the best genetics for your environment.

• Supplied by Beef + Lamb NZ

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INNOVATION Meat quality

Scanning for IMF in sheep Scanning cattle for their intramuscular fat has led to a similar programme with sheepmeat, James Hoban writes. Photos by Chris Sullivan.

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orking with the first meat company in the world to assess intramuscular fat (IMF) in cattle before slaughter has seen Dunedin-based Peter Clulee pioneer IMF scanning for sheep.

Over a two-year period, Clulee was contracted to scan cattle for ANZCO as part of the Blue Apron programme. During that time he scanned nearly 20,000 cattle, each within a week of them being killed.

The images Clulee captured were sent to the United States and compared with postslaughter carcase assessments. The person in the US who Clulee worked with has an extensive background in scanning cattle for IMF and has developed an algorithm for scanning assessments which has been found to be about 95% accurate. He trained Clulee in how to use the scanner and for this work Peter had to take a minimum of five images for each assessment.

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Peter Clulee scans a ram with IMF scanning equipment on his farm near Outram, Dunedin.

“I am finding a lot more (IMF) in the maternal breeds than the terminals. The old English breeds seem to have more. I’m seeing a lot in Border Leicesters and Coopworths.”

At the end of the ANZCO work, Clulee bought the scanner and has continued to use it for cattle as well as with a growing number of ram breeders who are interested in gauging levels of IMF in their sheep. He has been assessing the IMF in sheep for more than three years now. Clulee and his wife Carolyn’s business Otago Ultrasound has more than 280 sheep-breeding eye muscle scanning clients and the number of them showing interest in the IMF assessment process is growing.

The approach Clulee is taking with sheep has shown promise in a preliminary

study in which he ultrasound scanned lambs at AgResearch Invermay. These lambs were subsequently processed, and the IMF of the loin estimated by a laboratory.

However, more animals with ultrasound data matched with laboratory measured loin IMF from a greater range of IMF values are needed to confirm the predictive ability of the ultrasound method.

Clulee says the American who taught him how to use the scanner will not accept images from any other machine. The scanner he uses is state of the art and the only one being used in New Zealand. While

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Peter uses three reference photos for his assessment. Showing low, average and high IMF ultrasound images.

Clulee is not the only person carrying out IMF assessments of sheep and cattle in NZ, he has a special method and is the only person using that machine.

His scoring system differs from others and Clulee explains that after analysing thousands of images he believes a one to three ranking is most meaningful for his clients.

“You are really splitting hairs trying to distinguish between a three, four or five.”

Accordingly, Clulee assesses and scores animals as either one – very little IMF, two – average level of IMF or three – above average IMF – shown by a lot of colouring and white in the pictures he captures.

Genetic studies measuring IMF from loins sourced from NZ sheep industry progeny tests have shown IMF to be highly heritable, with heritability estimates greater than 0.5.

In the cattle industry ultrasound is used to generate breeding values for IMF. To

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enable this to happen in sheep more data is required to confirm the predictive ability of each ultrasound approach to estimate the genetic merit of an individual. This will require a large dataset where laboratorymeasured loin IMF and ultrasound data are collected on the same individual.

Clulee is working with scientists to identify funding sources to undertake the data collection required to allow breeding values to be generated using his approach.

He says the best ways for people to use the tool at present are to scan their top animals when selecting stud sires or to compare the sires they have used by scanning progeny groups. His eye muscle scanning clients are spread across the South Island and lower North Island and cover “just about every sheep breed”. While not all breeds have been represented in his IMF work so far, he has observed some interesting differences.

He is finding a lot more in the maternal breeds than the terminals and says the old English breeds seem to have more.

“I’m seeing a lot in Border Leicesters and Coopworths and I’m absolutely certain it is coming from the Border Leicesters.”

Peter believes a long-term focus on growth and meat in terminal breeds might be the reason these breeds are showing less IMF than maternal sheep. Interestingly, though, he has found variation between terminal breeds. He scans two terminal breeds for one client and says one of those breeds has quite high IMF while the other, despite those rams being “every bit as forward” barely has any. He has also found variation between sires within breeds.

For one Wairarapa Romney breeder, Peter ran off any rams with more than 5mm of subcutaneous fat and then scanned them for IMF. A third of those sheep scored three for IMF. He says IMF is the last fat a sheep lays down and the first one to disappear when it gets a check. “Sheep have got to be in forward condition and to get a good result scanning the 45-50kg is about as early as you’ll see it.”

The evidence that IMF contributes to eating quality is irrefutable.

“It’s definitely what the chefs are after, but it is probably only niche at the moment. It’s hard to gain momentum until there is a premium paid for it.”

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CROP & FORAGE Pests

D uble

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eather conditions and increased background populations this winter may have caused a stall in the life cycle of grass grub. This means farmers may see a boomer hatch in autumn 2024, as well as the normal hatch in 2023.

This spring is the time to dig a hole to check, Foundation for Arable Research’s Dr Richard Chynoweth says.

A wet autumn saw lots of eggs hatch and grass grub feeding on pastures. But a winter food shortage may have stalled development of the grub lifecycle.

This puts some of the population on hold for 12 months.

Figure 1: Life cycle of New Zealand grass grub (Costelytra zealandica) illustrating normal one year, and occasional two year, cycles.

2ND-3RD INSTAR PUPA +12 months for 2-year lifecycle

Oct/Nov

BEETLE 3RD INSTAR

Mar-Oct

Normal one-year life cycle

Nov/Dec

Jan-Mar Dec Jan

2ND INSTAR EGGS

The lifecycle of grass grubs may have been interrupted by this year’s wet autumn, but the delay in development may see a boom of the pest ahead.

By Joanna Grigg.

“Although feeding can resume at any time,” Chynoweth says.

Food shortage can slow the development of the second or third instar larvae. They carry over in the soil into a second winter to emerge as adults the following summer. This creates a double whammy of beetles.

Farmers are best to be forewarned if considering timing of chemical control.

To check if two-year grass grub larvae are present, Chynoweth suggests farmers dig spade-sized square holes in spring. Then see if buried larvae remain unpupated (at third instar). These look like normal curled-up grubs with front legs, not big fat white pupa, that are about to emerge. They will be active (moving) if conditions are warm. If there are still third instar larvae present, then during the following spring (in 12 months) it is likely there will be a big flight of beetles.

A normal population rolling over from autumn typically has enough feed over winter to grow and mature. They erupt from the soil as bronze beetles in early summer. They lay an initial batch of eggs then fly off, feeding on trees and pasture, before laying an additional batch of eggs. Death follows soon after.

Pathogen hope for grass grub control A pathogen that knocks grass grub population might be the long-term answer to living with grass grub.

Having a small, enduring grass grub population with sneaky ‘back-packer’ pathogens circulating within the population has the potential to keep grub numbers down. This biological control could be more sustainable than continued insecticide applications. Chemical insecticides may knock out soil organisms, including the helpful pathogens.

The clock is ticking on the ability of farmers to use insecticides such as diazinon. The use of

1ST INSTAR

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Grass grub fun facts • Is a native species • Prefers legumes • White clover a key victim in autumn • Cocksfoot, tall fescue can tolerate larvae better • Pathogen shown to kill grass grub and maintain wheat yield – possible biocontrol • Diazinon only available until 2028.

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organophosphate insecticides was reviewed by the Environmental Protection Authority in 2013, and diazinon will be delisted as a control option by 2028.

Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) scientist Dr Richard Chynoweth is feeling optimistic about grass grub pathogens becoming a workable control option. He has been researching the pathogens since 2014 and says it has potential to be applied as a bio-control agent when seeding.

“Efficacy-wise, it looks good.”

Chynoweth is part of a research team testing the potential of bacteria to protect wheat yields in the presence of grass grub. The team also includes Mark Hurst and Sarah Mansfield from AgResearch.

Trials in Canterbury have compared death rates of grubs under insecticide treatments, biological treatments (pathogens) and no treatment (control).

All treatments increased the mortality and disease levels of grass grub larvae above the untreated control. Better plant survival was associated with higher yields from the treatments in four out of six trials.

“Stand alone applications via direct drilling or injection into existing pasture may also have promise,'' Chynoweth says.

Like the insecticide, the pathogens were applied with the seed at drilling. The grub dies within five to 12 days after eating the bacteria. The rotting grub then becomes a host to spread the bacteria.

One strain of pathogen killed as fast as insecticide.

Funding for the research was from MPI Sustainable

Farming Fund, FAR and Seed Industry Research Centre (SIRC).

Chynoweth says he feels science is getting closer to a robust and integrated pest management solution for grass grub.

“This would be mixing the pathogen spray on a commercial scale and applying it to seed in a costeffective way.”

Previous research identified different pathogens that naturally occur in different regions, all of which can help keep the population in check.

In the North Island (especially in Taranaki soils), protozoa and milky disease bacteria are mainly responsible for the collapse of grass grub populations. In the South Island, amber disease is the dominant pathogen. The fungal species Metarhizium sp. and Beauveria sp. have been implicated in grass grub population collapse in the Waikato region.

Drought, insecticide application and cultivation all have the potential to disrupt the natural regulation of grass grub populations by pathogens.

This opens the door to large and very damaging populations of grass grub.

While commercialisation and uptake may be a year or two away, Chynoweth says farmers have some insecticide-free control alternatives. They include physical damage via trampling and heavy cultivation to grubs, when close to the surface.

Pupa can be damaged by cultivation. This is hard for hill country farmers with less-intensive grazing options or who can’t get a tractor on slopes.

