10 minute read
Industry good – DairyNZ
by AgriHQ
with DairyNZ
Wintering for a smooth calving season
Justin Kitto
DairyNZ solutions and development lead advisor (wintering) New wintering regulations will apply to all farmers across New Zealand in 2023, so having a plan in place to avoid damage will help manage pasture and crops better during the wetter months.
Keeping up good winter grazing standards can help reduce stress for both animals and people on-farm, as many head into calving.
Greg Mitchell farms in Hawke’s Bay and winters 1600 cows on his 520-hectare dairy farm.
At this time of year Mitchell and his team are focused on ensuring they check the weather forecast, paddock and cow condition daily.
“Our team checks the cows every day to make sure they are in good condition, and are eating well,” Mitchell says.
Daily checks help identify any issues so they can be managed and corrected before calving.
In bad weather, the team can shift stock off crops to sheltered paddocks. Mitchell has also identified which paddocks have good shelter and are best for calving.
While winter has so far been mild, a wet autumn has meant grazing needs to be managed carefully to avoid mud becoming a problem.
To reduce trampling, the team stand cows off crops after feeding for a couple of hours and keep mob sizes small. Steeper paddocks aren’t used for winter cropping, and they graze any sloped paddocks from the top downwards to reduce mud.
The cows graze on fodder beet, oats and grass. He and his team have planted oats as a catch crop after wintering to help utilise any available nitrogen for plant growth.
Winter grazing hasn’t been a focus for some North Island farmers in previous years, but new wintering regulations will apply to all farmers across New Zealand in 2023. All farms need to have a wintering plan and will need to plan ahead to assess whether they will need to apply for a consent.
Mitchell says the first step to setting yourself up for winter is to start planning your approach well ahead of time.
“Go and look around your farm to figure out which paddocks would be best for winter crops and for calving on. Every farm is different but you can often find practical solutions which work well for your team and your animals,” he says.
He is already choosing his winter cropping paddocks for next winter and has started soil testing to assess nutrient levels in different paddocks. n
MORE:
DairyNZ has a range of wintering resources online, including: • A Plan B template to help respond to adverse weather • A gumboot test to assess if ground is suitable for cows to lie on • A winter grazing checklist and a wintering plan template to help plan ahead for next winter. To access wintering resources, visit www.dairynz.co.nz/wintering
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Farmers in the Netherlands – like Jeroen van Maanen (left) – have been blockading roads and politicians’ homes, fuming about new environmental regulations that some say amount to an agenda to reduce the national herd. Now a movement that has echoes across the world in New Zealand is spreading to agriculturalists in other European countries, too.
One last word …
An agricultural uprising that began in the Netherlands is now spreading across Europe as more farmers join in protesting against new environmental regulations.
Over the past month, Dutch farmers have been holding protests all over the country, blocking highways, shutting down a major airport and stopping distribution to supermarkets. Farmers have driven and parked their tractors and other farm machinery on roads and in cabinet ministers’ driveways.
They are horrified by a new environmental policy that will mean a likely 30% reduction in livestock. For many farmers it’s the end of their business and they will fight until the last. Sometimes these farms go back generations, built by hand, and people feel this is all being taken away.
Dutch farmer Jeroen van Maanen says that whenever there is a problem with pollution in the environment, the finger always gets pointed at the agricultural sector.
He says that over the years, many agricultural sectors have come together and come up with ways to reduce emissions. “We came up with a plan with many solutions. In the meantime, the government carried on making other plans, which has resulted in the latest one. It’s terrible, it’s idiotic and of no use,” says Van Maanen.
“The government in Holland wants to reduce nitrogen emissions from agriculture. They have divided Holland into different regions. Some regions have to lower their emissions by 12%, others 46, 75 or 95%.
“But we can’t use innovations to do it and the only way to lower emissions is to reduce the national herd.”
Van Maanen says that is the heart of the matter and there is a Government agenda to cut the national herd.
