Dairy Farmer December 3 2018

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December 2018 – January 2019

THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME$8.95 THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME

Business planning

Water & irrigation

Combining careers Foxton farmer juggles milking with fighting fires

Top rating for environment DAIRY FARMER

Passionate about creating change

December 2018 – January 2019

Fonterra AGM a civil affair

1

Incl GST

Inside December 2018 – January 2019 Editor

SONITA CHANDAR 06 374 5544 / 027 446 6221 sonita.chandar@globalhq.co.nz

General Manager

WARREN MCDONALD warren.mcdonald@globalhq.co.nz

06 323 0143

Sub-editor

STEPHEN BELL editorial@globalhq.co.nz

06 323 0769

Contributors HUGH STRINGLEMAN hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

09 432 8594

ALAN WILLIAMS alan.williams@globalhq.co.nz

03 359 3511

NEAL WALLACE neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz

03 474 9240

FRITHA TAGG frithatagg@xtra.co.nz

027 480 2507

BRITTANY PICKETT pickett.britt@gmail.com

027 649 3628

TIM FULTON

027 087 16027

timfulton050@gmail.com

Sales

STEVE McCLAREN - Auckland steve.mcclaren@globalhq.co.nz

027 444 3143

JODY ANDERSON - Waikato/BOP jody.anderson@globalhq.co.nz

027 474 6094

DONNA HIRST - Lower North Island donna.hirst@globalhq.co.nz

06 323 0739 027 474 6095

ALEISHA SERONG - South Island aleisha.serong@globalhq.co.nz

027 474 6091

SHIRLEY HOWARD - Real Estate shirley.howard@globalhq.co.nz

06 323 0760 027 474 6004

NIGEL RAMSDEN - Livestock livestock@globalhq.co.nz

06 323 0761 027 602 4925

DEBBIE BROWN - Classifieds/Employment classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

06 323 0765

ANDREA MANSFIELD Business Development Manager andrea.mansfield@globalhq.co.nz

Production

Lana Kieselbach Production Manager Advertising material

COVER Foxton farm assistant and firefighter Tony Eade has the support of his employer and team to leave when the siren goes off.

027 446 6002

06 323 0735 / 027 739 4295 production@globalhq.co.nz adcopy@globalhq.co.nz 1

December 2018 – January 2019

THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME$8.95 THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME

Business planning

Water & irrigation

16 17 34

Market outlook

There’s no doubt the net result of events so far this season is a squeeze on dairy farmers.

Fonterra AGM

Miles Hurrell and John Monaghan front up to shareholders

Not delivering

Fonterra value review shows co-op is under performing

ON FARM STORY

Combining careers Foxton farmer juggles milking with fighting fires

Top rating for environment DAIRY FARMER

Passionate about creating change

December 2018 – January 2019

Fonterra AGM a civil affair

www.farmersweekly.co.nz ISSN 2624-0939 (Print) ISSN 2624-0947 (Online) 2

Incl GST

NEWS

1

8 20

Juggling act

Manawatu farmer Tony Eade manages to fight fires and work on the farm

Caring for the land

Canterbury farmer Tony Dodunski farm gets top marks for his environmental footprint

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

20 THEME

44 53 59

Business health and wealth, staff training and planning Water and irrigation

FEATURE

8 FARMING CHAMPIONS

28 32

Dairy champion Loshni Manikam

Facial eczema

REGULAR FEATURES

7 Guest column – Andrew Hoggard 18 At the grassroots – Farmer opinion – Paige Hocking 36 International news 38 Industry Good – News from DairyNZ 40 Research 42 Technology GlobalHQ is a farming family owned business that donates 1% of advertising revenue to the Rural Support Trust. Thanks to our Farmers Weekly and Dairy Farmer advertisers this week: $1731.

Need help now? You can talk to someone who understands the pressures of farming by phoning your local Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254.

Fast Five

Harry Blundy

Our cows drink pure water Improved livestock health

Elimination of pathogens

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December 2018 – January 2019

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3

CALF CLUB

Congratulations to our Calf Club NZ winners. Well done.

Regional Results Manawatu / Whanganui / Wellington

Macey Parkes, 4th Katie Templeman, 5th

Beef Type

Max Templeman

1st Chloe Taylor, 2nd Cary-Maree Barriball

Primary / Intermediate

Rearing & Handling (Beef)

High-School

Rearing & Handling (Dairy)

1st Max Templeman, 2nd Issac

Rearing & Handling (Dairy)

1st Hannah Lovelock, 2nd Haylee Baker,

Templeman, 3rd Matty Templeman, 4th

1st Georgia Rowland, 2nd Monique

3rd Olivia Lovelock

Katie Templeman, 5th Ben Martin

Radford, 3rd Hollie Radford

Dairy Type

Beef Type

Dairy Type

1st Hannah Lovelock, 2nd Olivia Lovelock,

1st Max Templeman, 2nd Matty

1st Monique Radford, 2nd Georgia

3rd Haylee Baker

Templeman, 3rd Katie Templeman, 4th

Rowland, 3rd Hollie Radford

Rearing & Handling (Beef)

Issac Templeman, 5th Ben Martin

Northland / Auckland

1st Charlotte Lovelock, 2nd Chloe Jamieson, 3rd Tayla Jamieson, 4th

Canterbury

Primary / Intermediate

Cameron Pederson, 5th Gracie Jamieson

Primary / Intermediate

Rearing & Handling (Dairy)

Beef Type

Rearing & Handling (Dairy)

1st Siva Horsford, 2nd Jack Williams, 3rd

1st Chloe Jamieson, 2nd Tayla Jamieson,

1st Skye Crossen, 2nd Trinity Wright

Alyssa Bishop, 4th George Williams, 5th

3rd Cameron Pederson, 4th Charlotte

Dairy Type

Sapphire Somerville

Lovelock, 5th Gracie Jamieson

1st Skye Crossen, 2nd Trinity Wright

Dairy Type 1st Jack Williams, 2nd Alyssa Bishop, 3rd

High-School Rearing & Handling (Dairy)

Taranaki

Siva Horsford, 4th Sapphire Somerville, 5th

1st Nikki Baker,

Primary / Intermediate

George Williams

Dairy Type

Rearing & Handling (Dairy)

Rearing & Handling (Beef)

1st Nikki Baker

1st Izzy Radford, 2nd Annabella Aldridge,

1st Hollie Tiller

3rd Kaylee Lepper, 4th Riley Taylor, 5th

Beef Type

Nelson / Marlborough

Rose Holmes

1st Hollie Tiller

Primary / Intermediate

Dairy Type

High-School

Rearing & Handling (Dairy)

1st Annabella Aldridge, 2nd Riley Taylor, 3rd

Rearing & Handling (Dairy)

1st Max Templeman, 2nd Katie

Rose Holmes, 4th Izzy Radford, 5th Kaylee

1st Angel Somerville, 2nd Conner

Templeman, 3rd Matty Templeman, 4th

Lepper

Somerville,

Issac Templeman, 5th Rylee Parkes

Rearing & Handling (Beef)

Dairy Type

Dairy Type

1st Chloe Taylor, 2nd Cary-Maree Barriball

1st Angel Somerville, 2nd Conner Somerville

1st Rylee Parkes, 2nd Lorna O’Donnell, 3rd

MORE: Keep an eye out in the February issue of Dairy Farmer for more photos of our regional winners.

Annabella Aldridge and Phoenix

4

n

man and Sve

Max Temple

Chloe Taylor and Lightning

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Trinity Wright and Moana

Hannah Lovelock and Jazzy

ville Angel Somer ie and Pix

Izzy Radford and Mila

Jack Williams and Jayne Siva Horsford and Helga

Nikki Baker and Jessie Rylee Parkes and Rita

Skye Crossen and Snowflake

Monique Radfor d’s calf Makuri Solomon Z Charlotte Lovelock and Frankie

Hollie Tiller’s calf Bow

land’s calf Georgia Row rie Jade Makuri Guth

Chloe Jamieson and Otis DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

5

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GUEST COLUMN

Data work stalls Federated Farmers vice-president Andrew Hoggard says work on data standards has stalled and needs to be kick-started.

M

ANY of us know South Korea is home to Samsung, a company at the leading edge of technological

development.

So it was apt that one of the sessions at the World Dairy Summit I recently attended in Daejon was on information and communications technology and smart farming.

Just as interesting were some of the discussions in the International Dairy Federation business meetings before the summit. A lot of the talk focused on the technology space and, in particular, the challenge at the farm level with data standards and shifting data around in the farm setting.

We have been having these same discussions in New Zealand. In fact, some of the solutions we’ve generated in that field are possibly ahead of other countries.

Unfortunately, that work has stalled of late.

If we expect farmers to comply with customer and societal demands on proving adherence to various standards then we need to rev up this work again.

Farmers need to be able to shift their data from one platform to another in simple ways, to be able to easily share data with others without the need to produce multiple reports or fill in reams of paper forms for many different groups asking the same sorts of things.

But it’s not just a compliance thing, it’s also about making your business run smarter and faster and giving farmers time to do more things they want to do.

The key to the whole concept of sharing data is obviously trust and speaking the same language. We have had two approaches to that.

On the trust side it was about creating the NZ Farm Data Code of Practice.

Firms would apply to get this seal and farmers would then know the firms that achieve it have good security for the farmers’ data they hold or generate through their products or system.

DAIRY FARMER

Federated Farmers vice-president Andrew Hoggard says work on data standards has stalled and needs to be kick-started.

It actually covers a bit more than that but, for the sake of simplicity, let’s just stick to that.

Next, through the NZ Farm Data Standards, we agreed on what the terms and wording of various things would be.

So, for example, you are not going to be able to share data between two computer programmes if one has rising two-yearold youngstock and the other just calls them heifers or something like that.

The farming terminology needs to be standard and the tech geek computer language also needs to be standard.

I was on the working group that helped put all this together then was on the board that oversaw the running of the two.

December 2018 – January 2019

But, as I mentioned, progress has stalled.

At the same time but under a slightly different group work was going on around a project that started as a data locker but then changed to a data linker.

That was where the farmer-facing ability to shift data from one place to another would happen.

Again, it has been happening for a while but nothing really concrete has landed as yet and this has all been developed with your levy money – both DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ. At the same time we have commercial platforms such as Agrigate from Fonterra and LIC. It makes business-to-business connections to share info and turns it into actionable data or metrics.

So, while it sounds similar to the data linker, it is actually a step above.

Data linker won’t replace it or compete against it but data linker could provide the platform for other companies to create similar data aggregation/ dashboard type programmes that could compete against Agrigate.

Take that slightly messy NZ situation and broaden it to the world and you get an inkling of how confusing the international scene is.

The worry I see is that some firms with some key products or key points of contact with farmers can lock farmers into using only certain products or services if they want their data shifted easily and smartly.

I use this analogy. Imagine if you could connect devices to your home wifi network only if they were the same brand as your router.

That’s where I fear we are headed in the farming space.

I want to buy the best product/device/ service that suits my needs and if it meets the right standards then ideally it should be able to work with or put data into other devices or systems.

So what needs to happen is that all the interested parties come together and chart a path forward and it would be damn handy if farmers were to give them the appropriate encouragement. n 7

ON FARM STORY

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Tony Eade has been dairy farming for 25 years and for the past nine years has been a volunteer firefighter.

Photos: Chelsea Millar DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Milk and fires, a tricky combo A Foxton Beach firefighter successfully combines fighting fires with milking. Samantha Tennent reports.

M

ANAWATU farmer and volunteer firefighter Tony Eade had been asleep for only a couple of hours when his pager and cellphone went off. It was midnight and he was being called out to fight a fire.

By the time the brigade put the fire out it was time to head to work. He left the site of the blaze and headed straight off to milk.

Later that afternoon, he was getting ready to milk when the siren went again.

Calls are not always that regular but as a volunteer firefighter he needs to be ready to go at the drop of a hat.

He is fortunate to have a supportive work environment and the backing of employers Grant and Katherine Lovelock, who are the sharemilkers on the 280ha farm milking 650 cows south of Foxton.

Eade is a farm assistant and part of a team of five full time staff and two relief milkers.

“It’s great that I have a flexible boss who knows that sometimes I have to go to a fire call-out at short notice,” Eade says.

“Our team is big enough that we aren’t all milking at the same time.

“If I get a 3am call-out I can call on another member of the team to take my place. It’s really good to have that support in the workplace. Without it I couldn’t do both jobs.”

He and wife Lucy bought a property at Foxton Beach 10 years ago and not long after shifting into the community he met a local who was involved in the volunteer fire brigade.

It seemed exciting and a great way to get among the new community. He signed up nine years ago.

“It’s satisfying knowing that we are helping. We are there to help everyone who needs our help, including animals.”

To be a volunteer firefighter takes a commitment to regular training. It keeps developing their knowledge and skills to be prepared for a call that can involve anything from a fire to a medical emergency.

“We train for an hour and a half every Monday evening. You receive all the training you need once you get involved, starting with a week in Rotorua.”

All frontline people in Fire and Emergency are first aid trained.

“Depending on where ambulances are, we can be the first on the scene to a heart attack, for example, so knowing how to

perform CPR is vital in situations like that.

That training can save a life.”

Eade says rural volunteer fire brigades are particularly vital since many communities are far from main centres.

They minimise the delay before other emergency services arrive, which can make a big difference to outcomes.

Eade is progressing his career in the service to a management role through

Continued page 10

FARM FACTS n Owners: Wilf and Erin Vickers n Sharemilkers: Grant and Katherine Lovelock n Farm assistant: Tony Eade n Location: Foxton, Manawatu n Farm size: 280ha n Cows: 650 Friesian n Production: 2017-2018 297,000kg MS n Target: 2018-19 310,000kg MS

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ON FARM STORY

Tony Eade brings the herd in for afternoon milking.

further training, which means he will be managing emergency situations.

Management roles involve liaising and co-ordinating the teams rather than being on the frontline fighting a fire directly.

“As a firefighter you learn a lot of skills in managing situations and how to cope with different scenarios.”

The farm does come first but it is not often he misses a call-out.

“It depends where I am on the farm and what I am doing. If there is someone who can take over or cover me so I can shoot back to town then I do.

“If I’m at home I just go.”

Weekends can take more co-ordination because some of the team is on leave or off the farm during the day but good communication and the strong support 10

are key to his success with juggling farm work and his fire service commitments.

Lucy also works at the brigade and helps out with social events and their three children know he will soon be shooting out the door and where he is going when they hear the siren.

Working as part of a large team is different from his previous jobs, which have generally been on smaller farms.

Often, the work is managed between himself and one other.

“I always found one staff member easy to deal with but it’s a good change being part of a bigger team.

“When you’ve got time off you know there’s someone there who knows what they’re doing and they know who to call if they have any queries.

“Our roles aren’t really defined. There are two of us older guys and two younger ones so someone experienced is always around to help.”

Coming from a sheep and beef background he has been a dairy farmer for 25 years and is now enjoying passing on his knowledge of dairying and watching the younger team members develop in their careers.

He recommends people interested in the dairy sector talk to people already working in it.

“Just get out there, give it a go and see if it’s right for you.

“Join the local Young Farmers club, meet other people in the sector and ask questions. Schools have great programmes.”

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Tony Eade is a farm assistant on the Foxton farm for sharemilkers Grant and Katherine Lovelock. Tony and Grant discuss what is happening on farm.

Tony says it is satisfying knowing he is helping people through his role at the Foxton Beach Volunteer Fire Brigade.

He grew up in Bulls where his dad Tim worked as a stock manager on a large sheep and beef farm. He left home in 1989 and bought a block in Santoft, which was sold last year.

Leaving Rangitikei College at the end of year 12, he joined the Air Force to train as an aircraft mechanic. But 18 months later he decided it wasn’t a good fit for him and with the call of the land being too strong, he left the force.

He chose dairy farming after talking to a friend of the family who organised dairy farming jobs and found him a chance to work on a dairy farm near Bulls.

By the time his six months was up he was hooked on dairying and found another job on a nearby farm as an assistant.

DAIRY FARMER

Two years later, he was looking to progress in the industry as well as expand his knowledge and responsibilities so moved into a herd-managing role on John and Ide McManaway’s farm near Hunterville.

“While I was based in Hunterville I met my wife Lucy, a few young people came to a party one night and Lucy was among them. She was nursing at Palmerston North hospital at the time and we hit it off really well.”

They married in 1997 and have three children Callum, 21, Julian, 18, and Libby, 16.

After three years at McManaway’s the couple moved to another farm near Sanson and it was about this time he decided it would be worth getting some

December 2018 – January 2019

relevant qualifications behind him.