Trampling by stock in spring is not really that useful, unless there’s a large population of twoyear larvae. Grass grubs pupate up to 20 to 30 centimetres under the soil surface and emerge during November and December in waves over a two-week period. The spread of emergence is one reason a chemical spray won’t get them all at this point.

Paddocks with high levels of grass grub in autumn will have failing plants, patches of yellowing or bare areas, and potentially large flocks of starlings or seagulls hovering over the paddock.

Plants that tolerate grass grub the best include cocksfoot and tall fescue.

“In a crop, it loves clover, and should have been called the clover grub,”Chynoweth says.

White clover in autumn is a special favourite, especially after continual crops. Annual clovers are not exempt either.

Irrigation won’t drown them. Drought can knock the population but brings other negatives.

“Pasture can handle some grass grub, so living with a lower population that gets a constant knock from biological control is probably best.”

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CROP & FORAGE Hill country

Programme hailed as a success The Hill Country Futures research programme has acted as a refresher for farmers and rural industries, Sandra Taylor writes.

Forage trials are being carried out at 15 sites across the country.

Get with the programme The recently released AgYield is the realisation of Lincoln University’s Professor Derrick Moot’s vision to build a national database to house crop yield and production data for pasture and crop species.

The online tool will enable farmers and rural professionals to see how different pasture species and forages have performed in trials and on farms in their regions. This will support their decision making about what to grow, where to meet feed demand and drive efficiencies in their farm systems.

An addition to the Forage Value Index,

156

which focuses on perennial ryegrass, AgYield includes all pasture and crop species grown commercially in New Zealand. These include subterranean clovers, red clover, chicory and plantain and fescues, as well as maize, wheat and oats to name just a few.

Moot has led the project and the software development was funded by the T R Ellett Trust. The populating of data was funded by the Hill Country Futures Partnership programme with postdoctoral Carmen Teixeira and Lincoln University PhD student Laura Keenan doing much of the

A

s the Hill Country Futures programme enters its final months, the number of outputs from the $8.1 million programme has been claimed to have exceeded all expectations in both number and scope.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s sector science strategy manager Dr Suzanne Keeling says the contract technically wraps up in December 2022 with residual reporting running into next year. The priority over the next few months is to continue raising awareness of the outputs, including the most recent ones.

The soil and fertiliser series produced

by Lincoln University in April this year is a package of 11 fact sheets. It covers topics such as fertiliser and lime strategies, nitrogen use, soil and pasture testing strategies. Keeling says they were released as a package to encourage rural professionals and farmers to consider a number of factors in their fertiliser decisions, and to create efficiencies in soil testing and nutrient applications.

A lot of the information in the package is linked to fundamental science, so while it’s not new, it acts as a refresher for farmers and rural professionals, she says.

It also draws on the results of forage trials that have been carried out on 15 sites across the country.

Keeling believes presenting the series as a package makes it a more accessible and useful resource.

Following the release of the AgYields

leg work to gather and collate the data.

Keenan points out that collectively, the industry, including universities, research institutions, seed companies and individual farmers have amassed a lot of data over years of both trial work or on-farm pasture measurements (cage cuts), and it’s been a matter of collating it all so that the information has a home.

“Too often we reinvent the wheel.

Now we can find the data in one central repository,” she says.

The productivity of individual pasture species can be overlaid with climate and soil data from trial sites, which gives farmers an indication of how a species might perform

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October 2022

database, which was the result of a number of collaborations, the programme has produced a series of “how to” videos.

These soon-to-be released videos show farmers how they can contribute to the database by setting up measurement areas and exclusion cages, carrying out measurements, cutting and drying samples, doing the calculations and uploading their data into AgYields.

The videos will also help farmers and rural professionals find the information they need in the data repository.

One of the purposes of AgYields was to create a legacy for the sector as a national and central repository of forage information to avoid duplication of work already carried out.

Keeling has been encouraged by the response to the release of the farmer wellbeing tool FarmSalus. Although still hot off the press, FarmSalus has already been incorporated into Agri-Women Development Trust programmes and there has been interest from other organisations.

It has been designed as a tool for rural professionals and catchment groups to help frame conversations with farmers about future proofing their businesses and overall resilience. It is based on three interconnected strands: healthy farmer, healthy farm business and healthy farm, underpinned by community and support networks.

It was developed from 300 interviews carried out by the social research

in their particular farm environments.

Data collection includes ongoing trials and farms that are part of the Hill Country Futures programme, including near Taihape, Methven and Banks Peninsula, as well as at Massey and Lincoln universities.

Keenan says they are also welcoming data from farmers who have been carrying out cage cuts over long periods (longer than one season).

Even if the quality of the data isn’t perfect, something is better than nothing for many locations throughout NZ. The database allows people to indicate if their data is part of a science paper or an unpublished study,” she says.

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organisation Nature Positive and B+LNZ, including 170 face-to-face interviews with farmers. It was continually tested and refined before its launch to ensure it was fit for purpose. Keeling says it’s anticipated that it will continue to evolve over time.

Waiting in the wings as part of this work are more farmer stories, due for release before the end of the year.

Keeling says this type of social research was new to B+LNZ and until now there had been no other dataset of this type in NZ. “It has allowed us to carry out in-depth analysis and give us a solid foundation and understanding of how farmers operate, their sources of pain, angst, hope and opportunities for the future.”

She says it was important to both B+LNZ and the researchers that the elements of FarmSalus resonated with farmers.

At Massey University, work is underway to look at the potential of native shrubs to benefit hill country environments and enhance biodiversity, as well as be used as supplementary fodder for sheep and cattle.

Keeling says they are also holding a series of wananga as part of research into the Matauranga Maori of a selection of native shrubs being assessed in the wider study.

One of the challenges with native plants is the length of time they take to establish in order to provide enough material to analyse. This means this study will be a more proof of concept, although laboratory

trials will look at the anthelmintic properties of native plants as well as their impact on methane production, potentially providing some useful insights for future work.

With so many parts of the programme now complete, Keeling says the team is working to ensure the parts are wrapped up neatly and made accessible to farmers, rural professionals and other stakeholders.

“We want to clearly demonstrate everything the programme has achieved,” she says.

This could include panel discussions, reports, webinars and various other communication channels.

There will also be decisions made about what parts of the programme will become incorporated into B+LNZ and continue to be supported as part of the business.

For Keeling, one of the more gratifying aspects of the programme has been the diversity of the project team and steering committee both in their skill sets and background.

“It’s not the usual mix, but it has been really positive and has allowed for interesting and diverse discussions that encouraged the team to keep striving for excellence.

“It has also created additional networks and collaborations,” she says.

The programme is co-funded by B+LNZ, the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, PGGWrightson Seeds and Seed Force.

“We can use that data in meta-analysis to fill in the blanks in areas where we don’t have replicated trials.”

Keenan says the more data they can collect, the more information becomes

available to farmers.

By targeting farmers in hill or high country environments who use a large number of plants in their farming systems, AgYields will ultimately help farmers run more resilient, sustainable, efficient and profitable businesses.

“The more information the better and the more useful it is for NZ Inc,” Keenan says.

AgYields is an open access database, hosted by Lincoln University that will hopefully become invaluable to the wider agribusiness community. Users can login at https://www.agyields.co.nz/home to register and see what datasets are available in their area.

Native forages

157

CROP & FORAGE Grazing

Balancing pasture production and resilience P

Lincoln University Professor Derrick Moot revisits the basic principles of grazing management as discussed at a special NZ Grasslands Association ‘Resilient Pastures Symposium, held in 2021.

lants respond in predictable ways to the environment in which they grow.

If they are short of carbon they grow leaves, if they are short of nitrogen (N) or water they grow roots. Best management practices must take account of these facts if pastures are to be productive and persistent.

In its simplest form, drymatter (carbon) yield comes from the product of the amount of photosynthetically active solar radiation available (PARo), the fraction of that which is intercepted by the green leaves (PARi) and the efficiency (RUE) with which it is converted to drymatter.

Equation 1: Yield = PARo x (PARi/PARo) x RUE

Recovery of plants after grazing

Figure 1: Relative change in water soluble carbohydrate levels (orange line) in ryegrass plants during a regrowth cycle.

3 1

1

2

2

3

2

4 1 1

Remnant leaf

(Dying) Remnant leaf dying

Root growth stops

Root growth resumes

Regrowth of remnant leaf and emergence of new Leaf 1.

Leaf 1 fully expanded as Leaf 2 emerges.

3 leaf stage 3 new leaves fully emerge.

Oldest leaf dies as Leaf 4 emerges.

Water soluble carbohydrate levels in ryegrass plants WSC used for growth of new leaf PS from new leaves produces WSC

Net decline in carbohydrate reserves

Net accumulation of carbohydrate reserves

WSC level restored

No further build up of plant WSC levels

Plant WSC from PS = energy for growth and respiration

Source: Modified from McCarthy et al. (date not specified), www.dairynz.co.nz/media/2634153/perennial-ryegrass-grazing-guide-web.pdf

158

In practice PARo is set by day length and light intensity. RUE is consistent among similar species. It is higher for plants that produce mainly sugars, like fodder beet, compared with those that produce more complex products like proteins, such as legumes or oils like canola. Therefore, differences in the yield of a pasture or crop are mainly caused by how much light the canopy of leaves can intercept.

To fully capture all of the available radiation, a pasture canopy needs at least three cubic metres of green leaf per square metre of ground area. On a daily basis, the total amount of assimilate by the canopy is then allocated to leaves, stems and roots. Grazing management affects both the supply and allocation of assimilates, so it is the major determinant of pasture production and persistence.

