AgInEd | June 28, 2021

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AginED

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FOR E FUTURIA G R R S! U E N E R P

Volume 62 I June 28, 2021 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I w w w.farmersweekly.co.nz

Why is Matariki celebrated? Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster. It rises during Pipiri (June/July) and marks the beginning of the Māori new year. Traditionally, Mãori iwi, or communities, would gather together at night during a time of the constellation's prominence, making use of the period between harvests to celebrate and make offerings for a bountiful future. When Matariki disappeared in April/May, it was time to preserve crops for the winter season. When it re-appeared in June/July its appearance was said to predict the success of the season ahead; clear bright stars are a good omen and hazy stars predict a cold, harsh winter. The brightness of each individual star predicts the fortunes of a specific thing that star represents, such as the wind or food that grows in trees.

What are the Matariki star names?

Although there are actually 1000’s of stars that make up the pleaides cluster, and there are technically 9 stars that make up the constellation, there’s just 7 stars you can really make out with the naked eye. It’s these 7 stars that have traditionally been known as the 7 sisters, or the Matariki.

Can you name the stars of Matariki? SIMPLE WAYS TO CELEBRATE MATARIKI WITH YOUR FAMILY

A New Harvest Use Matariki as a time to clear the winter vegetables, and prepare your vegetable garden for the new planting. It could become a family tradition to do the gardening all together – at least for one day of the year.

Tree Planting Contact your local Department of Conservation to find out if there are any regeneration projects happening in your area. Organise to plant a tree on Matariki, or better still, get together with a group of friends and plant several. Head to https://youtu. be/30V9 _ BUPt50 to watch a great video that explains what the stars of Matariki represent.

DID YOU KNOW?

When Matariki does arrive it will be the last Matariki to go unmarked by a public holiday. Next year, Matariki will be celebrated on June 24 with a day off.

Have a go: This graph shows the average 475-525kg Friesian bull values from the Feilding Store Cattle sale.

The bright & dark sides of the Winter Solstice We’re at the peak of the long dark nights with the winter solstice now behind us. The winter solstice was at 3:31pm this past Monday and marks the shortest day of the year (or, to put it far more accurately: the day with the least amount of available sunlight). After this point the earth begins to slowly swing back allowing the Southern Hemisphere to receive increasingly more sunlight. However, temperatures are at their lowest usually a few weeks later with our coldest weather normally in July and August. The solstice is a precise moment in time. So next week, yes, the days start to very very slowly get longer again…but only by a few seconds or minutes to begin with. (which you won’t notice for another four weeks or so). When do you think that farmers and early risers will properly notice the longer days/extra sunlight again?

PASSING THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR:

BRIGHT SIDE Days gradually start to get longer again from July The solar winter (the three months of the year with least available sunlight) is now more than halfway through You can tell yourself we’re on the slide to Summer (even if only in your head at this early stage!)

1 What was the average value at the most recent sale? 2 How does this compare to last year? 3 How does this compare to the five-year average?

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1 Describe the typical pattern of values for this class of cattle at Feilding from March to September. 2 A line of 22 R2 Friesian bulls weighing 496kg sold well at $1465. How much did these bulls make in $/kg? 3 The heaviest bulls at this sale weighed 655kg and earned $2.82/kg. What was the per-head price of this line?

DARK SIDE Usually gets wetter and colder for the next two months ahead Limited sunlight before and after school/work Increased risk of wind chill affecting livestock Higher risks of depression and anxiety due to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) (And to help with that, turn on more lights, the brightness literally cheers people up)

What are your bright side and dark side lists?

e.g. Is it harder to get motivated to do your jobs/chores in the evenings since it gets dark early? Do you like it getting dark earlier as it is easier to get to sleep?

On the flip side:

Do some research and find out when the longest day occurs. Are temperatures at their highest at this point of the year? Why or why not?

BE IN TO WIN WITH Head to www.honestwolf.co.nz and answer these questions to be in the draw to win an Honest Wolf wool cap! 1 What is the name of the farm where the wool for Honest Wolf products comes from? 2 What four colours do the wool caps come in? Simply send your answers to agined@globalhq.co.nz with your name, age, and school and we will randomly pick a winner. This competition is open for students 18 years and younger.

Got your own question about how the weather works? Ask Phil! Email phil@ruralweather.co.nz with your question and he could answer it on the Weather Together podcast!


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