He completed a certificate in farm business management and found having farming qualifications mattered and held him in good stead.

“It taught me a lot of the financial side of farming.

“Cows and grass are a big part of dairy farming but you also have to be able to sit in an office and do your budgets and financials.”

They decided to step up to a sharemilking position and went lower order nearby in Kopane.

“This is where I really learnt a lot about the business side of farming. The costs associated with everything and the

Continued page 12 11

ON FARM STORY

Tony Eade says the best part about farming is working with cows.

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December 2018 – January 2019

Tony tops up the calf feed. Once weaned, calves are reared on the support block.

About 230 calves are reared including Speckle Park, which are carried through to finishing. realities of what it took to operate.”

The shrinking payout and three small children with busy schedules made him take a step back and take stock of their work-life balance.

They decided to move back to a managing role on a 600-cow farm at Rangiotu on the outskirts of Palmerston North.

Financially, it was also less pressure being back on a wage rather than being self-employed.

Three years later, he decided to take a break from farming and went to work with RD1 Livestock. But that lasted only 18 months before he realised he missed DAIRY FARMER

hands-on work and the cows too much.

“I love the cows. They’re my favourite thing about dairy farming. They’re great to work with and all have their own personalities and habits.

“I like the extra friendly ones that come up for a rub in the paddock or the milking shed.

“I don’t have a favourite – I love them all.

He had been enjoying living off farm so they stayed in their house at Foxton Beach when he went back farming at Lewis Dairies.

The farm was only a 10-minute drive and he found being off the farm allowed

December 2018 – January 2019

him to completely relax on his days off.

“That’s if there wasn’t a fire call-out on those days.”

On some of the farms they worked on Lucy took on the role of calf rearer but was never full time on the farm. She continued nursing until the children were born.

In 2009, she returned to nursing fulltime and is now one of the programme leaders in the Nurse Education Team at UCOL in Palmerston North.

Last year she completed her masters degree in nursing, which had been a big commitment.

Continued page 14 13

Being able to leave the farm at the drop of a hat to attend emergencies is possible only with the support of the team. Johnathon McKeage, sharemilker Grant Lovelock, Tony Eade, Josh Fawthorpe and Alan Fawthorpe.

While Lucy was studying and working full time Eade reduced his farm work commitment and shifted to a part time role with the Lovelocks in 2015. That helped them manage the family life. He would drop the children at the bus stop in the morning on his way to work and collect them in the afternoon on his way home.

Although the Lovelocks make the decisions on their farm, they consult their team first and discuss plans so everyone understands why things are being done the way they are.

This season they have reduced cow numbers by 30 but hope to maintain their average production of 310,000kg MS of the past few years. Reducing numbers has allowed them to take lower producers and later calvers out of the system.

The farm operates a System 3 with 280 tonne of maize and a reasonable amount of palm kernel fed.

They grow the maize on the platform over 10 hectares and balage is made on nearby support blocks.

Lovelock does regular farm walks to monitor and assess pasture and usually takes one of the junior staff members with him to give them a chance to learn.

The cows are wintered on-farm and young stock run on a couple of support blocks nearby.

Calving begins on July 20 and they rear 230 replacements. The Herefords are sold as four day-olds and the Speckle Park bull calves are sold as weaners. They carry the Speckle Park heifers to finishing if they can, running them on the support blocks.

Target weaning is 80kg and once 14

weaned from pellets they are sent to the support block.

They begin recording pre-mating heats four weeks out from the start of mating on October 13. Non-cycling cows are vet checked and treated but they do not use many CDIRs.

I love the cows.

They’re my favourite thing about dairy farming. I don’t have a favourite – I love them all.

Tony Eade

As sharemilkers the herd is their greatest asset so the Lovelocks are very particular with their mating. Lovelock does the AI using the Customate programme through LIC to select the right bulls for their breeding goals.

The herd is in the top 10% for BW in New Zealand, which is taken into consideration during mating planning.

They are targeting high fertility, overall confirmation and high fat content when selecting bulls for the herd. They have been selecting these traits for several years and say they are pleased the new index weightings have greater emphasis on fat content.

The herd is a mix of Friesian and Friesian-cross animals and they are inseminated with Friesian semen for the first six weeks. Hereford and Speckle Park is used before finishing with short gestation.

The heifers are synchronised and mated to AI and overall the herd boasts an 8285% six-week in-calf rate.

Even after 25 years of dairy farming Eade still enjoys the work and says he enjoys the rewards of farming – being outdoors, the physical work and working with his hands.

“Milking can be quite relaxing if you have good cows, a good shed and a good team. I really enjoy it.

“With farming it’s a good feeling to see what you’ve achieved – the condition of the cows, the milk and the farm.”

The farm dairy has Protrack, which he describes as a luxury.

“It’s the first farm I’ve worked on that has it and it really does make things so much easier. Just type the numbers in and they’re drafted out. It’s so much easier than manually drafting.”

His love of farming hasn’t rubbed off on his children.

When they were younger the children would go out on the farm with him and helped their grandparents on their block in Santoft. Their boys Callum and Julian have done relief milking but neither is keen on farming as a career choice.

However they do share other interests off farm and he and the boys go trail bike riding at least once a month and he regularly supports Libby on the sportsfield sidelines.

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

As a family they head down to the beach as often as they can to put the kontiki out, which deploys snapper long lines well offshore without needing a boat or kayak to take it out.

“It’s a relaxing way to fish and one of the great things about living at the beach. It’s right on our doorstep.”

Spending time with family is important to getting that work-life balance and he counts himself lucky the children still live at home.

“It’s nice to have them around because I know one day they will have families and homes of their own.”

He has a philosophy not to say no to opportunities as they come along but for now he’s very happy with the work-life balance he has with his family.

His gets every second weekend off but even on the weekends he does work the team is doing only the essentials. Often he can be at home with the family for a few hours between milkings.

“It’s good to be able to come home and get stuff done.”

He hopes he and Lucy will do some travel one day, see the world, but for now he’s quite content with life. n

Herd numbers have been reduced this season but production has averaged 310,000kg MS over the past few years.

ON FARM STORY

The farm runs a System 3 feeding maize, silage and palm kernel. Tony heads off to feed a load of palm kernel. >> Video link: bit.ly/OFSeade

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NEWS

Squeeze goes on farmers STEPHEN BELL

A

LL the signs point to Fonterra having to drop below its forecast farmgate price range when it sets a single price this month.

And the economists and analysts believe the signs are pointing in the right direction.

The good news is they all generally believe the number will still start with a six.

After the November 20 Global Dairy Trade auction NZX dropped its forecast for the 2018-19 season by nine cents to $6.17/kg of milksolids (MS).

Other milk price forecasts are Rabobank $6.65, BNZ $6.30, Westpac $6.25, ANZ $6.10, and ASB $6. ASB cut a whopping 25 cents off its forecast to get to $6.

Curiously, ASB is usually the most optimistic in its milk price forecasts but now has the lowest outlook.

It should also be noted the higher forecasts are older and both Rabobank and BNZ have confirmed they are considering reviews.

The September 2019 milk price future settled at $6.11 on November 22.

It is interesting to note, even if it is more of an academic exercise than a reflection of reality, the NZX spot price dropped from $5.81/kg MS to $5.42/ kg MS after the auction. The spot price indicates what the milk price would be if November 20 GDT prices were achieved over the entire dairy season at current exchange rates.

However, the good news for farmers is commentators generally see an uptick in international demand over the second half of the season so while they’re not optimistic, they’re not pessimistic either.

They are more accurately described as hovering and waiting to see which way to jump.

Their instinct is for things to improve though they acknowledge what they call downside risk. And they’re all still pretty chirpy about the general prospects for the economy.

The exchange rate also has a strong influence on the price farmers get but no16

GLOBAL DAIRY PRICES, 2014-2018

one is predicting the Kiwi dollar value to rocket up in the next year. Interest rates are also expected to stay low through next year.

Westpac summed up the situation nicely in its November 26 weekly commentary.

“While concerns about the strength of global demand are swirling at the moment the big factor weighing on prices is the strong growth in domestic milk production.

“Milk collections were up 6.5% in October compared to last year and season to date production is up 6%.

That’s well ahead of what we expected.

In addition, pasture conditions are looking good as we head into the summer months.

“Increases in production and the related drop in prices have added to the downside risk for this season’s farmgate payout.

“We have been forecasting a $6.25/kg MS farmgate milk price for the 2018-19 season.

“However, prices have fallen further than we were anticipating.

“What’s more, our forecast was always contingent on some rise in milk auction prices over the coming months. And with domestic production so strong there is clearly downside risk to our $6.25 forecast.

Speculation aside, there’s no doubt the net result of events so far this season is a squeeze on dairy farmers.

“Certainly, Fonterra’s forecast $6.25 to $6.50 is looking increasingly optimistic.

“While prices may be softening we wouldn’t describe this as a negative for New Zealand farmers.

“Despite lower prices, higher volumes will support farmgate returns. And importantly, prices remain well above break-even levels for most farmers.”

Speculation aside, there’s no doubt the net result of events so far this season is a squeeze on dairy farmers.

In the three months to September 30 the prices received by dairy farmers fell 4.8% while their costs for things like fuel, feed and freight went up 1.5%, Statistics NZ figures show.

The prices businesses pay for petrol and diesel rose 6.9% and 7%, respectively.

In contrast to farmers, dairy companies expanded their margins with costs down 3.7%, mainly from lower payouts to farmers, and the prices they received for products increasing 6.5% despite falls in the GDT index.

The retail prices for dairy products on Kiwi shop shelves rose 1.2% in the quarter.

StatsNZ said the companies’ incomes rose mainly because of receiving higher whole milk powder prices but prices for other products including butter, cheese, milk and cream also rose. n DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

NEWS

Fonterra fronts up HUGH STRINGLEMAN

F

ONTERRA’S new leaders took a shortened but highstakes approach to the co-op’s annual meeting in a warehouse at its Lichfield processing site.

Chairman John Monaghan and interim chief executive Miles Hurrell emphasised different aspects of the same priority list for operational, debt and earnings targets after Fonterra posted its first loss in the 2018 financial year.

They tag-teamed the addresses and answering of questions from the floor and were barely troubled by any controversial calls.

Contributions from directors and other senior managers were kept to a minimum, mainly the formal resolutions for appointments and the obligatory farewells.

A centre of attention was returning director Leonie Guiney, from South Canterbury, who had earlier that week become the first self-nominated candidate to gain election, reportedly with a healthy approval vote from fellow farmers.

By contrast, the sitting oneterm director Ashley Waugh, who combines international dairy company management with dairy farming in Waikato, failed to reach the 50% threshold and joined retiring three-term director Nicola Shadbolt on the way out.

Protest voting also denied a board chair for Jamie Tuuta, former Maori Trustee and former chairman of Paraninihi Ki Waitotara, the largest Taranaki supplier to Fonterra, despite his endorsement by the independent selection panel.

Monaghan and Hurrell had made public most of their key performance indicators before the meeting but that did not detract from the seriousness of the undertaking.

In a reverse fealty to shareholders they undertook to reduce debt by at least $800 million, divest assets in an orderly way to help meet that commitment, bring the debt-to-debt-plus-equity ratio back into the 40-45% target range, retain the A and A- credit ratings, cut operational expenses by 7%, make 25-35c/share earnings and

DAIRY FARMER

Farmers have trusted new Fonterra chairman John Monaghan, left, and interim chief executive Miles Hurrell to action their rescue plan and left them to get on with it.

There are no sacred cows and there is no room for being sentimental.

John Monaghan

deliver to shareholders a return on capital greater than 6% annually.

Any one of those targets not achieved or in prospect when this year’s financial results are published next September will badly dent their credibility, on which farmers have entrusted the rescue and by and large left them to get on with it.

Surveys show there is little appetite for further co-op structural or governance changes despite several commentators saying Fonterra’s problems originate deep in those areas.

Guiney and new director Peter McBride, after a long and successful reign at Zespri, have also been accorded respect and charged with ensuring Monaghan’s repeated phrase of getting the basics right is done.

A forecast $6/kg milk price for the third consecutive season has mollified farmers and given the leadership team time to act.

Value-add margins should be restored

December 2018 – January 2019

this season and deliver the earnings target range but not the return on investment.

Hurrell asked for two years to enact the cut in operational expenses and deliver a respectable return higher than 6%.

The performance-improving measures are only the first steps alongside the portfolio review and a new purpose for Fonterra, he said.

Handed the microphone, Monaghan gave only high-level suggestions of asset divestment that must be done to protect the balance sheet.

“The first phase has been to identify assets that are no longer core to our strategy in terms of the type of product they make or the geography in which they operate.

“At this stage nothing is on or off the table and if we choose to divest it could be in full or in part.

“This is not a fire sale.

“There are no sacred cows and there is no room for being sentimental.”

Monaghan said three assets had been identified – Beingmate had already been mentioned and the other two were part of the value-add portfolio but not being publicly disclosed yet.

“We have some tough decisions to make.”

The board will be transparent and keep shareholders informed where that is commercially sensible and at all times show respect for their capital invested on their behalf. n 17

AT THE GRASSROOTS

Finding joy in farming Paige Hocking was advised not go farming because she suffers from depression. She shares her story.

I Paige Hocking entered the dairy industry having already been diagnosed with depression but finds farming has made her happier.

HAD so many negative influences around me I was sure I wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of farming. But I went dairying anyway.

You might ask why.

Dairy farming hasn’t caused my depression. I entered the industry with depression. It was my choice despite my peers and counsellors telling me not to become a farmer.

This is my story.

My mind and thoughts became clouded and dark three years ago when I left school.

I had everything lined up and my life planned out perfectly or so I thought.

I had a scholarship for university and a placement lined up so I could become an early childhood teacher. I had a passion for teaching and children’s development.

Exams were fast approaching and when I admitted I needed help with study everything I wanted was taken away just like that.

I was told “You are unfit to be a teacher due to your mental health.” I will never forget those words. Why did my mental health have to define me as a person?

You know when you have something or someone, no matter how you are feeling, they or it are the reason for your happiness, where all your focus is directed. Sometimes you even get happy, fuzzy butterflies in your stomach. My happiness was education.

Those words knocked me back. I developed suicidal thoughts through feeling worthless. I had my dream job snatched away.

I saw my doctor about my thoughts and feelings, was diagnosed with depression, prescribed anti-depressants and a psychiatrist was organised.

I never took the pills though I told everyone I did. I wanted to cope my own way, by sleeping and clinging to my bed all day, every day.

I confided in my mother one day when I was in hospital about my self-loathing and told her “I want to kill myself”. She spoke to the nurses and I was seen by a psych nurse.

I hated my mother for going behind my back and talking to someone about my mental health.

I left home and moved in with a guy I met online. I thought it was love, yet I wasn’t safe.

I turned to alcohol in the hope that would help. I could’ve easily finished off a 24-pack of Woodstocks by myself. I was using alcohol as my go-to to make myself happy.

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Rural Support Trust: Rural people helping rural people ARE times a bit tough?

How about talking to someone who really understands the pressures of rural life?

Rural life can be challenging and stressful.

Stress can be caused by many factors that can build up, from relationships to the weather.

Sometimes all that is needed is someone neutral to listen.

Trust co-ordinators are experienced in helping people find options to

Paige Hocking has been honest with her partner about her depression and is doing better since taking on farming full-time.

It all came to a head one night during an argument. Fuelled by booze, I became violent, not towards others but towards myself.

I sought help, which was the biggest step I made in my life. I was open and honest about my thoughts, feelings and deep hatred towards myself. I moved home and realised that blood is thicker than water and my family will always be there for me no matter what.

Eventually, I started finding my feet, small steps day by day, bit by bit and every day I got a little bit stronger. But there were still some days, I felt I hadn’t moved or made a change.

I learnt my triggers, what pushed me over the edge and how to keep myself alive through a technique I was taught – mindfulness.

I moved to Ngatea after meeting my partner Terence Potter, a 2IC on an 1100cow farm. Right from the beginning I was honest about my mental state of mind and he has been hugely supportive.

I started in dairying rearing calves last season. I found it extremely challenging as they got older and wouldn’t go back in the pen. I had a few cries and quite a few bad words came out of my mouth.

Rearing calves felt very similar to when I was working with children. In a way they are just as dependent on you as children, which bought out my nurturing side.

I then became a drive-in milker, which pushed me to my limits but I loved the work. I loved being outside, working with cows and learning. I am so grateful to my first employer for teaching me so much about farming, giving me independence in the shed and teaching me right from wrong.

This season I’m full time farm assistant DAIRY FARMER

on a 360-cow farm. For me farming isn’t a career, it’s a lifestyle and one that is helping me.