“Some left-wing political parties in Holland – and probably all over the world, it’s the same movement – they want to get rid of animal industries and transition to more plant-based food and vegetarianism.
“In Holland, we have a party that has asked for a 50% reduction of the national herd so it’s not really about reducing emissions, it is about cutting the national herd.”
He says that the reason the Netherlands Government is doing this is to drive farmers off the land so they can buy it cheaply for housing.
“Every farmer all around the world and every citizen knows that cutting the national herd is not the cure as emissions are increasing because of the traffic and other industries, but they don’t want to talk about that.”
Van Maanen says farmers are growing angrier by the day as they are not being listened to.
“Every solution we come up with, they won’t listen. When we are part of the problem, we want to be part of the solution but it is not entirely our burden.
“We can reduce emissions and we have done it before as over the past 30 years agricultural emissions have dropped by 68%, so we have proven we can do a lot of things without reducing the national herd.
He says the Dutch farmers’ protest are a warning for Europe and the rest of the world.
“This problem, our problem, can be your problem in the next year or so.
“That is why we are on the streets, why we are protesting and that’s why protests will go harder and, happily, people around the world are looking at what is happening in Holland, which is what we want.
“We will fight for our farms, our future and our families to put food on the table.”
The reality is, Kiwi farmers are already in a situation where rules and regulations are being imposed at speed, but many industry bodies and leaders are saying that many of these are unworkable and asking to go back to the drawing board to come up with solutions that work. Sonita
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DAIRY DIARY
August 2022
August 2 – Dairy Women’s Network
Chris Cairns 52 and not out, live webinar After a successful cricket career and becoming one of the game’s legends, Chris Cairns suffered an aortic dissection in August, 2021. While in ICU recovering from surgery, Chris was diagnosed with a spinal stroke, which has left him with paralysis from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. Then, while in rehab in Canberra, Australia, a bowel cancer diagnosis and subsequent major surgery to remove the cancer put Chris and his family on a new life journey that they battle each and every day. Join us to hear from New Zealand cricket legend Chris Cairns as he shares his journey to being 52 and not out. Info at www.dwn.co.nz/events
August 17 – Dairy women’s Network
Habits for success, live webinar In an environment where things seem to constantly change, how do we build habits that hold firm against the tide of challenges? Presented by Sara Keenan, this webinar focuses on: – Ingredients for a resilient platform of success – The importance of environment on habit change and goal achievement – Strategies to transform self-sabotage into success Sara is a Business Customer Experience Facilitation Manager at ASB Bank. Her background encompasses leadership and coaching, and training effectiveness and time management all at levels and industries. Info at www.dwn.co.nz/events
August 17 – Dairy Women’s Network
Reprogramme – charge the brain, live webinar With busy lives and increasing change, how do we leverage the power of our brain? This discussion looks at how the neuroscience of attention, memory and energy can be applied to daily life. In this webinar we will look at: – Understanding the importance of perspective and organisation to reprogramme and energise
– Exploring the science and power of self- talk, purpose and perspective – Bounce-back techniques to rewire over time and in the moment Presented by Sara Keenan, this webinar is brought to you by ASB and Dairy Women’s Network. Info at www.dwn.co.nz/events
August 25 – SMASH
Locking your summer feed in, online Details to follow Info at www.smallerherds.co.nz
August 31 – DairyNZ
Cropping Field Day, Whangarei Plan for the season ahead Come along to the Sowry Contracting yard to discuss what we can do to maximise our crop results for this season. We have a great line-up of guest speakers including: – Gregg Sowry to discuss minimal tillage – Pioneer to discuss Maize – PGG Seeds to discuss summer cropping – Ballance to discuss crop nutrient requirements The decisions we make now can have a big impact on the season ahead so let’s do everything we can to plan and get it right. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz
Continued next column
August and September – DairyNZ
Breakfast on us Various dates and locations Come to a well-deserved breakfast near you. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz
