Dairy Farmer March 2021

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Crossing the ditch Waikato farmers swap city life for farm life

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CONTENTS NEWS 16 2020 Global Food Security Index

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18 Milk Monitor Dairy enjoying a good run

ON FARM STORY 8

Doing the unimaginable Waikato farmers Matthew and Katherine Spataro return home to milk sheep

20 No regrets Taranaki farmer flips his farm system and is happier for it

FARMING CHAMPIONS 7 Guest column – Andrew Hoggard 30 Dairy champion – Cees van Baar 34 Women in Agribusiness – Daniella Sunshine-Tervit

FEATURE 52 Effluent 56 Breeding

REGULAR FEATURES 38 Research 46 Technology

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50 Farmstrong 63 Industry good – DairyNZ

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March 2021

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COVER STORY Waikato farmers swap city life for farm life

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GUEST COLUMN

Focus on the long game

By Andrew Hoggard

The Federated Farmers president takes a close look at the Climate Change Commission report, which says all sectors need to make changes.

T

he recent Climate Change Commission report had in it some useful recommendations and themes, along with other points that are questionable. Pleasingly, the report does not ignore, but also does not fixate, on agricultural emissions.

The public discourse in NZ for decades has largely been that ‘agriculture is the number one issue and only farmers need to act,’ but this report has moved on from that unhelpful rhetoric.

This report makes clear that all New Zealanders and all sectors need to make changes to do our bit on global warming.

Our media struggled to realise that. I’ve certainly taken plenty of phone calls from journalists since the report came out, and they appeared to still be fixated on farm emissions being the problem. But hopefully the point that action is needed from all of us will sink in over time as more people get their heads around what the commission is saying.

The report did a good job of splitting up the gases. It talked about the longlived and the short-lived gases, and distinguished between them. For a number of years now, a good number of the world’s top (actual) climate scientists have been pointing out that shortlived flow gases like methane just need to stabilise or have a small reduction to ensure no additional atmospheric warming, but long-lived gasses like carbon dioxide (CO2) need to go to absolute zero. It was also pleasing to see that the report pointed out agriculture contributed only 18% of NZ’s longlived gases. In the past we have been bombarded with the 50% number when they go and do the inaccurate conversion of methane into CO2 equivalents. We now just need the NZ government to stop using this outdated method of lumping all gases together, and to embrace the split gas approach when presenting graphs and data on NZ’s national emissions inventory.

Other positive aspects of the report

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

are that the commission recognises the need for more investment in agricultural research and development; that we need to consider the use of genetic technologies and how they may help us; and that rural connectivity needs to be improved if farmers are to access technology and data that will help them monitor and reduce on-farm emissions.

The commission also acknowledged that NZ farmers are already leading the world in terms of low emissions per kilogram of meat and milk produced, which did make the chair’s comment to the media comparing farmers to whalers rather odd, and quite frankly very disappointing.

Where does the report not sit well with me? Well, obviously the area that got the most attention was around cutting livestock numbers. It’s important to get the context of that section. The commission in our initial reading was saying that it is expecting drops in livestock numbers due to land-use change that has been occurring and from other government policies such as water regulations, but also expects production to remain the same given past efficiencies continuing. The Paris Agreement talks about the need to maintain food production to feed the growing world population. In further discussion of the report, when the commission was asked “what if we can’t maintain production, do we continue to cut?” Its view was that emission reductions should be prioritised over food production.

This shows how in NZ we continue to lose sight of what the long-term outcome is supposed to be and instead fixate on short-term targets. The planet’s population needs nutrition and while the bulk of that will come via plants, animalsourced proteins play an important role in the provision of many of the essential nutrients. An individual may be able to source what they need via plants alone, but try to do that at a global scale and it’s clear that affordability and animal

Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard says the Climate Change Commission reports has some good points, but also fails in some areas.

“This report makes clear that all New Zealanders and all sectors need to make changes to do our bit on global warming.” proteins have a key role to play.

Given that it makes the most sense to do that, animal agriculture, where it can be done the most efficiently and affordably, is the last place on the planet that should be cutting back its livestock population based solely on climate change reasons is NZ. Federated Farmers’ other main area of concern with this report is the methane targets. The science tells us the cuts being recommended are more severe than are needed for biogenic methane from our farms to have no additional warming impact. It’s important to note that the numbers in this report are not a review of the methane targets in the Zero Carbon Act; these will be reviewed in 2024. Farming nations around the world have more work to do to show political leaders a more accurate, scienceled metric for measuring the different impacts of short and long-lived gases is fair and warranted. n

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Doing the unimaginable City slickers trade tyres for gumboots

Neither Matthew or Katherine Spatoro had ever worked on a farm before but that didn’t stop them from leaving the big city to go sheep milking.

Stephen Barker

By Gerald Piddock

Despite never having farmed, a Waikato couple who had successful careers in Australia, returned home to milk sheep on the family farm and have had to learn everything from scratch.

Hoof crush

business. We’ve been in tyres our whole life. Farming, not so much – the extent of our farming knowledge would have been pet day,” Katherine says.

She then moved overseas where she worked and travelled before ending up in Australia and worked for Goodyear in Melbourne. Here, she met and married Australian-born Matthew, who also worked in the tyre industry.

Then in 2018, the decision to stop milking cows was made and the family discussed the future of the farm.

Selling the farm was never going to be an option, she says.

“It’s been six generations up to my brother and I, and we wanted to see it go for another six generations,” she says.

Historically the farm had milked cows before switching to beef cattle prior to Matthew and Katherine getting involved.

The family started discussing what could be done with the farm and no idea was off the table, as long as it was environmentally and economically sustainable.

“We thought of everything – it was a clean slate,” Matthew says.

After initially dismissing sheep milking, by chance they saw a documentary on the industry.

They investigated further and the more they unearthed, the more they were convinced it was the right option because it aligned with their values.

“There was kind of that moment where something clicks and you think, I can

see that life and I can see how that could work here,” she says.

“We wanted to reduce the intensity on the farm and we only use 50ha for the sheep and that allows us to be flexible with the other 45ha.”

“It’s just not as intensive. We felt like we could do more with a smaller bit of land,” he adds.

They moved from Melbourne to

Continued page 10

FARM FACTS • Farm owners: Grant and Barbara Rushbrooke • Managers: Matthew and Katherine Spataro • Location: Te Awamutu • Farm size: 95ha (plus 10ha runoff used for beef farming), 50ha sheep milking and 45ha beef farming and cropping.

• Production: 2-3l/day/ewe during peak lactation; sheep 650 milking ewes; 200 beef cattle (peak)

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magine quitting your career to embark on a new profession that is the least likely and most unexpected thing one envisions themselves doing.

That’s exactly what Matthew and Katherine Spataro did when they ditched the city grind by shifting from Melbourne to the outskirts of Te Awamutu to milk sheep.

Both had successful careers in the tyre industry, but put these on hold to ensure Katherine’s parents’ 95-hectare farm remained in the family, with a new generation involved.

Neither Katherine nor Matthew had ever worked on a farm before.

She describes the move to her friends like this: “Imagine the least likely thing you would do in your life, and now you’re going to go and do it. That’s what we have done.”

Katherine is the sixth generation on her mother’s side to farm the property and while she grew up on the land, she and her brother had little involvement with farming.

Her parents Grant and Barbara Rushbrooke had previously worked and run the farm, but for the last 20 years were fortunate to leave its day-to-day management with a long-time farm manager.

The Rushbrookes established and focused on a tyre importation business before buying the New Zealand network of Beaurepaires stores in 2013.

“My brother and I worked in the family

Matthew and Katherine previously worked in the tyre industry and had to learn everything about farming from scratch. Matthew and Katherine in the milking shed during afternoon milking.

Te Awamutu in May 2019 and began planning the conversion.

The family met and spoke with both Maui Milk and the Spring Sheep Milking Company and in December, signed a contract with Spring Sheep.

They began organising local contractors to retrofit the farm’s discontinued herringbone shed so it could milk sheep, as well as doubling the size of the implement shed from five to 10 bays so it could be used as a lamb rearing facility.

The covid pandemic and lockdown through late-March and into April caused delays and contractors started work on the milking shed in May. The interior of the shed was gutted and replaced with equipment for milking sheep, turning it into a DeLaval 30-aside herringbone system. They hired two staff via video calling.

The previous farm manager had properly maintained both the pastures and infrastructure over the years, with only some minor work required on the fences to get them ready for milking sheep.

He also stayed on during the transition

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Matthew and Katherine Spataro manage Katherine’s family’s farm at Te Awamutu, where they milk 650 sheep for Spring Sheep.

period and was a useful sounding board for advice.

In June, they acquired 650 in-lamb Zealandia ewes from Spring Sheep, of which 250 were hoggets and the rest of mixed age.

The sheep came from Spring Sheep’s other farms and carried the company’s milking sheep genetics.

They modelled their budget on one of

Spring Sheep’s other conversions that was of a similar size, using that farm’s budget as a template.

The company also helped them with advice around spending decisions to keep them within budget.

In total, the milking shed conversion, implement shed extension and fencing work cost them around $600,000.

The work was still being finished when

the first lamb was born on July 14 – two weeks before the expected lambing date of August 1.

“Chaos began,” Matthew laughs.

“We were so close to being ready.”

They were forced to milk around 20 of these early lambing ewes, one after the other using a mobile milker until the

Handling stock is just one of many aspects of farming Matthew and Katherine had to learn.

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Continued page 12

“There was kind of that moment where something clicks and you think, I can see that life and I can see how that could work here.”

Katherine Spataro

The farm used to be a dairy farm before converting to beef, and now sheep milking.

The old herringbone cowshed was refitted and converted to a sheep milking shed.

work was completed, while Katherine took care of the lambs.

Compounding the situation was the early exiting of a staff member, which meant the couple had to spend more time milking and rearing than they initially had planned.

Looking back, it proved to be a blessing because it allowed them to see at the coalface what was required to run the farm.

Katherine temporarily housed the lambs in the adjacent nursery shed for two weeks while the work was completed.

“When that got to capacity, we were

12

literally running in and out. We were having to dodge builders to get lambs into there,” she says.

“We were carrying lambs across to the bays at the back of the shed that they had finished and through their building site.”

Their last lamb was born in lateSeptember.

At its busiest, they had 50-60 lambs arriving in a day.

“That probably doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re in your first year and 50 little lambs turn up in a day constantly for days on end, it’s a lot of work,” she says.

The long hours involved with lambing

brought home the different mindset farming has compared to her former career.

Farming meant she could not just stop what she was doing for the day and pick up tomorrow when there were newborn lambs needing to be fed.

“You can’t do that in this environment because these animals rely on you.

You can’t park anything. Everything is immediate and there’s something happening right now, you have to address it,” she says.

The enormity of their career shift came as a huge shock to both of them throughout the first season as they tried to learn the skills needed to run a farm as fast as possible.

“Even though this farm’s part of my ancestry, I’ve never worked on this farm, I’ve never milked an animal before this season – and neither had Matt,” she says.

“The critical things you need to know about farming – pasture management, animal health and dairy production – we had no experience.

“We thought, ‘how hard could it be?’

And we threw ourselves at it.

“We were so naïve. But Matt and I are a bit like that, we do throw ourselves into situations and see how we go,” she laughs.

They utilised the project-based nature of their previous careers and applied that model to every aspect of the day-to-day management of the farm and planned what they were going to do and how they would do it.

They also tapped into the skillsets of the people around them and where there was something they did not know, they sought advice from Spring Sheep or elsewhere and learned the necessary skills.

It’s a very structured and organised method of management, Matthew says.

“It’s probably not what farmers do – they know what they have to do today, whereas we were the opposite – these are the tasks, everyone can see it, it’s all documented,” he says.

Advice was also constantly sought

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

A small amount of grain is used in the milking shed to entice the ewes onto the platform.

from Spring Sheep on what tasks needed to be completed as the season commenced, so they were front-footing everything as much as possible.

They are also as transparent as possible with their staff, so everyone knows exactly what was planned for the day.

“We have taken our skills from our past lives and have applied them as much as possible to this environment and tapped into the critical things we don’t know and needed to know,” she says.

Their ethos with their staff is “little and often,” because they see and interact with their ewes on a much closer basis than a large-scale, conventional sheep farmer.

In the months prior to lambing, they sought advice from both sheep farmers and cow dairy farmers.

They found that much of the advice from the dairy farmers to be more useful to sheep milking than from the sheep farmers.

“Their sheep are not like our sheep. A lot of the things we were told from the sheep and beef guys are not relevant. We lean more on the dairy side of things,” he says.

Other new farms to the industry also underestimated the labour involved with lambing. Most had come from bovine

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Matthew and Katherine with Natalie Bell, head miker and 2IC David Shaw drench the sheep.

dairy backgrounds and had assumed it was the same.

“It’s not,” he says.

“Everyone who has done this – and we have all spoken on the phone – we all rang each other up and to say, ‘Woah, this is a lot harder and we need

more people than we thought’.”

The lambs spend the first 48 hours with their mother so they are fed colostrum before being transferred to the nursery pen.

Continued page 14

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Every Friday, the team selects, assesses and trim hooves. David Shaw, 2IC and Natalie Bell, head milker, trim hooves.

Feet maintenance is a constant for sheep particular with the amount of walking they do back and forwards to the shed. Katherine trims a sheep’s hoof.

In the pen the lambs are then taught how to use the automatic feeders, a process which takes 24-48 hours.

The lambs are then fed at least four times a day using automatic feeders. It is an incredibly labour-intensive process, Katherine says.

She would also check in on the lambs at 9.30pm before going to bed before being up at 5.30am for their first feeding.

At a 165% lambing rate, the older ewes were birthing mostly twins and triplets and two had quadruplets, while the hoggets had mostly singles.

In total, over 900 lambs were reared in the shed. They reared about 450 ewe lambs, with the remaining ram lambs either sold to a finishing farm or retained as wethers.

Once they are feeding unaided, the lambs spend a further week in that shed.

Once they reach about 5-8kg, they are health-checked, tagged and graduated to a larger pen, where they are run in larger groups for six weeks.

Over that time, they have access to a combination of milk and a grain mix, as well as having access to grass.

The lambs are slowly weaned off milk over 6-8 weeks, and eventually let out into a paddock.

They are also weighed monthly to record weight gain and are run as three mobs, the heavies, the mediums and the lighter sheep.

Matthew says they are looking forward to having more control over the process next season when they start mating their ewes near the end of February.

This should condense their lambing this winter, starting mid-July.

14

Their earlier born lambs are looking fantastic with a mob of 150 on target to meet their 45kg weight goal when they put the rams out.

“Just when we feel like we’ve finished rearing lambs, it all starts again,” she says.

Another change for the new season will be taking on a farm manager.

This will also allow them to take a small step back from day-to-day farm operations and focus on the business growth and farm development.

“Their sheep are not like our sheep. A lot of the things we were told from the sheep and beef guys are not relevant. We lean more on the dairy side of things.”

Matthew Spataro While Katherine oversaw the lamb rearing, Matthew milked the ewes, managed the pasture and kept an eye on the flock’s health.

They run the ewes outdoors, using a traditional rotational grazing system on the pasture similar to bovine dairy, in two mobs split by age.

A small amount of grain is used in the milking shed to entice the ewes onto the platform and they have 10ha of chicory planted as a summer feed crop.

That crop will be expanded in their second season because it had performed so well in holding up milk production as it became drier.

They were also blessed with a kind growing season in contrast to the drought that hit Waikato in early 2020.

During peak lactation the sheep were producing around 2-3 litres a day. That has since eased back to around 1l/day per sheep.

Production fell in November, which initially made them panic that their inexperience had finally caught them out.