For plants like perennial ryegrass, best grazing management practice is based on the recovery of plants after grazing. When the canopy of green leaves is defoliated then the plant is short of carbon, the priority is to restore the green leaf area to capture more carbon. This is done through the remobilisation of water-soluble carbohydrates (sugars) from roots and leaf sheaths to regrow green leaves. To capture all of the radiation available and restore the reserves to the roots and shoots each tiller needs time to produce three green leaves.

If defoliation occurs before the reserves have been fully restored, then the plant will once again deplete root and sheath reserves to re-establish the canopy of green leaves.

Continuous early defoliation of the canopy leads to a shallower root system. These plants are therefore exploring less and less of the soil so have reduced access to water and N. The consequences of early defoliation are compounded during periods of water and/ or nitrogen limitation.

For example, when a period of dry weather occurs on a dairy farm the plant

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Figure 2: Comparison of accumulated dry matter (DM) production (t/ha) of unimproved resident pasture compared with lucerne monoculture on Banks Peninsula, Canterbury. Note: Data shown for year 3 (2021/22) only includes measurements to mid-February 2022.

Accumulated DM yield (t/ha)

immediately reduces its leaf area and allocates a greater proportion of available assimilates to root growth. This reduced leaf area results in lower pasture growth rates and thus less feed is available to meet animal demand.

N fertiliser and the provision of supplementary feed can slow the grazing rotation. The aim of using them is to increase post-grazing residual cover and ensure the ryegrass plants have fully recovered three green leaves before defoliation (Figure 1). In practice though, grazing rotations are often shortened and plants are grazed early at the 2-2.5 leaf stage.

The impact of continuous early grazing is most detrimental to perennial ryegrass, which has lower levels of carbon reserves than tall fescue. Cocksfoot is the most resilient of the commonly sown grass species, but the most adapted species to intensive defoliation is browntop.

The ability of browntop to initiate minimal leaf, but produce a carpet of storage rhizomes and stolons, is advantageous for its survival, however, not for providing feed to grow animals.

Browntop is highly competitive at accessing phosphorus (P) from the soil. Plants that are short of P also become carbon-limited because P is used as an energy source in photosynthesis. Therefore, a direct consequence of lower levels of soil P and overstocked or set-stocked pastures, is the dominance of browntop.

Date

The strategic use of N to increase pasture cover before time of deficit is advocated to overcome the fact that plants are N-deficient most of the time. Many grasses, including perennial ryegrass, adjust their leaf area to try to maintain an N content in the leaves of about 3%. This is why N-deficient pasture is frequently short with small leaves.

In high-fertility environments like dairy farms, the addition of N is estimated to produce 10kg drymatter (DM)/kg N applied, which comes from a quicker recovery from grazing and higher photosynthetic rates

Management practices For NZ summer-moist regions, the implications for pasture management are clear: • Minimise set stocking to avoid browntop • Fertilise with P and S to ensure higher quality species can compete • Adjust rotation lengths to allow sown species to recover root reserves • Graze ryegrass at the appropriate three green leaf stage • Use N to increase pasture if deficits are developing • Utilise supplements early in periods of water or N stress.

For summer-dry regions similar strategies are required, but the emphasis had to be on managing the spring when moisture is usually available: • Minimise set stocking - increased LAI (Leaf Area Index) also increases water use efficiency • Use N in late winter to increase cover for lambing • Maintain flexible stock policies so you can trade in periods of deficit • Identify high-yielding paddocks and use them for improved species • Identify your legume and manage it.

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October 2022

at higher leaf N concentrations. In lowerfertility environments the N deficiency can be much greater leading to responses of 20-40kg DM/kg N applied. The greater response is because the leaf area of the plants increases to a greater extent to overcome the deficiency, which allows more light interception.

The alternative to applying N to pastures is to encourage an appropriate legume for N fixation. The N is then mainly transferred to the grass through the grazing animal.

For dairy pastures this has traditionally been and is returning to encouraging white clover. Recent work from Lincoln has shown a perennial ryegrass/white clover mix was as productive with and without 200kg N/ha applied.

For hill country sheep and beef pastures, the limited land for cultivation reduces the opportunity for pasture renewal.

However, the impact of legumes to provide N-rich herbage can be measured compared with resident pasture. In a summer-safe environment one study showed cloverdominant pastures produced more than three times the feed of resident browntop.

Similarly, in a summer-dry environment lucerne has produced two to three times the feed of the resident pasture on hill country on Banks Peninsula during low and high rainfall years (Figure 2).

The management of root reserves is key to maintaining a productive stand of lucerne. A study showed grazing lucerne

159

on a fixed 28-day rotation depleted root reserves to almost zero with two tonnes/ ha of structural root biomass (Figure 3). In contrast, under an 84-day grazing regime the root biomass increased by 8-10t DM/ha but it was largely unpalatable. The 42-day regime provided a balance between shoot and root reserves and plant and animal requirements.

Figure 3: Change in perennial (root + crown) biomass (0-0.3m)over time of irrigated ‘Grasslands Kaituna’ lucerne (fall dormancy (FD) rating = 5) subjected to regrowth cycles of 28, 42 or 84 days during active growth for five growth seasons (2014/15 to 2018/19) at Lincoln University, Canterbury (Data sources: Ta, 0218; Yang, 2020). The horizontal dashed line represents structural perennial biomass that cannot be remobilised.

Rotational grazing of tap-rooted species like lucerne and red clover is considered best practice. It allows recovery of the canopy to maximise light interception, recovery of root reserves and the high grazing allowance of high-quality feed to maximise animal production.

The rules may not be followed as strictly when grazing grasses, but the cyclical nature of depletion and recovery of reserves needs to ensure overgrazing does not result in reduced pasture persistence and dominance of low-quality species such as browntop.

The impact of climate change may require us to become even more aware of these principles. Ryegrass is still going to need three green leaves to recover its carbohydrate reserves and lucerne will still produce more feed in spring. N is still going to be an important tool for recovery from adverse conditions.

However, the expected increases in

Root DW (t/ha)

Rotational grazing best practice

Date

summer-dry periods and warmer winter and night temperatures, coupled with increased legislation around the use of N fertiliser and greenhouse gas emissions, will drive practice change in grazing management of existing pastures, with less set stocking and greater use of other grass species such as cocksfoot and tall fescue.

For hill country, the future can be seen in the development of satellite farming, where small areas of high-quality feed like legumes and herbs are well managed to maximise animal and plant performance. Other areas will be retired to trees to capture carbon.

(Edited by Country-Wide)

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CROP & FORAGE Contractors

Contractors have noted a switch in crops.

Costs and weather change plans A Fluctuating costs and changing weather patterns are impacting farmers’ plans for the upcoming baling and cultivation season, Joanna Cuttance reports.

162

uckland-based contractor Lance Caddy said his clients felt the rising costs were a fait accompli. Caddy and other North Island contractors had found it difficult to lock in prices for plastic and fertiliser from suppliers and, along with price fluctuations in other inputs, it was difficult to give accurate quotes to clients.

This had a flow-on impact on clients’ planning.

Many of Caddy’s clients were listening to NIWA’s forecast for an expected dry summer and had indicated they wanted to plant more maize and chicory this year compared to last season.

Northland-based contractor Vince Maw expected to do more pit silage as farmers

moved away from individual bales to keep costs down. He thought some clients would cut costs by reducing fertiliser to the areas that really needed it. Maw said some of his clients were changing their approach in an effort to have feed on hand if the summer turned dry. One client had decided to put in a summer crop and harvest it in December instead of buying in feed this summer.

Bay of Plenty contractor Mark Brogden said sowing summer crops, and crops such as fodder beet, tended to be priceprohibitive in his area because of the cost of keeping invasive weeds out. The cheapest option was growing grass for silage followed by maize. Most clients opted to stack silage for the first and second cuts before

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considering individually baling later cuts.

In the southern regions of the South Island, Otago-based contractor Joe Herbert and Southland-based Brendon Shearing had both noticed a drop in clients wanting fodder beet. Herbert said some of his clients were moving away from fodder beet and sowing kale instead. This was because farmers had good results with kale, and it was cheaper than fodder beet.

It was a switch and not a reduction in area being cultivated, Herbert said.

Shearing noticed the change last season in Southland, with clients moving away from fodder beet and instead growing grass and putting it into balage.

Herbert said to combat fluctuating fuel prices throughout the season he planned to re-evaluate the fuel component cost each month rather than setting it at the beginning for the whole season. Other contractors were following suit.

The season begins Southern contractors have started early following a dry winter, however northern contractors and those at the top of the South Island are up to four weeks behind, following a wet and cold winter.

Shearing had his earliest start to a season this year, sowing oats and grain in August. Southland seasons tended to balance out each year. The hard, dry summer of last year was balanced with a good winter that allowed cultivation to start early.

This was in stark contrast to winter in the Tasman region, which was cold and wet. Tasman-based contractor Andrew Fry said this season would start late. A cold winter, combined with a lot of rain in July and August, meant the ground was sodden. Most of his clients had fed out all their supplementary feed, and grass growth was slow. The challenge would be to get the timing right for sowing crops before it dried out too much.

North Island contractors were in a similar situation after a cold, wet winter.

Most of their clients had finished their supplementary feed and there was not a lot of grass cover. Expectation was for a slow start and then for things to ramp up quickly. Northland-based Vince Maw typically had a full team of drivers driving by the end of September, but last year the season began a month later and it would be the same this year.

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The right time to mow DECIDING WHAT YOU WANT FEED for will determine the best time to mow grass for supplementary feed.

Professor Derrick Moot from the dryland pastures research group at Lincoln University said there was an inverse relationship between quality and quantity. Farmers know the longer silage is allowed to grow the taller it gets.