Night times are a struggle for me. I am restless and anxious and don’t end up going to sleep till 11pm knowing full well I have to be at the girls’ paddock at 5am the next day. The 5am starts never change when the girls are relying on you for their overnight pressure to be released.

I sought help, which was the biggest step I made in my life.

The next day arrives so quickly like I hardly slept again. My mind is clear this time. I listen and observe my surroundings – something I got told to do – the coldness against my skin, the frogs croaking in the distance and the moon lighting up the race.

Every morning I greet the girls with a good morning even if I’m not feeling the best. I will take a few minutes to give the girls a pat before we head off to the shed and this makes me feel loved knowing that they are waiting on me.

A catchy song comes on in the shed which gets me moving. They say dance like nobody’s watching and I can sing as loud as I want and the cows don’t judge me. The colours dancing across the sky as the sun rises for the day make me feel alive.

December 2018 – January 2019

manage rural challenges and can refer you to a professional for services like counselling and financial and farm management or provide a mentor with a rural background in your specific sector with whom to talk.

The trust is run by local rural people who know from experience that severe weather, finances, relationships and work pressures can all mount up.

Contact them any time. Call 0800 RURAL HELP - Their support is FREE. n For me, these little things mean a perfect day.

Bees are buzzing, birds are singing, the skies are blue and a light breeze across the land are the things we would miss out on if we gave up.

Since starting dairy farming I am emotionally happier. I can connect with my surroundings, making me feel at peace.

Coming from Auckland, life feels so much fresher with cleaner air and not much noise pollution unless you count the bulls bellowing in the distance.

I sometimes feel very isolated and farming can be if we don’t reach out. I have a fantastic support person from Rural Support Trust named John. He helped me get through my first season of farming when I started to lose confidence in myself.

I wish sometimes there was a magic pill to fix how I feel but unfortunately not. I have a lot of support - mum is my biggest cheerleader and Terence encourages me to do the best I can.

I’m not going to say ‘Life is hard, get used to it’ or ‘Deal with it’, all I am going to say is this.

I know how you feel too. Prove to the ones that doubt you, prove to the ones that don’t think you are good enough, and prove to yourself that you are worthy (because you are).

If you feel you are alone in this world or in farming, speak out to friends, family or a community leader.

For me, speaking out and sharing my journey gives me confidence that I’m okay, I am still breathing, I still exist and this isn’t a dream.

I am 22 years old and a proud dairy farmer who is living with depression. n 19

ON FARM STORY

A-grade farming in a sensitive environment A Canterbury dairy farmer is in tune with his environment. Tony Benny reports.

Tony Dodunski farms next to Lake Ellesmere, which is a challenge environmentally.

Photos: Tony Benny 20

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Half of the 660-cow herd is leased. The herd is Jersey and Kiwicross which are better suited to the heavy, mud-prone land.

D

ESPITE farming in a part of Canterbury regarded by many as too challenging environmentally Tony Dodunski has achieved an A rating for his farm environment plan audit and is achieving his production goals as well.

Tony and wife Clare farm 190ha next to Lake Ellesmere, which is rated the most at-risk in New Zealand with agriculture having a significant impact so farmers in the area are in the environmental spotlight.

Under the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan Dodunski’s farm is in the Selwyn Te Waihora Cultural Landscape Values Management Area’s phosphorus and sediment risk zone.

Dairy farms in the zone have to have a nitrogen budget and those leaching more than 15kg of nitrogen a hectare a year are

DAIRY FARMER

required to cut their leaching by 30% by 2022.

After less than a year on the farm Dodunski’s farm environment plan (FEP) came up for auditing by an Environment Canterbury-approved auditor.

“I was really nervous, absolutely, because of the environmental stigma this area has and because I’d put so much emphasis on the environmental side of things when I was talking to the bank and the other shareholders so to get

December 2018 – January 2019

an A was choice,” Dodunski says.

Auditors rate farms from A to D depending on how closely farmers achieve the targets and objectives set in their FEP, their conformation with good management practice guidelines, achievement of nitrogen loss limits and their record-keeping.

“Part of the reason why we got an A is because we’ve been accumulating those records the whole way through,” Dodunski says.

“When the auditor came round I had my computer and she had the template she went through. She said ‘Show me the evidence,’ so I just brought it up on my computer. It’s about being organised and having all the information recorded.”

He says the property’s previous owner was a very good farmer who did a lot of environmental work fencing off drains,

Continued page 22 21

ON FARM STORY

The previous owner fenced waterways and planted flax. Tony Dodunski has since planted another 4000 trees and shrubs.

planting flax and putting in ample effluent storage. Dodunski has just added to that, planting 4000 trees and shrubs as well as deepening and digging a further 8.5km of drains.

In his first year on the farm he also built a 700-cow concrete feed pad. The farm’s heavy soils turn to mud quickly in wet weather so he gets cows off pasture and onto the pad quickly when that happens.

Effluent from the feed pad goes through a weeping wall to separate the solids and the water is re-used to flood wash the pad.

Despite the farm’s location next to Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere he believes he has advantages over farmers in other 22

parts of Canterbury in reducing nitrogen leaching. While most Canterbury Plains farms have porous shingle under the surface that is free draining and prone to leaching his heavy, non-stony soil holds on to moisture.

The farm’s baseline nitrogen loss, established from 2009 to 2013, is 30kg/ha.

“It’s easier to come down if your baseline’s 30 already, 30% of 30 is far more achievable than 30% of 100,” Dodunski says.

He’s already ahead of that with Overseer modelling showing a nitrogen loss of 17kg/ha.

“The work on infrastructure that the

previous owner had already done, doing simple things like installing the moisture probe and some simple management, we have reached the 30% reduction anyway,” he says.

“We’re not stocked as heavily down here and we now have the ability to stand cows off on the feed pad.”

The farm’s more likely to be prone to phosphorus run-off, he believes, and it is in a phosphorus risk zone but with waterways fenced off, extensive riparian planting and the feed pad available for heavy rain, that is being well managed.

DAIRY FARMER

Continued page 24 December 2018 – January 2019

A recent farm environment plan audit gave Tony Dodunski an A rating for his farm.

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ON FARM STORY And to further reduce the risk of nutrients getting into Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere all farm drains are directed into a 12-hectare wetland on the farm to filter contaminants from the water.

Dodunski, doesn’t have an issue with the rules.

Looking after the environment is a basic part of his farming philosophy and his A audit result shows he’s well on the way to achieving environmentallyfriendly farming but he’s concerned there doesn’t seem to be much financial reward for his efforts.

“This is bigger than me but there should be some environmental premium or something in the payout or some sort of incentive to encourage this sort of thing, I reckon.”

Born in Bay of Plenty but moving to Southland with his family in 1992 to take advantage of lower land prices there, he always wanted to go farming himself.

“I went to boarding school in Dunedin and then went to Lincoln University and left with a B Com Ag. “Then I went overseas and played a bit of footy and when I came back my dream was to go farming and own my own farm,” he says.

He took a job with Purata (Synlait) and started working towards farm ownership.

“I came south because I thought Canterbury is the best place to farm in NZ and worked my way up from 2IC to managing and contract milking for five years.”

While he gained dairy farming experience he also built equity by trading stock, gradually building up to about 550 cows, which he leased to other farmers.

“I was leasing them all over.

“I think at one point they were on five different farms, 100 here, 100 there and 30 there. I had my cashflow from my contract milking business and just used that to pay for grazing, cows and servicing the loan.”

Dairy farming at that time was at its peak with high payouts and high prices for stock but he was uneasy, feeling those good times couldn’t last.

“So I sold a herd of 550 cows and if I’d waited another two weeks I would’ve got next to no money from them because it was just as the downturn happened.”

His timing was right but he learnt that having his money tied up in cows is risky, given the volatility of prices, and there is more security in owning land.

He put his money in the bank, carried on contract milking and started searching 24

for land in the right place as well as being affordable.

One requirement was the farm be close to Christchurch so Clare, a doctor, could commute to the city.

“So we pretty much drew a circle around Christchurch and there’s not a hell of a lot of farms with 30 minutes of Christchurch,” he says.

They looked at a few farms close enough to town but ruled out the area near Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere, reasoning that under Environment Canterbury’s tightening environmental regulations it would be too difficult to comply and make a profit.

“Because of the stigma it had I didn’t even give it a thought but then the real estate agent knocked on my door and said ‘Tony, I know you’re stuck in your ways but just hear me out.

“Come and have a look at this farm

and at least think about it’.”

The farm had been on the market for some time with potential buyers put off by its location but because of that it was attractively priced.

“I made some calls, I found some information and just studied up about the new plans and regulations coming up.

The price was a big part of it,” he says.

“We did a heap of environmental due diligence, we had two meetings with Environment Canterbury (to understand) what they were thinking, the plans and future regulations and they were very good, very accommodating.

“I guess I came on here with confidence that we can do what we’re planning to do to farm it into the future.”

The tighter environmental regulations being introduced didn’t faze him. He figured that’s how farmers should be operating anyway.

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Tony Dodunski bought the Lake Ellesmere farm two years ago in an equity partnership with his parents and sister.

“Some people have been doing it for years and definitely my family’s farming philosophy is always be at the forefront environmentally rather than on the back foot in that space.”

Achieving top marks for his FEP audit vindicated the confidence he had that he could make the farm work and was no doubt comforting to his bank and his equity partners, his parents and sister.

“That’s a good thing about the industry isn’t it? We can evolve and adapt to meet the needs of each business and there are so many options from contract milking to sharemilking and equity partnerships.

“I’m the equity manager or whatever you want to call me and then above that there is an advisory board.

“There’s an independent chair and then other directors of the advisory board are the shareholders and the official directors DAIRY FARMER

are myself and my dad. So the buck stops with us.”

He does a weekly report to the shareholders and key stakeholders including his vet.

“I don’t think of it like a family farm. I think it’s like a normal commercial dairy farm that’s got family shareholders.

“We do everything (formally), like minutes of advisory board meetings, so that when we do meet as a family we try not to talk about the farm or any business problems.”

In the meantime the farm is stocked with 50% leased cows because the business cannot afford yet to buy all the animals outright.

Since the outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis, he has rethought his leasing strategy and is very careful where he sources cows and bulls.

He prefers smaller animals, Jerseys and

December 2018 – January 2019

The tighter environmental regulations being introduced didn’t faze him. He figured that’s how farmers should be operating anyway.

Kiwicross, which he believes are better suited to his heavy, mud-prone land than big, heavy Friesians.

“I don’t really care what they look like just as long as they’re efficient and can do 110% of live weight in milksolids on minimal supplements and get in calf every year,” he says.

“And no mastitis.”

Mating begins on October 16 and they do AB until January 8. This season he is, for the first time, using sexed semen for AB mating.

He tries to avoid having bobby calves so from week nine on runs a team of five purebred Wagyu bulls with the herd during the day for the tail-enders. Wagyu bulls are also run with the heifers.

The bulls are rested at night, the first year he has done that.

He sells the progeny at 95kg for reasonable money.

“From what I can see in my cross-type herd the most money I can extract out of a calf that’s not an AB calf is through the Wagyu breed.

“I personally just hate the whole idea of sending bobbies off at four days old. I rear the calves and it just seems so wasteful.

You know you’ve got a good animal there, let’s use it.”

Their six-week in calf rate last season was 71% and their empty rate was 9.5%.

Calving begins on July 25. This year he reared 300 and will aim for 450 next year.

Of those, 180 this year are replacement heifers. As the number of cows they own increases he is targeting to rear 35% heifer replacements.

Target weaning is 70kg for the Jerseys and 75kg for the Kiwicross calves, which are then sent to the run-off. They return as in-calf heifers.

Continued page 26 25

I have always wanted to be a Fonterra farmer.

It’s just in the last couple years that I’ve really had to think about it.

Tony Dodunski

Team member Alex Bohdnov heads off to feed out.

He aims to own his own herd mainly through rearing progeny and leasing cows by mid 2021.

As well as meeting his environmental

targets he is hitting the production mark too.

In his first season, last year, the farm produced 251,830kg MS from 570 cows

at peak milking. This year, with 660 cows, production so far is up 17% and on target to achieve 280,000kg MS. The farm is a System 4 and used more supplement that usual last season because of regrassing 90ha.

Supplementary feed includes grass silage, maize silage and palm kernel.

“We also have fed vegetable by-products and will continue to do so now that it can be fed on concrete and if the price is right.”

Ten hectares of fodder beet was planted on September 17. It will be fed from March to May and again in August and September. He expects to get a yield of about 25 tonnes of dry matter a hectare by April 1.

This season he has also planted a 5ha crop of turnips for the first time and they will be fed in January and February.

He does a pasture walk every week and inputs the data into Minda Land and Feed to create feed wedges.

“Depending on the time of the year, in a nutshell, if the average pasture cover is below 2300kg DM then we will top up with supplements where needed.”

He is a My Milk supplier, for Fonterra

Proven Product. Best Spread.

ON FARM STORY farmers who can’t yet afford to buy shares, which in his case would cost $1.5 million.

But if supplied Synlait, he wouldn’t need to buy shares. He is now starting to wonder what the best option is, especially with the premiums on offer.

“I have always wanted to be a Fonterra farmer. It’s just in the last couple years that I’ve really had to think about it.

“With a co-operative we all get paid the same amount. If I get an A in my environmental audit and the neighbour gets a D, I still get the same amount even though I’ve spent a lot of money on a concrete feed pad, plantings and moisture probes.”

Either way though, he is committed to looking after the environment.

“I like to make money like most dairy farmers and we have to make money to be able to fund all the environmental costs.

“The public don’t think highly of the dairy industry at the moment so what can we do to help with that, to show that dairy farmers are actually doing their fair share and really making a difference?

“At the end of the day it’s all about the consumer isn’t it? That’s why we’re farmers.

“Throughout the course of history farmers have done what the consumer tells them, albeit sometimes slowly, and at the moment NZ consumers are saying that environmentally it’s not good enough and they want to see action, actual physical change and not just words.” n

Staff member Eugene Sivachenko hoses down after morning milking.

Since taking over the farm Tony Dodunski has put in a 700-cow concrete feed pad to stand cows off in wet weather and regrassed 90ha.

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

27

DAIRY CHAMPION

Helping others succeed Leadership starts with self for the 2018 Dairy Woman of the Year Loshni Manikam. Tim Fulton reports.

A

FTER 20 years of life in rural New Zealand Loshni Manikam has a real insight of the Kiwi agricultural psyche.

“I believe there’s this huge gap,” Manikam says.

“I feel like farming people know how to care about land, stock, neighbours – everything except themselves and I want to help change this.”

Manikam and her husband Donald Kidd are equity partners and lower-order sharemilkers on a 600-cow farm near Winton.

In 2007 they won the Southland Sharemilker of the Year title before they became equity partners.

Earlier this year she was named Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year and received a $20,000 scholarship for approved professional and personal development training.

At the time of winning she said receiving the title was proof the success of an ordinary dairy farming woman can translate far and wide.

“It shows you can raise a family and still progress, reach the top and have a say at industry level.

“I’m passionate about creating change by working alongside industry leaders and farming communities.

“I think it’s important to first build relationships and understand each group’s drivers before collaborating for change and I hope winning this award will allow a few more doors to open to allow that to keep happening.”

Manikam credits her success to Kidd as the major influence in her professional life with people like Lindy Nelson from the Agri Women’s Development Trust being instrumental 28

Southland dairy leadership coach Loshni Manikam is this year’s Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year. in facilitating her development.

“There have been people from the Dairy Women’s Network who have tapped me on the shoulder and encouraged me to step up,” she says.

“Organisations like the Dairy Industry Awards and Fonterra have created opportunities for my growth and I will be forever grateful.”

She now specialises in leadership DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

development in the primary sector because of her conviction people are key to the sector’s continued success.

Her rationale is that unlocking potential has benefits for individuals, farming businesses, communities and the sector.

Through a philosophy of selfleadership she helps women develop a stronger sense of personal identity and what they need to be happier.

She finds self-leadership invaluable as a way for women to practise reflection and develop a clearer and more confident sense of self.

“I am focused on self-leadership and excited to be creating resources like online courses to reach more people and work with them to define what a successful life means to them and how to pursue that without guilt.

“Society’s definition of a successful life, which centres largely around financial success, is no longer giving us the satisfaction and happiness that we are all driven to pursue.

“We need more than money to thrive and I want to work with people to identify and pursue their needs beyond family and finances.”

Having benefited from training herself she is now ready to launch online selfleadership training for rural women.

We need more than money to thrive and I want to work with people to identify and pursue their needs beyond family and finances.