After taking advice from a feed expert, they tweaked the ewes’ supplementary feed and it turned around quickly.

“That was again falling back on those specialists that we knew,” she says.

“Spring Sheep also assured them that it was a season trend and not farmspecific, and the information shared between farms assisted us during this time.”

The rest of the season has gone pretty well, she says.

After the income from their beef cattle is factored in, they believe they have broadly stuck to their budget.

Once they undertake their full farm seasonal review, they say they will know in more detail their production costs per litre of milk.

The sheep are also more used to human interaction than their meat-bred counterparts. This makes them gentle and calm enough that Matthew does not need dogs.

“In the morning, I’ll open a gate and they’ll come running up. I say ‘come

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Matthew and Katherine load up the side-by-side before heading out to do jobs on the farm.

on, girls,’ and they’ll come,” he says.

“They’re like 650 lambs that you’ve raised and now they want to hang out with you. They’re like pets.”

This makes handling them easier and saves time when it comes to animal health jobs such as weighing, drenching and vaccinations.

They shear the ewes twice a year, in January and June, and more recently treated the entire herd with boluses for facial eczema protection.

Feet maintenance is constant for sheep particularly with the amount of walking they do back and forwards to the shed.

They installed a footbath on the exit from the milking shed, which the flock walk through every day and on “Feet Friday,” when the team will select a group of ewes to assess and trim their feet.

The Spataros meet regularly with the

other Spring Sheep suppliers to catch up, compare production figures and swap ideas on how to fine-tune their businesses.

Matthew says they are on target to keep milking into April before deciding when to dry off. Once that happens, they will monitor the ewe’s health to ensure they are in the best possible condition for lambing.

The 45ha beef operation remains a work in progress for the Spataros. At its peak, it had 200 beef cattle, including 50 Hereford breeding cows, their calves and 40 cattle grazing a 10ha runoff block near Hamilton.

For now, they will retain some cattle as the summer feed crop and milking ewe flock slowly grows.

“It’s given us options to supplement what we are doing, but in the longerterm we still have to figure it out,” he says.

Ideally, he says he wants to retain some cattle on the farm to keep cleaning up the pastures after the ewes.

Initially they farmed the sheep and the cattle separately, but that soon changed when they realised it was not an efficient use of land and in October, began using the cattle as a tool to clean up pastures after the sheep.

“We realised it was silly. We needed to be skilled on everything that runs on this farm – and on this farm, we have sheep and beef,” he says.

Despite the challenges, they have learned to love their new lifestyle.

Matthew says farming has made him physically fitter than he has ever been, while Katherine enjoys no longer being stuck in an office all day.

“There’s something nice about being up at 5.30am when the sun is coming up and the ewes are trotting off to the shed.

It’s a peaceful moment,” she says. n

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NEWS

Global food systems have been under strain, with many countries struggling to increase productivity, adapt to a worsening climate and reduce environmental harm.

Food security in decline

By Samantha Tennent

R

ising temperatures and global warming are having a direct impact on the agricultural sector and food system, as shown in the ninth annual Global Food Security Index (GFSI) released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), sponsored by Corteva Agriscience.

Agricultural production has become more vulnerable in 49 countries compared to the previous index period.

The index measures the underlying drivers of food security in 113 countries, based on the factors of affordability, availability, quality and safety, and natural resources and resilience.

“With food security declining again, we all must heed the urgent call to renew our collective commitment to innovation and collaboration,” Corteva Agriscience chief executive James Collins Jr. says.

“Our future is only as secure as our food system and agriculture is at the heart of it. Together we must better support global food security.”

Highly volatile agriculture production in countries like Australia, Norway and Sweden demonstrates the risk that climate change poses to agriculture and food production, but while climate change is notably creating new challenges, farmers are still required to anticipate demand for volume of food.

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“With the increasing impact of extreme weather conditions and demand, there is a great need for staple crops that are more tolerant to extreme weather and can thrive with limited water, as well as in poor or limited soil,” he says.

“Our future is only as secure as our food system and agriculture is at the heart of it. Together we must better support global food security.”

James Collins Jr

The GFSI considers food security in the context of income and economic inequality, gender inequality, and environmental and natural resources inequality, calling attention to systemic gaps and more recently, how covid-19 exacerbates their impact on food systems. Based on these findings, global food security has decreased for the second year in a row.

“The covid-19 pandemic has exposed existing vulnerabilities in the global food system. Although the various stakeholders have been quick to respond, the lockdown restrictions, and resulting economic fallout, have had a disproportionate impact on those living below the poverty line with limited, if any, social protections,” he says.

“In the agricultural sector, smallholder farmers, the majority of whom reside in rural areas, have suffered a significant loss of income as lockdowns have prevented market access and interrupted the planting season.”

This year, the GFSI formally includes Natural Resources and Resilience as a fourth main category. The shift in methodology from the addition is revealing food systems’ resilience against climate change. The sub-indicators under this category include food import dependency, disaster risk management and projected population growth.

The 2020 index also measures gender inequality and inequality-adjusted income as sub-indicators for the first time in its history.

“Incorporating the Natural Resources and Resilience category as part of the main index highlights the impact of climate-related factors on food systems and food security,” Pratima Singh, project

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

lead for the Global Food Security Index at The EIU, says.

“It is critical that climate risk becomes a core part of the dialogue on food security. We hope this will drive muchneeded action on developing policies that can build a stronger and more sustainable global food system.”

For the third consecutive year, the North America region is leading the world in food security. Europe is a close second, accounting for eight of the top 10 countries. Using the new methodology, Finland tops the list, while last year’s leader, Singapore, drops down to 19th place. Ireland retains its second rank position, while the United States moves to 11th place. Overall scores have deteriorated in the categories of Affordability, Quality & Safety and Natural Resources & Resilience. There is a slight improvement in the Availability category.

In 2020, both Australia and the US were impacted by high levels of land degradation, ranking 81st and 63rd respectively on the land degradation indicator. According to the index, Latin America suffering from irregular rainfall and above-average temperatures

Pratima Singh, project lead for the Global Food Security Index at the Economist Intelligence Unit, says it is critical that climate risk becomes a core part of the dialogue on food security.

between June and July 2019, led to a second consecutive year of crop failure in the Dry Corridor spanning Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

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The EIU launched the GFSI in 2012, in partnership with Corteva Agriscience, as a benchmarking tool designed to evaluate the dynamics of food systems and the ability of countries to feed their populations.

The index enables stakeholders to identify strengths and gaps in a country’s performance. It enables governments to build on their strengths and make datadriven decisions on policy initiatives to fill the gaps, thereby improving global food security.

Since inception of the index the overall food security score observed an upward trend from 2012 to 2018. However, there has been a decline since 2018. It underscores the imminent threat from climate change and records the food security shock caused by the pandemic.

“The GFSI shows that sustainable farming is essential to food security and farmer productivity,” he says.

“Global food systems have been under strain even before covid-19 began to spread, with many countries struggling to increase productivity, adapt to a worsening climate and reduce environmental harm.” n

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MILK MONITOR

Dairy remains on the up

By Gerald Piddock

Each month the milk monitor delves into the dairy industry and gives us the low-down on the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between.

D

airy is enjoying a rare unbroken golden run at the moment.

Over the past month, the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) had its seventh consecutive lift, and Fonterra lifted its milk price guidance from $6.70-$7.30 to $6.90-$7.50/kg MS. The latest GDT auction saw a 3% lift in prices, a seven-year high.

NZX analyst Amy Castleton says the result blew away all expectations with strong demand for all products.

According to Westpac, since November 17, overall prices have lifted nearly 23% and are around 20% higher than the same period last year.

It put the good result down to the strength of the Chinese and wider Asian economy “With covid-19 under control, China was the only major global economy to grow over 2020,” the bank says in its latest Dairy Update.

This point was made by Fonterra when it announced the 20c forecast range lift in early February.

Chief executive Miles Hurrell says there was strong demand for whole milk powder (WMP) and skim milk powder (SMP) from these regions, which were the key drivers of milk price.

Chief financial officer Marc Rivers says that demand from Asia had continued throughout the season and it was extremely encouraging.

For China that demand in part was due to its ability to effectively manage the covid-19 pandemic, he says.

The forecast lift also falls in line with those of the banks, including Westpac’s $7.50/kg MS, ASB’s $7.40/kg MS and $7.20/kg MS for ANZ. How long will it last?

Demand for food globally is currently outstripping supply, with Westpac predicting it to settle later this year. It currently has its 2021-22 forecast at $7.25/ kg MS.

18

Fonterra recently announced a 20c increase in its forecast. Chief executive Miles Hurrell says strong demand coming from China and the wider Asian economy is leading to the increase.

Similarly, ASB has its new season forecast at $7.30/kg MS. “With demand proving resilient, we expect dairy prices to remain elevated, though the strength of the NZD will weigh a little on the season,” it says in its Commodities Weekly report.

Other commodities are also up, including oil and metals. Iron ore prices jumped 40% in December and shipping costs have also lifted. Fertiliser prices have also increased, with both Ravensdown and Ballance announcing price lifts, as has the minimum wage.

So, while internationally prices might be going gangbusters, the costs of producing that milk are only going to go one way.

The recent rain will have come as a welcomed relief to many after it was getting worryingly dry in many areas. It will also put North Island farmers on alert for facial eczema, with the rain likely to see a spike in spore counts.

Early harvest will also be underway on some North Island maize fields in what has generally been a great growing season.

One Waikato farmer says it has been the best crop he has seen in 40 years.

This, along with many farmers switching to once-a-day (OAD) milking by now, could see lactation all the way through to late-April to capitalise on that higher milk price.

The extra income could be used to pay off debt and help the industry meet environmental targets around freshwater and climate change.

The long-awaited draft report from the Climate Change Commission (CCC) was also released. Its proposed pathway to reduce emissions stated that all farmers – dairy and drystock – should adopt best farming practices that support low emissions agriculture.

This will mean adjustments to stocking rates, feed and nitrogen inputs. This will require sector buy-in to make the changes because the clock is ticking.

If agriculture cannot come up with a way to measure and account for its emissions by 2025, the Government will fold it into the Emissions Trade Scheme (ETS). n

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

It has taken a team to increase the value of New Zealand’s genetic wealth.

Your share is right here.

Farming and science are an inseparable partnership. You put in the hard yards on the farm, we burn the long hours in the lab.

Since 1994, LIC has invested over $78 million in genomic science to improve genetic gain and productivity. Together, we’ve built a bank of incredible genetic wealth which you as dairy farmers share. Confidence in the science is growing and the use of Genomic Sires is expected to exceeded 1.4 million inseminations. Our drive to achieve better never stops and our latest breakthrough with Single Step Animal Model has improved genomic prediction accuracy by 8% - enabling you to make faster improvements to your herd’s breeding worth and profitability. Use LIC’s genomic sires to take your share of the genetic wealth built by shareholders for over 30 years.

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There’s always room for improvement

ON FARM

No regrets Farmer’s bold yet rewarding decision to switch farming systems

Taranaki farmer Adam Pearce changed his farm system from a System 5 to System 1, switched to autumn calving, dropped his cow numbers and is finding the change suits him. Adam in the lucerne crop.

Photos: Ross Nolly 20

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

By Ross Nolly

A Taranaki farmer has turned his entire farming operation 180 degrees and is loving the change.

W

hen farmers change their farm system, it’s often just a case of making minor changes to streamline the operation. However, when Taranaki farmers Adam and Taryn Pearce decided to make changes they didn’t do things by halves.

The Pearces operate a 60-hectare, 180-cow farm at Lepperton. When they decided to change their farming system, it was not going to be just a small tweak for them to achieve that goal. They would be turning their high-producing, high stocking rate, high input and splitcalving System 5 farm into an autumn calving System 1 farm.

The Pearces came home to the family farm in 2011 as 50:50 sharemilkers. After five years they bought two-thirds of the family farm and leased the remaining 20ha. They are the third generation to work and own the farm.

“I think mum and dad get quite a buzz

seeing the legacy continue. I grew up on this farm, and went farming straight out of high school. I then went to Massey University to complete a Bachelor of Applied Science degree,” Adam says.

“I started it but didn’t finish. I hated being inside in the classroom. I realised that if getting a degree meant that I was going to become an agricultural rep and spend most of my time inside, then it wasn’t for me.

“After two years at university I went farming and never looked back. I worked for two farmers before coming here.”

Taryn is a full-time teacher and Adam’s parents help out on the farm when needed, otherwise he is the sole labour unit on the property. He has made many farming practice changes during his time on the farm to derive more profit.

They have been running a splitcalving for the past seven years and

FARM FACTS • Farm owners: Adam and Taryn Pearce • Location: Lepperton, Taranaki • Farm size: 60-hectare, 58ha effective • Cows: 180 Friesian-Jersey.

Previously milked 300 cows when System 5 • Production: 128,000kg MS 300 cows, 90,000kg 180 cows

Continued page 22

Milking less cows and autumn calving means Adam doesn’t need to employ staff and can spend more time with his family. Back to front: Taryn, Amelia, Adam Pearce, Penelope and Madeline.

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

21

The herd has been reduced from more than 300 to 180 and produces 90,000 kilograms of milksolids.

Adam with his UBCO electric farm bike. He loves the bike and thinks it pays for itself in two years. There is practically no maintenance or moving parts to break.

22

this is his second dry period due to selling his spring herd in October 2019.

Consequently, this is his first season of complete autumn calving.

“The high input, high stocking rate System 5 farming operation was always only going to be a means to an end. I was going to carry on for a further five years to quickly clear debt but that pressure took its toll on my mental health. The entire system wore me down, mentally and physically,” he says.

“Because I don’t like employing staff, I was doing the workload of two people and wore myself out. It takes a toll on all parts of the body physically and, being honest, I suffered mentally too.”

He says it takes a lot of effort and concentration to run an efficient System 5 farm and get it right every time. It’s very easy to quickly lose a lot of money.

But if you get it right, that profit quickly pays off debt. To transition to autumn milking you either sell your spring herd and buy an autumn herd, split-calve them and slowly transition into autumn calving, or continue milking them for 18 months.

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

“Last year we had 340 cows between the two herds and the heifers.

“We’re now down to 180. I mostly stick with Friesian-Jersey cross cows for their volume and milk solids,” he says.

“When I changed to autumn calving I sold the spring herd, which meant that I could run the farm single-handedly.

HFS - Dairy Farmer Dec 2020 - 210x86mm 5mm bleed When we split-calved I employed a staff

member for afternoon milkings and some farm work.”

As a spring farmer their herd initially produced 78,000 kilograms of milksolids (200 cows). This rose to a high of 128,000kg MS when milking 300 cows, split-calving and operating at System 5. He now autumn milks 180 cows and - PRINT.pdf

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17/11/20

12:25 AM

Continued page 24

“Obviously, you must initially make the decision to go autumn calving. You’ve just got to put the fear behind you. It’s such a breeze and I’ve never looked back.”

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DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

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@HomeopathicFarmServices 23

The Pearce children Amelia, Penelope and Maddeline do their share on-farm and always wear their good dresses on the farm, much to Adam’s amusement.

produces 90,000kg MS at System 1.

“The farm only just handled the 300plus cows, so it’s a joy to be running 180. When we bought the farm we immediately put it up to a System 5.

It was very intensive but a lot of profit came through to pay a lot of debt down early. Last spring we sold the spring herd, which allowed us to pay off a large chunk of debt,” he says.

“We now don’t have to produce so much on the farm. Our goal is to not import any feed. Last year we had to buy in some because I underestimated how much maize we would use. This year we’ve put in a lot more and we shouldn’t have to buy any. We want to be selfcontained and I think we’ve reached that goal.”