To support that height, it required fibre to hold up the plant.

If a farmer wanted feed for maintenance, then bulk was fine, go for quantity, Moot said.

However, if he wanted to milk cows from it, Moot said the grass needed to be cut when it had just had the seeds emerging pre-anthesis to have quality.

“That pre-anthesis cut might be 3.5 tonnes drymatter (DM)/hectare but cut two weeks later when it is mature, you might have an extra 1–1.5t/DM but quality will have declined.”

He said then it depended on costs.

The quality of grass-based silage depended on the closing time and stage of growth at cutting. The earlier it was shut-up the more leaf the plant would

grow before going to seed. The time of seed head emergence was reasonably consistent year to year, and was based on temperature and photoperiod.

“You cannot stop the ryegrass going to seed, those seed heads were formed during the winter. You can only allow more leaves to accumulate before the seed heads’ emergence from earlier shutup.”

If the paddock was shut-up too late, the seed heads would still emerge at the same time but with less leaf.

There were a couple of rules of thumb for different pastures. Grasses could support about 2t DM of high quality metabolisable energy (ME) 11+, but after that the quality declined. That was because the new leaves had to grow taller to reach the light, needed more fibre, and the older leaves started to yellow and die.

This was not a problem if hay or bulk feed was wanted, Moot said.

“It’s always better quality when fed directly than when conserved, but the quality of decline depends on the stage of cutting, conditions during making, and storage.”

Quality of feed produced, depending on when grass cut Quality when cut

Protein

Fibre

Comments

Long and leafy with no seed heads

26%

17%

ME11+

Pre-anthesis (seed heads emerging)

16%

26%

Marginal protein for silage for supporting milk production.

Ok if pasture is being grazed.

Anthesis (flowering)

11%

30%

Quality falls away rapidly once seed heads emerge

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CROP & FORAGE Budgeting

K N OW T H E T R U E

CROP COSTS The impact of inflation on the cost of various crops will be key to decisions farmers make on which fodder crops to grow, Kerry Dwyer writes.

P

lanning for next winter’s crops is on the agenda in the next months, with decisions to be made about what to grow and what processes to use in the growing. Budgeting for the coming year is more difficult than previous years because of inflated costs, which have not stopped rising yet.

Looking at the coming season, growing costs for two winter feed crops, fodder beet and kale, will be something like Table 1.

This should be read with inflation in mind; and that these are not what you might be facing given the variation in different sources of inputs. Also, everyone has different methods and processes for growing crops which can give a wide range of costs, and results. The figures are indicative only.

Looking at the components of growing costs: seed bed preparation and sowing costs are generally higher with beet than kale, because a finer seed bed is aimed for and precision sowing is typically used. Some farmers like to stir the soil well and others less, I once saw a paddock cultivated 14 times before sowing a swede crop. Direct drilling may lower machinery cost but

increase chemical cost.

Fodder beet is sown at about 100,000seeds/ha, while kale seed is calibrated as kg/ha. The beet seed is more expensive, but there is a range of cost for both crops depending on variety and source.

Fertiliser inputs for either crop should be related to the expected yield.

The beet might grow twice the crop of kale, so should have additional nutrient input to allow for that. Farmers often allow for some capital fertiliser application as part of the crop growing process. Note that fertiliser prices have risen considerably in the past 12 months, especially nitrogenbased products. Maybe this trend has eased?

Weed and pest control costs tend to be specific to farm, region and conditions. For example, kale in Canterbury last summer received large doses of everything in wet conditions while Southland crops were far less demanding in drier conditions.

A key point to consider is that it is difficult to get the best yield with the least inputs. And higher yield is lesser cost per unit than a low yield, at the same growing cost. It is common to see fodder beet

Table 1 Fodder Beet

Kale

Seed bed preparation – cultivation or chemical spray-out, and sowing

$750/ha

$500/ha

Seed

$450/ha

$150/ha

Fertiliser & lime

$1000/ha

$700/ha

Weed & pest control

$800/ha

$600/ha

Total growing costs

$3000/ha

$1950/ha

Typical range of costs

$2200-$3600/ha

$1500-$2500/ha

Expected yield

25t DM/ha

15t DM/ha

Cost per kg DM

12c/kg DM

13c/kg DM

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ranging 9-16c/kg drymatter (DM) and kale 10-16c/kg DM grown.

Fertiliser value in crops The dramatic lift in fertiliser prices over the past year should be taken into account when planning your fodder crops and supplements.

First let’s look at what fertiliser nutrient value is carried in straw and silage. Some rough mathematics puts the current value of fertiliser nutrients at: • Nitrogen $3/kg • Phosphate $4.20/kg • Potash $2.50/kg • Sulphur $1.10/kg Multiplying these up there is about $8 worth of fertiliser nutrient in a 200kg DM bale of straw (going through old files I found it was $2.25 in 1996); and about $15 worth of fertiliser nutrient in a 200kg DM bale of balage. That does not take into account any cartage and spreading cost of the fertiliser, which is an additional 15-25% cost in 2022. Allowing for that means at least $20 worth of fertility in 200kg DM balage.

A 15tonne DM/ha crop of kale has about $1400 worth of fertiliser nutrient in it while a 25t DM/ha fodder beet crop contains more than $2600 worth of fertiliser. Much of that nutrient is absorbed from the soil nutrient bank without additional fertiliser application being required. But note the value if you are carting the crop off the paddock.

In summary, consider what your crops cost to grow last year and factor some inflation on that. What yield did you get in relation to that cost? And consider the nutrient cost involved.

• Kerry Dwyer is a North Otago farm consultant and farmer.

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ENVIRONMENT Nitrates

Sheep not guilty over N leaching Trials at Massey University have proven sheep to be low-leaching in nitrates, Joanna Grigg reports.

B

ack in 2019, Essential Freshwater legislation was looking to grandparent sheep and beef farm nitrate levels. This would have locked farms into existing stocking rates and environmental discharges.

Beef + Lamb NZ chairman Andrew Morrison said at the time that New Zealand sheep and beef farming systems had low nitrogen leaching rates. There was plenty of room to increase allowances.

“Catchments where sheep and beef farms are the predominant farming system, nitrogen levels are not an issue.”

He was right, Massey University School of

Agriculture and Environment senior lecturer James Milner says, but back in 2019, there was a gap in the research as to proven levels of nitrate leaching under intensive sheep farming. This was especially on different forages and we needed research to prove it.

“There was some evidence to support sheep being low leaching, but it wasn’t conclusive evidence.”

This was set against a backdrop of legislation changes. Councils like Environment Canterbury started rolling out rules around nitrate leaching, self-described as “some of the strictest farming rules in the country”.

More data was needed to prove sheep sustainability and inform policy. Millner says the only sheep system leachate data on hand were measurements done 20 years ago, using lysimeters, which have limitations.

Dairy was well ahead. Massey had been testing dairy system leachate for several years at their Number Four farm. Over the road from Number Four, were drainage plots on the university’s Keeble’s farm. These plots are high-tech and expensive hydrologically isolated mole and pipe drainage systems, Milner says. These 40×20 metre plots capture all drainage.

“They give really good data.”

Through funding from the L.A. Alexander Trust, the C. Alma Baker Trust and Massey University, sheep were run across these plots, over a three-year trial. PhD student Sarmini Maheswaran, from Sri Lanka, collected and analysed the leachate data.

The results were published in May. The trial was set-up to get insight into the effects of different plant types sheep eat.

The four grazing treatments were perennial ryegrass/white clover, plantain/white clover, Italian ryegrass/white clover with brassica, and a crop system; Turnips year one, swedes year two and kale year three. The plots were replicated.

The reasons behind the selection were to test whether plantain could reduce urine nitrogen (N) concentration in sheep – something it’s known to do in cattle. Italian ryegrass was included as its winter activity means it can suck up soil N when leaching risk is high. The brassica crop treatment was included because it is an important supplementary feed in sheep systems.

“It is often harder to get funding for sheep research, than dairy, as there is less political or environmental pressure,” Millner says.

“But it is important to know the influence forage may have on leaching in sheep systems, to inform farmer decision making.”

The next leachate trial at Massey is comparing mixed sheep and cattle systems, on a range of forages. Yearling cattle will run alongside sheep at 14 stock units/hectare.

Sheep give nitrate advantage

PhD student Sarmini Maheswaran, checking drainage flow meters in a drainage pit at Massey University.

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Intensive sheep at the same stocking rate equivalent to cattle, means more bladders per hectare. But these bladders are smaller.

This means urine is spread more evenly across a block, resulting in less nitrate leaching potential.

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October 2022

The sheep trial plots, on Keeble’s farm at Massey University, with four drainage pits below the plots.

Summary: Nitrate leaching under intensive sheep • Three-year trial at Massey University • 14 stock units/hectare • Four forage types • Leaching low (0.22 to 12 kg/ha) - at the most, a quarter that of dairy average • Plantain in sward reduces leaching • Brassica highest leaching, but still low • Next trial comparing intensive sheep and yearling cattle • Intensive sheep looks to be great alternative to intensive beef or dairy for at-risk paddocks/seasons, to help meet nitrate leaching limits

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While this makes logical sense, the finer points of sheep grazing and forage types, on leachate levels, are less understood.

Results from a three-year Massey University trial on nitrate leaching under sheep, have revealed that forage type does affect leaching rates. While the nitrate leached annually under each forage was generally low, it did range.

The annual pattern for the three permanent forages was similar, with the highest N losses occurring in 2021 for all forages apart from brassica. For the first two years of the study the brassica crop produced the highest leached N totals.