Research shows the correlation between a focus on the wellbeing and happiness of people and the positive impact on all aspects of business.

She says training benefits everyone.

Coaching is a satisfying supplement to a busy life on the farm and a rewarding

form of contact with like-minded people.

“I get to do something which challenges me and helps me to grow and hopefully helps others.

“The thing about training is that it does focus you on servant leadership because it means that it’s not about you it’s your audience.”

It’s a business risk she’s happy to take but admits the market might not be ready for it.

From a commercial perspective she figures it pays to already be active in that space as demand grows.

“I don’t know if farming people are going to embrace it straightaway but I’m quite happy to be at the front end of that because it will happen.

“I’m happy to try to find new ways to engage farmers because I passionately believe that if we can get them thriving, that if we get them engaged in the resources they need then that is really good not just for them but for the whole industry.”

Her aim with online training is to take people from uncertainty to clarity and

Continued page 30

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Her attitude, sharpened by her own experience and coaching, is that things are always evolving and you can always grow and learn.

Her fascination with human behaviour has seen her career progress from law to dairy farming to leadership coaching and training. She obtained her coach certification from the NeuroLeadership Group in 2012. She has since gone on to become a consultant working with various primary sector organisations, including Farmstrong.

Born and raised in South Africa, she met Kidd in England in the 1990s when she was backpacking the world after graduating with a law degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban.

Kidd is a fourth generation dairy farmer from Northland. The couple returned to work on his family’s Northland farm.

“Everything changed for me,” Manikam says.

“I kind of lost contact with the idea of being a lawyer – that was going to be my life until I chose other options.”

They moved to Southland a few years later and are now in their 11th season on the farm at Winton.

The couple are at the stage in their lives when financial consolidation and spending time with their children Lukesh, 18, Suri, 15, and Karminee 11, matters more than growth.

She says it is important for their family

Loshni and husband Donald say it is important for their family to schedule time away together as often as possible. Donald, Suri, 15, Karminee, 11, Loshni and Lukesh, 18 in Los Angeles earlier this year. to schedule time away together as often as possible.

As a couple, they are now more conscious than ever that it won’t be long before the children are out the door so every day together counts.

“I’m really fortunate that Donald and I have similar values around that,” she says.

In October she used part of her bursary to attend a five-day training event in San Francisco by one of the world’s most popular purveyors of the art of creating online training, Brendon Burchard.

She has been doing Burchard’s online training so seeing him live was a brilliant

The human behaviour and leadership expert originally trained as a lawyer but went dairying after meeting her husband Donald Kidd and moving to NZ. 30

buzz as well as seeing the confidence of Americans more inclined to just do it rather than wasting time worrying about failing – an important distinction she would like to see transferred to the NZ primary sector.

Burchard, who works with Oprah Winfrey and has books on the New York Times bestseller list, is nothing short of inspirational.

“Everything he’s saying I’m writing it down because it’s not just theory, he’s lived it and he’s done it. He has had phenomenal success reaching millions of people with his online training so it was a privilege to learn from him.”

She returned home with a head swimming with thoughts including how to tailor training to NZ farming’s ingrained ethic of work, work and more work.

“That attitude has to be admired but it’s also potentially a problem,” she says.

“Rural New Zealanders’ core values are probably similar to what other parts of the community had 20-30 years go – they have a fantastic work ethic and an ability to care for their farms, animals, crops and people.

“That translates to an appetite for work in all weathers and all situations which hasn’t left time to work out what else is needed in order to lead happy, fulfilled lives.”

She’s driven by a vision of a more positive culture in the dairy industry that puts people at the front and centre of everything we do.

“When people are thriving there is a strong positive ripple impact on the individual, their families and all aspects of DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

their business, their communities and our industry.”

While she prefers to show leadership through personal development there are many ways for people to express themselves and make a difference in a community.

As well as running her online courses, farming and caring for her family, Manikam is a trustee of the Southern Dairy Development Trust, the founding director of Iceberg Coaching and coach and facilitator of the Agri-Women’s Development Trust Escalator Programme.

She has been involved in Southland Federated Farmers and worked for DairyNZ. Big organisations have the size and institutional resources to help farmers in any number of ways but there’s also room for the nimble individual to make a mark.

In her case, being an immigrant and a newcomer to farming allows her to question accepted industry positions, like staff working for three weeks straight before having a weekend off.

In hindsight, she made the most of a fresh perspective.

“I think it makes it easier when you come in from the outside with fresh eyes and can have that role of being that naive inquirer.”

Farming generally has been very good to them, she says.

“What I love about it is the lifestyle, financial progress and the enjoyment that dairy farming has given our family.

“It’s been a great way to bring up our children and I love living in a rural community – rural people are a special breed of people.” n

In October Loshni went to San Francisco to attend a seminar by Brendon Burchard.

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FAST FIVE The Dairy Farmer team is always out and about looking for dairy industry workers going about their business. Keep an eye out, you just never know when one of our team might tap you on the shoulder.

This month we catch up with Northland Vet Centre veterinarian Harry Blundy.

1. What motivates or drives you?

I am motivated by constant challenges. Finding new ways through obstacles as new challenges arise is probably by biggest driving factor, both personally and professionally. As well as this, working alongside others, learning from them and helping them learn are parts of life that both bring me fulfillment and drive me to improve myself.

2. What philosophy do you live by?

I live by the rather simple philosophy that at any point you should either be improving yourself, helping others or enjoying life. If you can find a life that involves all three then you’re on the right track.

3. Why did you become a vet, what attracted you to the profession?

I first wanted to be a part of the veterinary profession because I saw it as a great way to help both people and their animals. As well as this, the magnitude of change you can set in motion with seemingly small actions, especially in the agricultural sector, was the sort of aspect that appealed to me. As I got older the academics and problem-solving became an added bonus and are now a large part of my work satisfaction.

4. How do you see the state of the industry and future of dairying?

Harry Blundy Harry Blundy is originally from England. He grew up in a small rural area just north of Auckland where his family raised sheep and beef cattle.

The rural lifestyle was what really got him thinking about becoming a vet.

He completed his veterinarian studies at Massey University and after spending five years of studying at Massey and seeing many different types of practices across the country he wanted to work somewhere with a good mix of practice – generational farmers and smaller, more personal farms.

Northland seemed the perfect fit.

This is his first year out in the field as a vet and he is

I am optimistic about where the industry is heading. During my time as a vet I have met many interesting and motivated people from all different sectors of the industry, all of them working towards the advancement of the industry whether it be for the farmers, the animals or for the productivity of the industry as a whole.

Obviously, there are some pressing short-term challenges and the looming longer-term challenges for the industry relating to its environmental impact but with the calibre of people we have in New Zealand I am positive about the future.

5. If you weren’t a vet, what would you be doing?

A part of my job that I really enjoy is helping colleagues and the teaching aspects, especially relating to students. So, I imagine that if I wasn’t a vet I would be involved in education somehow, hopefully, still within the industry.

thoroughly enjoying the clinical practice.

Outside of work he spends most of his time surfing, fishing and pretty much making the most of what Northland has to offer. n

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Congratulations to sharemilker Carolyn Osborne from Matamata and case manager Tuakana Walker from Hamilton who have each won a set of chaps from Husqvarna.

PUD V PAV Tuakana Walker – Christmas pudding Growing up, Nanny’s Christmas pudding was an epic feast full of coins, alcohol and fruit.

Sometimes Nanny’s cooking skills weren’t that great. We would be lined up hungrily waiting for the pudding and she would boil the heck out of it until it burnt so the fruit suffered a second death.

But when it was good, it was delicious with gooey, custardy and yummy cream dripping, your puku six-pack will surely be ripping but the downside is that if you eat too much then that six-pack becomes a one-pack.

We always used to eat it with ice cream, too, which made it even tastier.

Nanny used to make it for us often and always on special occasions along with cakes that she would decorate with those big old 50 cent coins. We thought it was awesome and it was your lucky day if you got a slice with a coin in it or a piece of Christmas pudding with coins in.

Carolyn Osborne – Pavlova Mum’s pavlova wins hands down. She has been making pavlovas for many years and is an expert. They are nice and crunchy on the outside with a caramelised meringue inner edge and a delicious soft marshmallow middle.

When we were children dad would separate the cream from the milk from our cow. We whipped the cream firmly and layered it on top with great big succulent strawberries freshly picked from our garden.

I love the crunchiness and gooeyness of pavlova. It is such a fresh, vibrant and summery dessert that reminds me of New Zealand and Christmas. You have to be traditional.

I started making them about five years ago and I am getting better. Perfecting it takes a bit to get it right but follow the recipe and it will turn out.

Though we no longer have a house cow to get cream from we do have a garden full of different types of berries I use to decorate our pavlovas.

There is no better dessert.

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NEWS

Fonterra fails shareholders HUGH STRINGLEMAN

F

ONTERRA shareholders have received an average return of 6.3% annually since the co-operative was formed in 2001 and Shareholders’ Council chairman Duncan Coull says that is a failure to deliver a meaningful return above the cost of capital.

An independent value review of Fonterra’s performance was commissioned by the council and done

by Northington Partners.

The average return on capital by Fonterra was 6% a year, about 1% below some assessed benchmarks.

That was an opportunity capital loss of $2 billion collectively over Fonterra’s history.

The value-add businesses returned 0.2% a year more than the ingredients and significantly below the 1.3% needed to justify the increased risk.

The council said value-add processing is taking an increasing share of capital expenditure – 50% over the past five years – but on the credit side recent investment in brands and opportunities might take some time to generate the expected outcomes.

But farmers should also take into account the closing of the gap between New Zealand milk prices and international prices since Fonterra’s formation, the review said.

The milk price has also significantly increased since the inception of the Milk Price Manual.

The value of farmland has increased and Fonterra has supported farmers and stabilised the industry during times of weak economic conditions.

Coull said Fonterra existed for reasons beyond just a return on capital invested in processing and exporting.

The milk price is a measure of global supply and demand and the efficiency of converting milk into base ingredients that used to be called dairy commodities.

34

Fonterra Shareholders Council chairman Duncan Coull says Fonterra has failed to deliver meaningful returns over the cost of capital.

The share value was a measure of Fonterra’s success in delivering value above the milk price over time.

The review showed $1 invested in Fonterra in 2001 is now worth $2.84 giving an annual rate of return of 6.3% versus $4.79 or 9.6% annually invested in the NZX50.

However, when Trading Among Farmers (TAF) was introduced in 2012 the total shareholder return in Fonterra was the same now – nil growth over that six years.

Capital gains have been a fundamental driver of improvements in farmers’ net wealth position.

Moving on to financial performance, the review graphed some stand-out years in 2003-04 and 2004-05 when return on capital (ROC) was 9%-plus, and four good years between 2009 and 2012 with 7%plus returns.

But in the 17 financial years there were four when ROC was below 4% and they coincided with higher milk prices.

And in the six financial years since TAF

began the average ROC was only 4.7%.

Northington referred to the 45% increase in milk production by Fonterra farmers over 17 years and the need for appropriate investments in capacity and discovery of competitive markets, both of which had been done successfully.

“However, even allowing for some of these contributing factors it remains clear that Fonterra has generated lower ROCs over recent years.

“Given the heightened competition for milk Fonterra needs to do better in order to earn the trust of farmers’ milk and capital.”

The review used a range of weighted average costs of capital (WACC) for the mostly unfavourable comparison with Fonterra’s 6% average ROC performance.

The WACC range was 6.9% to 7.7% for 17 years, 6.4% to 7.2% for the past 10 years (Fonterra 5.9%) and 5.9% to 6.6% for the past five years (Fonterra 4.6%).

Only when the 28.3c/kg increase in the milk price arising from milk price calculation method changes over the past 10 years was added back did Fonterra’s ROC scrape into the bottom end of the WACC comparison. That was an improvement of 0.7% for Fonterra.

The review went into considerable detail on the effects of the changes in milk price manual methodology, both caused by Fonterra’s improvements in performance such as efficiency gains and items attributable to wider market conditions, such as lower interest rates.

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

RETURN ON CAPITAL AND FARMGATE MILK PRICE Return on Capital and Farmgate Milk Price

Return on Capital Employed

10%

9.0%

Average Return on Capital Employed since inception of 6.0% p.a.

9.7%

$8 7.9%

8%

7.3% 5.6%

6% 4%

$9

6.0%

7.3%

7.2%

$7

7.0%

6.3% 5.5%

5.4%

$6 5.7%

Milk Price

The cumulative impact of these changes since 2009 added up to 51.8c/kg in 2017-18.

The Fonterra gains were in a sequence over the past six financial years: 7.8c, 9.3c, 10c, 16.2c, 22.2c and 28.3c.

Added up, the extra milk price payouts to farmers over that period amounted to $1.44b.

Although the review does not say so, farmers could consider those increases to the milk price as offsetting the lost $2b opportunity cost in ROC. Northington says instead that Fonterra’s average ROC since inception would have been 6.4% without the milk price methodology changes.

The review says the historical milk price gap between NZ and Europe and the United States has now closed and all three now sit at US40c/litre.

“Council’s view is that the milk price model is the greatest single driver of efficiency in the business and the greatest determinant of farm profitability,” the report says.

Land value appreciation has averaged 6% annually over the past 17 years, about half of which is

$5 $4

3.9% 3.0%

2.9%

$3 1.8%

2%

$2 $1

0%

$-

FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11

Trading among Farmers and the listing of units in the Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund - November 2012

Milk Price introduced in 2009 bringing a transparent framework for determining the Milk Price and earnings Post-Tax Return on Capital

attributable to productivity gains.

“Capital gains have been a fundamental driver of improvements in farmers’ net wealth position.”

Some of that benefit can reasonably be attributed to Fonterra’s significant role in the dairy sector.

The review also mentioned Fonterra’s support loan to 70% of farmers during the last downturn in dairy prices, the benefits of Farm Source buying farm supplies, worth about 10c/kg annually, and free-ofcharge farm environment plans.

FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18

Farmgate Milk Price (right axis)

Any direct comparison of Fonterra’s performance with other NZ dairy companies is misleading because of key differences in collection areas and obligations, product mixes and scale.

Overseas, co-operatives Arla based in Denmark and Friesland Campina in the Netherlands are more comparable but neither has the same regulatory regime as Fonterra.

The pre-tax ROC comparison showed Fonterra on 8.1%, Arla 8.4% and Friesland Campina 13.2%. n

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35

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Brexit is positive Brexit will be a boost for British dairy farmers as they take land vacated by less profitable rival sectors.

B

REXIT is a net positive for big British dairy farmers because lower profitability in rival sectors will give them more opportunities to expand production, Rob Hitch from accountancy firm Dodd and Co says.

Speaking at the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers business and policy conference Hitch said the exodus of unprofitable red meat producers from the industry after the withdrawal of areabased subsidies would force down rents, allowing dairy farmers opportunities to expand.

According to Farm Business Survey figures even the top 25% of lowland beef and sheep farmers only break even with subsidies before they draw a wage, meaning higher rents will be untenable unless a future support scheme is equally as generous.

“I just cannot see rents staying at anywhere near their current levels,” Hitch said.

“Therefore there is a lot of lowland land that has to come available.

“Dairy farmers need to stand up and say to processors ‘we will back ourselves to produce extra milk, you need to invest in processing to try to offset imports’.”

Whatever the United Kingdom’s future trade deal with the European Union looks like, the guarantees of an overhauled agricultural subsidies system and changes to the free movement of EU migrants, trade and currency will all affect the future of the industry, he said.

36

Milk powder stockpile cut in half

POSITIVES Trade: The UK’s future trade arrangement with the European Union is likely to provide dairy farmers with the opportunity to offset a wedge of the £830m of dairy imports that arrived from the EU in the year to September 2018.

Trade facilitation costs on imports of 8% will translate to an extra 2p/litre to farmgate milk prices, further bolstering dairy farmers’ position when the transition period ends.

Savings: There are further likely savings to be made of about 10% to variable costs through lower-priced oilseeds and cereals as well as the potential for cheaper fertiliser from Russia, which will shave about 1.5p/litre off of farmers’ costs.

DIFFICULTIES Access to labour: The government has indicated the UK will see an end to the free movement of EU workers after Brexit.

RABDF figures published in 2016 showed 56% of dairy farmers had employed staff from outside the UK in the previous five years.

Smaller farms: Producers with fewer than 100 cows will be put in the most precarious position by Brexit.

Those units are the most reliant on subsidies and have a greater reliance on beef markets, which could be hit by increased competition from non-EU countries.

A milk price of 28p/litre or less would take the average smaller farm balance n sheets into the red.

THE vast quantities of European Union skim milk powder kept in intervention stocks have halved since their creation in 2015, the European Commission says.