One-third of the farm is planted in maize and lucerne crops and all supplemental feed is grown on the farm.

They don’t make any hay, but usually make 150 silage bales.

The 3ha of lucerne is fed during winter as a protein to complement the maize silage. The lucerne makes fabulous silage. The lucerne paddocks are three years old and he aims to get five to seven years out of them.

The lucerne paddocks are permanently out of the grazing rotation, but he knows it’s worthwhile due to it being such a valuable silage crop. The 3ha crop produces 22-24 tonnes of extremely high protein silage per year.

“I usually put in 10ha of maize, but this season I planted an extra 5ha due to a failed oats crop that was destined to be baled and fed out during winter.

I’m undecided whether I’ll keep the extra maize or sell it. Last year I grew 5ha of maize but ran out and wished I had seven. So, we did 10 and now we’ve got 15,” he says.

“If I sell that it will give me the extra

“The high input, high stocking rate System 5 farming operation was always only going to be a means to an end … The entire system wore me down, mentally and physically.” cash flow to pay for all the contracting for the crops. Last year we sold 10ha which not only paid for the contracting, but for all of the seed too.”

Adam doesn’t want to see a feed truck coming through his farm gate if he can help it. He believes in the sustainability aspect of being a self-contained unit.

It also removes all imported feed costs.

His costs are then a known quantity and he’s not at the mercy of fluctuating feed prices.

“When you put 5ha of maize in you know exactly what it cost you and where you can slot it into your budget. When I first got here my best PKE price was $160 per tonne, and at the end we were paying $250 per tonne,” he says.

“When cropping hay or silage, I try to only use the effluent paddocks as a way to pull the potash out of them. Potash can build up in the effluent platform paddocks too. Taking silage off those paddocks takes it down to a better level and lowers the animal health risks.”

Cowshed effluent is pumped to ponds and then out to pasture via a travelling irrigator. The irrigation platform covers 33% (20ha) of the farm.

The 18-aside cowshed is extremely efficient and it only takes him an hour to milk 180 cows.

“I really don’t know why it’s so efficient.

Mum and dad have always commented about its speed. I thought that maybe having a straight exit would be faster, but the cows seem to really like turning when they leave. They row up really well, I think the zig-zag rails help,” he says.

“Having calm people in the shed helps too. Mum often does the afternoon milkings and I think we have a very similar manner in the shed. When we’ve had staff, it tends to unsettle the cows.

“I injured my back in June, so I wasn’t able to get out on the farm very often.

Mum and dad, after not having to do too much on the farm for 10 years, jumped in and had to do everything. They worked through the winter until I was able to get back to morning milkings in late October.

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Adam in the shed. During the dry period he is doing maintenance. The left side of the shed is in the process of being resurfaced.

A unique aspect of this farm is they do not raise any replacement calves anymore, they buy all of the replacement cows. He purchases other farmers’ empty spring calving cows during March and April after his herd has begun calving.

Consequently, there are no young stock coming through that would have to be grazed on the farm or with a grazer, which eliminates another cost.

The herd begins calving on February 20 and by March 10 half of the herd has calved. This is when he begins to buy replacements.

He picks the best of the best out of those herds. Those high-figure cows arrive and carry on milking and are mated in May and June. They produce right through the season. Going forward he plans to buy between 30-40 replacements each year.

“After a spring calving herd is scanned at the end of February, farmers then send me a profile of their empties. I know what the cows look like because an agent will send photos. I’ll then select the ones I want from BW, cell count and production records,” he says.

“They have to be producing, because I want them to carry on through to Christmas. We have a pregnancy test in August/September and if any are still empty, I make a decision based on whether I have grass, or if the spring has arrived early.

“The decisions are ‘do I send them to the works now or do I take them through to Christmas and get the extra production?’”

This season he sold a lot of his empty culls as in-milk because there was such a demand for in-milk cows.

They do not have any stock on the farm that doesn’t produce milk.

Adam buys replacement cows for around $600 each, milks them and if they’re still empty in December they’re culled and he usually gets about $1000 for them.

“You always win because you buy them low and sell them high if they’re still empty. You also win if they’re in-calf and go through to your next season. I pick through the available animals to

Continued page 26

25

Amelia gets up close with the herd and tries to hand-feed them.

make sure we get top quality cows,” he says.

Their in-calf rates over the past few years has been very high, with 94% last year and 82% prior to this.

In the past they have sold all calves as four-day olds, which made life a breeze when Adam was still milking more than 300 cows. The calves were only on the farm for four days and calf rearing was one less thing to worry about.

“We’re now under less pressure and have gone down the Wagyu contract path. I originally wanted to do a four-day or 10-day contract before selling them to a calf rearer, but there aren’t as many calf rearers in autumn, so I could only do a contract for 100kg calves,” he says.

“We made the decision to get every cow in-calf to Wagyu. I estimate that 115 got in-calf to them because we only used their straws for four weeks. We used short gestation Hereford straws at the end of the 10-week mating period” Adam wouldn’t have used Wagyu bulls without a contract through LIC and First Light Wagyu. It’s a unique market in the autumn because there aren’t as many buyers. He has previously reared some 100kg Herefords and struggled to sell them.

26

This is his first Wagyu season and he’s expectantly waiting for the first calves to arrive around February 20. The Wagyu project is a trial and, if it works, he will probably adjust the farm’s facilities. He is employing a staff member to teach the calves to drink before feeding them with an ad-lib system.

Autumn calving helps drought-proof the farm and last year was a good example. It was very dry but his cows didn’t need a lot of feed during that period because they weren’t milking.

“The grass during that period is high in dry matter due to the dry weather.

The cows just put on weight. Their maintenance is much lower too, because they’re not trying to keep warm,” he says.

One criticism that is often levelled at autumn calving is the greater amount of crops that must be grown to get the cows through winter. However, the crops are growing when the cows’ production is declining and they don’t need as much feed. The cows are also drying off just as the weather becomes drier, which also helps mitigate the dry stress period.

“Others say that you shouldn’t grow crops on-farm because it uses up the milking area. Well, my cows don’t milk in that area. If I had all of that area in grass

there’d be a surplus, and I’d be making it into silage anyway,” he says.

Some say that farmers who talk about autumn calving make it sound overly nice and rosy, but neglect to mention that they have to milk through winter.

Adam agrees that he has to get up and milk in the winter during June and July when spring calving farmers aren’t. But he knows that they are typically dry months.

“August and September are your wet months. Yes I’m milking, but I’m not outside collecting calves,” he says.

As a spring farmer, the family typically took holidays in June, but Adam’s mental health really struggled with that.

“When I was away on our winter holidays all I could think was, ‘are the cows making mud? Are the people looking after my farm and shifting the cows like I would?’ I couldn’t mentally get away from the farm,” he says.

“Now when we’re on holiday, it’s late summer. What can the cows do to the paddocks? Nothing. Practically anyone can move the herd then.”

He says the biggest bonus of autumn milking is the fine weather to holiday and then to calve through. Late summer and autumn is a time of nice weather

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Sunflowers planted around the edge to beautify the crop for road users and for the kids at the kindergarten over the road.

Adam and Amelia discussing the sunflowers.

and it’s a pleasure to be working outside.

“It’s so much nicer to be grubbing thistles in pleasant weather. If you have a water leak, you go to fix it in a t-shirt, not in heavy, wet weather gear and be up to your elbows in mud,” he says.

He feels that autumn calving could be easily adapted to any region of New Zealand.

“When I changed to autumn calving I sold the spring herd, which meant that I could run the farm singlehandedly.”

“We make less mud because the cows are content after feeding on maize on the feedpad before heading back to the paddock. I still think that even in wetter regions, you would still make less mud than break-fed, dry cows during winter,” he says.

“A spring calving herd stomps in most of the grass because it’s so wet underfoot. Winter dry cows can get

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

the paddocks down to 1300kg DM/ha, whereas the lowest we get to is 1500kg DM/ha. We grow more grass because it isn’t in shock,” he says.

“In a wetter climate you could finetune your maize input to carry you through the wetter winter.”

There seems to be a burgeoning interest in autumn calving. Thirteen months ago, Adam held an on-farm discussion group as part of a Smaller Milk and Supply Herds (SMASH) conference. Usually five to seven people attend the on-farm groups, whereas the autumn calving event attracted 65-70 people.

“Our family life is way better now.

Because Taryn is a full-time teacher, I do the farming and look after the kids – all the pick-ups and the drop-offs and afternoon activities. We just move our milkings around to suit,” he says.

“Autumn calving works really well with Taryn being a school teacher. This year we were able to go to the East Cape for two weeks, there’s no pressure.”

In June last year, Adam climbed over a feed trough to catch a cow he’d accidentally let out from AI. He tripped over the feed trough and came down on his side and herniated a disc. The injury

was inoperable and led to him seriously contemplating continuing farming after his doctor told him that maybe he should look for a different job.

“For the last six months we’ve been assessing whether to sell up or hold on. But it’s such a delight to be outside farming. I really enjoy morning milkings and love nature and the environment. I can’t think of a better job,” he says.

Adam is happy with the way the farming operation is running and doesn’t think he’ll be making any major changes.

He advises anyone contemplating autumn calving to talk to a number of autumn calving farmers and see a range of different practices.

“Obviously, you must initially make the decision to go autumn calving. You’ve just got to put the fear behind you. It’s such a breeze and I’ve never looked back.

If I was going to sell up and go bigger or elsewhere in the country, I’d change the system to autumn calving in a flash,” he says.

“Try and find me an autumn calving farmer who doesn’t like it or has gone back to spring calving. I don’t think you’d find one. I’ve never come across any that are negative about it once they’ve gone there.” n

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NEWS

Celebrating dairy women

By Anne Boswell

N

ew Zealand’s dairy women will have the chance to join their peers for celebration, learning and friendship in April during one of three Allflex and DWN2021 Step Up Together conferences around the country.

Held as three regional one-day conferences in Taupo (April 8), Ashburton (April 13) and Queenstown (April 15), the conference is a chance for women to get off-farm, hear thought-provoking and entertaining speakers, and spend time with like-minded people while learning and socialising.

Formerly presented as one national conference, held annually in varying regions, the decision was made to reinvent the traditional conference following the success of DWN2020’s online conference, which showcased the resilience and the dedication to connection and learning within the farming community.

“While we know our members appreciate the chance to get together, some women may struggle to get off the farm for a few days to travel to a national location,” conference chair Renee Fa’atui says.

“We see this new format as a great chance to try something new, while meeting our members halfway and recognising that their needs may have changed in the past year.”

The regional conferences will maintain the organisation’s reputation for relevant and informative workshops, gala dinners and brilliant keynote speakers – which, for 2021, has been announced as former Black Stick and three-time Olympian Gemma McCaw. “We’re excited to have Gemma share her journey with us as a well-known ambassador for women’s health and wellness,” Fa’atui says.

“Through her career, Gemma has gained knowledge into teamwork and resilience, and as a mum she’s learnt how to balance work, home and family – something many of our attendees are going through as well.

“We think Gemma’s story will resonate with a lot of dairy women.”

Each regional conference will include

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Former Black Stick and three-time Olympian Gemma McCaw will be a keynote speaker at the Dairy Women’s Network 2021 conference.

“We see this new format as a great chance to try something new, while meeting our members halfway and recognising that their needs may have changed in the past year.”

Renee Fa’atui

two workshop sessions: Clear as Water – getting an understanding of the Freshwater Policy, and What Success Looks Like for You – ideas for other ways to invest in your farm and your future.

A third interactive session was chosen based on the needs of the region and include getting hands-on with hoof health, robotics and a genetics specialist

from LIC (Taupo); You Only Live Once: talking about mental health (Ashburton); and Breeding Success – a look at the ultimate breeding herd health.

The Taupo conference will host a gala dinner, themed as Party Through the Decades, to announce both the Fonterra Dairy Women of the Year and the Dairy Women’s Network Regional Leaders of the Year for 2021.

Ashburton and Queenstown conferences will finish the day with a networking hour, while also celebrating the Fonterra Dairy Women of the Year and DWN Regional Leader of the Year awards by recognising any finalists and recipients from the region.

This will be the second year that women at the grassroots of DWN have been recognised with the Regional Leader of the Year award.

The award is a celebration of the regional leaders’ role in connecting the network with rural women and the wider community and industry.

“These women are an integral part of

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

DWN; leading, organising and hosting events that encourage learning and connection,” DWN chief executive Jules Benton says.

“As a partner of the Dairy Tomorrow Strategy, DWN supports the building of vibrant and prosperous communities through strengthening community connections.

“Our Regional Leaders are key to the success of this commitment, and they demonstrate our values of inclusivity, building connection and seizing opportunity every day,” she says.

“It’s important that the time these women contribute to their regions, and to building and maintaining community relationships, is acknowledged.”

And now in its 10th year, the 2021 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year will be awarded to its next inspiring and passionate leader.

The award recognises an outstanding woman who has contributed to the dairy industry with passion, drive, innovation and leadership.

In February, finalists were put before a judging panel composed of Dairy Women’s Network trustee Sophie

Dairy Women’s Network chief executive Jules Benton says the annual conference is a time members can really connect with each other and be a part of something bigger.

Stanley, 2019 Dairy Women of the Year Trish Rankin and representatives from Fonterra, Global Women and Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

The winner will receive a scholarship of up to $20,000 for an approved development programme, professional/ business coaching and/or learning experience – or combination of these – of her choice.

“As always, we have another incredible conference planned,” she says.

“The conference is DWN’s biggest event on the annual dairy industry calendar.

“Our members are involved in DWN courses and events quite often, but our conference is a time when they can really connect with each other and be a part of something bigger.” n

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DAIRY CHAMPION

Originally from the Netherlands, Samen managing director Cees van Baar has been working in the genetics industry for nearly 36 years.

Future of dairy genetics

By Anne Boswell

Cees van Baar’s passion for NZ and its dairy sector is his driving force when it comes to using genetics as a game changer.

A

rriving in a foreign country with nothing but a suitcase of clothes and $50 in your pocket can make or break a person, but for Samen managing director Cees van Baar, it was his initiation into an industry he has championed for almost 36 years.

Born in the Netherlands, Cees arrived in New Zealand at age 20 to fulfill his dream of becoming a dairy farmer in the country leading the industry globally.

“There is no better country in which to be dairy farming,” Cees says.

“New Zealand has got to be the dairy farming Mecca, I love NZ agriculture.”

His grandparents were dairy farmers before moving into floriculture and

30

market gardening, so there were few opportunities for him to one day own a dairy farm in the Netherlands.

Nevertheless, Cees graduated from Agricultural College and immigrated to NZ to pursue his dream.

He was sponsored by a family on the Hauraki Plains, starting as a farm assistant before going on to contract milk. Within three years of arriving in NZ, he bought his first herd of cows and spent the next four years 50:50 sharemilking.

During that time he met his wife Annie, who was visiting NZ as an exchange student from the Netherlands.

The couple returned to the Netherlands when Cees took on a role as

export manager at genetics company K.I Samen.

“It was great to be able to use my education in the breeding industry and I set up markets in the UK, Ireland and Denmark before moving into Asia and South America,” he says.

However, the frequent international travel proved demanding and it was during this time that he came across the opportunity to form his own company and return to NZ. BSE, or mad cow disease, was prevalent in the Netherlands and other European countries from 1993-97, restricting the sale of semen products to importing countries such as India.

He saw an opportunity to supply these

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Cees van Baar came to New Zealand with next to nothing to fulfil his dream of becoming a dairy farmer before getting into genetics. Wife Annie, Cees and son Nick.

countries with product from NZ and returned in 1997 to form Samen, with the help of K.I Samen founder Bas Engelen.