The brassica plots were intensively grazed during winter, followed by a period where the soil was left bare until soil conditions allowed replanting. This was typically spring. This demonstrates the potential for higher losses of nitrate, resulting from urine patches in the absence of vegetation and plant uptake. Recent research has shown N leaching losses from forage crops grazed by dairy cows during winter could be more than twice those under grazed pasture.

The drainage plots were grazed based on cumulation of forage. Ewes were transitioned from ryegrass/white clover prior to being grazed on the drainage plots.

In 2021, kale was used as the brassica crop and the plots grazed between June and July. Nitrate leaching under kale was low compared to that observed under swedes in 2020 (8.96kg N/ha). This is probably due to available soil N being low, as the kale crop was the third successive crop in this treatment. To back up this conclusion, the leaf N content of the kale was about half that of the previously grazed turnips and swedes.

The stage and age of the forage/pastures also affected leaching rates.

For example, when plantain was thick in the sward at the start of the trial in 2019, leachate was only 0.22kg/ha. By the end of the trial, weeds had invaded and plantain content lowered, so the block was sprayed and drilled. At this point the plantain/white clover plot in 2021 produced leachate of 11.78kg/ha. Killing off the vegetation and resowing on these plots produced a spike in

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leached nitrate but really was an aberration.

Milner describes the peak rate (see Table 1) as not high, especially compared to the dairy system rate of 30-40kg/ha.

“It’s not even close.”

The first two years of the study indicate that swards with plantain are effective at reducing N leaching, under sheep grazing.

The benefits of plantain are well described.

Sheep produce more urine when grazing plantain but the concentration of urea in the urine is less, so it is more likely that the sward will be able to utilise it all, Milner says.

Urine collected from the ewes in this study, revealed that urea concentration from ewes grazing the plantain sward was significantly lower than the other treatments.

The performance of the sheep used in the study was monitored (liveweight, lambing percent and lamb weight), as well as seasonal urine urea content.

Results help guide farmers Knowing intensive sheep systems leach only about one-quarter of nitrates of intensive dairy systems, and that sheep have reduced leaching on plantain, are helpful messages for farmers.

“These sorts of findings can inform farmer decision making,” Milner says.

“It should also inform policy makers as clearly there is an argument for sheep to remain in sensitive catchments, because of the reduced leaching losses.”

The results also suggest opportunities to partly or fully replace cattle systems with intensive sheep, to help meet regulated annual limits on leaching per hectare. While Milner doesn’t think it’s feasible for dairy

Why is nitrate an issue?

Nitrogen cycling in grazing systems is influenced by diet and the partitioning of ingested N in grazing animals. Between 75-95% of N ingested is excreted, with about 70% of that being urea (urine).

Nitrate (NO3-) is the most common form of N leaching in drainage water. This is largely due to its negative charge, which means it is repelled by cation exchange sites in the soil, rather than being sorbed (taken up, held). When water percolates through soil after rain or irrigation, it carries nitrate with it.

In contrast, the other important source of N in soil, ammonium (NH4+), does not generally move much through the soil. This is because it is sorbed at cation exchange sites.

Table 1: Annual nitrate N leached (kg N/Ha) under different forages grazed by mixed age ewes, Massey University research.

Treatment

2019

2020

2021

Perennial ryegrass/white clover

1.36

0.90

2.06

Italian ryegrass/white clover

0.35

0.43

6.7

Plantain/white clover

0.22

0.44

11.78

Brassica

2.45

8.96

4.46

farmers to get into lamb finishing on any scale, a small number do integrate in sheep, especially on steeper areas.

Milner says tweaking sheep/cattle ratios, as well as changing grazing forage types and rotation lengths, are other possibilities. This study suggests that, in sensitive catchments, the use of forage crops (such as swedes and kale) to feed sheep rather than cattle over the winter period may be a useful strategy to reduce N losses through leaching. There is good evidence that plantain can be used to reduce N leaching under sheep grazing.

Italian ryegrass may also be useful to soak up nitrate, a function of its winter activity.

The research has also thrown up the question as to whether sheep have genetic differences in their ability to metabolise nitrogen. The urea content in sheep urine was measured, as part of the trial.

“They probably do, but it’s speculative at this stage and a long way from being verified.”

He says more research is also needed measuring leaching given variations in rainfall and temperatures.

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you can trust GENETIC TRENDS GE Analysis #38568 23/07/2021

FE Gold Flocks

Not all facial eczema breeding programmes are the same!

Ask the questions. ✔ been testing for a of 10 years

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FLOCK FA TESTING HISTORY FOR:

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GUARD-

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Bob Steed ARDG Romney 09 433 2616 Kate Broadbent Nikau Coopworth 09 233 3230

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15

21 20

20

20

20

11

09

13 20

20

05

07

20

20

20

01

03 20

99

97

20

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Jenny & Adrian Savannah ARDG Romney 09 427 6393 John & Jan Marchant ARDG Romney 09 232 5613 William Jackson Piquet Hill Romney/ Maternal Composite 07 825 4480

Alastair Reeves Waimai Romney 07 825 4925

Craig Alexander ARDG Romney 07 888 1703

Keith Abbott Waiteika Romney 027 463 9859 Ken Haywood Puketotara Romney 07 877 8586 Russell Proffit Raupuha Perendale/ Romdale 07 877 8977

Brett Teutenberg Hinenui Coopworth/ Romney/Romworth 027 446 3684

Travis Carter Kirikau Coopworth 07 895 3348

Hamish Bibby Kelso X 027 777 6619

Ross Richards Romani Coopworth 07 895 7144

If you want the best, buy from the best 170

19

James Parsons Ashgrove Coopworth 021 206 3208

19

Don’t be fleeced with substandard rams.

95

NZ Standard Maternal Worth (NZMW)

17

Dual Purpose Flocks

Paul Crick ARDG Romney 027 450 4085

Steve Wyn-Harris Marlow Coopworth 06 855 8265

www.fegold.co.nz GENETICS you can TRUST Country-Wide Sheep

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“Regenerative agriculture is much more than a system of farming: it is a mindset that questions the status quo, and instead of becoming defeatist sees opportunities for different ways of living, working and farming.”

– Grelet et al. 2021. ourlandandwater.nz/news/regen-ag-white-paper_feb-2021/

ENVIRONMENT Sustainable farming

A triumph of adaptation Sustainable farmers are not defeatist, but handle change, are innovative and efficient, Jacqueline Rowarth writes.

T

he notion that farmers in New Zealand accept the status quo and become defeatist is extraordinary given the evidence to suggest otherwise.

For more than a century they have been working with rural professionals and scientists to create management systems tuned to the NZ environment – soil, topography, and climate, as well as markets – that are world leading in terms of least impact per kilogram of product.

AgResearch scientists have done the calculations1.

Far from being defeatist, most farmers coped with a change of market focus in the 1970s and then removal of subsidies in the 1980s. They created new industries, such as deer, dairy sheep, kiwifruit, manuka honey, avocados and blueberries. They explored alpaca, buffalo, ostriches, and goats of different types. Now oat milk and leaf protein are being investigated.

In addition, all the sectors have become increasingly efficient. StatsNZ publishes data on productivity gains every year2.

Since 1978, multi-factor productivity growth (capital and labour) has increased by 2.4% a year, exceeded only by information, media and telecommunications at 2.6%.

This year the highlights on the StatsNZ website stated that “Primary industries had the highest labour productivity growth from 1996 to 2021. In 2021, workers in these industries produced 166.9 goods and services per hour, compared with 100 in 1996”.

No need to tell farmers and growers that they have been working harder – but in doing so they have been achieving more for every resource input. Precision agriculture has played a major part in productivity gains with accurate placement of agrichemicals and irrigation – and all without the subsidies common in other countries.

Capital productivity is also leading at 1.8% a year since 1978, compared with the much vaunted ‘Accommodation and food service sector’ which has achieved negative 1.4% productivity over the same time frame. There is a limit to the number of beds that can be made or tables served in an hour, and a limit to the

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number of beds/tables per unit of space.

In considerable contrast, farmers and growers have increased the yields of an increasing variety of products, and in doing so they are feeding more people from the same amount of land.

The increased diversity in activities is integrated within systems and increases the resilience of individual farms as well as of the national economy. Vincent Heeringa, writer and innovator, has shown that farmers have been adding value for decades3.

This year the primary sector contributed 81.8% of NZ’s export economy4. Its value increased from $47.5 billion (year to June 2021) to a record $56b.

NZ farmers and growers have made gains because they have always questioned the status quo. They were pioneers because they challenged the existing state of affairs and left home to create a better life.

The No. 8 wire mentality, developed from necessity, has transformed over the years into a highly tuned and productive national primary sector enterprise where honey, forestry, meat, dairy, grains, seeds, fruit and vegetables interact – where waste from one sector is used by another, where animals are grazed by arable farmers or vineyards during appropriate seasons; where farmers and growers are constantly evaluating options as market signals and prices change and then adopting new technologies to assist.

The NZ ag story is a triumph and gets better every day.

The facts, evidence, and data are clear.

• Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, has a PhD in Soil Science (nutrient cycling) and is a director of Ravensdown, DairyNZ and Deer Industry NZ. The analysis and conclusions above are her own. jsrowarth@gmail.com Citations: 1 agresearch.co.nz/news/telling-our-carbon-footprint-story 2 stats.govt.nz/information-releases/productivity-statistics-1978-2021 3 newsroom.co.nz/is-the-volume-to-value-mantra-true-yes-and-heres-why 4 mpi.govt.nz/resources-and-forms/economic-intelligence

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GENETICS

Ram breeding needs incentives It may be paradoxical, but Dorian Garrick believes that the success of NZ’s breeding value maternal worth has hampered farmer-led innovations.