Just 190,000t of the 380,000t of surplus SMP removed from the market by the commission as a measure to restrict supply three years ago remain in storage.

The intervention policy has been criticised by some analysts who said it merely delayed the problem of overproduction and the large stocks overhanging the markets suppressed SMP prices.

However, the commission pointed to improving SMP and liquid milk prices for September in its latest Milk Market Observatory report, coinciding with the tender sale of a further 30,000t of intervention SMP on November 8 as evidence of the policy’s success.

A statement from the EU said robust demand and careful management by the commission supporting responsible production growth delivered competitive prices to producers.

That success was reinforced by the fact dairy accounted for more than half of the EU’s agri-trade surplus. n

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Have your say on NAIT changes We’re proposing changes to the NAIT (National Animal Identification and Tracing) Act and regulations.

The changes are based on recommendations from the NAIT Review and lessons from the Mycoplasma bovis response.

Find out more: www.mpi.govt.nz/NAITconsultation

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

37

INDUSTRY GOOD

News from DairyNZ

Preventing facial eczema Chris Glassey

VetEnt vet William Cuttance analyses pasture spore counts. Anything over 15,000 is considered a risk.

DairyNZ farm systems specialist

S

UMMER is just around the corner and with that comes the risk of facial eczema.

If you have treated cows for this disease you will know how unpleasant it is.

Unfortunately, the damage it causes to cows’ skin is just a symptom of what’s occurring internally to the animal’s liver.

Now is a good time to get a plan in place to make sure you’re prepared to mitigate the risk of FE. The disease is most prevalent from January to May when warm, moist conditions make it ideal to grow the fungus (Pithomyces chartarum) that produces the toxin in the pasture that causes FE. With no cure, the best way to protect your herd is through prevention.

It’s important to note FE is just like an infestation.

There are a couple of different approaches you can take.

Both include monitoring pasture spore counts and either dosing animals with zinc or spraying pastures with fungicide.

If you notice an upward trend in your own farm spore counts that’s a clear sign

Steps to prevent FE MONITOR pasture spore counts on your farm from the same four paddocks every week.

When the spore counts start to trend upwards to 30,000 spores/g pasture start your management programme.

Do not stop your management programme until the spore counts are consistently low across those paddocks for at least three weeks.

Weigh a representative sample of at least 20 cows from each mob to calculate the correct dose of zinc required. It can be administered as a drench, dose water or in feed.

Start your zinc dosing programme

38

when the spore counts start to rise.

After two weeks, check your cows are receiving enough zinc by blood testing 15 cows and checking for zinc concentration. Work with your vet to tweak your management system if they are not receiving enough zinc.

A fungicide will slow the development of the fungus and production of new spores. Apply only when you are sure that spore counts from multiple paddocks are below 20,000 and pasture is green and growing.

Avoid grazing below 4cm pasture height in summer.

you should begin using your preferred FE prevention method.

Anything over 15,000 is considered a risk and over 60,000 a high risk.

Aside from using zinc or fungicide another good approach to protect your cows is to avoid grazing below 4cm pasture height, using supplements when appropriate.

It’s important to note FE is just like an infestation.

If one cow has FE symptoms it’s likely more are affected, even if they’re not showing signs.

Some indicators to look for in your cows include restlessness, seeking shade, licking their udder and reduced milk production.

Breeding cows that are more tolerant to FE is a long-term solution and some farmers who have gone down this path are already reporting the benefits.

This is probably our best strategy to manage this challenging disease in the long-term.

The sheep industry has been breeding for FE tolerance for the last 30 years with great success.

I think it’s something for us to aim for.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could put an end to this nasty disease once and for all?

Now that’s something I would love to see happen in my lifetime. n

MORE:

For more information on facial eczema, how to prevent it and treat it visit dairynz.co.nz/ facial-eczema DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

2018 Supreme Winner MOBH Farm Partnership

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We have entered DBOY three times now as the data gained via the Farm Performance Report is invaluable in assisting us make evidence-based decisions for our business. DBOY allows us to benchmark ourselves with other top-end businesses and provides an accurate ‘warts and all’ critique of our business. The report also helps us set KPIs that ensure relevance for our goals. We now have a comprehensive set of data that we use to not only assess performance, but also assist with planning and modelling future strategies.

To find out more about DBOY and our comprehensive Farm Business Performance Report, please visit our website www.dboy.co.nz, call 0800 73 55 88 or email team@dboy.co.nz

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DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

39

RESEARCH

Climate research leads the world

A

GOVERNMENT research programme has positioned New Zealand as a world leader in research into mitigating greenhouse gases from agriculture and adapting to climate change, a recent independent review has found.

The Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC) research programme supports the generation of new climate change knowledge across NZ’s agriculture and forestry sectors.

The independent review found SLMACC has triggered new research and boosted NZ’s understanding of the potential impacts and implications of climate change for a range of primary industries, particularly pastoral farming systems and responding to drought.

NZ relies heavily on its natural environment and the primary production it supports.

Steve Penno

“Climate change affects every one of NZ’s land-based producers from farmers, growers and foresters to the communities that support them,” MPI investment programmes director Steve Penno says.

“NZ relies heavily on its natural environment and the primary production it supports.

“A warming planet poses challenges and unknowns so it’s vital to invest in research to better understand the land-based sector’s future operating environment and, importantly, how a 40

country like ours must adapt.

“SLMACC has contributed heavily towards growing this understanding and enhancing the science capability needed.

“The review found it’s creating highquality research, engaging stakeholders and end-users, growing climate change science capability in NZ, enabling international collaborations and supporting researchers early in their careers to build their capability and experience.

“A number of other SLMACC benefits were supported by the review, such as building more accurate knowledge about long-term carbon storage in our forests and providing resources to increase awareness of climate change and practical options for use on-farm.”

The review focused on four areas: adaptation, forestry research, greenhouse gas mitigation and technology transfer.

Adaptation refers to how farming systems, livestock management, crops and horticulture need to change to cope with climate change. It is an ongoing process that will continue to evolve as the climate changes.

Forestry research has been integral to the SLMACC programme because of the information needed on the role of trees, in particular, plantation forestry, in offsetting greenhouse gas emissions to help NZ meet its domestic targets and international obligations.

Mitigation research seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, of which agriculture and livestock produce about half of NZ’s output.

Efforts in this area are based around four key areas: methane inhibitors and vaccines, low emission-generating animals and feeds, reduced nitrous oxide from soil and plants and farm management interventions.

Technology transfer communicates these newest research findings to farmers, growers, foresters and other primary industry professionals in a way that can directly influence engagement and encourage lasting change.

The review also considered the value

Ministry for Primary Industries investment programmes director Steve Penno says climate change affects all New Zealand’s land-based producers including dairy farmers.

for money of SLMACC-supported projects.

For example, its Train the Trainer project delivered workshops to about 400 rural professionals to share information about climate change and how farmers and growers can adapt their businesses to improve profitability under future climates.

The review estimated future profits of $4.9 million across sheep, beef and dairy farmers and orchardists from the $0.45m invested in the project.

The review made a number of recommendations including increasing engagement with stakeholders to ensure materials are fit for purpose to encourage adoption of improvements on farms and orchards and shifting from more research to delivering ways to reduce the effects of climate change and monitoring and evaluating progress. n

MORE:

The SLMACC research programme recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, marking an investment of about $50m in more than 150 targeted basic, applied and policy research projects. A number of its projects are showcased in Investing in Tomorrow.

Download the booklet and get review reports including a summary of findings on the SLMACC web page.

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

RESEARCH

Farm sums changing TIM FULTON

NITRATE SATURATION

F

One response should be at a strategic management level.

From that perspective a major opportunity for farmers is to examine where inputs might be going, how much is being used to generate outputs and the overall efficiency of a farm business.

“And more importantly, what are the implications of the way those inputs and outputs are balanced with the environment?”

Analysts have usually focused on the relationship between system inputs and outputs from a production point of view with little regard to losses to the environment.

The country has a plethora of information on the subject but only recent further examination into how that balance relates to environmental impact, he said.

DAIRY FARMER

600 Total N loss to environment (kg N leached and in gases/ha/yr)

ARMERS and researchers are confronting an historic change to New Zealand’s age-old inputs-outputs production equation, DairyNZ feed and farm systems principal scientist Dr David Chapman says.

Farmers can take it as read the industry has a problem with nitrate leaching so the question is how to mine information for solutions, Chapman told a recent farming science seminar at Lincoln.

A major risk of not taking the right approach to nitrate mitigation is clamouring to go in one direction with land use change when it is not warranted.

Farmers, therefore, should consider broad strategy and associated farm management options.

500 400 300 200 100 0 0

50 100 150 Food production (kg N in milk protein/ha/yr)

“The definition of outputs has to move beyond standard production outputs. It has to include outputs which find their way into the environment – environmental losses.”

An industry-wide shift in attitude and approach is starting to open up some new thinking about the best ways to manage land and nitrate leaching and individual steps to reduce it will hopefully add up to a concerted effort by the industry to discharge its obligations, Chapman said.

Change will take a while and some of the thinking is disconnected but the trend is unmistakable.

“We are seeing shifts in the dialogue that’s about embracing much broader solutions to solve the environmental issues on farm, including the spectrum of land uses that are available to us, how they are employed and how they interact.”

To highlight the balance between inputs, outputs and losses to the environment, Chapman presented a graph that showed the effect of nitrate saturation, at which point the losses to the environment started increasing exponentially.

If farmers look at an inputs-outputs equation from that angle they might ask themselves what they can do now, what the rationale is, what they can expect to happen and how effective the action will be.

The options available to farmers now work to a certain degree but

December 2018 – January 2019

DairyNZ’s Dr David Chapman says the industry has a problem with nitrate leaching and mitigation work is ongoing.

not necessarily for all farmers across the spectrum of geographical and environmental conditions around the country.

“And we need to bear in mind that farmers need support to take these actions. This is quite a complex challenge we’re dealing with.”

Adjustments to comply with the full implementation of regional plans are bound to take longer than regulators expect, Chapman said. n 41

TECHNOLOGY

SenseHub monitors treats SONITA CHANDAR

C

ONSUMERS of Nestle products can be assured the treats they like best have been made with milk from happy, healthy cows.

As part of Nestle’s commitment on animal welfare it has partnered with Antelliq’s Allflex on a pilot programme to monitor dairy cows’ wellbeing through Allflex’s SenseHub on several Nestle farms.

The collaboration aims to provide Nestle with full visibility into the wellbeing of individual cows and the herd according to a set of key performance indicators.

Sensehub, which monitors dairy cows’ wellbeing on farms producing milk for specific Nestle products, is a sophisticated system in which cows are fitted with either a collar or ear tags.

SenseHub delivers actionable information on the reproductive, health, nutritional and wellbeing status of individual cows and groups.

The system has the potential to drive continuous improvement of animal welfare, more efficient farm management and more productive dairy farm operations.

The project builds on Allflex’s longstanding relationship with Nestle, founded in 2014 when Allflex was chosen to lead the cow monitoring and welfare

Nestle farms are collaborating with Allflex Antelliq to monitor cow health through the SenseHub solution.

aspects of the Dairy Farming Institute (DFI) in China.

“We are very pleased to expand our co-operation with Nestle, a company that shares our belief in the importance of cow wellbeing as an element in responsible production of milk-based food products,” Antelliq chief executive Dr Stefan Weiskopf says.

“SenseHub enables multiple aspects of cow wellbeing to be measured and we are excited to be sharing these abilities with Nestle to help consumers be better informed and confident in the food they feed their families.”

Cattle can be monitored from birth to culling and with the ability to match tag

type and application plan level to the various groups of animals on the farm, farmers can gain actionable insights to optimise the productivity and wellbeing of all their livestock for more sustainable and profitable operations.

SenseHub is suitable for any size operation, including large farms with more than 1000 animals, and can make data-driven decisions for maximised productivity.

The system is simple to install, use and maintain and can be integrated with most sorting gates.

It is also easily upgraded, providing value from the start, with long-term investment protection. n

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TECHNOLOGY

Data gives performance proof

F

ARMER confidence was precariously low this spring with a combination of Government policies, critical media attention and Mycoplasma bovis casting a dark shadow over the pastoral sector.

A recent Federated Farmers survey highlighted just how far farmer confidence has fallen, with 39% pessimistic about the industry’s future.

But FarmIQ head Darryn Pegram said farmer feedback shows many are frustrated by the lack of systems available to prove they want to and are doing the right thing when it comes to the environment, animal welfare, biosecurity and staff safety.

“Farmers feel they are being attacked from all sides.

“They are increasingly being asked to report on every aspect of their operations from animal welfare to environment management and health and safety. The time burden of compliance is starting to take a real toll on farmers.”

Pegram says the irony is that the ability for farmers to record and measure the many variables needed to prove compliance has never been greater.

“Business Insider Intelligence estimates are that one million data points will be generated every day on farm by 2022 compared to only 100,000 in 2014. It is an eye-watering amount of data to manage.”

The ultimate solution is for New Zealand agriculture to settle on a common platform for collecting, analysing and presenting data in a form that not only proves farmers are compliant but also adds value to their businesses as well as creating more holistic value for NZ Inc. “It is for this reason FarmIQ has stepped up as the national platform for farm reporting, analysis, compliance and quality assurance.

September marked the launch of FarmIQ’s partnership with rural supply company Farmlands with the roll-out its SafeFarm health and safety software system.

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Darryn Pegram says farmers are frustrated by the lack of systems to show they are compliant.

SafeFarm can be downloaded by Farmlands shareholders free of charge from the Farmlands website.

“FarmIQ is really a clearing house that receives data from multiple sources,” Pegram said.

“Used in the right way it can help farmers ensure optimal use of those inputs to maximise farm outputs and ultimately profit while minimising waste, overuse and the resulting environmental degradation that can occur.”

Some major players in the pastoral sector including LandCorp, Synlait and Farmlands are already on board with FarmIQ. For Synlait FarmIQ provides a means to validate the company’s Lead with Pride certification system.

It provides Synlait’s farmers with valuable farm management information and a fully auditable trail proving they are leading the way in all aspects of environmental, health, safety and animal welfare management.

As the data demands on farmers get more complex including things like greenhouse gas emissions, stock movement, riparian planting and nutrient losses, FarmIQ provides a onestop insight to a farm’s performance

within the new, emerging limitations.

“For farmers having to comply with new standards around gases and nutrients FarmIQ’s ability to generate auditable reports gives both them and their customers peace of mind the efforts to be sustainable can be proven.”

As more farmers collect more data the power to become even smarter and more sustainable using FarmIQ on an industrywide basis also grows.

“FarmIQ already has 40 million animal weights in the system and we know every aspect of 6m animals and that includes 30m animal treatments.

“The potential to use this sort of data for predicting farm performance and recommending more sustainable farming outcomes using artificial intelligence and machine learning is very exciting.

“The effectiveness of certain practices and treatments can be verified against such big data sets rather than trying to extrapolate from relatively tiny, isolated field trials.”

Pegram said no other country has managed to develop such an allencompassing system for farmers to use.

“Really, FarmIQ is the needle that threads all this technology and data it collects together into something usable on farm and beyond,” he said. n

BUSINESS PLANNING

Vet’s life brings variety ROSS NOLLY

M

ANY country kids who grow up on a dairy farm dream of becoming a vet and working with large animals.

But even though they have probably come in contact with a vet numerous times they often don’t know the realities of the job.

Cathy Thompson who only recently retired from the Taranaki Veterinary Centre was a large animal vet for well over 30 years. A large proportion of her workload was on the region’s many dairy farms.

When she began her career only 20% of vets were female and it was a novelty for a farmer to have a female vet attend a call-out.

Now 80% of new vets are women.

“When I started working most farmers had never seen a female vet before let alone a female large animal vet,” Thompson says.

“I grew up on a sheep farm and enjoyed farm work and working with large animals and farmers. I’ve done a lot of small animal work over the years but feel that I was better at working with large animals. I also enjoyed working with them.”

Vet candidates must do high school physics, chemistry, biology and maths.

Thompson feels it’s harder to get into vet school now than it once was and it’s also a very challenging course to complete.

The five-year veterinary course at Massey University’s School of Veterinary Science has a high level of international recognition and turns out vets who can work anywhere in the world including the United States.

The graduates have a reputation for being very versatile in a wide range of veterinary disciplines as well as being extremely practical and easy to get on with.

As students they must cover all aspects of veterinary science but can concentrate (track) on a particular species. In their fifth year the students concentrate mostly on practical and clinical work.

“Clever people have always entered the profession, however, some don’t enjoy or aren’t very good at practical tasks.