Since then, Samen has grown to become the third largest dairy genetics company in NZ. “I am so grateful to be part of a sector that gave me such a valuable opportunity,” he says.

“I didn’t come here to waste time and not work hard, so to see the company move from strength to strength is rewarding.”

He admits the focus of the company is different to what it was 25 years ago.

“I’ve started to become one of these old people who has seen a lot of change,” he laughs.

“When I first came to NZ, I thought we could produce five times more milk, that we needed more cows and that our potential was not being reached.

“Now, I have three children who are telling me, ‘dad, we’ve got to think of this planet’.

“My focus now is to look at how we can use genetics to solve the environmental issues facing the dairy industry.”

Cees says he spends little time focused on political agendas that reinforce a

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

negative public perception of the dairy industry.

“We are often faced with a double standard,” he says.

“The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says we have to milk 15% fewer cows to reduce environmental impact, but instead of saying we need 15% fewer cars to reduce emissions, they suggest ways to make cars more efficient.

“That’s what I want to do – use breeding genetics to make cows more efficient, so we can continue to grow the industry.

“That’s what I want to do – use breeding genetics to make cows more efficient, so we can continue to grow the industry.”

“Currently, we are a sitting duck for environmentalists. NZ as a country needs to look to countries who have made the most progress in certain areas, and we need to do that quickly.”

He says improved genetics will help NZ farm fewer cows per hectare with the same level of production, while reducing methane through feed efficiency – but we will not get the genetic gains we want by reusing the same bloodlines.

“Farmers get stuck on one breed

because they are led to believe it’s right,” he says.

“Currently, NZ cross-breeding programs are already seeing hybrid vigour fall below 50%, and lower, due to inbreeding.

“When we introduce a new breed, hybrid vigour increases to 86%, translating to better health and efficiency.

“NZ has bred efficient, fertile cows that produce a good return on grassland farming, but the biggest genetic gains are made when we introduce new genetics – so we need to keep doing that.”

Cees says Samen has the ability to select from a huge pool of genetics, imported through 12 different companies.

“We have access to thousands of bulls because of the scale we now operate at,” he says.

“And now with genomics, we can get very specific about what we want. We aim to have a world-leading product line with traits not only suitable for NZ cows, but traits that lend huge prospects to the NZ dairy industry.

“In the past, we have always looked at what the breeder wants, rather than what the national herd needs.

“But we are moving away from that now, instead of asking, ‘where is the cow heading?’ (ask), ‘where is the industry heading?’”

Continued page 32

31

Cees checks out the Belgian Blue bulls, which he says can increase the quality of New Zealand dairy-beef.

He says some exciting new bloodlines coming through include VikingRed, used as part of a three-way cross with Friesian and Jersey, to encourage superior health traits such as mastitis resistance and udder health.

There is also an excellent dairy beef opportunity in the Alpine breeds of French and Swiss origin that excel as dual-purpose animals to produce excellent meat, as well as milk.

“Currently, NZ’s dairy herd is not that capable of breeding a good beef animal within the dairy-beef industry,” he says.

“The Alpine breeds are more efficient in turning pasture into milk and meat.

Being able to produce both milk and meat means better utilisation of protein and less excretion of dietary nitrogen into the environment.

“We can also increase the quality of NZ dairy-beef by using double-muscled breeds such as the Belgian Blue.

“New Zealand has the potential to improve the efficiency of the beef industry by better utilising dairy beef.

Animals such as Belgian Blue crosses can be slaughtered before their second winter, which is economically attractive.

We will also reduce bobby calf numbers.

“In this way we can produce more milk and meat and at the same time continue to reduce emissions.”

32

Outside of work, Cees is passionate about two very quintessential Kiwi pastimes: fishing and rugby.

“When I first came to NZ, we went out fishing with Young Farmers and I just couldn’t believe how beautiful the scenery was, and how clear the water was,” he says.

“Currently, NZ crossbreeding programs are already seeing hybrid vigour fall below 50%, and lower, due to inbreeding.”

“I had gone fishing with my dad in Holland, but the sea there was so murky and unappealing.

“I absolutely love the sea, and I had already decided when we moved back to NZ that the first thing I would do was buy myself a nice boat – and I did.”

Cees attributes rugby to helping him settle into life in NZ. “When I arrived at age 20, I was asked ‘you’re young and single, how are you going to socialise – church or rugby?’” he laughs.

“I said rugby, and there was soon talk around town about a big, tall Dutch boy who might be keen to play rugby.

“I made a lot of friends through rugby, which made me feel at home in NZ. In Ngatea there wasn’t a lot happening, but you could always talk about rugby.

“I played for eight years, and I still love watching the All Blacks and the Chiefs.”

Cees and Annie have three sons aged 13, 17 and 21. Their eldest son is close to finishing a Bachelor of Ag Commerce at Massey University and works at Samen’s sister company Senztag, while the younger boys attend high school in Hamilton.

Cees says he is excited about the future of dairy genetics in NZ. “We can tackle all these perceived issues, using a cross section of genetics in the mix,” he says.

“Our farmers are just rapt with their genetics … they have to take you on trust at first, but the company has gone from strength to strength, and I think that speaks for itself.

“I’m glad it turned out to be a success, I didn’t come here to fail.

“I don’t like the word repaid, but the success of the company has given me the feeling that I am doing my bit for NZ.” n

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Cees van Baar formed Samen in 1997 and it has since grown to be the third largest genetics company in New Zealand.

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33

WOMEN IN AGRIBUSINESS

Finding the perfect balance Finding a career that fits around farming and family can be challenging, but when opportunity knocked, a Winton dairy farmer opened the door.

Photo: Alicia Keown Photography 34

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

By Cheyenne Nicholson

D

aniella Sunshine-Tervit describes her childhood as somewhere between that of a lifestyler and rural. Now she can’t imagine living anywhere but the farm. As the new owner of AgriplanSouth, she is helping other people find their dream jobs on-farm too.

Originally from England, Daniella’s family immigrated to New Zealand in 2005. She’s grown up with horses her entire life, with notable success on the UK’s show pony circuit.

“I rode for producers, which is quite prestigious. I don’t really ride anymore although my children are starting to dip their toes into horses,” Daniella says.

“I’m still involved through stewarding and judging. I’m also on the Southland A & P cattle and show planning committees.”

When her family moved to NZ, they eventually settled in Southland. During her last year of school, Daniella met her high school sweetheart, now husband, Gary.

Gary comes from a dairy farming

family, so it wasn’t long before she learned the ropes of farming and started relief milking on the family farm.

Not one to rest on her laurels, she headed off to teachers college while relief milking and teaching gymnastics and aerobics on the side.

“I’ve taught a couple of national champions for aerobics which was neat.

That put me through teachers college.

I never became a teacher though,” she says.

“I started working with Gary on the family farm and got my first real taste of day-to-day dairy farming life – and I loved it.”

Daniella’s bread and butter on the farm was the business administration side from HR to health and safety – give her a list and paperwork, and she’s got it sorted. Although she didn’t know it at the time, this would set her up well for her future with AgriplanSouth.

The couple got married in 2013 and in 2015 fell pregnant with their first daughter. Due to hyperemesis gravidarum, Daniella was forced to stop

working from seven weeks pregnant.

To complicate an already complicated pregnancy, Gary had a serious motorbike accident around the same time Daniella found out she was pregnant.

“He sustained quite a traumatic brain injury, so it was a really difficult time all around,” she says.

“As a kid, I always imagined myself a businesswoman, don’t ask me why. I could do paperwork for days.”

“During his recovery we stayed on the family farm to have that support and stability. We were so fortunate that he came out the other side of that experience.”

A few years later their second daughter arrived and they decided it was time to

Continued page 36

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move on from the family farm, and start their move up the ladder.

During their search for a new farming opportunity for Gary, Daniella came to learn about AgriplanSouth, the company she would eventually take over from the then owner Michelle Wallis.

They eventually found a new job on a farm in Winton where they still farm today as contract milkers.

Feeling it was time to start looking for her own career opportunity, Daniella

began searching for a job that would fit around her children and Gary’s dairy farming hours. But that was easier said than done.

“We both made the decision early on that we wanted our kids to be the centre of our lives and to prioritise family time as much as we could. Living in the country it proved difficult to find a job that was flexible,” she says.

“I’d applied for a few different things with no luck. Last year, I saw

Daniella and husband Gary with their daughters Lucy and Pippa are contract milkers on a farm at Winton.

Michelle’s post (the previous owner of AgriplanSouth put up a post saying her direction had changed as she was looking for someone to pass on AgriplanSouth to). It seemed perfect for me.

“As a kid, I always imagined myself a businesswoman, don’t ask me why. I could do paperwork for days.”

She put her best foot forward and reached out to Michelle. After some back and forth and some stiff competition, Daniella was offered the business.

Michelle has stayed on in a mentor capacity for Daniella while she gets her feet under the table.

“It’s worked out perfectly. I can work my own hours from home. Gary does six days on, two days off – it means I can mould my schedule around him, so we get that family time.”

It also means she can still do calf rearing on Gary’s family farm and help out on their Winton farm when needed.

AgriplanSouth is a recruitment consultancy agency. In its current state, it’s matching farm workers with employers, but she has big plans. With a website and app currently in the pipeline thanks to her web developer brother, she hopes that the business will take on a slightly different shape over the years to come.

“The idea is to have part of the business be running a team of relief milkers. Relief milking isn’t a full-time job, but the plan would be to provide them with full-time hours split between several farms. This does a few things: one, gives the relief milker stable work and two, gives farmers a place they can go to get reliable casual staff,” she says.

With many hurdles to get over first, like finding the right people, Daniella has hopes that the arm of the business will officially get started in the 2022-23 season.

“It’s a huge gap in the industry at the moment, finding good relief milkers.

Covid has been a big player in that. All the farmers I’ve spoken to about it have reacted really positively, so it’s just about

Daniella is passionate about helping people find their right job in the industry.

36

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Creating a good work-life balance has been important for Daniella and is a key driver for her business. Daniella with daughter Lucy, mum Deborah, daughter Pippa and sister Georgie.

“As a kid, I always imagined myself a businesswoman, don’t ask me why. I could do paperwork for days.” finding those right people to get started.

Eventually, I’d like it to be all app-based as well to make it simple for everyone,” she says.

As exciting as her future plans for the business are, she admits there have been some challenges to running her own business. Taking over a business with an existing clientele can be challenging, and a lot of it is winning the trust of those clients. It’s also about investing a lot of unpaid hours and energy.

“I think my biggest tip for anyone going into business is not to expect to make money right away. There’s a lot of unpaid work to do before you get to making money. Even though I took over an established business, it’s been a slow mover money-wise,” she says.

“I know it will get there, but I think that puts a lot of people off even wanting to start.”

Great South is a regional development agency that offers a great range of resources, courses and support in the Southland region. Daniella has learned a great deal from their courses and information to help fill in her knowledge gaps.

“I did a marketing course through Great South and my accountancy firm has some great courses coming out too.

It’s all about learning. If you don’t know something, go and learn about it. There

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

are so many free resources out there,” she says.

When the idea for the relief milking part of the business popped up, Daniella quickly jumped into market research mode to figure out if the demand was there, the potential price point and all the other intricacies involved.

“It’s also small things like making our brand visible, Gary goes to discussion groups with his AgriplanSouth shirt on, we do some sponsorships and are very active on social media. It’s about being seen. It’s also about trusting yourself. Yes, you might not be making money now, but in 12 months that will change. You have to find something you love, and do it,” she says.

By nature, Daniella isn’t a risk-taker.

She calls herself a pessimist, so she’s often fought hard with her inner saboteur.

“That’s my biggest challenge. Believing in myself and the business and trusting my vision,” she says.

When it comes to finding a balance between the business, family and other responsibilities, she takes a slightly different approach. While many like to structure things, she says she wants to keep things somewhat flexible to fit around whatever life throws their way.

“I work wherever I have to,” she says.

“When my daughters have dance class, I’ll do emails but I’ve started to be stricter on myself as I found I was feeling quite consumed by the business because I was working on it with all my free time.

“It’s hard when work literally follows you around in your pocket all day. But it is possible to have your work and life balance the way you want it.” n

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RESEARCH

LIC helps fight pandemic

By Gerald Piddock

For over a century, LIC has provided genetics expertise, information and technology to the dairy sector, but covid-19 saw it don a new hat in the battle against the global pandemic.

A

n innocuous piece of laboratory equipment used for DNA testing by LIC suddenly became one of the country’s most sought-after machines during the covid-19 pandemic, as the Government scrambled to find a way to efficiently test masses of people for the deadly disease.

Called the Kingfisher, it allows scientists to simultaneously extract the DNA of up to 96 animals at once for testing.

That same process could be used to extract the DNA from humans or RNA from viruses, so scientists can carry out a PCR test for covid-19.

DHB’s around the country had the means to analyse RNA, but not at the scale that was needed during the covid lockdown in March last year, LIC general manager of operations and service David Chin says.

“They were needing to do thousands of

these tests every week. I think there were about 16 of these in the country at that time and we had eight of them,” he says.

All of a sudden around the world, governments rushed to buy Kingfishers for mass covid testing.

As the DHB’s and Ministry of Health (MoH) was rapidly scrambling to find the necessary equipment to cope with the sudden demand for testing, LIC chief executive Wayne McNee contacted health authorities and the Kingfisher was loaned for two months while they waited for their own machine to arrive.

While the LIC GeneMark laboratory was also receiving samples from farmers who autumn calve, they had plenty of capacity because the laboratory is geared up for the spring calving peak.

“We were lucky because we weren’t at our peak because at peak, they’re being used every single day. If it had happened in October, it would have been a real problem,” Chin says.

The covid-19 pandemic meant the laboratory equipment used by LIC suddenly became hard to source as governments rushed to order the supplies necessary to undergo testing for the deadly disease.

38

LIC general manager of operations and service David Chin says their animal health testing service wasn’t badly affected when they loaned the Government their equipment.

Fortunately for LIC, their animal health testing service was different to the covid PCR test, which meant it was largely unaffected by the lockdown.

LIC technical manager Mark Walker says the co-operative had been using the machines for years.

“Internationally, a lot of people have cottoned on to what we have cottoned on to – that these machines are a very fast and effective way of getting DNA out of samples in a high throughput manner.

“I even saw a press conference where Donald Trump was standing next to a table with one sitting on it,” Walker says, adding there are alternatives to extracting DNA, but those processes were less efficient.

“By the time it takes one of these things to do 96 DNA extractions, a person doing it another way might only be able to do eight or nine,” he says.

It was not just the Kingfisher that was sought-after. Single-use disposable tips, which house the sample where the DNA/PCR is used, also became a hot commodity.

LIC typically uses about 20 boxes containing these tips per month. During the covid lockdown, LIC’s supplier told them there were five boxes left

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

LIC technical manager Mark Walker with the Kingfisher machine, which has the ability to speed up the process to mass test people for covid-19.

worldwide and they could spare only one.

LIC still has a small supply, but has scaled back its usage and now uses an alternative supply of tip from a different manufacturer.

“All throughout the season we were saying, ‘What’s the next thing that’s going to be in short supply?” he says.

“Now, the whole world needs to do high throughput DNA extraction, DNA testing – all of the positive covid stuff – we’re all starting to scramble for the same consumables.”

It also caught the equipment manufacturers, who were used to a steady stream of demand off guard.

“Overnight it skyrocketed,” he says.

While the shortage of plasticware did cause some disruption to LIC’s day-today operations, Chin says, overall, LIC’s operations were not affected too badly.

The lockdown also affected LIC’s ability to install new equipment in the laboratories.

The people who install the equipment are not New Zealand-based and with the borders shut, they instead had to use locals who were instructed via Skype cameras on how to correctly install and use the equipment.

