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Volume 32 I November 9, 2020 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I www.farmersweekly.co.nz
1 Go the AgriHQ market snapshot page 2 What was the North Island mutton price last week? 3 How is this tracking compared to year-ago levels?
STRETCH YOURSELF:
This week we are going to look closer at one of New Zealand’s popular export cuts of lamb. Frenched lamb rack is a premium product and is predominantly sold into the hospitality industry. This is a cut of lamb where rib bones are trimmed and exposed, leaving the rib eye attached (as the photo demonstrates) and is a tender and flavourful cut of meat. The graph to the left shows the value for NZ frenched rack cuts in $US/lb. 1 How much lower than last-year and the five-year average have values been through October? 2 Discuss with your teacher about what is currently happening in the US, why might this be affecting demand and therefore values?
1 Go to www.farmersweekly.co.nz 2 Find and watch the OnFarm Story of “I love seeing how happy they are” and read the article “Dairy with a delicate touch”. 3 Where is Felicity located? 4 What breed/s of sheep does Felicity use for milking?
3 Create a poster marketing premium NZ lamb products on the global stage and send it in to us at agined@globalhq.co.nz
Sheep milk is what is known as a ‘complete protein’ source, this means it contains all 10 essential amino acids. They are essential because the body cannot make them itself and must be consumed in one’s diet.
Did you know?? A1 milk is digested easier by some people. Cow’s milk is either A1 or A2, whereas sheep milk sheep milk is naturally A2.
STRETCH YOURSELF: 1 How many ewes does Felicity carry? 2 In NZ milking sheep isn’t completely new but as an industry it is still in its infancy, which other countries use sheep’s milk (both fresh and in products)? 3 What traits are they looking to improve or change in their sheep? Why do they want to do this? 4 What is the seasonal milk production for one of Felicity’s ewes? How does she plan to increase this? 5 Who does Felicity supply her sheep milk to? What do they then do with the milk?
Sheep milk naturally contains up to 60% more protein and calcium when compared to goat and cow milk. Sheep’s milk is naturally homogenised, this means the fat globules are smaller and evenly dispersed, allowing the milk to be digested easier.
GETTING TO GRIPS WITH WEEDS Have you ever thought about why people get rid of weeds? The reason depends on the situation. Often weeds stop animals eating as much grass as they would if the weeds weren’t there. What self-respecting cow wants a mouthful of thistle spines, or evil-tasting buttercup leaves mixed in with the grass? Some might get eaten by cows, but the farmer doesn’t want that. If they eat twin cress or stinking mayweed, the milk they produce has a horrible taste, so the milk factory might get upset with the farmer. Did you know that cows eating hemlock might end up with deformed calves? Ever tried shearing a sheep that has walked through thistles and got prickles all through the fleece? Gorse makes it painful pruning pine trees and it isn’t that nice picking strawberries with lots of nettle and thistles present either. In many crops, competition for light, nutrients and water is the big issue. WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MANAGING PASTURES AND CROPS?
To find out what problems are caused by each weed species, what the weed looks like and how to control them, students and farmers alike often look at: www.massey. ac.nz/weeds which deals with over 75 weeds that cause problems in New Zealand agriculture and horticulture. Follow the link and try using it to see how you tell hawkbit from catsear, or to see what twin cress looks like. One of the most visited pages is the one about how best to control Californian thistle, something most farmers struggle with and also features how to get rid of Onehunga weed that puts prickles in your feet from lawns each summer.
Why does staggerweed have that name? Can you tell water pepper from willow weed?
Check out the Bachelor of Agricultural Science www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/programme-course/ programme.cfm?prog _ id=93425 Or the Bachelor of Horticultural Science www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/ programme-course/programme.cfm?prog _ id=93578
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