44

Cathy Thompson who recently retired, was a large animal vet in Taranaki for more than 30 years.

Photos: Ross Nolly

“You’ve got to be clever to get in and stay in the course but it’s not necessarily the cleverest that make the best vets.

“You need the academic side and practical ability or the ability to acquire the practical skills.”

I grew up on a sheep farm and enjoyed farm work and working with large animals and farmers.

Realising communication and social skills are important vet attributes Massey now interviews potential students to see if they have those skills.

Many people love animals but that’s not enough to become a good vet.

Some procedures aren’t pleasant for the animal and vets often have to put animals down. Prospective vet students must

discover that before they even get to the school.

“Before applying to vet school a prospective student is required to complete 10 days of practical vet clinic work. They needed to be out there with us to eliminate any fuzzy idea that they will be cuddling baby animals all day,” Thompson says.

“One of a vet’s best attributes is the ability deal with a wide variety of people.

“You might be on a farm for two hours and have to chat with whoever is helping, whether it’s the owner, staff or one of the owner’s kids whereas most small animal consults are usually only 10 to 15 minutes.

“It’s no good being a super technically skilled vet if nobody wants you on their farm.”

A vet is usually called to a farm because something has gone wrong but Thompson has always found most farmers are good to get along with, even in stressful situations.

Vets also visit farms to provide farmers with analysis of tests and preventative procedures.

A vet must like people, like getting out in all types of weather, not mind getting dirty and enjoy getting stuck in.

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Cathy says pregnancy testing is the busiest time of the year for vets.

“You’ve got to really enjoy pus. Do you like emptying abscesses and squeezing pus out of things?

“Even small animal vets often treat constipated or scouring animals and working with anal glands is not a clean job either. They could easily shortcut who gets into vet school just by asking that one question.

The most stressful and challenging but satisfying part of Thompson’s job was never knowing what type of job was coming next.

Whenever the phone rang it could have been for a simple procedure or a major problem.

Even the description of the problem could have been wildly inaccurate. She never went to a call thinking “Just another calving” because she never knew what she would encounter.

“You might go to a farm to do 500 vaccinations that take half an hour, which is a routine job, but you only needed one cow to decide it’s going to try to jump out of the race and you’d have something else to deal with,” she says.

“You’ve got to think on your feet and

One of the most enjoyable things about her job was the variety and never knowing what was coming next. Cathy vaccinating a cow.

be ready for many different situations because you usually don’t have any backup.

“You’ve got to be aware of your personal safety when you’re dealing with a 600kg plus cow.

“You have to know a few different rope knots, how to get people to hold things and safe ways of doing your job.”

Thompson enjoyed the hands-on work and feels the opportunity for instant satisfaction is a lot greater in large animal vet work.

Vets now do a lot of proactive, preventive work.

Farmers are so busy most veterinary practices aim to try to make their job easier by doing some of the farmer’s planning work. They now provide computer calendar programmes that remind farmers of preventive tasks.

“It used to be all fire-brigade work but large animal vets now undertake a great deal of preventive work.

“We used to be out all day and half the night during spring but it isn’t the busiest season any more due to those preventive measures.

“Cow pregnancy testing season is now the busiest time of the year,” Thompson says.

Large animal vets usually have their own farm regions and get to know their farmers, farms and animals very well.

It’s extremely helpful for the vets to know the individual farmers so they know whether they can give them advice over the phone or whether a visit is required.

Thompson has a good memory for cases and cows and found it very satisfying to see a previously treated cow back in the herd on return visits.

“If you’re considering becoming a vet then I’d advise you to visit your local vet and ask if you can go out with them to find out what the job entails. If you know a farmer; ask if you can help them out to learn what happens on a farm.

“In the future there will be a greater emphasis on prevention work and consulting for large animal vets because now there are fewer emergency situations to deal with.

“I’m sure that progression will continue because prevention is always better than having to treat animals.” n

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December 2018 – January 2019

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Stay Farmstrong this s SAM WHITELOCK

T

HIS summer I’ll be making a real effort to connect with mates and recharge my batteries.

That’s how I manage the pressure of professional sport so I can stay on top of my game.

Whether you’re playing rugby or farming, taking time off to rest and recover is a massive part of keeping well.

I can identify with many of the challenges farmers have to deal with – the pressure to meet targets and achieve results.

Then there’s the stuff you can’t control.

For me it might be the ref, in farming it’s the weather.

What’s unique about farming is that people also live where they work – it’s hard to get away from it all. That’s why organising some time off farm is so important.

Too much of one thing, whether it’s sport or farming, can wear you down.

Doing other stuff you enjoy – fishing, surfing, team sport, kids sport, motocross or contributing at community events keeps you fresh.

I play rugby because I love rugby but I also make sure I go hunting with mates to relax and unwind.

I head into the bush, turn off the phone and forget about rugby.

This summer I’ll also be spending time with family and friends at the beach.

That means I’ll be in the right frame of mind to give it everything I’ve got when we start training again.

Decent rest and recovery will make you feel more energised and efficient when you are back on the job. You’ll think more clearly and make better decisions and cope with the ups and downs of farming more easily.

Too much of one thing, whether it’s sport or farming, can wear you down.

Sometimes taking time off can be challenging for people.

They think the harder and longer they work, the more they’ll achieve. But noone can go hard out all day, every day, all year without breaks. It’s just not how we’re built. That’s the stuff of burnout.

The key to taking a break is to make it part of your business planning. Book it in the diary and stick to it.

People who cope well under pressure

have other things in common, too. A big one is staying connected with mates.

When you’re under the pump it’s good to talk about things and share the load.

That can make a huge difference to how you feel.

Farming can be an isolated occupation and carrying the whole load on your own can weigh on you.

So make a point to catch up regularly with a neighbour or a mate to talk about how things are going and find out how they’re doing.

If you’re having an issue on the farm the chances are someone else in the area has had a similar problem.

Everyone’s been there and everyone needs support. So get on the phone.

You can get so much motivation and support from talking over things with others. These small daily connections can really make a big difference to handling stress.

Over summer I like to connect with friends outside rugby so I can talk about things apart from my work – whether it’s going down the road to a barbecue or inviting a couple of mates I haven’t seen for a while to dinner, connecting with people outside work really freshens me up and keeps life in perspective.

Summer’s a good time to work on the basics too – sleep, eat well and keep in shape.

When your body is getting seven to

Sam Whitelock talks to a group of farmers about Farmstrong, a rural wellbeing programme.

46

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

BUSINESS PLANNING

ummer nine hours of sleep a day it has a chance to re-energise.

Whether you’re farming or playing pro sport, you need the right fuel in the tank so try to eat more nutritious, unprocessed food and not to skip meals.

And whether you’re a farmer or a lock, keeping the body flexible will definitely extend your career.

A few simple stretches before you hit the woolshed, the milking cups or the tractor will help prevent the strains and niggles that wear you down.

Check out Farmstrong’s Turn on Your Core warm-ups this summer – this 10-minute routine has been specifically designed to keep farmers Farm Fit. I’ve tried it and I recommend it.

Taking my breaks and working on these simple habits really helps me cope with the ups and downs of sporting life. I know they will also be incredibly useful when I am back farming.

All Black Sam Whitelock can relate to the challenges farmers face to meet targets and achieve results.

And that’s what Farmstrong’s all about – looking after the farm’s number one asset, you.

Remember, investing in your wellbeing

means you will have some to draw on when you are under the pump.

Have a great Christmas and all the best for the New Year. n

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Our professional team take care of the entire farm operation and compliance, staffing, environmental planning and ongoing system improvement. Leaving you to focus on the things you enjoy.

We provide you with high level financial, management and performance reporting each month. Ensuring that you always have a clear picture of how your operation is running, and where the future lies.

Our on-farm teams have a wide variety of skills, that are shared amongst all farms. Your farm gets benefits from us being able to bulk purchase feed and negotiate lower prices for your farm, within our management group.

We have an extremely limited opportunity to take on new clients in the Waikato for next season and beyond. For a free, no obligation farm visit and management proposal to suit your farm and system please contact us today.

admin@dfm.kiwi or call us on 021 453 410

BUSINESS PLANNING

The Nolans’ south Westland farm at Hari Hari is perfectly located for tourism between Hokitika and Franz Joseph.

Diversity in tourism FRITHA TAGG

E

VERY day at 2pm Jock and Jade Nolan throw open the gates of their West Coast dairy farm to tourists wanting to get a first-hand look at cows being milked.

The Nolans have been operating their dairy tourism business for two years and say they love it.

The enterprising young couple and their three young girls Pyper, 3, Bonnie, 18, months and Gretty, 5 months, happily combine milking their 200-cow dairy herd with entertaining and educating tourists.

Nolan says most of the tourists are international visitors looking for the natural but hands-on dairy farm experience.

“The live milking demonstration and a 10-minute presentation about us and our farm happens in the milking shed.

“They watch the milking, ask questions and then we take the experience into a nearby yard where they can pet and feed the cows,” Nolan says.

“They love to get up close and personal with the animals and always have plenty of questions about the farm, calves, feeding and what the milk is made into.

All up the visitors are with us for about 45 minutes.

“Our cows are well-handled and react well to all the attention.”

They say it is good to be able to talk to visitors and hear what they have to say and meet some interesting people. They enjoy talking to their visitors and finding out about them.

“You never quite know what their 48

background is and the good experience goes both ways.

“We probably miss out on quite a few visitors sticking to the 2pm time but first and foremost we are a dairy farm and we have to stick to that and we are happy to let it just tick on.

“We put a lot of emphasis on stock health and wellbeing and we wanted to share our love of the cows with the rest of the world.”

Their dairy farm is at Hari Hari, south Westland, halfway between Hokitika and Franz Joseph and is only 2.5km off the main road – perfect for international tourists and visitors.

Nolan was brought up on the family sheep farm at Riversdale, Southland, and went to high school in Dunedin. When his parents sold the farm he continued farming through relief milking while still at school.

Leaving school he went dairying fulltime as a farm assistant in south Otago then in Canterbury. Aged 18 he applied for a job on a farm at Hari Hari, which was his introduction to life on the West Coast.

“I progressed from farm worker to dairy farm manager and then on to sharemilking with a mate, Simon Stewart, for five years. At about this time Jade and I had decided to try to buy a farm. So Simon bought my share out.”

Jade, who is from a dairy farming background, got a dairy farming diploma at Telford. She had worked on a couple of dry stock farms before they met.

They looked for a larger sharemilking job – 700 cows – but could not find one in south Westland where they wanted to live with their young and growing family.

Jock Nolan with Gretty, 5 months, Pyper, 3, and Jade with Bonnie, 18 months, happily combine milking their 200-cow dairy herd with entertaining and educating tourists.

After a great deal of searching, even extending their search area, they returned to the West Coast where they had seen a small dairy farm for sale.

“It was owned by a lady who had farmed it for more than 30 years and it had been on the market for two years,” Nolan says.

“After some negotiation and plenty of thought we bought the 122ha farm plus DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

most of her cows. They were a good herd and we were very pleased with the end result.”

They also have two lease blocks used as run-offs nearby.

“In hindsight, perhaps buying the farm when we did wasn’t the best time as prices were high. They have dropped but it was the best time for us,” Nolan says.

Their herd is mainly Friesian with some crossbred, some Jersey and a handful of Ayrshire and Milking Shorthorn.

Jade has been an AB technician for nine years and services the Hari Hari area. That also means she is not afraid to experiment with introducing different breeds of dairy animals into their herd.

The couple run the farm together but have set it up for sole charge. Their shed is a 20-a-side herringbone with automatic cup removers so is easily managed by one person.

Production averages 85,000kg MS and they run a System 1 with no supplementary feed bought. Their milk goes to Westland Milk Products in Hokitika.

“This is our fifth year on the farm and we introduced the tourism venture last year,” Nolan says.

“At our previous sharemilking job tourists would often stop on the side of the main road to take photos of the cows whenever they were in the roadside paddocks. So we thought we could encourage a few of the 1.4 million visitors to the West Coast to come to our farm for a real NZ experience.”

They initially promoted it as an event that happened at 2pm every day and if people turned up they turned up.

But that got a little frustrating with not knowing if they would have visitors so they now have a booking system through

Jock and Jade Nolan established their dairy tourism business to give tourists a first-hand look at how a dairy farm in NZ operates.

their website, farwestfarmtours.nz, and people seem to like the certainty and it means they know if there will be tourists.

“It’s a sideline for us. We have nice friendly cows, a very clean and tidy cow shed and our farm is kept up to scratch,” he says.

“But we don’t do a booming trade.

“Last year we had about 160 people through and we have had some tour guides who have come to check us out so we might end up with groups booked this way. But we aren’t worried about it.

If it works, it works but we won’t worry if in a few years’ time we decide not to do it anymore.”

They say they have met some really nice, interesting people.

“They are either retired farmers or family. They come in and are overwhelmed by how a young couple can run a 200-cow dairy farm.

“We haven’t had any anti-farming people. We get plenty of questions, some quite probing. They are quite smart and ask questions which make you think.

Tourists get up close with the Nolans friendly herd.

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Questions about the animals, how it’s done, where do the calves go and so on.

“Once they see the cows and see how happy and relaxed the herd is they can understand the NZ way and they really like it. We really look after our cows 120%.

You need to look after your animals so they will look after you.”

He says the West Coast can be quite challenging for farming with about 4.5 metres of rain a year but they also get good sunshine hours.

“Yes, we certainly get rain. Mostly in big amounts, often warm rain. We do get some frost but no snow on the ground here. The West Coast is just that – it is on the coast. It is warm and we don’t have as big of an impact on the environment that other regions might.

“We are kept pretty busy. We have young kids and it’s a 365-day a year job but we are able to spend every day with the kids. It’s a good lifestyle, brought up on a farm you get to experience responsibility at an early age. Everything is based around the farm.” n

Jock Nolan demonstrates milking to a group of tourists.

49

BUSINESS PLANNING

The class of 2018 up their elbows during training.

Academy offers a national classroom JILL STRINGER

O

NLY four of the 10 places at the Central North Island Dairy Academy (CNIDA) course, which starts in February, are still

available.

All of the 2018 class have begun or are about to begin their first advanced roles in dairy and tutor Dave Horner says there are already employers lining up for the next group of graduates.

Last year’s top graduate Claire Douglas also won the DairyNZ Student of the Year award.

“She was an outstanding student,” Horner says.

“Claire is a natural leader and her whole attitude and the way she conducts herself – she is a manager in the making.”

Douglas did not come from a farming background but always loved the outdoors.

She took rural studies for two years at 50

school and found a job relief milking near Patumahoe. The farm owner put her onto Taratahi so she left high school to attend the two-year residential programme at the Wairarapa campus.

Her second year studies focused on dairy.

Students live together at the residential campus in Wairarapa and work alongside each other on the farm.

“That tight-knit, family approach made it easier to be out in the real world,” Claire says.

“It was the first time I had lived away from home, away from my parents for the first time. It was a really nice community.

Everyone felt like a big team.”

People and communication skills were one of the biggest life lessons she took from her time at Taratahi.

“That’s also where most of my practical skills came from,” she says.

After completing her studies at Taratahi she found work as dairy assistant on a 270-cow farm in the Central Hawke’s Bay. But she was soon looking for the next

step up and was open to going back to study.

“I felt like I needed to do more study.

I wanted to go out and push myself and get the diploma and I had the heart to go back studying.”

She heard about the CNIDA when she visited the National Fieldays and applied.

The academy is funded by Theland Farm Group, part of Shanghai Pengxin and run by Taratahi. It is a highly sought-after diploma-level development programme designed for people who want to become a farm manager within five years.

It’s an intensive, 37-week residential programme combining theory, practical training and on-farm experience based around the Massey University agriculture diploma.

“The theoretical side of it was so indepth, it was a massive step up. We never just sat down in class and wrote notes off the board. It was always a discussion. The way Dave taught was really different. You DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

were actively participating in it all the time, always thinking. Everyone had an opinion,” Douglas says.

She is now 2IC on one of the Theland’s properties near Reporoa. The 320ha farm milks 860 cows and employs a manager, 2IC and three farm assistants.

Horner says the CNIDA programme is truly unique.

“It’s the most amazing learning experience.

“Students have access to seven large corporate farms with over 12,500 cows.

“This means we are using a huge, realtime dataset to compare and contrast impacts in animal welfare and milk production and all the contributing factors to this.

“And we have similar access in the South Island, making it a truly national open-air classroom.”

Taratahi, established in 1919, is New Zealand’s largest agricultural training provider. In 2017 it acquired the similar sized Telford campus in Balclutha, which had been providing agricultural training for over 50 years.

Taratahi provides levels three to five vocational agricultural education

Claire Douglas receives her diploma from Taratahi chief executive Arthur Graves.

equipment, a much higher reliance on data and on scientific knowledge to inform decisions about how to use resources.

“There is an acute shortage of people with the right skills coming into the industry so we all need to work together to create both pre-employment and onjob training and education that is easily accessible and highly relevant to the industry.” n

from 55 sites nationally. And Taratahi’s levels two and three programmes are also running in more than 150 schools nationwide, creating a path for future students interested in a career in primary industries.

“Vocational education and designing new pathways into the primary industries are essential,” Graves says.

“The sector is changing very quickly with expensive new technologies and

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BUSINESS PLANNING

Eliminating chemical accidents

D Coloured drums is a health and safety initiative from DeLaval to prevent accidents on farm, its solution manager Brendan Radford says.

February’s theme

farmersweekly.co.nz

52

2462DF

Preparing for Autumn Calving

AIRY technology company DeLaval has launched an innovative colour coding system to prevent farm chemical accidents after staff learned of several incidents including a farm worker washing his hands in acid.

“This was a serious accident and it happened because the acid was in the same colour drum as the detergent,” DeLaval’s Oceania milk quality and animal health solution manager Brendon Radford said.

He is part of the team that decided it is time to make a change by introducing the colour code initiative. He was motivated to act to ensure DeLaval products are being used correctly and its customers and staff understand the risks associated with handling chemicals.

DeLaval wants to improve safety and reduce those risks and decided this is the best way to go – taking real action as the company that supplies hundreds of farms with common dairyshed chemicals as part of its full-service approach to milking technology.

DeLaval chemicals will now come in a full colour coded range where red indicates an acid, blue is alkali and grey represents teat spray.

Oceania marketing director Kim Sowry says the new coloured drums have started to hit shelves in November and the change will be fully rolled out over the next couple of months.

“This work has been ongoing for eight months.

“We’ve also updated and refreshed our safety-related support material including colour coded locking straps on manual pump drums as well as colour matched chemical jugs, automated doser units and wall charts,” Sowry says.

DeLaval’s other major initiative is the introduction of QR codes on the drum labels so farmers, transport companies, dealers and staff can have rapid access to the safety data sheets pertaining to the individual product at the snap of a scan from a mobile device with a QR reader loaded.

“We wanted a simple and highly visual way to keep people and animals safe and prevent the multiple unnecessary accidents on farms that do happen. The change to colour coded drums and the introduction of the QR code, along with ongoing education, has been praised widely by our farmers,” she says.

“There’s nobody else with a full colour coded range and individual product QR codes for rapid access of safety data sheets that I’m aware of. We are very proud to lead health and safety initiatives in the industry and encourage others to follow,” Radford says.

Recently DeLaval held a training course to continue to educate its sales network and dealers on chemical handling and spill responses. n DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

WATER & IRRIGATION

Farming sustainably SONITA CHANDAR

T

IAKI, the sustainable dairying programme launched by Fonterra last year, is ticking all the boxes for farmers.

The programme, which helps farmers farm in more sustainable ways, has been in place for a year.

At its launch Fonterra set an initial target of having 1000 farm environment plans in place.

The Dairy Tomorrow Strategy will see all farmers adopting a sustainable dairying plan by 2025 “When we committed to the programme we increased the number of sustainable dairy advisers we had in the field,” Fonterra sustainable dairying general manager Charlotte Rutherford said.

“However, demand has outstripped supply.

“We have met our goal of 1000 plans but there is still plenty of work to be done.

“We had a lot early adopters and once

Tiaki FONTERRA’S farm environment plan template has been approved by Environment Canterbury – the first regional council to do so.

It met the requirements of the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan.

The regional plan requires all farms to get a land-use consent and produce an environment plan to support it.

ECan chief executive Bill Bayfield said the Fonterra template makes that process a lot easier and exceeds the regulatory requirements of the regional plan.

Through the Tiaki programme farmers can access support for farm environment plans, consents, nutrient budgets, nitrogen reports, farm mapping, riparian management plans, effluent management, water use efficiency and access to industry networks and contacts.

DAIRY FARMER

word got out we received an amazing, positive response.”

Tiaki is one of six water quality commitments made by Fonterra.

It supports farmers to stay ahead of regulatory requirements while satisfying evolving consumer and market expectations.

Rutherford says the word Tiaki means to look after, to guard, care for, keep and nurture.

The programme builds on the work Fonterra has been doing over the last 13 years through its sustainable dairying programme.

“Instead of focusing time and resources on individual sustainability issues with farmers we took a holistic approach to help all farmers develop a framework to meet their goals.

“Farmers are continually having to change and meet regulations and Tiaki is part of that journey.

“Our farmers are doing some great work on their farms and we’re committed to supporting them as they continue to manage and maintain our environment for generations to come.”

Tiaki is a comprehensive plan tailored to help address on-farm environmental risks.

“It helps implement good management practice on-farm and can be altered to suit each farmer.

“We know every region and in fact every farm is different and so it’s important we recognise this in the support we give.”

Rutherford says the plan includes everything on-farm, not just water and effluent, so does take time to produce but at the other end has huge benefits.

December 2018 – January 2019

Fonterra sustainable dairying general manager Charlotte Rutherford says Tiaki is working well.

“Farmers can meet the ever-changing regulations as well as set a pathway for their individual goals for their farms.

“Tiaki is a road map for change in the environmental space of farms.

For example, it can be used for future planning around biodiversity or climate change. It looks to industry-good farming practice as all issues are addressed.”

Rutherford said though it is hard for people to grasp the concept at first, the implementation and uptake has been going well.

“I have never been so excited, proud and as enthusiastic about any programme as I am about Tiaki.

“Dairy farmers are well used to having conversations about sustainability.

“Every farmer wants to be sustainable.

Tiaki takes the guesswork out of what they need to do.” n

Fonterra sustainable dairy advisers work with farmers on tailored environmental plans.

53

WATER & IRRIGATION Bucket testing helps identify whether an irrigation system is working efficiently.

Know-how is vital ANDREW CURTIS

E

ARLIER this year primary sector organisations including Irrigation New Zealand and DairyNZ, signed up to a Good Farming Practice Action Plan for Water Quality.

The plan aims to have all farmers and growers develop a farm environment plan over the next few years.

Some farms already have them while others need to develop them.

Farm environment plans cover the management of issues like nutrients, erosion, fencing of waterways, riparian planting, effluent and irrigation management. Farms need to identify the environmental risks on their properties and take action to manage and reduce them.

I’ve summarised the four steps irrigators need to take to meet good farming practice requirements for irrigation and include them in their plans.

Step one is efficiency.

Any new irrigation system development, upgrade or redevelopment 54

needs to meet irrigation design and installation codes of practice and standards. Using an accredited irrigation design company is the best way to achieve that because those companies have demonstrated they meet code of practice requirements. A list of accredited companies is online at www. irrigationaccreditation.co.nz.

Adding water at the right time will improve your pasture growth and your productivity.

New systems or system upgrades need to be commissioned to demonstrate they are performing correctly.

Commissioning a system is important legally because it helps show if the system has been properly installed and is working correctly before the installer

hands it over to the farmer to operate.

It also provides a set of baseline data to measure an irrigator’s performance in later checks. If you’re unsure of the commissioning requirements IrrigationNZ has a guide on commissioning systems available.

All irrigation systems should also have annual preseason checks and a threeyearly bucket test to demonstrate they are working efficiently. Our check-it Bucket test app can be downloaded free from Google Play or the App Store and you can use it to do a bucket test.

Older irrigation systems can still meet irrigation efficiency requirements but are likely to need more careful management and more regular maintenance.

Step two is scheduling.

Irrigation use must be compliant with consent conditions and the amount of water applied should not exceed the soil’s ability to store water.

Scheduling involves using tools like weather forecasting and soil moisture sensors to plan your irrigation applications to apply the right amount of water at the right time. Either soil moisture monitoring or soil-water DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

budgets can be used to schedule irrigation.

Scheduling is important both from environmental and economic points of view. It is expensive to apply water when it’s not needed and applying too much water at the wrong time can lead to unnecessary nutrient losses.

However, adding water at the right time will improve your pasture growth and your productivity.

Step three is training.

Staff operating irrigation systems must be adequately trained to do so.

That is important to meet health and safety requirements and to make sure you are making the best use of water and minimising nutrient losses.

IrrigationNZ runs workshops to explain good irrigation practice and also has a new, online training system on irrigation scheduling available, see www. irrigationnz.co.nz for details.

Step four is recording.

Irrigators need to keep records showing where and when irrigation is used and how much water is applied.

That will be part of farm environment plan requirements and can also help you

STAND 19

Irrigation New Zealand chief executive Andrew Curtis says irrigators need to meet good farming practice.

recognise if your system is not performing well or your staff are not operating it correctly.

Recording extra information about how you manage your irrigation systems and your knowledge of how they operate isn’t a farm environment plan requirement but it is hugely helpful because farms have regular staff changes.

Keeping records allows staff taking over

irrigation operation to pick up a wealth of information they can apply in the future.

You should also keep any documents you receive from the manufacturer when the irrigator is installed and commissioned for your reference and for service technicians to use. n

Andrew Curtis is IrrigationNZ chief executive.

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WATER & IRRIGATION

NIWA environmental scientist Rebecca Stott takes water samples at a popular Waikato swimming spot to determine swimmability.

AI and citizen science TIM FULTON

F

ARMERS have a vital role in improving degraded water quality and water monitoring, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research environmental scientist Dr Rebecca Stott says.

Artificial intelligence using sensors for real-time monitoring and citizen science will play major roles in monitoring the public health safety of swimming spots, 56

Stott told an agricultural and horticultural science conference.

Stott, a specialist in environmental health microbiology at NIWA, said the agency has been working on innovative ways to assess microbial contamination in water.

NIWA is working with farmers, regional councils and community volunteers to compare privately-gathered data with local government data to test and validate low-cost and easy-to-use methods for water-quality monitoring.

Sampling, testing and reporting the

state of rivers and streams for swimming and other recreational use is notoriously laborious and often expensive.

Microbial contamination in the same stretch of water can vary minute to minute and the sheer number of possible test sites makes it hard to show more than a broad trend over days and weeks.

It typically takes at least two days to sample, test and report the results of sampling at a recreational swimming spot.

But those results are largely useless for the average spur-of-the-moment DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

When we look about in farming communities we also need to make sure that what we develop for them is fit for purpose.

Dr Rebecca Stott

water user, though grading of sites using longer-term monitoring will provide an indication of the potential risk from swimming at that site.

Stott, speaking at a New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences conference at Lincoln, said people have a broad view of what swimmability and recreational suitability mean for the community.

That includes a growing number of farmers keen to show how well they are managing land and water.

To determine the recreational suitability of water, a range of tools can be used to record periphyton, including cyanobacteria, E coli, visual water clarity and rubbish, Stott said.

NIWA is also updating its methods for SHMAK (stream health monitoring assessment kit) to support interest from farmers and other private users like school and community environment groups in water monitoring and reporting.

“When we look about in farming communities we also need to make sure that what we develop for them is fit for purpose. They want to be sure their data is robust and they want it to be used.”

The organisation is looking at ways to capture the community’s broader perspective of the information to create a multi-factor index of recreational suitability that can be used nationally.

At Stott’s Waikato base NIWA is also testing real-time microbial sensors and environmental proxies to build a more comprehensive picture of swimming suitability, using rapidly-detectable markers for faecal pollution.

That makes it easier to pick up why and when water is unsuitable for recreation because of leaking sewer infrastructure or DAIRY FARMER

rainfall washing in faecal contamination from livestock farming, for example.

To protect human health, the swimmability of freshwater is determined by the possible presence of pathogenic faecal micro-organisms while the amount of the bacterium E coli in water is used as the risk indicator.

The presence of periphyton and low visual clarity is also viewed by communities as a safety hazard as well as an aesthetic consideration.

“We know we have multiple influences on those contaminants. Sometimes they can be natural influences and if they’re natural it will be difficult to improve the water quality or conditions for recreational use so we will need to manage people’s expectations with that,” Stott said.

Red flags for water contamination include the presence of cyanobacteria,

December 2018 – January 2019

which, in rivers, can form nasty mats.

Stott said people often think of cyanobacteria as a risk to people though in the Hutt River and elsewhere, dogs had died after contact with growths that were exposed after river levels dropped.

Recreational guidelines for cyanobacteria are being updated by Nelson-based Cawthron Institute with help from NIWA. Managing faecal microbial contamination from livestock farming tends to focus mostly on flat land, using systems such as wetlands to intercept and treat pollution before it gets into waters.

But managing for microbial discharges from steep hill country, where sheep can shed a lot of campylobacter – a pathogen risky for swimmers – has been largely neglected and needs to be urgently addressed in to improve downstream water quality, Stott said. n

57

WATER & IRRIGATION

Waikato Regional Council sustainable agriculture adviser Bala Tikkisetty talks to farmers about water quality.

Work around waterways can affect bank stability and water quality so it is important farmers take steps to protect them.

Waterway care required BALA TIKKISETTY

S

UMMER, with its lower flows and generally better weather, is when farmers often do work in and around waterways.

It can include stream straightening and excavating the beds of rivers and lakes to, for example, install bridges or culverts, to remove sediment build-ups or to better manage an unstable stream.

Such works can pose risks to the environment and be subject to environmental regulations.

So, it’s important farmers and contractors protect the health of waterways by ensuring that any work doesn’t affect bank stability, water quality and aquatic life.

For example, sediment build-up or instability might be caused by stock trampling waterway banks and by cultivation of paddocks too close to waterways without an adequate buffer zone or enough sediment control measures.

The effects of such problems on aquatic life and water quality can be exacerbated through inappropriate in-stream excavations or inappropriate removal of bank vegetation.

Besides hurting water quality and aquatic habitats through increased sedimentation, destabilisation of banks and beds can cause changes to the course of rivers and streams, resulting in loss 58

of land and property and infrastructure damage. Doing things right can avoid recurring problems.

Meanwhile, structures such as bridges, culverts and water intakes are essential features on most farms.

They should be well planned and constructed to ensure they are not at risk from the stream and also to protect instream values.

Such structures can obstruct or divert flows, prevent fish passage and block migration and access to spawning grounds, including to areas that have been used as traditional or recreational fisheries.

The Resource Management Act clearly prohibits any disturbances to river, stream and lake beds unless the disturbance is specifically allowed by a resource consent issued by a regional council.

That’s why the Waikato Regional Council’s policies cover the use, erection, reconstruction, placement, alteration, extension, removal or demolition of structures in, on, under or over the beds of rivers, streams and lakes.

They also cover any disturbance of the bed as well, such as stream straightening or cleaning.

So, it’s essential that those planning such works check out the rules before starting work.

However, the council also recognises there are a range of activities in and around waterways that are not harmful.

The regional plan (available at www.

waikatoregion.govt.nz) has many rules enabling straightforward activities without the need for a consent, provided certain conditions are followed to avoid the sorts of problems described above.

In conclusion, protecting stream banks on livestock farms is a very important way of supporting farm profits and the environment.

Farming depends on good quality water for stock and, generally speaking, better water quality means healthier animals and higher productivity.

However, activities such as intensive farming, forestry, roading and horticulture can cause soil erosion as well as build-ups of contaminants such as bacteria and chemicals washed into watercourses during heavy rain.

Managing the margins of waterways – the so-called riparian zones – helps protect water quality on farmers’ own properties and those of their downstream colleagues.

It’s worth remembering that all parties involved can be held responsible for unlawful in-stream works, from property owners through to property managers and earthworks contractors.

Checking the rules and getting good quality advice when planning any activity in or near a stream is essential. n

Bala Tikkisetty is a sustainable agriculture adviser for Waikato Regional Council. For more information on the rules contact him on 0800 800 401 or visit www. waikatoregion.govt.nz DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

FACIAL ECZEMA

More breeding for FE tolerance PETER VAN ELZAKKER

T

HE drivers for dairy farmers to breed for facial eczema tolerance become greater each year.

Loss in production caused by affected stock, hot and muggy weather and a greater focus on animal welfare are all reasons farmers are reaching out to CRV Ambreed seeking genetics to manage facial eczema (FE) long-term.

CRV Ambreed continues to be the only genetics company in New Zealand to offer a genetic solution to manage FE. It’s our response to an industry need and farmers already breeding for FE tolerance say it works.

Clinical or physical signs of FE are usually easy to spot.

Skin loss and lethargy are clear signs an animal is suffering from an FE challenge.

In extreme cases FE can cause skin irritation and peeling and sometimes death.