“Since then, you’ll run out of one type of plasticware and have to scramble around and find something similar that you can then use and validate,” Chin says.

Walker says when shortages arose, they would see if working alternatives

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

“By the time it takes one of these things to do 96 DNA extractions, a person doing it another way might only be able to do eight or nine.”

Mark Walker

were available and how long before the laboratory needed to be closed. The labs came within a few weeks of closure due to the shortages on a couple of occasions.

“Last year we were lurching from each one of those,” he says.

Unfortunately, Chin says, the supply issues look set to continue this year.

“Regardless of what happens with the vaccine, it’s going to take a long time before the pressure comes off the need to do all of this testing. I see us living in this space for quite a while longer,” he says.

Despite the disruption, Chin says they have tried to keep it as close to business as usual for farmer services.

“We ran a countdown clock because we knew at some point we would need to say, ‘guys, you need to put those samples back in the freezer’. Fortunately, it never got to that. But there were sleepless nights,” he says. n

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RESEARCH

The 2020 Women in Food & Agriculture survey gathered insights on gender equality within the agri-food industry.

Feed comes out on top

By Samantha Tennent

The global agri-food chain was put through the wringer last year facing challenge after challenge because of the pandemic but still came out on top.

D

espite a challenging year, global feed production grew 1% in 2020, with more than 28,000 feed mills producing a total of 1,187.7 million metric tonnes of feed. The results were uncovered by the Alltech global feed survey and announced at the Alltech 2021 Agri-Food outlook.

Alltech president and chief executive Dr Mark Lyons shared some of the survey highlights.

“After a devastating year in 2019, China has rebounded well, with a 5% increase in feed production, and has re-emerged as the world’s top feed producer. Even in the face of the challenges of disease and lockdown, China’s rebound has been faster than expected,” Lyons says.

“We are seeing more consolidation in the industry, with the top 10 countries now producing 63% of feed. By region, Latin America showed the highest growth, at 4%, with Asia Pacific second, at 2%.

The fastest-growing sector of the protein species was aquaculture, at 3%.

40

And while pig and broiler feeds showed 1% growth, the beef sector suffered a small loss of 1%.

One perhaps surprising result of the covid-19 pandemic is the growth of pet food, as people throughout the world adopted new companions. And it’s also clear that trust, health, sustainability and inclusion are the driving factors transforming the future of food and feed production,” he says.

With data from more than 142 countries, the Alltech global feed survey is the strongest evaluation of compound feed production and prices in the industry. It is regarded as the most comprehensive data set of its kind, and referenced by government groups and media throughout the world.

Alltech also held their second annual women in food and Ag survey, which gathered real-world insights from the professional landscape for women in agriculture. In addition to assessing equity within the Ag sector, the survey reviewed the impact of covid-19 on women within agriculture.

The survey gathered insights from men as well as women. Responses from more than 3200 participants, representing more than 80 countries and all sectors of agriculture, shed light on the current workplace environment, barriers to success and the outlook for the future.

In the survey, 26% of female respondents indicated that they are the primary caretakers for children or aging parents while working from home.

Additionally, 21% of women working within the agri-food industry indicated that they are concerned that working from home will negatively impact their careers. Conversely, 13% of male respondents shared the same concern for their career.

Some of the barriers explored were lack of mentors, networking opportunities, professional training and lack of flexibility or work-life balance.

Although 62% of all respondents agreed that the industry is becoming more inclusive, there is reason to be optimistic.

“The data from these surveys is

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

powerful, but the stories they represent are even more interesting,” he says.

“From this data, there are tales to be told. China’s incredible rebound, how the agri-food supply chain was especially challenged this past year, but held strong.

We saw shifts in global supply chains, and an increased trend towards trustbased transactions. We witnessed a swift acceleration in the development of e-commerce in 2020, with both consumers and companies developing a preference for this state of play and as we put greater priority on our collective health this past year, it strengthened a trend that was already underway.”

Lyons concluded his talk by explaining the increased emphasis on the importance of inclusion.

“It is becoming an essential ingredient of successful teams and companies.

Innovation is fuelled by cultures of collaboration, where there’s an openness to every idea, where every person can be seen, heard and valued for their contributions.

There’s never been more pressure on businesses, nor has there ever been more of an opportunity,” he says. n

Alltech president and chief executive Dr Mark Lyons says that despite the challenges of covid-19 and lockdowns, global feed production for 2020 still rose.

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To access speaker insights from the 2021 Agri-Food Outlook and explore full data results from the Alltech Global Feed Survey and the Women in Food & Agriculture Survey, visit one. alltech.com/2021-agri-food-outlook

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RESEARCH

Colour me lucky

By Gerald Piddock

A Wintec science student has research completed at Fonterra published internationally, which is a rare feat for an undergraduate student.

A

Wintec science student’s research on testing the effectiveness of using a colorimeter to measure the colour of infant formula powder has been recognised by being published in the International Dairy Journal.

Rehana Ponnal’s work was undertaken while she was on work placement at Fonterra and was for her bachelor project during the final year of her study.

Ponnal says using the colorimeter would not only be more reliable but more efficient as a measurement tool.

“The current process takes longer, as several people’s opinions are required to confirm the colour of a sample. With a colorimeter, you just insert the sample and it gives an instant reading. It’s more reliable and more financially beneficial as there’s less time wasted,” she says.

Fonterra measures colour because it is an important aspect of the product. It was the first thing a customer perceived and would not buy it if it was the wrong colour.

Using a colorimeter also addresses consistency issues that arise out of using more subjective measures like colour charts.

“Using a colour chart relies on people’s perception of colour. The colorimeter on the other hand gives a reading for a certain colour based on the data of that colour – using this method, something is either that colour, or it’s not,” she says.

“There’s no reliance on individual perception, which can be problematic.”

Carotenoid are responsible for giving milk its yellow colour and these pigments are naturally synthesised by plants and algae. Because they are different for different plants, the cow’s diet affected the colour of milk throughout the season.

“Also, the factor that gives white colour to milk is its physical structure, which is associated with the casein and fat formation. That also depends on the feed given,” she says.

Ponnal worked on the research with

42

Rehana Ponnal: Rehana Ponnal’s work on testing the effectiveness of using a colorimeter to measure the colour of infant formula powder was published in the International Dairy Journal.

a number of other scientists, and the journal entry, published in September last year, gives positive results of their findings.

“My research was a preliminary study where we are analysing the accuracy and precision of the colorimeter over the existing methods. So once I finished my study, we came to the conclusion that the colorimeter is more reliable and financially beneficial,” she says.

Ponnal says she was told by Fonterra there will be more studies on other products manufactured by the cooperative, and also will be doing further investigation on her work.

That includes procuring a colorimeter to continue testing.

Fonterra senior research scientist Jackie Wood said Fonterra constantly looked for ways to measure our products in the most reliable and cost-effective way.

“During her internship, Rehana carried out measurements on different infant formulas, milk powders and butter to

provide information for these products.

She also looked at the cost effectiveness of using the instrument compared to the current way we access colour of our product.

“It’s an important part of what we do so that we can guarantee the safety and quality of our final products in a time efficient and cost-effective way,” she says.

After completing an engineering degree in biomedical science, Ponnal moved to New Zealand in 2017 as an international student to fulfil her passion of studying food science.

Despite her achievements, Ponnal says she was finding it difficult to gain employment.

“It is quite disappointing. It’s hard finding a job. As an international student on a temporary work visa, it’s even harder to find work,” she says.

“I’m looking all over NZ and I am willing to move anywhere. I’m particularly interested in research, product development and technology roles, in the food, dairy and beverage industry.” n

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

RESEARCH

F

Mapping NZ pastures

armers, scientists and rural industry leaders are meeting in Waikato later this year to start mapping out a secure future for New Zealand pastures.

The Resilient Pastures Symposium (RPS), organised by the NZ Grassland Association (NZGA), comes 10 years after the association’s landmark Pasture Persistence Symposium.

With agriculture currently earning more than 40c in every NZ export dollar, those behind the event say pasture – and innovative thinking about its prospects in coming years – has never been more relevant.

Pasture is a significant global advantage for NZ, but faces increasing pressure from climate change, environmental regulation, and social and market expectations.

“The uniqueness of NZ’s high-value animal protein exports – their embedded

naturalness and low per unit emissions compared with competitor countries – rests on our pasture base,” RPS organising committee chair and DairyNZ principal scientist David Chapman says .

“We want to make sure our market strength continues to grow from this base, because that is critical to NZ’s economic future.”

The 2011 Pasture Persistence Symposium gave rise to significant new pasture R&D and industry-led initiatives, including the highly influential DairyNZ Forage Value Index.

NZGA president and AgResearch senior scientist Warren King says 10 years on, climate change effects signalled in 2011 have intensified, and the physical environment for growing pasture is more challenging and volatile than ever.

But other challenges that barely registered then, are now competing

for the attention of researchers, plant breeders and farmers alike.

Environmental regulations are putting caps on nutrient inputs and losses from pastoral systems. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are being considered, with emphasis on reduction.

King says the RPS will highlight current soil, plant genetics and management solutions, and look towards future opportunities, giving those who attend a chance to contribute to charting future priorities.

A key goal for the event is to achieve broad-based primary sector collaboration and direction for further pasture development. n

MORE:

The NZGA Resilient Pasture Symposium will be held May 11 and 12 at Karapiro. Early bird registrations open March 1 at www. grassland.org.nz

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RESEARCH

High-quality, long-term research that supports the environment is key to New Zealand’s future.

Time to revisit NZ’s science system

By Anne Boswell

The way in which environmental research is funded is not suitable and needs to be changed, a top scientist says.

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Distinguished professor Sir Peter Gluckman says changes to environmental funding are needed to ensure the future success of the dairy industry.

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revision of the current environmental research funding model is imperative to the future success of New Zealand’s dairy industry, says distinguished professor Sir Peter Gluckman.

Gluckman, who is director the of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures at the University of Auckland, says the long-term nature of the environmental research so critical to all of NZ’s primary industries is not suited to the current competitive funding models, which tend to focus on relatively short-term excellent and high-impact research.

“The system has evolved to focus on an economic perspective, but environmental research needs to have different dimensions of understanding,” Gluckman says.

“At the moment, we do not favour

‘non-sexy’ research, but it is essential research the country needs.

“Long-term research will fill environmental data gaps in areas such as soil, biodiversity and water, so we are able to make future environmental decisions on a data-informed basis.”

Gluckman, who was the former chief science advisor to the Prime Minister and president-elect of the International Science Council, says a report released

by The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton – A review of the funding and prioritisation of environmental research in New Zealand – warrants serious consideration by government and policymakers.

“The comprehensive nature of the Upton report offers an opportunity for ongoing in-depth analysis and discussion about how to optimally use funds for environmental research

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

“The system has evolved to focus on an economic perspective, but environmental research needs to have different dimensions of understanding.”

Sir Peter Gluckman and therefore, the public good,” he says.

“Simon has made a cogent case.

It is an important and timely report which identifies many arguments for a fundamental rethink of our science system, both within the University and Crown Research Institute system and in its relationship to public good and economic outcomes.”

One PCE report recommendation was to implement and fund an environment research strategy through an expert-led Environmental Research Council.

The complex and often long-term nature of environmental research has strong parallels with medical research which, for many years, has been well supported by the Health Research Council.

Gluckman says it has been almost 30 years since any fundamental changes have occurred in the CRO system, and it’s time to revisit the science system as a whole.

The recent Koi Tū report – The Future is Now: Exploring the Post-Pandemic Direction for Aotearoa New Zealand – also calls for a collective of stakeholders, such as the Government, scientists and end users, to work together to develop a fitfor-purpose science system.

He says high-quality, long-term research that supports the environment is key to NZ’s future.

“It is through meticulous and continuous work that real and perennially applicable discoveries are made,” he says.

“For environmental research, this work can overturn long-held assumptions and very often spawn new ideas and directions.”

Gluckman says there are big environmental decisions ahead of NZ, and it will only gain strength from having a data-rich approach.

“We can’t duck the fact that we live in a changed world,” he says.

“NZ is not using science as well as it might, and it can’t continue with a nonstrategic approach.” n

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Former chief science advisor to the Prime Minister Sir Peter Gluckman says longterm research will help fill environmental data gaps.

PROTECTING THE FUTURE OF YOUR HERD.

THAT’S GOT THE TEATSEAL OF APPROVAL. Keeping your herd healthy and productive is a 365 day a year job, and dry off is one of the most critical times to prevent mastitis.

What you do (or don’t do) during dry off impacts herd health and sets up your cows for future seasons.

Teatseal® is proven as the most effective way to prevent new infections, both over the dry period and at calving.

By preventing mastitis with Teatseal, you’ll be one step closer to making dry off pay off.

Contact your vet or learn more at teatseal.co.nz *Zoetis Study No.A131R-NZ-14-251 (A3251). Zoetis New Zealand Limited. Tel: 0800 963 847; www.zoetis.co.nz. TEATSEAL is a registered trade mark of Zoetis. ACVM No. A7294.

45

TECHNOLOGY

Work is underway with existing farm systems to find new ways of producing food.

Growing agritech

By Tony Benny

A roadshow to showcase the latest developments in agritech is hitting the road to keep farmers informed.

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Agritech New Zealand chief executive Brendan O’Connell says the Farm 2050 initiative will see New Zealand become part of an international network of trial farms to test new technologies to feed the world and protect the environment.

46

proposal under the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) to create a national centre of excellence for horticultural robotics has been modified after concerns were raised that it may duplicate existing facilities.

The idea is one of three “high-impact projects” identified in the $11.4 million ITP launched by the Government last year, an effort to grow the agritech sector that already earns $1.4 billion in exports annually.

Agritech New Zealand chief executive Brendan O’Connell says it makes more sense to act as a catalyst and support existing research and engineering groups than set up a whole new national centre.

“There was an idea put forward and when it got to further investigation it was ‘Yeah, there’s something there, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater’,” O’Connell says.

What’s proposed instead is a body

that can act as a catalyst and pull together existing entities to help them respond to international opportunities for horticultural robotics, a term that embraces a range of automation and sensing technology and the internet of things (IoT).

“It’s had a whole pile of industry consultation, a business plan is being developed and there’s further funding likely to be sought. The business plan will go to the Treasury at some point to get further funding to set up that catalyst group,” he says.

The launch of the ITP in July 2020 was delayed by the covid-19 lockdown and since then proposals have been developed and AgritechNZ, together with MBIE, is staging a series of roadshows around the country to bring the agritech industry up-to-date.

Work on the other two high-impact projects — an agritech venture capital fund and the Farm 2050 Global Nutrients Project — is continuing too.

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

“A criticism in the past has been that there’s lots of early-stage funding available for businesses that want to get off the ground and get some angel or seed funding, but there are gaps later on when businesses are looking at entering a growth phase.”

Brendan O’Connell

The proposed venture capital fund would combine the resources of the Crown-owned NZ Growth Capital Partners and private investors to fill a gap in funding for new start-ups.

“A criticism in the past has been that there’s lots of early-stage funding available for businesses that want to get off the ground and get some angel or seed funding, but there are gaps later on when businesses are looking at entering a growth phase,” he says.

“This is about how they get some of that later-venture capital.”

O’Connell expects an announcement on the proposal to be made in “the next couple of months”.

The Farm 2050 initiative will see NZ become part of an international network of trial farms to test new technologies to feed the world and protect the environment. It’s the brainchild of Google

Agritech companies like LIC are already well established export businesses and now new innovators are coming on board. A lab technician freezing bull semen straws.

chair Eric Schmidt and involves global giants, including Syngenta, Corteva and Bayer Crop Science. NZ is the first ‘country partner’ of Farm2050.