M

y research activities expose me to all kinds of technological developments. Many have real potential to provide cost-effective improvements in the rates of genetic gain. It has been particularly rewarding to have played a role in the adoption of some of these science-led technologies.

Starting in the early 1980s, we were able to estimate genetic gains for individual breeders. In the late 1980s, once some leading breeders agreed to exchange rams across flocks, we were able to directly compare merits of animals from one flock to another. By the 1990s, the computers were powerful enough to tackle the dairy industry data using the same approaches, and the across-breed breeding worth was born.

Later developments in computing and statistics meant that genomic data could be analysed.

I am proud to say that I have had a hand in many of these developments. Some of which have been exported to many other places in the world.

in a sire reference scheme. Some of that same group went on to develop a progeny testing scheme to determine the terminal worth of their Romney rams, including novel traits such as meat yield.

Mac Hanna noticed he had families that produced triplets and infertile animals, which led to the discovery of the Inverdale gene for improving sheep reproduction.

Gordon Levet focused on the environmental challenges of Haemonchus internal parasites and facial eczema, two serious management and welfare problems that at the time were more apparent in his Northland environment than elsewhere in the country.

Bay and Hamish De Lautour challenged their flocks by ceasing anthelmintic drenching of lambs at weaning and then selecting for performance in that challenging postweaning environment. Many of these innovations led to the widespread adoption of these technologies by new entrants to ram breeding who are likely unaware of this history.

The farmer-led innovations of yesteryear

Has the success of the maternal worth index killed innovation?

Over the same 40 year period, there have been many impressive farmer-led innovations. Whereas traditional ram breeding was limited to selecting only among those animals that were registered and recorded in stud books, known as a closed-nucleus breeding scheme, Tony Parker and the Romney Development Group pioneered the use of opennucleus breeding programs which screened high-performing commercial ewes and used them to produce sons. Successive generations of those unregistered sons greatly improved the fertility of dual-purpose Romneys.

Russell Emmerson in the Lindis Pass installed an on-farm mainframe computer to his specifications to store a database to his specifications and innovated optical reading of eartags, conveyor belt systems for animal handling, and automated drafting to improve the value of the wool crop from his fine-wooled Merinos, long before these technologies were commercially available.

Some Eastern North Island ram breeders prototyped the use of ram exchanges over a number of years to link their flocks

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Sadly, there are now fewer recent examples of these kinds of farmer-led innovation and entrepreneurial activities that benefit the industry and nation. Paradoxically, I believe one of the disincentives to innovation is the success of the NZ maternal worth – a single index that is supposedly comparable across all rams of all breeds.

In principle, I am in favour of a national breeding objective that attempts to combine the relative superiority and/or inferiority of several different economically important traits into a single value. Such an approach is widely used with considerable success in all dairying nations.

However, I have several concerns about its application for a nationwide ranking of sheep. It assumes that sire rankings are consistent across every environment. It also assumes that the evaluation system provides sound comparisons of every sire. It is derived from an economic outlook based on some measure of average national values rather than the farmers whose businesses are on the line. It leads to mating

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for connectedness in elite ram breeders flocks that can reduce the efficiency of their own selection. It reduces efficiencies by disrupting the long-term service relationships between each ram breeder and their ram buyers. It discourages elite ram breeders from trying something new.

When the relative performance of offspring of sires is different from one environment to another, we refer to this phenomenon as genotype-environment interaction. This phenomenon is very common, most markedly when animals are compared across environments that differ in some form of challenge.

There are three kinds of environmental challenges that cause rerankings: nutritional, due to variation in the quantity and/or quality of feed in different environments; climatic, due to extreme heat, extreme cold, and variation in rainfall; and disease challenges including facial eczema, viral pneumonia, and internal parasites.

One of the reasons that there are so many sheep breeds in the world is that there were environments that differed with respect to these challenges and many breeds developed by local adaptation.

Research undertaken by MAF in NZ compared Romneys, Perendales and Coopworths in different NZ environments and demonstrated that these breeds ranked differently in the different environments.

Connectedness is key to a single index Dairy evaluations use a single index to compare bulls, but those bulls produce large numbers of progeny that are distributed across all the farming environments throughout NZ. In progeny testing programs, good breeding scheme management ensured that any young dairy bull had at most a few progeny in any one herd, but with progeny in many herds. Comparisons between sires were therefore comparisons across many environments so that sires were evaluated for average progeny performance across many different herds. The sheep breeding scheme is very different. Most rams are not used across flocks or environments.

Who really wins out of a connected flock?

Maternal worth combines trait evaluations for reproduction, survival, growth, mature size, and wool. Even if these trait evaluations for every sire were reliable across every environment, the economic importance of these traits is not equal on every farm.

Selection is a tool for improving future worth, and farmers need to make their own decisions as to future economic circumstances. After all, it is their own business that will benefit or be compromised in future years by strategic decisions made today. A national index should be a guideline for individual farmers, not the yardstick for comparison.

In order to reliably compare rams in one flock to rams in another flock, genetic linkages are required.

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The most reliable comparison occurs when a portfolio of sires of interest have offspring competing with each other in the same flocks, and when there is no reranking of sires between those flock environments.

Generating connections with outside flocks is great for new entrants to the ram breeding industry, as it enables them to benchmark their flock against sires from several other flocks. However, generating connections uses up female resources that could have been used for generating additional candidates for within-flock selection. Elite ram breeders who have concentrated on certain traits, such as facial eczema or worm resistance, and who’ve done a better job of selection than others in the industry find that reference sires tend to produce below-average offspring in their flock.

It is an expensive business for breeders to retain males for sale in anticipation of future sale opportunities. However, if ram buyers jump between breeders from season to season based on national rankings of a single index, this creates inefficiencies in the ram supply chain. Those inefficiencies increase ram purchase costs, and reduce ram breeder profits, reducing innovations.

We want diversity in our ram breeders. We want ram breeders to be innovative in a variety of ways, selecting for new traits they believe will be important in future. If the choice of ram breeder is largely made because of a single index such as maternal worth, then a breeder is forced to continue emphasising that index in their selection in order to retain their national ranking. Any selection emphasis on some other trait will compromise the ranking. This may explain one of the reasons why breeders have failed to be proactive in producing a high-performing, dualpurpose, fine-wooled sheep, or a high-performing shedding sheep.

If I were a ram buyer, I would think about what attributes I would want in my sheep for the future, and I would align with a ram breeder who farms in a similar environment and shares my vision of the attributes that matter.

If I were a ram breeder, I would need to make the choice between being a commodity ram breeder or trying to be innovative. Either way, more than anything, I would want to be confident that every year’s ram crop was better than the previous one.

A better ram crop means that their descendants on my clients farms are better suited to their needs than the rams they bought the previous year. There are plenty of existing and upcoming technologies that can help the industry achieve that.

What we don’t need is disincentives to that innovation.

“If I were a ram breeder, I would need to make the choice between being a commodity ram breeder or trying to be innovative...

I would want to be confident that every year’s ram crop was better than the previous one. ”

Dorian Garrick is Massey University professor of animal breeding and genetics.

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AFTER DROUGHT, THE DELUGES

Between droughts and floods, a mix of work and play remains a priority for a young family on Banks Peninsula. By Annabelle Latz.

Photos by Emmily Harmer.

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Mother Nature has her quirks. Emma and George Masefield on Canterbury’s Banks Peninsula know all about it.

The drought of 2020/21 is thankfully now a memory, but last summer was more of a contrast than they would have hoped for.

Last December 400mm of rain fell in 20 hours on their 430ha sheep and beef farm at Goughs Bay. They lost their road, the main bridge, power, water and phone for about 10 days.

For 17 weeks they used the neighbours’ farm and a 15 minute drive across the paddocks. This enabled them to transport about 60 bales of summer ewe and lambs wool out, to allow room for the winter shear.

George and Emma managed to drive a farm vehicle across sodden paddocks to their neighbours’ house. For a number of months they would motorbike there to collect the awaiting vehicle for running errands and checking their other blocks. Farm and food supplies were once helicoptered in.

Goughs Bay Road had a major overhaul in the mid-year, with new culverts, widened corners and a much-improved surface with little corrugation.

Just when things were getting back to normal, in mid-July, a hefty 570mm of rain fell in three weeks, damaging farm bridges, flood gates and fences.

“At least we’re getting good at fixing things,” George said.

They did save money by not fertilising, because it was too wet.

Their whole flat crop growing area was covered in silt after the December event, With a digger and a tractor they shifted 5500 tonnes which is now stockpiled and worthless.

The Masefield family have farmed at Goughs Bay since the first four ships sailed in to Lyttelton.

George (31) and his wife Emma (28) have shifted the farming focus from a store to a finishing operation. They have been in a business partnership with George’s parents John and Carol since 2016, operating under Goughs Bay Farms. They have two children; Jack, 5 and Matilda, 3.

George says it is all about having options.

“We are fortunate we are in partnership, it means we can put our mark on the place.”

The Masefields run 4200 Texel and Romney ewes on three separate blocks on

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177

Above: Finishing lambs is a big part of the farming picture for George and Emma now, largely thanks to the investment they’ve put into cropping.

178

the peninsula, each finishing its own lambs.

The original 430ha home block at Goughs Bay is the breeding unit, the ‘bread and butter’ for the farm, where consistency is key and breeding quality stock means they always have a market.

The Texel/Romney ewes go to a maternal Texel/Romney ram. They run 40 rams, bought from Sam Holland in Culverden, North Canterbury. Born on hard country, George said they do well and have a good wool yield.