For every clinical case of FE DairyNZ estimates there will be 10 cows with subclinical facial eczema.

However, research by VetEnt veterinarian and researcher Emma Cuttance revealed a much larger problem than farmers participating in the study realised.

Of the farms studied with liver damage, 41% of the cows were affected

by FE despite only 3% showing physical symptoms.

Sub-clinical symptoms are much harder to see, usually going undiagnosed and untreated but causing damage to the cow’s liver and a sharp drop in milk production – Cuttance says about 8% a day.

Dairy farmers are turning the corner to reduce the severity of the disease and build greater resilience in the herds.

They understand that only so much can be done to manage the impact of FE, for example, apply zinc, pasture spraying or pasture management and the only way to build in tolerance safely is through genetics.

This year sales for CRV Ambreed’s facial eczema tolerant bulls are up by more than 10% compared to the same time last year with demand greatest in Taranaki, Waikato and Bay of Plenty where outbreaks of FE are more prevalent.

Farmers including FE tolerant bulls in their breeding programme this year will see the first benefits when the calves are born. The offspring will be up to 25% more resistant to an FE challenge, resulting in better growth and minimal liver damage.

If a farmer is future-proofing a herd and commits to using FE-tolerant bulls long-term, gains in FE tolerance will be made year on year as each generation of daughters enters the herd.

We have found most farmers stick with an FE breeding programme once they start.

In some instances farmers have told us they have decreased or even stopped

The quality of FE bulls is getting better every year. Cortex S2F graduated and joined CRV’s FE team earlier this year.

CRV Ambreed product manager Peter van Elzakker says sales of FE tolerant bulls are up 10% on last year.

dosing their young stock with zinc. This has given them greater confidence that FE genetics work and an FE breeding programme is sustainable.

The other benefit to farmers is the quality of FE bulls available from CRV Ambreed is getting better every year.

Better genomic information is allowing CRV Ambreed to select better bulls for the breeding programme. Our FE-tolerance breeding value (BV) is also enabling us to select better cows.

With better genomic information and FE BV combined, it has enabled CRV Ambreed to create bulls with increased FE tolerance along with better conventional traits like protein, fat, body condition score and fertility.

That means farmers will have access to even better genetic gain for FE tolerance without the trade-off on other traits.

If predictions are accurate and we’re in for another long, hot summer, higher humidity will increase the number of toxic spores in pastures and could result in a spike in the number of FE cases.

We expect this will motivate more farmers to talk to us about how we can help them to breed a healthy and efficient herd and use genetics as an effective, preventive measure to combat FE. As a business, CRV Ambreed’s goal is always to help dairy farmers achieve the best possible herd and we will continue to collaborate with farmers to provide best genetic tools and information to achieve a healthy and efficient herd. n

Peter van Elzakker is the product manager for CRV Ambreed DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

59

Only 20% of clinically affected animals show outward signs of facial eczema such as red, peeling skin.

Photo: Northland Vet Centre

Dealing with facial eczema AARON CHAMBERS

F

ACIAL eczema can be a severely debilitating disease of cattle, sheep and alpacas causing not only large production losses but also animal wellbeing

concerns.

The disease is caused by the ingestion of spores from the fungus Pithomyces chartarum, found on the pasture the stock graze. The fungal spores proliferate in warm, humid weather, typically from January to April or May depending on the season.

The spores contain the toxin sporidesmin, which, as a result of chemical reactions in the body, causes significant damage to the bile ducts in the liver.

The reaction causes the animal to be extremely photosensitive, resulting in the white areas of skin becoming so damaged from the sun they turn red and can peel 60

off, leaving large, raw, exposed areas of tissue.

Signs of the disease might start with diarrhoea, a milk production drop, reddened and swollen white areas of skin, animals actively seeking shade, jaundice and death.

There is no specific treatment for facial eczema.

Good nursing, protection from the sun, zinc creams on skin, ad lib feed and water and supplementary minerals and vitamins all help recovery. Euthanasia might be necessary for severe cases where animal welfare is compromised or the prognosis is poor.

It is critical to understand the severity of a particular eczema season is not judged by the number of cows with peeling skin.

It has been estimated only 20% of clinically affected animals show outward signs of facial eczema such as red, peeling skin so there will be another four or five animals for every peeling case that don’t

show any outward clinical signs yet have damaged and diseased livers.

There is a significant negative association between the amount of liver damage after a facial eczema challenge and cow survival – the greater the damage, the less likely the cow is to survive. That includes culling for poor performance as well as death from the acute disease and secondary diseases such as metabolic disorders.

Survival of young animals to the end of their second lactation in exposed herds is about 10% lower in heifers with moderate or severe liver damage than those with mild liver damage.

In general, young stock tend to recover better than older animals.

Zinc treatment is the cornerstone of eczema prevention.

However, the way we manage our zinc dosing can greatly affect the success of the protection.

The number one reason for failure is dose calculation errors. Check the DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

FACIAL EZCEMA

Aaron Chambers from Energy Vets says there is no specific treatment for facial eczema but there are steps farmers can take that help.

instructions and weigh doses accurately.

For zinc to protect the liver, the zinc has to be at 20umol/l in the bloodstream and the only way to reach that level is if the cows are dosed at full rates regardless of the spore count.

Half rates provide no protection at all as they cannot get enough zinc into the cow to hit 20umol/l. The only reason you should use half rates is to get the cows used to the taste in the water if trough treating. This half rate acclimatisation must be done well before the cows need any protection.

Weight assumptions for stock can be wrong. The weight range of individual DAIRY FARMER

cows in a herd might be as much as 200kg.

That variation can result in some of the big cows not being protected.

With dose delivery trough treating is a very poor method of providing accurate dosing. It is so dependent on the amount of water consumed, which varies greatly between cows and different days for that matter.

Hot weather versus wet weather, individual cow taste, other water available in sources like creeks, hierarchy in a herd and evaporation from troughs are also factors.

Think about it, the accumulated evaporation from all the troughs on any given day will cause loss of zinc from the inline dispenser by directing zinc away from the trough the cows are using.

Individual drymatter intake must also be considered. Some cows eat more palm kernel so will drink more water. And cows drink more water if they have clean water available from clean troughs.

With in-feed dosing animal size affects consumption as does individual cow taste because some cows eat more so get more zinc.

The form of feed affects waste. Pelleted feed is more consistent than loose powder mixed into feed. Consider the ability of a feed wagon to thoroughly mix feed compared to a mixer wagon.

And different feed companies have different quality control levels. Most feed companies dose only to a cow of 450kg.

In-shed feeding has less variation in intakes versus in paddock or feed-pad feeding.

Drenching is generally a lot better at getting zinc levels high enough in the cow than in-feed and trough treating but farmers need to ensure the dose is correct and measure a dose from the gun.

Daily drenching is far superior. There is no evidence to prove every second or third day dosing keeps zinc levels up.

And if some cows are dried off earlier than the herd they do not go through the shed so they don’t get drenched.

Capsules give extremely consistent blood zinc levels but timing is critical.

Don’t start too early and miss the critical period by running out too soon.

An important tool to check zinc dosing is adequate is to blood test for zinc and the liver enzymes that indicate liver damage. Check zinc levels early to give you time for corrections before it is too late.

To summarise, trough treating is not good enough to protect your herd from

December 2018 – January 2019

facial eczema. Trough treating with zinc is 5.5 times more likely to fail in protecting cows compared to drenching or using capsules. Always check dose and weight of the animals and be aware of the limitations of the different application systems.

It is important to know half dosing has no protective benefit, even during low spore count periods because you get protection only if serum zinc levels are above 20umol/l. That happens only at full dose rates.

Half dosing has no protective benefit.

Spraying pasture with fungicides can also be successful in preventing spore numbers reaching toxic levels. It is critical to monitor paddocks so the fungicides can be applied in time before levels get too high.

No prevention plan is 100% effective all the time but we are far more likely to control facial eczema in high risk areas with a combination of fungicide spraying and zinc dosing.

There can be so much variation between spore counts from different farms, paddocks and samples in a paddock that you should not solely rely on the spore counts printed for your area.

Area counts at best show a trend from week to week but are very limited in their relevance to your farm.

You need to collect grass samples from your paddocks and take them to your vet for counting. You will get far better information about the risk facial eczema poses to your stock.

To take a grass sample select a paddock to measure. Use scissors to cut a handful of grass 1cm to 2cm above the ground.

Repeat the process taking 10 paces between samples until you have enough to fill a bread bag. Avoid gates, troughs and areas sheltered by trees or hedges.

Don’t collect grass roots or soil.

Collect sample in a clean plastic or paper bag and store in the fridge until you can get it to your vet clinic. Take samples each week so you can monitor the changes on your farm. n

Aaron Chambers is farm services manager at Energy Vets Taranaki.

61

FACIAL ECZEMA

N

New facial eczema research

EW research shows facial eczema might be an even bigger problem than first thought.

VetEnt veterinarian and researcher Emma Cuttance led the study that involved eight dairy farms with cows with evidence of liver damage in Taranaki, Waikato, Northland and Bay of Plenty in autumn.

She found a lot of unseen damage farmers didn’t know about.

Generally, it was thought there wasn’t a lot of FE seen last season.

However, the study found there was substantial damage, even in herds using prevention.

Cuttance found 41% of the cows were affected by FE despite only 3% showing symptoms.

That shows just because farmers can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

She also measured the impact this had on loss of production by comparing the average amount of milk collected from healthy cows and cows with FE. She found cows with liver damage produced about 8% less milk.

Another study also measured the

VetEnt veterinarian and researcher Emma Cuttance says just because damage caused by facial eczema isn’t obvious it might still be happening.

impact of FE on young stock growth.

It found 19% of the 1050 heifer replacements at 17 various locations had severe liver damage. Another 21% had some liver damage.

Damaged animals were 15kg lighter on

Facial eczema can be a debilitating disease and symptoms can include peeling skin.

62

average at first calving compared to their peers.

That can have a long-lasting impact including lower in-calf rates, later calving and lower milksolids yields.

Waikato dairy farmer Gavin Fleming and his family have battled FE on their Otorohanga farm for the past 50 years.

Gavin says for as long as he can remember FE has been a challenge on the farm his father bought 62 years ago, some years worse than others.

He puts that down to the farm’s northfacing position. North facing areas tend to have higher spore counts than south facing.

However, over the last five years he and his son Paul have really managed to get on top of the disease.

Until then, despite following best practice, closely monitoring pasture spore counts and regularly drenching zinc, the pair struggled to prevent the disease.

Determined to get to the root of the problem they did some research and worked with their local vets, who ran blood tests which revealed the issue.

They discovered they had been under dosing zinc.

“It just goes to show it’s critical to get your levels right,” Fleming says.

“We drench our milking herd daily to keep their zinc levels up.”

However, Fleming finds zinc bullets, which slowly release a consistent dose, a more practical option for their young stock.

His key advice for farmers is to be vigilant about monitoring spore counts.

The farm was one monitored in the FE study that found none of the cows sustained any liver damage.

Fleming says it was great to be a part of the study and get confirmation that everything they are doing is right.

Like many farmers he can’t wait to see what developments lie ahead to prevent the disease.

“I’d really love LIC to breed some FEresistant bulls. Over time, I’m sure it will happen. Until then we’re stuck with trying to prevent it.” n DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Fresh blood needed

T

This farm, with its turn-of-the-century villa, needs revitalising.

The farm has good plant, a feed pad and a16-aside dairy. also reared, plus cattle yards.

Two houses include a turn-of-thecentury villa with wood panelling and a big farm kitchen, which sits on a rise to give it views down the valley. The second house has been vacant for years and, like much of the farm, needs a bit of work.

The crossbred herd is also for sale and

QUALITY DAIRY FARM

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

MORE:

Contact Les Cain on 0274 420 582

GREAT STARTER PROPERTY

• Situated in Linton is this exceptional 114.5ha dairy farm currently milking 280 cows.

• Has produced up to 120,000kgs/ms from 290 cows with herd wintered off.

• Good Tokomaru silt loam soils that have been regularly fertilised.

• Three good family homes along with a very good 30 aside dairy.

• Tank water to the home and bore water to stock troughs and dairy.

• Large machinery shed, two silage bunkers and feed pad.

• Great chance to own this genuine farm close to Palmerston North City • Call Les on 0274 420 582 to inspect this property.

Sallan Realty

it has been milked twice a day this season though Cain says that has varied each season.

“The farm just needs fresh blood and it’s a great opportunity for someone.” n

Google ‘Sallan Realty’ Your Farm Sales Specialist

• Situated on Whangaehu beach road Whangaehu is this lovely 60ha dairy farm.

• Well laid out with a good mixture of contour, soils and layout.

• Currently milking a 160 cow herd.

• Improvements include a 16 aside herringbone dairy, hay shed, machinery shed, small feed pad and good yards.

• There is a nice family 4-bedroom character home set back off the road on a rise with native bush backdrop.

• Great chance to buy a farm that could be used for dairy, beef or cropping.

• Priced to sell at $1,885,000.

• Call Les on 0274 420 582 to inspect this property.

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The farm is near Whangaehu and sits up a long drive that ensures privacy and has the bonus of being just minutes from the beach.

River silt soils on the lower terrace account for about a third of the farm, rising to silty soils on the second terrace then clay soils on the third terrace covered by good black soil.

On this 170 cows are being milked on a very simple system and Les Cain from Sallan Realty says fresh enthusiasm is needed to revamp the farm and get it humming, whether it is as a dairy farm, dairy support or beef production.

“It’s a great opportunity to get into some land.

“The area has its own climate and most of the farmers through there have winter milking.

“The 16-aside dairy has a 180-cow yard and has a warrant of fitness to milk cows.

“It has good plant and in-bail feeding and a concrete feed pad for 200 cows so it has a lot to work with.”

Good water is piped to all the paddocks and the farm has the essential facilities such as hay shed and a couple of implement sheds where calves are

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December 2018 – January 2019

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Season’s Greetings FROM THE TEAM AT

Sonita

66

DAIRY FARMER

December 2018 – January 2019

Dairy Diary

Proudly brought to you by Farmside

December 2018 – January 2019 Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

31 December 4

Friday

December 6

DairyNZ – Farm systems for profit field day. A Northland Dairy Development Trust field day. Guest speakers Dr 3 4 5 6 Jane Kay on responses to supplements and Dr Chris Burke on the latest cow fertility research. Tomarata Hall, 704 Mangawhai Road.

10Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz 11 12 13 December 5 systems of the future 17DairyNZ – Farm 18 19 field day. Explore 20 what is behind Canlac Holdings high performance and lower footprint. How other farmers in the their systems 24catchment are adjusting 25 26 to reduce footprint profitably. Canlac Holdings, 454 Old South Rd, Dunsandel. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz

Saturday 1

Sunday 2

Dairy Women’s Network North Waikato – FarmIQ modules series. Series of workshops including 7 8 9 staff management, heath and safety and pasture management. www.dwn.co.nz/events/farmiq December 9

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15

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22

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FMG Young Farmer of the Year – District contest and skills day. West Coast, Ahaura.

December 11

21

Dairy Women’s Network East Waikato – Farming for the future. An on-farm environmental event. www.dwn.co.nz/events 28 29 30 December 11

Fonterra – Organic discussion group lower North Island.

A tour of the Fonterra research and development Monday Tuesday Saturday Sunday centre andFriday a discussion around organics.

Dairy Women’s Network Waikato –Wednesday Business by the Thursday RSVP to numbers. Fully subsidised two-part 1 2 short course 3 4 Stuart.Luxton@fonterra.com 5 6 designed to suit those who need to balance learning December 12 with other commitments. www.dwn.co.nz/events DairyNZ – Taranaki Organics Group. The purpose of December 5-6

7 December 5

8

9

10

Dairy Women’s Network Waipa – The lame cow. The principles of physiology and treatment of hooves.

14www.dwn.co.nz/events 15 16 17 December 6 SMASH – Growing great pasture in wet and dry.

21Getting the best22 out of our pasture23can be a real

24

challenge, especially when we have to deal with climate extremes. Thomas and Hannah Oats, 1462 28Kaniere-Kowhitirangi 29 Rd, Kowhitirangi.

30 31 www.smallerherds.co.nz

DAIRY FARMER

this group 11 is to forward plan 12 for seasonal issues 13 in an organic system and review farm management practice of the host farm. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz January 1831

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February 1-2 NZ Young Farmers – 2019 NZ Young Farmers conference week. Christchurch.

We know rural because we are rural www.farmside.co.nz

December 2018 – January 2019

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DairyNZ – Biz Start. Dunsandel. This session will focus on various business structures, tax, personal budgeting and cashflow budgeting 26 for a business. 27 25 Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz

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