“It will set up some trial farms in NZ where technology developed in NZ can be tested, and that same technology can be tested at similar sites at a large scale in other parts of the world, including North America and Europe,” he says.

Established agritech companies like Gallaghers, LIC and Waikato Milking Systems Manawatu are already well established export businesses, but O’Connell says there’s now a new

generation of innovators coming along, working both in existing farm systems and in new ways of producing food. He lists examples, including BioLumic – which uses UV light to increase plant growth, vigour and yields – hydroponics company Bluelab and hi-tech glasshouse sensor maker Autogrow systems.

“There are some really good innovators in NZ and none of them are too far off the land; many of them have come from farming backgrounds and so there’s a good affinity and understanding of what it means to farm and how technology can be applied,” he says. n

Why do we claim we’re the most sustainable dairy producers in the world?

Because we are A litre of our milk shipped to Ireland would still have a lower emissions profile than milk produced over there. Yep, we’ve taken on the challenge of sustainability, and we’re winning. Why? Because we’re dairy farmers, and we rise to a challenge. And it’s in these moments we shine.

Riseandshine.nz

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INNOVATION

Getting teat spraying right

By Richard Rennie & Tony Benny

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survey that found only 12% of dairy farmers were getting teat spraying right prompted automation engineer Gary Arnott and leading veterinarian mastitis expert Adrian Joe to invent the Teatwand teat sprayer over a decade ago.

Since a prototype version of the automated Teatwand was installed in a mid-Canterbury dairy in 2008, more than 1000 have been installed around the world, including Australia, the US and Europe.

Today, Canterbury-based Onfarm Solutions has expanded its Christchurch operations to meet increasing global demand for its accurate teat care solution.

Working closely with farmers, the company has also developed the Teatwand Stepover, a new innovation for combatting mastitis that will soon be available for farmers milking through herringbone dairy sheds.

Early Teatwand development was driven by a need for a modern automated solution for rotary platforms, where cow numbers have increased beyond the ability of most staff to maintain an effective teat spray pattern using manual spray devices.

Automated machines around at the time were only delivering 60-70% effectiveness, often affected by cows’ tails obstructing the machine spray pattern or by wind blow as the cows exited the dairy.

“A particular problem we were seeing was not enough spray getting accurately on all four teats, the existing systems were just spraying and hoping for the best, so we wanted to improve what was out there, and so we invented the Teatwand,” chief executive Gary Arnott says.

On a rotary platform, when the cups come off, sensors detect the cow’s precise position on the platform. The Teatwand extends under the udder and sprays exactly the right place to ensure every teat is covered, imitating the action of a human arm.

“We know precisely where the cow is positioned in the bail; using optical

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Onfarm Solutions chief executive Gary Arnott says a new innovative product will help farmers ensure correct teat spraying.

sensors and clever programming the system changes the spray pattern to suit,” he says.

“We now have our systems operating on all brands of rotary, anywhere in the world, including dairies in the US that milk 3000 cows three times a day.”

The new Teatwand Stepover is designed to work in any herringbone shed, anywhere in the world. This model is also suited to large “parallel parlours” used in the US. “It’s an in-race-type system, and within a day or two the cows get used to it,” he says.

A survey of teat spray practices done a decade ago found two out of every three farmers were using the wrong dilution rate, and only one in three got good coverage of all four teats.

This was despite numerous studies that prove accurate teat spraying will reduce new infection rates by 50%.

“With mastitis being one of the main

health issues dairy farmers face, it’s vital that teat spraying is done properly,” he says.

The return on investment for farmers managing teat care well is significant.

DairyNZ work has found cows with high somatic cell counts will usually produce less milk, with up to 8kg less milksolids per lactation for every increase of 250,000 SCC between 100,000 to 600,000.

Mastitis is usually the result of poor teat care management and the disease is estimated to cost NZ dairy farmers about $180 million a year, or about $37 for every milking cow.

Arnott says Onfarm’s Group philosophy and motivation is to design farmer-centric technology.

“We go to farms, look and ask precisely what their problems are. We then assemble a special R&D team to design the right solution, our recent innovation,” he says.

“It’s got to be affordable, properly engineered, fit for purpose and simple, but the most important thing is we are getting all four teats sprayed properly to bring those cell counts down.”

All Onfarm Group technologies are manufactured in Christchurch for complete quality control and a personal desire by Arnott to ensure the company is part of NZ’s thriving agri-tech start-up culture.

Another division of Onfarm Group is Onfarm Data, specialising in irrigation controls. Onfarm Data developed the One Centre Axis technology designed to encompass and control all irrigation and soil moisture management on a farm. It also supports farmers to adhere to local compliance regulations.

“The amount of quality control we implement goes down to every single bolt; no system goes out until it is thoroughly checked, and every system goes through a comprehensive test,” he says. n

MORE:

The Teatwand Stepover will be launched at the 2021 South Island Agricultural Field Days in Kirwee, Canterbury, on March 24-26.

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

INNOVATION

Kiwi farmers’ chance to shine

By Anne Boswell

K

iwi dairy farm owners, managers, employees and dairy farming groups are encouraged to reinforce their global reputation as leaders in innovation, sustainability and efficiency by taking part in the #WeAreDairy initiative.

The inaugural #WeAreDairy award aims to showcase the incredible advancements being made on dairy farms and the positive impact they have on farm businesses, communities or the supply chain on a daily basis.

The award, established by Diversey’s Deosan Agriculture hygiene brand and dairy industry consultants Promar International, is open to dairy farmers across the globe and will recognise, celebrate and publicise the positive innovations, improvements and actions of the dairy community that are collectively shaping the future of the industry.

“It’s time for the industry to stand up and demonstrate the extraordinary progress we have made in the dairy sector, and the innovative ways in which farms have adapted to improve animal welfare and sustainability,” Diversey agricultural global application specialist Alison Cox says.

“We are looking for dairy applicants who are excelling through improvements to the efficiency, quality or sustainability of their business.

“We’re looking for innovation, in a simple and practical form, that can be easily transferred to other dairy farm businesses and, therefore, deliver significant sustainable advancements.

“It can be anything from savings on fuel and transport or utilities, to a new housing design that has seen improvement in animal health.”

Applications can be made by visiting the #WeAreDairy website before the end of August. Applicants are asked to fill out a form with details of their sustainable or animal welfare improvement, explain the impact it has had on their business

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Diversey agricultural global application specialist Alison Cox says the #WeAreDairy initiative is a way to showcase the innovations and progress dairy farmers have made.

“We’re looking for innovation, in a simple and practical form, that can be easily transferred to other dairy farm businesses and, therefore, deliver significant sustainable advancements.”

Alison Cox and animals, and include an image to support their example.

Judging will take place in September, from which five finalists will be selected.

The judging panel – composed of Alison Cox, Diversey executive director of sustainability Daniel Daggett and Promar International principal consultant Matt Sheehan – will look at a number of factors, including innovative thinking, the ease of implementation, the motivation for implementation and the relative impact of the change.

The overall winner will be announced in October and receive a $10,000 prize.

To further illustrate the progress of the innovation and advancements, and promote the industry around the globe, Diversey and Promar will publish a report highlighting the impact on climate and welfare if the processes carried out by the

finalists were applied by the international dairy farming community.

It is also their aim to promote all entries throughout the entry period to further showcase the exceptional efforts of the dairy community in those areas and encourage and inspire others to improve sustainability and welfare.

“For the dairy industry, we are living through a time of brilliant change and we want to celebrate the positives,” Sheehan says.

“I want to encourage the industry to get behind this initiative and promote our progress to not only the farming community but also a wider audience, including consumers.” n

MORE:

For more information, entry criteria or to enter, visit www.wearedairy.com

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FARMSTRONG

The five ways to wellbeing Farming, like professional rugby, is a job with a lot of challenges, says Farmstrong ambassador Sam Whitelock. That’s why it’s important to look after yourself by investing regularly in your wellbeing. Here are five great ways to achieve that.

I

nternational research has found that people who thrive have five habits in common: • • Staying connected with mates • Keeping active • Taking notice and enjoying the simple things in life

• Learning new things to keep fresh • Giving back to friends and community.

“These five habits help keep life in perspective when the going gets tough.

That’s why I’ve made them part of my life, because whether you’re a rugby player or

a farmer, there are always going to be things that you can’t control. In rugby it might be the ref, in farming it’s the weather and prices,” Sam says.

“I’ve found the Five Ways to Wellbeing make a big difference. They have a positive, cumulative effect over time and make you much more resilient. This gives you something to draw on when you are under pressure. It also makes you healthier and more productive on the farm.”

Dairy farmers have been sharing with Farmstrong how they use the Five Ways.

Here are a few examples to get you thinking.

Dairy farm manager/agribusiness student Cheyenne Wilson says: “It’s easy to withdraw and become isolated in farming. I noticed that happening to myself a couple of times. It’s about recognising that and putting in place strategies from the Five Ways to cope.

Mine are: • Surround yourself with a network of people you can reach out to. It can be as simple as having a conversation in the pub.

• Keep active – I want to get back to netball fitness, so I can play premier grade again comfortably.

I’m a competitive person, but a huge part of it is getting off the farm and socialising as well.

• Enjoy the small stuff. Sometimes when I’m working, I just stop the bike and take a moment to enjoy our amazing landscape.”

Farmstrong Ambassador Sam Whitelock says farming has a lot of challenges, so farmers must look after the wellbeing of themselves and their team.

50

Paul Walker runs a 300-cow, 90-hectare dairy farm in Pongakawa, Bay of Plenty, and is a big fan of the Five Ways.

“I like the ‘take notice’ one. I make sure I enjoy the little moments in farming.

Snapshots I call them; the things you get to see in farming that other people never see.” he says. “(Like when) you’re waiting for a cow

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

“This gives you something to draw on when you are under pressure. It also makes you healthier and more productive on the farm.”

Sam Whitelock to calve at midnight and you’ve got a sky full of stars. I take that all in and it gives me a lot of satisfaction.

“In farming you could just keep going 24/7 if you wanted to. There’s always something else you can do. But no one can go ‘hammer and tongs’ the whole time. You’ve got to look after yourself or you’re not going last.

“The Farmstrong website has so many resources that can help. It’s really simple stuff; eat well, sleep well, lock in the Five ways and then you can function properly and everyone around you benefits – farm, family, staff.”

Cambridge dairy farmer Mark Gascoigne found the perfect Five Ways combo at his local cycling club.

“I help to run the Te Awamutu Cycle Club, which ticks a lot of boxes of the Five Ways – giving back, exercise and staying connected,” he says.

“We’ve got 350 members and run 40plus races every year on road and at the velodrome. When you’re helping people like that it energises you and makes a real difference to your own wellness.

“I’ve also recently become a facilitator for the Waikato Hauraki Coromandel Rural Support Trust, to help people going through tough times.

“The main thing I’ve learnt about staying well on-farm is before you can look after your family, your farm and your animals, you’ve got to look after yourself.”

Southland contract milker Tangaroa Walker’s favourite ‘give back’ strategy involves diving for seafood.

“I like to start my day really early in the morning and get my work done, so that later on I can message one of the boys to see if they want to go out diving,” he says.

Sam Whitelock says the Five Ways to Wellbeing can help farmers live well and farm well, and lead to increased farmer resilience.

“I really enjoy free diving and being able to drop off some crays or kinas to families and friends. I come back to the farm thinking, ‘Hey, I helped someone today’. It feels rewarding and you start work again feeling great.”

North Canterbury contract milker Abbi Ayre draws a lot of strength from staying connected.

“My husband plays golf at least once a week, and I do a lot for the Dairy Women’s Network. I’m a regional leader and help to organise events around the area which keep people connected,” Abbi says.

She says the network has played a big role in helping her feel on top of things. “Having that sort of support is so important. I get to see a group of women on their one night off-farm and we can have a good catch-up. Being in a room full of women like that is special. It’s a great boost,” she says.

“I’ve learnt that every season is different, and every season has its challenges. The trouble is, when you’re

working in a situation where you’re isolated, it can often feel like the world’s falling apart. If you’re feeling under the pump, share the load and remember that you are not alone. Get out and talk to somebody, whether it’s a dinner group or a fish and chip night with neighbours and friends.”

Let’s leave the final word with Sam. “Whether you’re noticing good moments, making daily connections, pulling on the running shoes, learning something new or volunteering your time, the Five Ways to Wellbeing can really help you live well and farm well.

Different things work for different people, so my message is find out what works for you and lock it in.” n

MORE:

Farmstrong is an award-winning rural wellbeing programme that helps farmers and farming families live well to farm well.

To find out what works for you, check out our farmer-to-farmer videos, stories and tips on www.farmstrong.co.nz

Under the pump?

For tips and ideas, visit farmstrong.co.nz

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

51

EFFLUENT

It’s all about the pump A PondBoom is recommended for floating centrifugal pump setups so that the pump can be safely brought to shore for maintenance without the need to enter the pond.

By Michael Prestidge Nevada effluent management specialist

Y

our choice of effluent pump can make or break the functioning of your effluent system. With a lot of pumps to choose from, and manufacturing improvements, we’re often called for advice on which pump is going to be best to get the job done. So, here’s what we recommend.

When electric is best Electric pumps are our first recommendation if your pump is just servicing the one effluent pond/ tank, and you’re able to get electricity running down to the storage area. We recommend electric pumps because they are easy to automate and have much lower running costs than diesel and PTO pumps. They also provide a good flow in the range of 18,000 to 36,000 litres per hour, ideal for in-ground systems with most effluent irrigators.

The two most common types of

52

electric effluent pumps are floating centrifugal and shore-mounted progressive cavity (PC) pumps. Where centrifugal pumps were once the go-to option, recent improvements to the geometry and quality of PC pumps has made them the preferred choice for safety, reliability and consistency.

A good quality progressive cavity effluent pump will provide a consistent flow of effluent to the irrigator regardless of where it is situated on the farm. Dairy farmers who’ve installed PC pumps confirm the output is the same whether they are pumping short or long distance, over flat or elevated land. PC pumps have a low horsepower requirement making them more efficient to run. They are also less expensive to install and are self-priming when set up correctly. Being shore-mounted they are the best choice for safety and maintenance as there is no need to enter the pond.

Centrifugal pumps are still a good

option, however, compared with a good progressive cavity pump they require a higher power input and more control mechanisms to achieve the same level of consistency. While reliable, as they require more complicated mechanics there is a higher risk of complications.

In terms of safety, centrifugal pumps can be shore mounted, but will require some form of priming. Alternatively, a PondBoom™ is recommended for floating centrifugal pump setups, so that the pump can be safely brought to shore for maintenance without the need to enter the pond.

PTO and diesel-powered effluent pumps A well-chosen PTO or diesel-powered effluent pump will deliver high volume and high pressure ideal for use with multiple irrigators or drag hose type systems. Since they are portable and don’t require electricity to run, they’re

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

A well-chosen PTO or diesel-powered effluent pump will deliver high volume and high-pressure ideal for use with multiple irrigators or drag hose-type systems.

ideal for use over multiple ponds or if an electric pump is not an option.

Smaller PTO pumps are usually recommended for small to medium farms where an electric pump is not an option. Large diesel-powered pump kits are often required for large, multi-pond

Farmers should ensure they install a pump that has the correct pressure and volume to suit their farm.

farms and contractors where high output is desired. These large diesel pump kits can deliver 10 times the output of an electric pump.