“We do select our rams to have a good fleece, because if we’re paying to get it shorn off we might as well get a decent one.”

Their 400ha block at Pipers Valley in nearby Duvauchelle is the terminal block, a ‘motley crew’ of Romney/Texel ewes which go to a Texel ram.

The third block is a 330ha lease block at nearby Chorlton, running all Romney ewes and putting a Texel ram over them.

They pre-sell about 400 ewe lambs to a local farmer, and finish the rest.

Having three different blocks is a strength of the farm, George said, meaning there is normally somewhere that has feed if they need to shuffle stock.

George and his father are full time, and one farm worker who doubles as a mechanic, on deck two days a week most of the year, and full time from October to February.

Collectively, they put 750 hoggets to the ram, which scan between 100-110%. If they miss the first time, they get a second chance.

The ewes scan at 185%, and lambs at 144%.

George says they are getting too many triplets, so put in more Romney to close the gap between scanning and lambing.

‘If we’ve done 160% for the triplets we’ve done bloody well.”

All the ewes are shorn every six months.

Replacement ewe lambs are shorn in December, and fattening lambs mid-January.

This year they killed 6500 lambs which averaged 18kg carcaseweight (CW). They sold 1100 stores averaging $130, well up from the average $90 the previous year.

They also bought some lambs from Taupo because there was the feed, killing them at roughly 38-40kg liveweight (LW) and making a $47 margin.

They run 40 rams, which go out with the

KEY POINTS Family partnership.

Farming 1100ha on three separate blocks.

Ewes scan 185%, hoggets scan 110% and lamb 85%.

280 beef cows and heifers.

GFI per SU - $145.

FWE 45% of GFI. Shearing costs $4-$4.50/ewe

STOCK:

2800 romtex ewes 750 romtex hoggets 1400 Romney ewes

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October 2022

ewes from mid-March until the start of April, lambing from mid-August until the beginning of September. The hogget programme runs six weeks later. They’ll slaughter about 700 lambs straight off the ewe, as long as they sit at 40kg LW to meet Alliance’s yield contracts.

“Our goal is to get that number up a bit higher in the near future.”

Condition scoring isn’t something they do routinely, only when they’re in challenging times. As a rule they weigh fattening stock to give true indications, and at least every week they kill lambs.

Everything receives a five-in-one at tailing time, and a drench pre-weaning.

“Drench, dag and weighing is pretty much the summer plus a few faecal egg counts.”

They try to keep things as simple as possible.

“If you chop and change all the time, you’ll get yourself into a hole at some stage.”

Cropping ups the pace Selling on schedule to Alliance is how the Masefields have operated for 35 years, although until five years ago nothing was fattened beyond store.

There has been a change in pace since the family partnership began in 2016, including investing in development of land by cropping, upgrading water schemes and fencing.

Cropping is a fairly new part of farm life at Goughs Bay. With a tractor, a spray unit,

Above: The Masefields are shifting towards Angus Pure breed lines, away from Angus Hereford cross. Below: Jack (5) and Matilda (3) make great farm assistants.

a drill, cultivation gear, and a spreader, they can do every aspect of this work, as there are no contractors nearby.

“We buy decent if not new gear, because no one likes breakdowns, and things always break down when you don’t want them to.”

They crop 130ha in brassica and red clover on the flats, and break in a bit of hill country every year too, as environmental conditions allow.

The crop cycle is fairly simple, the calendar year starting with brassica, then brassica and grass for winter, back into brassica for spring, then clover and grass for summer. George admitted he does get ‘hare brained’ ideas if he spends too long driving in circles on the tractor.

“He can change his mind five times in a day,” Emma said.

The goal is to get five years out of the clover, which is achieved by fertilising mainly with heavy sulphur, spraying thistles, and spraying the grass every winter.

“It’s too much of a valuable asset to try and skimp the costs, because the more you put in

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John, Carol, George, Jack, Matilda and Emma; farming at Goughs Bay is a true family business.

the more you get out,” George said.

With farm regulations on the increase, all crops need to be in pre-Christmas to mitigate the sediment run-off in autumn.

They aim to fertilise half the farm each year, which is the recommendation from Ballance, and soil-test native country. The crops get DAP at sowing or drilling, as and when needed. Due to the drought in 2020/21, only the hill country received nitrogen and DAP. “At least with our system we always have the option of selling stores. Having the Texels through them means they’re more appealing if you get a pinch, they’re easier to sell compared to traditional maternal breeds.”

The Olsen pH sits fairly high on Banks Peninsula, so they don’t try to adjust it.

“We work with Mother Nature, if she allows us to grow a wee bit more grass, we do,” George said.

There was no fertilising this year, due to the two significant rain events.

Despite the upheavals from a wet year, farm life continued.

The average rainfall is 1000mm/year,

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“THE BANK HASN’T COME KNOCKING YET, SO WE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.”

“I now understand the farming business better. Bank managers want you budgeting, they want you to be in control of everything.”

Emma works two days a week as a vet nurse in nearby Little River so between that, farm life and having a young family, life is busier than ever.

Cross gives options but they can get a feed pinch pre-lambing.

That’s when the winter crop programme kicks in. The ewes can be shifted on to the brassicas and grass so the paddocks can get a rest before lambing starts. They also buy in balage if it’s needed.

They put the ewes and 10-day old lambs on to red clover.

“With a change of breed and extra work we are now able to finish everything.”

Emma runs the business side of the farm, and has found the Rural Women’s Trust courses invaluable. Coming from a vet nursing background in North Canterbury, she had a lot to learn when she joined George on the farm, and wanted to be fully involved.

They run 280 Angus/Hereford cross cows and heifers, which are put to an Angus bull.

George likes the cross, as they used to be straight Hereford, but they are beginning to lean towards predominantly Angus.

“It just gives more options.”

They buy Angus bulls from Jono Reed at The Grampians in Culverden. Their eight bulls onfarm were bought as two-year-olds, which is the first year they are used for mating.

“We have faith in Sam with the rams and Jono with the bulls that they’re doing the best job they can, and we can reap the rewards.”

Heifers will calve mid-August, the cows a couple of weeks later.

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Lambing season is a busy one for George and his team of dogs.

their stock agent is important.

“If everyone is happy to help us, we must be doing the right thing.”

to go. At the age of five he can shift breaks and weigh lambs by himself.

“Life is non-stop and it can be all hours of the day, but I think we reap the benefits.”

Time away from farming is important too.

It may be a family hunt, riding the horses and ponies on the farm or Emma competing in show jumping. Or George taking some of his sheep dogs to local dog trials or the kids for a swim in Christchurch.

“If you get tied up in the dollars and cents you might lose sight of what you’re here for,” he says.

Lifestyle is important Emma says life at Goughs Bay is about having a good network of people, together taking on the challenges and continual lessons.

“It’s a great life for teaching the kids about responsibilities, the environment, and life and death.”

She says Jack is up every day at 6am ready

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Each year they sell 70 steer calves to a regular customer, the rest are sold as 18-month-olds as stores. Their store steers sit between 480-500kg LW, the prime steers 540-600kg LW. Most heifers are killed as 18-month or two-year-olds when they’re more than 430kg LW, they also keep about 50 replacement heifers each year.

“The cattle programme has stayed the same over the years, it works and it gives us options to hold or sell.”

Like everyone, their inputs are higher, but the payouts are higher too.

George says they are paid more for their lambs on a scheduled price so are making the same margin as before.

“The bank hasn’t come knocking yet, so we must be doing something right.”

They’ve been thankful for their conservative approach with their sale prices, and they overestimate expenditure. It’s the same with the scanning percentage.

Emma said having a great relationship with the bank manager is essential, as they can bring up anything and not feel intimidated.

“We never feel like we’re asking silly questions.”

Signs that they’re performing well aren’t just in the balance books. It is pride in what goes on the stock truck, as well as being able to live comfortably even with the hefty mortgage.

George says upholding sound relationships with their bank manager and

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Ticking boxes with hemp BY: REBECCA GREAVES

T

he Brothers Green is harnessing the potential of hemp with a range of value-added products, and its founders believe the crop could have the potential to tackle some of the environmental and agricultural issues faced by farmers in this carbon-conscious era.

Started five years ago, The Brothers Green is a vertically integrated hemp business that makes a variety of hemp products, including functional food and skincare ranges. A supplements line is due for launch soon.

They contract-grow hemp in North Canterbury, with a drying and processing facility in the region too. The raw seed is turned into three ingredients: protein powder, oil and whole seed. The raw ingredients are then used in a range of retail and wholesale products.

Founder Brad Lake is one of a trio who make up the Brothers, and he left the comfort of his 9–5 banking job to take the plunge into the world of hemp.

He sees retail products as vital for the development of the hemp industry.

“Retail products that can represent the quality and efficacy of what hemp can provide, and that direct customer connection is our way of moving the industry forward.”

Hemp brings with it a particular set of challenges, not least the negative connotations it can conjure for many people who don’t understand the difference between hemp and marijuana, and the restrictive legislation regarding what’s possible to do with hemp – only 2% of the plant is able to be used at present.

It was Brad’s job as a rural banker in North Canterbury that first opened his eyes to the possibilities of hemp. As an athlete playing rugby and trying to crack the Southland Stags, he was also keenly aware of what he put into his body from a nutritional point of view.

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“How it came into the picture for me was in the primary sector focus. Starting out in my banking career, it was the worst drought in 30 years, [farmers] getting paid less than the cost of production for milksolids, Brad Lake is a founder of hemp business The Brothers Green. and even within the sheep and beef sector it was an incredibly difficult period, having to make magnesium, and is a complete plant critical decisions about offloading stock or protein. buying in feed.”