It is important to note when selecting a pump that high horsepower does not equal high pressure. Effluent pumps

Paul’s Cutting Back On Synthetic Ferts

must be both high pressure and high volume to be able to reliably pump effluent through a pipeline. It is always recommended to check with a specialist to make sure the pump you choose will have the correct pressure and volume to suit your requirements. n

ADVERTISEMENT

On the outskirts of Nelson Lakes lies Paul Bavin’s 187ha dairy farm. Milking 640 cows, Paul pumps the effluent from a sump into an above ground Clip Tank for storage, or out to pasture using his travelling irrigator.

The problem was the underground system could only reach a small area. Realising the value of effluent nutrients, Paul wanted a way of spreading effluent over the rest of the farm. After researching his options, he gave Nevada a call to enquire about a tanker…

A Nevada 12,000L slurry tanker was the ideal size to easily spread over the rest of the farm without making too many trips. An adapter was fitted so the auto-filling arm works easily with his Clip Tank to allow for faster loading, and the RainWave™ means he gets a fast, even spread with minimal wind drift.

Paul says investing in a slurry tanker has been a really positive decision. He’s now able to make the most of his effluent resource and cut back on his use of synthetic fertilisers.

‘The quality was better than others on the market, and I appreciated the specialist knowledge.’

He’s also been pleasantly surprised at the performance of the slurry tanker...

‘I was expecting the tanker to push me down the hill, but there’s no sloshing.

Those baff les are great, and you hardly feel it behind you. It’s surprising how fast it is to load and unload - a very easy job.’

‘It’s an awesome investment. We’re really pleased with the machine and what it is doing for us. A big bonus is that we can cut back on synthetic ferts. We’re putting on N [synthetic nitrogen] every month - now we’re cutting that right back.’

- Paul Bevan

NZ’s Leading Dairy Effluent Management Specialists

nevadagroup.co.nz 0800 464 393

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

53

EFFLUENT

Game-changing irrigation system

By Samantha Tennent

When a Manawatu farmer needed to upgrade his farm effluent system, he turned to a revolutionary new dairy effluent irrigator.

W

ith consent coming up for renewal, Grant Bell knew his effluent system on his Manawatu farm needed an upgrade.

The system operated from a stone trap, through a sump, onto the paddock and lacked storage, which would no longer be acceptable.

“I went to the Effluent Expo at Mystery Creek to find out what we could do,” Bell says. “I met Davieth Verheij from AgFirst Engineering and we discussed my storage options, and he recommended above-ground storage due to our high water table and suggested a few brands.”

Verheij is the Waikato managing director of AgFirst Engineering and was involved in the entire effluent upgrade process with Bell, helping him design a suitable system, which included a Weta irrigator.

The Weta was developed by AgFirst in conjunction with an Italian company, following two years of research and development, and was launched at National Fieldays in 2016.

Verheij says the Weta was developed to address the environmental challenges faced by New Zealand dairy farmers.

“It is the first-ever traveling effluent irrigator that automatically maintains its travel speed and uniformity of nutrient application along its travel path,” Verheij says.

“The key design considerations for the development of this irrigator were clear. Our farmers need their effluent irrigator to have high-capacity, lowintensity, application uniformity/accuracy and finally, low maintenance and user friendly.”

Bell is pleased with the system, he found the process working with AgFirst easy and he was confident with the plan they put in place.

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An aerial view of Grant Bell’s effluent system on his Manawatu farm.

“I was concerned we didn’t have solid separation, as we have a feedpad, so a lot of solids make it into the system,” Bell says.

“But Davieth assured me with an above-ground tank, as long as the stirring and the agitation are good, it will keep the solids in suspension and allow them to break down over time and won’t cause any issues when it’s being pumped out,” Bell says.

The Weta irrigator is also a gamechanger for applying the effluent.

“A travelling irrigator needs to overcome several challenges, including travel speed and have high-capacity,” Verheij says.

“Travel speed selection must be accurate and the irrigator must be able to maintain its travel speed to ensure the average application depth and rate is uniform resulting in uniform nutrient application.

The length of grass, length/size of drag hose and whether the irrigator is on the flat, going uphill or downhill all affect the travel speed of conventional travelling irrigators.”

He also explains irrigators must have high-capacity (flow and pressure) to achieve large wetted widths, which means less irrigator shifts as a greater area is being captured at one time. They need a large diameter drag hose, with as little restriction through the irrigator as possible.

“The Weta system has a speed sensor mounted on the winch rope, which continuously measures the travel speed,” Verheij says.

The effluent irrigator has been designed to enable the addition of a GPS tracking and high/low pressure safety. Pump starts and machine operation can be activated using a cellphone, which will receive text alerts if a problem occurs.

Bell was so pleased with his effluent system he continued working with AgFirst to upgrade his Southland farm too.

“We had a few more challenges on the Southland farm, but Davieth and the support team he helped us put together were great, and we are really happy with the final system,” he says. n

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

EFFLUENT

Make your pond a priority

By Logan Bowler

L

eaving the task of emptying your effluent ponds until later in the season is not the smartest of decisions for a few reasons.

Firstly, it is taking a risk that you don’t need to take soil conditions becoming unsuitable for effluent application.

Secondly, dry soil conditions over the summer months will impact pasture growth and the effluent in the ponds will be well-received by the pasture. And thirdly, the nutrients in the effluent will have the opportunity of being wellutilised by pasture before conditions get wet and cold.

As with most things on-farm, good management is extremely important and the same applies to your effluent pond to ensure you always have adequate storage available when you need it most – winter and spring. Most of you are doing a great job at keeping on top of this, but remember it’s a task that requires constant attention.

Now is a good time to be pumping your effluent pond down as often as possible, while the warm weather ensures soil conditions are dry enough to mitigate the risk of run-off or leaching into waterways. The added bonus with irrigating your effluent this time of year is that it will help with pasture growth and reduce the amount of fertiliser you need to apply. Maybe you have a new grass paddock in the effluent block that has just been sown following a crop. That grass would love a ‘light’ sprinkling of effluent to ensure an early germination with a wee bit of nutrient, making it ready to take off with the autumn rain.

Just continue to keep a close eye to ensure you are doing this in accordance with your region’s rules and your consent.

You really should be aiming to irrigate each day weather and soil conditions are suitable, to get your levels down before autumn and winter. If you haven’t started this job yet, then now’s the time to be thinking about it.

I recommend making this a priority over the remainder of summer before wet weather limits your opportunity to do so. After all, we never know what autumn has in store for us. If it’s a wet one and

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Logan Bowler of Agblution Solutions Ltd says farmers should make emptying the pond a priority this summer, so they are prepared for whatever winter throws at you.

“As with most things on-farm, good management is extremely important and the same applies to your effluent pond to ensure you always have adequate storage available when you need it most.” you haven’t kept on top of emptying your effluent pond, you’ll be on the back foot heading into winter risking the need to irrigate in less than favourable conditions Let’s look at the numbers: It seems to be commonplace that farmers think they have lots of time for this task “What’s the rush,” they might ask. The rush is early autumn and winter rains can make the job quite difficult.

The example below tries to put this into perspective.

A farmer with a 400-cow farm, with average effluent pump rates, would need about 30 days to empty a two million litre effluent pond (40m x 35m). However, this doesn’t include effluent continuing to be generated in the milking shed. If we factor that in, that’s another 1.2 million litres on the average farm, which when added to the 30 days now becomes 42 days of pumping.

Build in rainfall of 100mm over the 42 days (six weeks), preventing irrigation and adding another 0.25 million litres to the effluent pond, and we’re up to 48 days. That’s seven weeks we need

available, to be safe. You can see how the situation can quickly escalate.

If that farmer left it until early-March to start emptying their effluent pond, the process would take until mid-tolate April, and that’s only if they had the right weather conditions. If they waited until the beginning of April, the chances of getting their effluent pond empty before late autumn rains hit is extremely remote.

Make emptying your pond a priority this summer, so you’re prepared for whatever winter throws at you. n

MORE: Logan Bowler is the owner of Agblution Solutions Ltd offering common sense, independent advice on effluent systems.

Not being affiliated to any company or any product allows him to offer completely independent advice. He and his wife own and operate a dairy farm at Marton, so they understand and experience effluent management on a daily basis at home.

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GENETICS & BREEDING

Using the laws of nature

G

ed Goode and Harry Mowbray are two men on a mission.

A mission to increase their farms efficiency and create a system that will continue long-term.

Goode and Mowbray are partners in Hartwood Farms near Tokoroa, Waikato.

The farm, which was originally converted to an organic farm 12 years ago, has since begun creating a farming system designed to get the most out of nature.

This meant Goode and Mowbray having to undergo extensive research and stripping back what is currently perceived as normal or known to how the environment is naturally developed to deal with many different obstacles dairy farmers face on a daily basis.

“While this process has been long and hard, the farm performance is proving itself worth the investment.”

Studying pasture growth and natural cycles has empowered them to embed biodiverse systems into this unique dairy farming system. Some of these systems have required a change in the status quo attitude to how they graze pasture and last year alone, Hartwood Farms planted 6000 fruit trees on the farm.

The fruit trees attract different kinds of bugs that go into the natural life cycle of the farm and provide valuable shelter and shade for the animals. While this process has been long and hard, the farm performance is proving itself worth the investment.

As part of their research into the benefits of biodiversity, they have also been focusing on the genetics of his herd. Firstly focusing on A2A2 and the polled gene, last year they raised 250 calves and only nine needed to be disbudded.

During their focus into the herd’s genetics, Goode and Mowbray weren’t surprised to find the benefits of crossbreeding and more importantly the Three Way Cross and its performance in various farms around the world. The

56

Three-way-cross genetics are being used on Hartwood Farms in Waikato to breed efficient cows to ensure future sustainability.

Samen’s Three Way Cross breed has 86% continuous heterosis or hybrid vigor, as well as other benefits.

key benefit of a Three Way Cross is the staggering 86% continuous heterosis (hybrid vigor) you can achieve once the cross is stabilised.

Heterosis was one draw for Hartwood Farms looking at the Three Way Cross, however, when investigating further they found all of the other incredibly efficient benefits of using specially selected breeds in the Three Way Cross.

When selecting intended breeds they looked at feed conversion efficiencies, the CLA gene (immune boosting), A2A2, polled and the breeds potential for dual purpose.

The Future of Efficiency is an animal that can combine all of these factors, produce high-component dairy products, a high-valued beef calf (rather than a bobby calf) and have superior health traits and immunity.

We have produced a farming system here that is sustainable and will be here for a very long time.

Goode and Mowbray are confident that many of these techniques are the direction the industry needs to take to secure the future of a sustainable dairy industry. n

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

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GENETICS & BREEDING LIC senior reproduction solutions advisor Jair Mandriaza says body condition and nutrition is one of eight key areas of focus to improve repro on-farm.

Breeding goals

By Samantha Tennent

When it comes to breeding a top herd, there is no one-sizefits-all and plans should be tailored to suit the farm and herd.

T

here is no such thing as a standard breeding plan template because every farm and every farmer is different.

To determine the right approach for your farm this breeding season, there are a series of questions to initially work through.

At some recent SMASH field days LIC senior reproduction solutions advisor Jair Mandriaza spoke about achieving your herd goals by developing the right breeding plan, making the right culling decisions and having good reproductive management.

“The principles of herd improvement include what cows you keep, what bulls you use and what calves you rear, and reproduction is the foundation for everything,” Mandriaza says.

“Semen sales show crossbred is the most popular breed we have at LIC, with Holstein-Friesian not far behind.

Whatever type of cows you choose – black and white, brown or black – you can have whatever you want, as long as you can get cows pregnant.

“And when designing a breeding plan, farmers firstly need to consider where they are on their journey, what their reproductive performance is like and what systems they have in place to

58

manage their breeding programme.”

Nationally, the trend for reproductive performance hit a high in 2012 only to go backwards alongside the dairy downturn to a low point in 2016, before climbing again to a high of 67.8% in 2019. This is still a far cry from the target of 78%, which the herds in the top quartile for reproductive performance achieve.

“Having better performance gives farmers more options, and we see that farmers performing in the top quartile have shorter mating lengths and lower not-in-calf rates,” he says.

Mandriaza says there is a significant correlation with six-week in-calf rates and not-in-calf rates because the more cows that get in calf early, there are fewer empty cows at the end of mating.

Technologies have developed over the years and farmers have an array of possibilities to formulate their individual breeding plans. From conventional semen, to sexed semen, short-gestation semen and beef semen, there are many considerations for each and it is important to think about how many replacements are needed.

“If a farm is struggling with their reproductive performance, they could complicate things further by adding something like sexed semen, which can

have a reduced conception rate,” he says.

“And when looking at options for using beef semen and possibly reducing bobby calves, farmers need to consider if they have a market for the calves and if they have the facilities to house large numbers.

Artificially inseminating yearlings can be attractive for genetic gain, but it is important to check whether the heifers have grown well enough, whether the grazier is on board and if sufficient facilities are available.

“It is also worth considering if there are sufficient systems in place to manage using different types of semen at once for specific cows or groups of cows, and what mitigations could help things run smoothly during mating,” he says.

Mandriaza recommends working with your herd advisors, veterinarians and farm consultants to assess your current performance and help formulate the best plan for your herd. He advocates for utilising tools like the DairyNZ InCalf Fertility Focus Report and the InCalf book to identify where the opportunities lie.

“At the end of the day it’s not about having the plan itself, it’s about having the herd that allows you to deliver what you want, and they need to be getting in calf well to allow that,” he says. n

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

GENETICS & BREEDING

Setting up a fertile herd

D

airyNZ-led research confirms the Fertility Breeding Value (BV) may contribute more to reproductive performance than originally thought.

Unreliable cows that don’t get in calf easily each season create stress and rob farmers of profit. All farmers want cows that produce well, get back in calf, and remain in the herd as long as possible.

That’s becoming more achievable onfarm, thanks to recent research findings from the Pillars of a New Dairy System programme*.

Fertility findings Pillars has uncovered the significance of the Fertility BV in contributing to reproductive performance. Our measure of reproductive performance, the six-week in-calf rate, is driven by cows being submitted and conceiving in the first three weeks of mating. Trial work

KEY POINTS • Genetics is only one of eight key management areas of reproduction.

• Know your herd’s current Fertility BV status before planning your breeding programme.

• Use your support network to assess your herd and plan for improvement.

demonstrated that animals with higher Fertility BVs started cycling sooner and had higher submission rates, giving them more opportunity to get in calf.

What does this mean for your herd?

The trial compared cows with extremes of high (+5) and low (-5) Fertility BV, which you won’t see on a typical farm.

The trial isolated the BV to understand how it impacts a cow’s reproductive performance. The current average Fertility BV for a New Zealand cow is 0.5; we’d consider any herd with an average Fertility BV below this to be low.

To find out your herd’s Fertility BV, request a Herd BV Averages report from your herd improvement company.

Compare the figure for your mixed-age cows with your younger animals. We want to see the Fertility BV trending upwards in the younger animals, indicating progress.

If your herd’s Fertility BV is below average and/or is lower in younger animals, you may want to emphasise fertility in your breeding goals.

Also consider your herd’s current reproductive performance. The NZ average for six-week in-calf rate sits around 67%, compared with the industry target of 78%. Herds with lower performance will see more impact from improving a low herd Fertility BV than a herd with above-average performance.

“Trial work demonstrated that animals with higher Fertility BVs started cycling sooner and had higher submission rates, giving them more opportunity to get in calf.”

Choosing bull teams When selecting your mating programme, take all your breeding goals into account. Using an automated team of bulls from your breeding company can be sufficient, but it pays to compare your herd’s BVs with the proposed bull teams’ BVs. The best way to control the genetic improvement of your herd is by nominating bulls. Select bulls with as high a Fertility BV as possible, without compromising too much on your other breeding goals. n

MORE:

Funded by dairy farmers through the milksolids levy and by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). For more information dairynz.co.nz/ pillars

When selecting a mating programme, take breeding goals into account and select high breeding value bulls to ensure genetic gains in your herd.

with DairyNZ

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

59

GENETICS & BREEDING

Fit for the job

By Samantha Tennent

When selecting cows for showing, breeding plays a big part in searching for ones to put their best hoof forward.

C

attle showing in New Zealand is a small industry, and the number of people who can fit cattle in preparation for shows is even smaller. The closed borders exacerbates the situation further, which has left fitter Braydon Schroder run off his feet with requests this season.

“I was fitting so many cows at the NZ Dairy Event (NZDE) this year, I was working nearly 22 hours a day,” Schroder says.

“It takes a bit of skill to prepare an animal, particularly clipping them properly to show off their strengths and hide some of their weaknesses. The preparation is a niche skillset and there aren’t many people in NZ who do it.”

When he is not behind the clippers he is a farm consultant for Perrin Ag based in Rotorua with clients across the North Island, and in his spare time he trips around the countryside fitting cattle, which has also taken him around the world.

While fitting cattle for show is a big part of showing, breeding plays a big part too.

“At the end of the day, the only factor that has any influence is the confirmation of the cow and how the fitter/handler has presented her on the day,” he says.

As well as showing, Schroder has judged shows and says as a judge he looks for what cow is the strongest and shows the most dairy quality. It also has to be balanced throughout and portray longevity in a milking herd.

“I look and judge on leg structure, correct rump and shoulder angles, width, length and depth of the cow throughout, and strong udder attachments and teat placement, udder texture, bone quality and more,” he says.

“It is hard to find the perfect cow but generally, I picture it in my mind when judging certain aspects of a cow.

Although, any cow should be looked at as a full package.”

Schroder has a keen interest in

60

Preparing and showing cattle kept Braydon Schroder busy at the NZ Dairy Event in Feilding earlier this year.

Photo: Renae Flett

breeding and several years ago while in Australia, bought Paringa Beemer Opaque calf, which he says has an “amazing bloodline”.

“It was through a scholarship from the Holstein Friesian Association I got to travel to Australia. I spent about five weeks touring, staying on host farms and getting a feel for their showing and dairy industry,” he says.

Towards the end of his trip he went to a sale and got sucked in by a calf after seeing the dam in the stalls.

“I had gotten close to one of my host families and I managed to persuade them to form a partnership to buy the calf,” he says.

“The plan was they would feed and milk her, we would split breeding costs and progeny, and I’d come back to show her.

“And the day after we bought the calf, her dam Paringa Fever Opa won Australia’s International Dairy Week, so her value went up immensely.

“Opa’s strengths were she had

practically no faults, an incredibly strong udder attachments and a smaller very balanced frame to her.”

Schroder showed Opaque as a yearling and she won all her classes in the smaller shows and came second in Australia’s second biggest Holstein show. The plan was to get her out last year in her prime as a four-year-old, but covid-19 put a damper on it.

“Hopefully, I will get a chance to get her out this year, but it was really disappointing as she was looking amazing last year and we had spent a lot of time and money getting her prepared,” he says.

Schroder says when it comes to breeding, his decisions depend on what goals are with that specific cow.

“I have a few that are commercial pets where I breed them for milk production and health traits, alongside selecting bulls that will fix any specific fault these cows may have in their confirmation,” he says.

“For my more valuable cows that are

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

worth more to show breeders, the priority of this breeding is using well known or the latest high-type bulls internationally wanted by the show market.

“Alongside this, I select a specific bull that will improve parts of the confirmation that the specific cow being bred mostly needs.

“This is why being able to break down the confirmation of a cow (judge cows) is important, so that we are selecting the correct bulls to breed with the right cows to improve the longevity, performance and quality of our industry’s herd.”

He grew up on a Holstein Friesian stud in Tararua where he had plenty of opportunities to show cattle and as he got older and refined his skills overseas, he became sought-after by other keen show-goers.

“It started with showing my own animals at calf club and pet days, then evolved into A & P shows and onto things like Dairy Event when I was younger,” he says.

During university he did an exchange in Canada for six months. He attended Guelph University and explored local showing scenes, and fitted for wellknown cattle breeders while touring the country.

“I learnt heaps about clipping and preparing cattle in Canada. I got to prepare stock for previous winners of the Canadian Royal and Dairy Expo,” he says.

“There was so much work that I easily could’ve stayed and made fitting a full-time gig. The showing industry in Canada and the United States is huge; we are so small here in NZ, with Australia being between the two really.”

Although cattle fitting is just a hobby, the long hours he puts in are paid well and he enjoys being part of the process.

“How much I do depends on how

experienced the owner is – essentially I can do as little or as much as a breeder wants,” he says.

“We discuss feeding in the weeks, or even months, beforehand and those few days before the show I could be washing, clipping, prepping tops, training some to lead and defining milking hours.”

He says milking each quarter of the cow at a certain time will help the udder look its best come judging, as it can look fuller with correct structure.

Although he has a competitive nature, Schroder says there is a lot more to showing than winning prizes.

“It’s about looking after animals and building a relationship with them. They love it too, getting pampered and fed the best feeds, and having a bit of a holiday,” he says.

“It’s fun breeding the cows to different bulls to try to improve their offspring.

It’s a rewarding process when breeding great offspring from your own cattle.”

For anyone interested in showing he recommends talking to someone who is already involved, and offering to help out at shows is a good starting point.

There are always people looking for help whether it is just cleaning up or even getting to lead an animal. That’s where it starts for a lot of people, even if they’re not from dairy farms themselves.

“There are an increasing number of young Kiwis getting involved in showing and being able to pass on knowledge in cattle fitting and breeding to these people is a reward in itself,” he says.

“And the best part about it is the networks and opportunities, travelling overseas and experiencing different systems and just meeting some really well-known people, it’s a great industry to be a part of.” n

Braydon Schroder judges cattle shows in New Zealand and Australia, and is also a Calf Club NZ judge looking for conformation and structure.

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March 2021

61

ANIMAL WELFARE

Heat stress a priority

A

significant amount of work is underway this year to update animal welfare codes and provide updated advice to farmers for issues such as heat stress, says the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

MPI veterinarian and director for animal health and welfare Dr Chris Rodwell says early next month MPI, in collaboration with industry partners through the Farm to Processor Animal Welfare Forum, will review its work programme after recently completed shade and shelter research.

Rodwell says that while mitigating heat stress in livestock is complex, MPI is confident that this pan-sector discussion will ensure a joined-up approach is taken.

“The industry has already been proactive on this issue and we are looking forward to keeping that momentum going in order to deliver the best welfare outcomes for outdoor livestock,” he says.

Rodwell says it’s important that all options for shade and shelter are on the table, not just man-made infrastructure solutions, such as barns.

“Ultimately, New Zealand’s outdoor farming system is a good thing for our animals. It allows them to behave naturally – including lying down in paddocks – and it reduces the possibility of disease spread,” he says.

62

“We want to ensure that during adverse weather animals have access to protection from the elements – hot, cold or wet weather. That may be by using natural features such as trees or scrub, or artificial structures.

“As well as permanent shelter, farmers can use short-term solutions to protect animals from heat stress, altering farm management practices such as mustering and milking times, for example.”

Improving regulatory standards to manage heat stress in livestock is amongst several pieces of work currently being undertaken by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC).

NAWAC is an independent committee formed to give advice on animal welfare to the minister of agriculture and the associate minister of agriculture (Animal Welfare).

Working groups are currently reviewing existing codes for dairy cattle and pigs, and a further group is about to commence work on the sheep and beef code.

Amongst other things, NAWAC will be looking to strengthen the standards to ensure protection from thermal stress.

These drafts will be available for public consultation later in 2021. At that time, the public will be asked to provide their thoughts and feedback on the draft documents. n

Ministry for Primary Industries veterinarian and director for animal health and welfare Dr Chris Rodwell says while mitigating heat stress in livestock is complex, work will be underway next month to address issues.

“The industry has already been proactive on this issue and we are looking forward to keeping that momentum going in order to deliver the best welfare outcomes for outdoor livestock.”

Dr Chris Rodwell DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

INDUSTRY GOOD

Small steps to cool cows With the hot summer months coming to an end, now is a good time to look ahead to next season to see what improvements can be made to help cows handle the heat.

Jacqueline McGowan DairyNZ animal care developer

A

lthough this summer is nearing its end, now is the time to check how your cows have coped and to kick start projects that will keep your cows cool next summer.

Take a moment to check in with your team. Ask them what they think could be improved for next summer, both for the comfort of the team and your cows.

On my farm we have switched to oncea-day milking, we give the girls access to our shadiest paddocks during the day and recently started including zinc in meals so they aren’t put off drinking the water.

But every summer I watch our water system struggle to keep up with the herd on the hottest days, and wish we’d installed some extra troughs when we had time during autumn and winter. The farming cycle inevitably takes over and adding troughs never makes it onto our winter priority list.

I’ve talked to lots of farmers who go through the same cycle of intending but never quite getting around to doing things. Our brains subconsciously prioritise the things that feel most important, urgent or rewarding at a particular time. Similar to how the RAM of a computer works, your brain has to let unimportant things go to have the capacity to handle the ‘important’ things.

For our water system, this means once the weather cools, the issue fades

DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Providing extra water troughs on the farm can help cows cope with the dry, hot summer months.

“Every summer I watch our water system struggle to keep up with the herd on the hottest days, and wish we’d installed some extra troughs when we had time during autumn and winter.” in importance and prominence, and my brain lets it fall out of my working memory.

For work that has to be done when it no longer feels urgent, we need to stop it falling off the priority list. Put it in the calendar with a reminder or book it in with someone who will do the work. Even

with DairyNZ better, we can look to get started now by taking the first step.

My first step is to decide where in the race the trough should go and then buy the trough. This will then prompt me to continue the work as we enter the autumn and winter months.

If you’re interested in altering your summer milking times or installing sprinklers, your first step might be to check out another farmer’s system or call a supplier. To start on a long-term shade plan, your first step might be to contact someone for advice, such as your dairy company. n

MORE:

For more information visit http://www.dairynz. co.nz/heatstress

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One last word …

I

t took an amazing effort from everyone, and as a nation we have been proud of what we have achieved in the fight against covid-19.

As a result, we have returned to normal life and enjoyed the freedoms that are not being afforded to people around the world as the pandemic still has a firm grip globally. But no doubt everyone let out a collective groan when the Government recently announced new cases in the community and raised the alert levels.

And the ensuing chaos across Auckland supermarkets has proven that many Aucklanders did not learn from last time.

They seem to have forgotten that the economy will keep on turning and farmers will still be producing the very food they were scrambling to buy.

Regardless of alert levels and lockdowns, farmers have continued fighting the good fight.

After the nationwide lockdown last year, agriculture and farmers emerged as heroes. Farmers kept the country going by producing food and earning the only export revenue coming into the country – that says a lot about the sector.

We have put in the hard-yards, but we should never become complacent just because new cases have dropped to single digits.

At the time of writing, the Government has still not found the source of the latest community cases, which is concerning, but we will carry on regardless.

Thanks to Cynthia Boyde for sending in this stunning photograph of their farm in Waikato. She works in administration at the Matamata Vet Clinic and describes herself as a weekend farmer who loves photography. She is often out and about with her camera capturing scenes on the farm.

Sonita

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DAIRY FARMER

March 2021

Dairy Diary March 2021 March 3 – DairyNZ Wormwise is the national worm management strategy. It aims to help farmers and their advisors manage internal parasites.

DairyNZ is supporting Beef & Lamb NZ to bring internal parasite expert Dave Robertson to Hokitika. This Lake Brunner event is cross-sector and will be relevant to both dairy, and sheep and beef farmers.

Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz March 4-5 – Northland Field Days The largest agri-event in Dargaville, Northland, where there is something for everyone rural or urban. As well as hundreds of exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations, there is plenty of fun, food and entertainment for the family. https://northlandfielddays.co.nz/ March 5 – SMASH As we move towards the end of summer, join us for a live online chat with Waikato farmer Jamie Haultain and AG360 farm consultant Wade Bell.

They will discuss Jamie’s system switch to OAD, what are the current conditions on-farm, how mating panned out, how they are going to influence his plan for next season, and more.

Info at www.smallerherds.co.nz March 10 – DairyNZ Southern Dairy Hub Field Day. Info at www.dwn.co.nz/events March 10-11 – DairyNZ West Coast Focus Farm Trust Field Day, Kowhitirangi and Mawheraiti This year we will be looking through the lens with an environmental focus on the farm system.

Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz March 18 – Owl Farm Owl Farm Focus Day. Join us at Owl Farm using data to discuss management of the season-to-date, performance of summer crops, growing calves on chicory and relevant topics led by our team of technical experts, including Ballance.

Info at www.owlfarm.nz/ March 18 – 20 Central District Field Days A unique agriculture event where communities come together to connect, discover and experience the future of New Zealand’s primary industries in Feilding. https://www.cdfielddays.co.nz/ March 24 – SMASH Let’s celebrate dairy, Lichfield. We have some of NZ’s best food producers in the Waikato, including Over the Moon Dairy. Come visit one of their suppliers, Bram Ebeling, have a gourmet feast with us, and hear about how Bram operates his farm to produce a high quality product.

Info at www.smallerherds.co.nz March 24-26 – South Island Agricultural Field Days Over three days, the latest in rural technology, equipment and ideas from around the world will be on display in Kirwee.

Info at https://www.siafd.co.nz/

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March 25 – Dairy Industry Awards Dairy Industry Awards Regional Awards dinner. Copthorne Hotel in Masterton. Come along and celebrate the best of the best in our region.

Info at www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz/ March – Dairy Women’s Network Make time for your people, various dates and locations.

People are at the epicentre of our farm businesses, and ensuring employers and employees have strong relationships and a good work-life balance is key to the future of the industry. Moving the dial on the importance of attracting and retaining great people in the dairy industry is the focus of this workshop and webinar series.

Info at www.dwn.co.nz/events March – Rural Support GoodYarn workshop, various dates and locations.

Good Yarn is a hands-on workshop that will give you the practical tools and confidence to be able to talk to people in rural communities about mental health.

This workshop is aimed at anyone living or working in a rural community and will cover tips for maintaining mental wellbeing.

Info at www.rural-support.org.nz March – LIC MINDA roadshow, various dates and locations.

LIC will be hitting the road from February to July 2021, holding free MINDA LIVE training sessions across the country.

Info at www.events.humanitix.com/tours/minda-roadshow-2021 April – Dairy Women’s Network DWN2021 ‘Step Up Together’ Conference in Waikato, Canterbury and Otago This year, we’re bringing our conference to you.

Join us for one-day packed with plenty of opportunities for growth. From workshops and networking sessions, to just taking time out away from the farm, DWN2021 is a chance to fill your bucket and celebrate the role you play in the industry. Tickets are limited.

Info at www.dwn.co.nz/events

What couldn't you do with an

18.0M X 18.0M shed?

0800 298 324 | www.aztechbuildings.co.nz

Come and see us at the Central Districts Field Days on 18th-20th March 2021 and view our stunning display shed. And don't forget to register for our $1 Reserve Trademe Auction for this shed.

(The auction will finish on the Saturday evening of the Central Districts Field Days 20th March 2021)

Talk to us about: Composting Barns Cow Barns Feedpad Roofs Sheep & Goat Barns Yard Covers Implement Sheds Hay Barns Warehouses Packhouses

Could this be you?

Pictured above is the shed from one of our previous $1 Reserve auctions.

The lucky winner added 2 more sides and a protective capping to the front of the shed and now has a super sturdy hay shed which will serve him proudly for years to come.

For more details and to register for the auction visit here: www.build.aztechbuidings.co.nz/auction