“That’s just the seed, which is all we can Brad got to thinking about different use at the moment, but you go into the leaf options, like alternative cash crops or stock and flower of the plant and you’re looking feed options that were drought resistant. at really potent therapeutic products, Hemp kept cropping up and seemed to specifically treating things like Alzheimers address many of the issues that repeatedly and Parkinsons.” came up during his meetings around Brad says New Zealand is in a perfect family dining tables. storm and needs to do something drastic From an environmental and agricultural to shift the dial on what we’re doing when perspective, Brad thought the ability for a it comes to reducing carbon emissions on farmer to grow a crop that had multiple or farm. diverse revenue streams, the potential to be “We’ve done calculations around fed to stock and to mitigate nutrient losses carbon sequestration or carbon offset for and sequester carbon had to be worth a dairy farm, and if we planted just 10% considering. of a dairy platform in hemp, that would The potential to get into plant protein be a 51% reduction in that farm’s carbon also presented a huge opportunity. emissions.”

“Despite anyone’s personal opinions on diets, we’re seeing a growing green protein market on the global stage and, as food producers, I think we need to take that seriously.”

FROM THE Hemp doesn’t require pesticides or GROUND insecticides to grow, so chemical use is reduced, it is drought tolerant and has an ability to upcycle nutrients lost. Farmers can diversify their income streams and get more out of the commodity cycle.

“Long term, I think it’s going to open up opportunities for people to get into a whole different area of primary production.

Listen to The Brothers Green episode on From The Ground Up Podcast to hear That’s really what excited me,” Brad says. more about the potential of hemp for New From a nutrition perspective, hemp Zealand’s primary sector. is high in iron, potassium, zinc and

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October 2022

SOLUTIONS

Hardworking dog food ROYAL CANIN ENERGY 4800 HAS been developed to support adult working dogs during very long, intense periods of activity. This premium kibble has the highest protein (32%) and fat (30%) content to help your dog get through the toughest of days.

Energy 4800 includes a dedicated combination of nutrients including high levels of omega 3 fatty acids, magnesium, glucosamine and chondroitin to help support healthy joints in very active working dogs who may experience additional joint stress over their working life.

A healthy digestive system is also essential for working dogs to perform at their best. Enriched with a blend of antioxidants tailor-made to help neutralise free radicals produced during sustained activity, the energy dense kibble means smaller feeds and less work for the dog’s digestive system, but also less time feeding, less food wastage and less faeces. Dietary

fibres and psyllium help to prevent diarrhoea.

Activity increases the need for oxygen delivery to muscles as well as protein use. Due to the high level of protein and digestibility, Energy 4800 supports oxygen delivery to muscles and contributes to maintaining muscle mass.

In a trial run by Massey University, dogs were assigned to one of three diets, which were fed exclusively for eight weeks.

Dogs (NZ Heading Dog or Huntaway breed) were recruited from sheep and breed Innovative farms located in the Gisborne region during

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a period of high workload for each farm.

The activity of the dogs was measured to account for differences in workload.

In this trial, the dogs fed the Royal Canin Energy 4800 diet maintained their red blood cell levels. This ultimately means better oxygen delivery throughout the body including to muscles* – most importantly for long intense periods of activity. *Nick Cave, 2014. ‘Preliminary findings from a field trial of Royal Canin Energy 4800 in working farm dogs.’ Proceedings, Innovative Royal Canin International Working Dog Agriculture Equipment Convention, Oct 2014.

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Agency responds to equity challenge RISING LAND VALUES AND challenges for young farmers to secure bank funding have prompted Bayleys Eastern Realty to promote its equity partnership initiative.

Designed as an intermediary between landowners, farm managers with equity and investors, it brings rural stakeholders together, matching people with the right opportunities to deliver mutual benefits from growth partnerships.

Bayleys Rural Equity Partnership coordinator Kris August says the business has an extensive national network of brokers, constantly in touch with farmers and investors who have shown enthusiasm for equity partnerships as an investment vehicle.

“Tighter bank lending conditions and rising land values have made it difficult for young farmers to establish properties, while an ageing proportion of landowners are planning their exit strategy and how they can release capital from the farm,” August says.

Sourcing bank funding can be challenging for those entering the market, August says, and private capital placement provides an opportunity for individuals with capital to support growing operators unable to access financing.

“Equity partnerships offer a solution to capital sourcing and succession, but it’s vital

single entity plus debt finance model.

“With the proper structure, landowners could end up with viable cashflow and less stress while retaining a stake in their family farm, while investors can partner with experienced operators to maximise the sector’s efficiency.

“It’s a win-win for the industry, which needs to explore progressive new solutions to continue its evolution,” August says.

More? Call Kris August on 027 248 9266 or email kris.august@bayleys. co.nz

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that stakeholders share common values and receive qualified advice from a team of advisers that includes a clear structure for the business,” he says.

“An equity partnership arrangement can provide a practical alternative for families to consider to retain family ownership of a property, and the diversified risk encourages an improved level of coordination and governance with improved financial awareness.

“Giving energetic and professional young farmers a leg up into the industry can also yield new ideas and innovation.

“A new generation of farmers has modern considerations including environmental stewardship and compliance, so there is a broad opportunity for established farmers and investors to partner with emerging farm managers to increase productivity in that space.

“Indebted farmers may find it difficult to grow or increase efficiency, and equity partnerships provide a space for them to release capital and explore new technology or innovations,” August says.

Traditionally, the real estate agency matches buyers with sellers. However, August says it has become essential for the business to provide greater capital solutions for the rural sector to ensure options are available to support those entering or exiting the market beyond the traditional

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Animal ID with Shearwell Data WITH A PROUD HISTORY SPANNING three decades Shearwell Data specialises in designing and manufacturing animal identification and management systems.

It also provides technical advice and support farmers can rely on.

“We are experts in animal identification, both visual and electronic,” company director Richard Webber says.

“The key to capturing individual data electronically is to have a reliable EID device. Our products are trialled on farms, including our own, so farmers can be assured of the quality, reliability and ease of use.”

The Shearwell SET tag has been shown in trials to have an industry-leading retention rate (99.5%). Shearwell aims to provide customers with the best products and services available. EID provides livestock farmers with an in-depth knowledge of an animal’s health and performance, enabling them to make informed decisions, whether

for finishing or breeding purposes.

It is also used increasingly by both pedigree and commercial sheep and cattle farmers around the world.

This same level of research, design and product development is also evident in other Shearwell products, including applicators, stick and panel readers, the ShearWeigh weigh head and load bars.

The recent launch of the TurbOTagger, designed to work with the market-leading SET tags, is the future of high-welfare, highthroughput tagging. The TurbO Lambs on a Pyon heatwave milk warmer.

Tagger’s accuracy and ease of use minimises the stress on the animals and farmer. one unit. Easy to set up and cost effective, Shearwell Data recently acquired the calves, lambs and kids perform extremely Pyon Products business. The Pyon heatwave well on the system. milk warmer uses heat exchange technology to heat milk on demand and can feed up Call 0800 77 99 89 or visit to 30 calves or 50 lambs/goat kids with www.shearwell.co.nz

Thumbs up for slug bait GETTING THE BETTER OF SLUGS before they get the best of your new crops is not just a matter of good planning and preparation this spring.

It also comes down to picking the right tool for the job.

An effective active ingredient is only part of the package. For good control, slug baits also need to be attractive and tasty to slugs; durable under wet conditions; and small enough to provide comparatively high ground coverage.

SlugOut All-Weather Slug and Snail Bait ticks all these boxes and more, says Nufarm technical specialist Paul Addison.

“It’s easy to apply; farmers can put it on themselves; it tolerates moisture, and the active ingredient, metaldehyde, does not harm earthworms or predatory beetles which feed on slugs.”

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October 2022

Paul was one of the science team at AgResearch who developed SlugOut for New Zealand conditions more than 30 years ago.

“At the time the only alternatives were extruded cereal baits that just fell to bits when it rained. What we designed is a bait that doesn’t break up when it rains and has an edible coat on the outside of an inert

core. “That means the active ingredient is concentrated right where the slug feeds, and it doesn’t have to eat much to consume a lethal dose.

“The other critical difference is that SlugOut is small. We knew it was important to ensure a high level of ground coverage, and you can’t get that with a large bait size.”

Capable of taking out 20-50% of young crops in no time, slugs love newly sown clover. But they also consume cereals, maize, forage brassicas, fodder beet and grass.

Once damage is done, it’s too late to do anything about it, so it pays to plan proactively.

SlugOut is available now from your rural merchant.

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October 2022

FARMING IN FOCUS

Top left: Space rocket shed on the Frew family farm near Otapiri, Winton. Top right: Gathering lambs on the Masefields’ Banks Peninsula farm. Centre right: The woolshed on the Hurley family’s Siberia Station, Turakina Valley, Rangitikei. Above right: Four-year-old Grace Hurley feeds lambs on Siberia Station. Above left: Family painting working bee for the new Hoban woolshed. Centre left: Expert helpers on the drains at the Hoban woolshed.

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187

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PROUDLY AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL PARTICIPATING VETERINARY CLINIC. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health New Zealand Limited. Level 3, 2 Osterley Way, Manukau, Auckland, New Zealand. MARKS-MIN®, EPRINEX®, ECLIPSE®, MATRIX®, and BIONIC® are registered trade marks of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, used under license.

Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997, No. A011687, A007191, A009270, A011151, A009390, A011825. See product label for full claim details and directions for use. © Copyright 2022 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health New Zealand Limited. All rights reserved. NZ-BOV-0009-2022.

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